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Direct and indirect benefits of whanau connections for Maori employees: Toward satisfaction and mental health outcomes

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Abstract

For Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, whanau (extended family) is of fundamental importance and the present study tests whether working with whanau has positive effects for Maori employees. Using a sample of 197 Maori, workplace relationships amongst Maori employees and their whanau were tested. Factor analysis found two distinct dimensions: whanau work connections and whanau home connections, which represented interactions in the workplace about work and home respectively. These were explored towards satisfaction and mental health outcomes. Due to the importance of whanau for Maori, we hypothesized that greater whanau connections would have a beneficial influence on outcomes. Findings showed that whanau work connections significantly and positively influenced job satisfaction and workplace cultural satisfaction, while whanau home connections significantly and negatively influenced anxiety and depression. Overall, the variance accounted for by whanau connections was greater towards satisfaction (11-17%) than mental health (4-5%). In addition to the direct effects, moderation was tested between the two dimensions of whanau connections and significant interactions were found towards all outcomes. Towards satisfaction outcomes, interactions showed respondents with high whanau home connections and high whanau work connections reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their job and culture at work. Towards mental health outcomes, significant interactions showed respondents with high whanau home connections and high whanau work connections reported the lowest levels of anxiety and depression. The findings indicate that indigenous employees may respond with the strongest positive outcomes when interacting and working with their extended family, which has previously been unexplored.

Item Type: Book Chapter
Additional Information: The Fourteenth Conference on Labour, Employment and Work (LEW 14) was held 30 November - 1 December, 2010, in Wellington, New Zealand
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions: Schools > Centre for Business, Information Technology and Enterprise > School of Business and Adminstration
Depositing User: Maree Roche
Date Deposited: 06 May 2011 02:53
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2023 02:31
URI: http://researcharchive.wintec.ac.nz/id/eprint/1029

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