To act or not to act? How do pregnant employees perform based on family‐supportive supervisor behavior

Abstract Female employees' experience of pregnancy can have an impact on their work performance and behavior. We investigate the impact of female employees' pregnancy status (whether pregnant or not) on their impression‐management motives (IMM) and their in‐role and extra‐role performance. We also examine the role of family‐supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB) in the relationship between employees' pregnancy status and their IMM. A three‐wave survey of 129 female employees (not pregnant: 74; pregnant: 55) and their direct supervisors in 52 organizations located in Eastern China revealed that female employees' pregnancy status had an indirect effect on their performance through IMM and that FSSB moderates this indirect relationship. Specifically, if female employees are pregnant, they have higher IMM, which is associated with higher performance when FSSB is lower. However, this indirect relationship is not significant for female employees who experience higher levels of FSSB. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.