Family-Supportive Supervisor Behavior, Felt Obligation, and Unethical Pro-family Behavior: The Moderating Role of Positive Reciprocity Beliefs

Drawing on social exchange theory, we argue that family-supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB) inhibits employees’ unethical pro-family behavior (UPFB) via the mediation of felt obligation. We further propose that employees’ positive reciprocity beliefs strengthen the hypothesized relationships. Using a sample consisting of 345 full-time employees from an Internet service company located in China, we found that felt obligation partially mediated the negative relationship between FSSB and UPFB and that the FSSB-felt obligation relationship and the mediation relationship were stronger for employees with higher positive reciprocity beliefs. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.