Sharing is caring: The role of compassionate love for sharing coworker work–family support at home to promote partners’ creativity at work

Abstract

Integrating the work–family facilitation model with the integrated model of human energy, we advance a process perspective involving both members of a couple (i.e., actor and partner). We examine the effects of coworker work–family support at work onto actor work–family support provision at home (i.e., work-to-family facilitation) as well as the consequences of partner work–family support receipt at home for partner work-related creativity through a resource gain spiral process at work (i.e., positive affect, flow, and need satisfaction at work; family-to-work facilitation). We further test whether actor compassionate love moderates the dynamic mechanisms that connect coworker work–family support to partner’s creativity. Results of two experience-sampling studies support our model. We find that on weeks with higher coworker work–family support, couples report greater work–family support provision and receipt, which leads to resource gain spirals at work and higher work-related creativity for partners. Furthermore, actor compassionate love strengthens the positive work–home dynamics that follow from coworker work–family support and promote partner’s work-related creativity. We critically discuss our findings and reflect on practical interventions, which may encourage greater work–family support provision at work and at home. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)