Job characteristics and work‐home interaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is too investigate whether race moderates the relationship between job characteristics (job demands and job resources) and negative and positive WHI (work‐home interaction) in a sample of white and African South African police members. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were distributed to African ( n =197) and white ( n =222) ranked police members in the North West Province of South Africa. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderated multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Findings The results showed that race had moderating effects on the relationship between the positive spill‐over of mood and overload, as well as the relationship between the positive spill‐over of skills and overload. No interaction terms were found significant for the relationships between job characteristics and negative time‐based WHI, or for the relationships between job characteristics and negative strain‐based WHI. It is therefore concluded that race does not moderate the relationship between job characteristics and negative WHI. Practical implications The paper will raising awareness among police members and police management about the effect of job characteristics on WHI. This can provide a platform from which to start addressing issues that could decrease police stress. Originality/value This paper shows that although South Africa is working towards uniting all South Africans as a nation, differences between race groups should still be acknowledged and addressed appropriately.