A fit perspective to family supportive supervisor behaviors: Exploring the role of protean career orientation on employee outcomes

In a context where employees find it increasingly difficult to juggle work and family demands, increasing attention has been paid to family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB). Drawing on key tenets of the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, we hypothesize that FSSB is positively related to needs-supplies fit, which in turn, predicts both work and nonwork outcomes i.e., proactive skill development and sleep quality. We also hypothesize that for employees high on protean career orientation (PCO), the consequences of FSSB are more significant and positive on both a) employees’ perceived needs-supplies fits and b) proactive skill development. We conducted a three-wave study with a month time interval in Chile, Colombia, and Spain with matched data of subordinates and their managers (N=454). Most of our hypotheses were supported. We expand and contribute to the literature by providing a fit perspective to research on FSSB, arguing that such behaviors improve employees’ perceptions of their jobs, with a consequential positive impact on their work and nonwork outcomes. The results demonstrate the key role of FSSB in enabling employees to perceive a better fit with their jobs. For HR managers and practitioners, results show that keeping protean-oriented employees is a promising strategy.