Developing Social Support in Employees: Human Resource Development Lessons From Same-Career Couples

Abstract

The problem and the solution. In light of research suggesting significant links between social support and human resource outcomes, managers have become increasingly concerned with how to develop social support. One solution is to examine the experiences of a group of employees with extremely high work—life integration, same-career couples, to develop lessons for human resource development. Same-career couples are employees who work in the same workplace or in the same occupation as their partner. From their experiences and research concerning social support resources in organizations, the authors suggest mechanisms to develop social support with the intention of improving human resource outcomes.