Employee Commitment and Cognitive Engagement as Moderators in the Relationship Between Quality of Work Life and Work Life Balance: A Conditional Moderated Moderated‑Mediation Model

Abstract

The well-being of employees in the banking industry remains vital in the quality of work life (QWL) and work life balance (WLB) research. Building on need-satisfaction theory and spillover theories, this research tests a model that examines the effects of work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work-conflict (FWC) on the QWL of bank employees in India. Further, the nexus between QWL, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and WLB are investigated. This study also examines the moderating effect of employee commitment and cognitive engagement of employees in enhancing job satisfaction. Data were collected from 597 employees in four cities from southern India to test the moderated moderated-mediation model. After checking the measurement properties of the survey instrument using the LISREL package of structural equation modeling, hierarchical regression, and PROCESS macros were used to validate the model. The key findings indicate that (i) WFC and FWC have adverse effects on QWL, (ii) QWL is positively associated with job satisfaction and life satisfaction, (iii) job satisfaction mediated the relationship between QWL and life satisfaction, and (iv) life satisfaction is a significant predictor of WLB. The results also supported that employee commitment strengthened the relationship between QWL and job satisfaction. Further, cognitive engagement (second moderator) and employee commitment (first moderator) interacted with QWL in influencing job satisfaction. The three-way interaction between QWL, employee commitment, and cognitive engagement is a novel idea that significantly contributes to the literature on organizational behavior and human resource management. This study provides valuable insights for future researchers and practicing managers.