The interplay of family incivility, thriving at work and OBSE in predicting work engagement: a moderated mediation analysis

Purpose The study empirically aims to examine the relationship between family incivility (FI) and work engagement of employees. The study also examines whether thriving at work mediates the relationship between FI and the conditional influence of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) in the model. The study is situated in the Indian information technology (IT) sector, a context where collectivist norms and familial expectations amplify the spillover of FI into the workplace. Design/methodology/approach To test the relationships among the variables, responses were drawn from 249 IT employees and the hypothesized relationships were tested using a two-stage data analysis. In the first stage, measurement model validation was done using WarpPLS 8. Further, in the second stage, direct, mediating, moderating and moderated mediating effects were tested using Model 4 in Process Macros. Findings The study found an inverse relationship between FI and work engagement. The study also established impaired thriving at work as a mechanism linking FI and work engagement. Also, the study established the conditional influence of OBSE as a conditional factor influencing the indirect effect of FI on work engagement through thriving at work. Practical implications Considering the prevalence and spillover effects of FI on work outcomes, the study findings extend the theoretical knowledge in this domain and also provide directions and guidelines to managers and practitioners to mitigate the adverse effect of FI by enhancing OBSE. Originality/value Considering the limited understanding about the spillover effects of FI on work outcomes, the study extends the existing literature by linking FI and work engagement. By establishing thriving at work as a mechanism linking and OBSE as a conditional factor in the model, the study findings have unique and novel contributions to theory and practice. Unlike prior research focused on negative outcomes, it examines how subtle stressors impact positive psychological states. OBSE remains underexplored in this context, particularly as a buffer. The Indian collectivist setting adds cultural depth, amplifying the spillover effects and reinforcing cross-contextual relevance.