Work–home interference and the relationship with job characteristics and well‐being: a South African study among employees in the construction industry

Although the relationship between job characteristics, work–home interference (WHI) and work‐related well‐being has been researched in Western societies, this relationship has not often been tested in non‐Western societies such as South Africa and among low‐wage non‐professional workers, like construction workers. The aim of this study was to test the mediating effect of negative and positive WHI in the relationship between job characteristics (job demands and job resources) and work‐related well‐being (burnout and work engagement) in a sample of 528 employees in the construction industry in South Africa. Structural equation modelling showed that, as expected, job demands and job resources were partially related to burnout, both directly and indirectly through negative WHI. Similarly, job resources were partially related to work engagement, both directly and indirectly, through positive WHI. It can be concluded that these results extend previous research by showing that the relationships between job characteristics, WHI and well‐being hold true for low‐wage workers in a non‐Western society. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.