Supportive supervisor training improves family relationships among employee and spouse dyads

Brady, J. M., Hammer, L. B., Mohr, C. D., & Bodner, T. E. (2020). Supportive supervisor training improves family relationships among employee and spouse dyads. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(1), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000264

Supportive supervisor training is designed to help supervisors meet work-related and nonwork-related needs of employees. This longitudinal randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a supportive supervisor training specifically tailored to also equip supervisors with military cultural competence. Supervisors across 16 organizations were randomly assigned to the treatment group (i.e., received training), whereas supervisors across 19 organizations were randomly assigned to the control group (i.e., had yet to receive training). Using a sample of 250 Veteran employees and their partners, this study examined the extent to which supervisor training was associated with improvements in marital quality and positive parenting at baseline, three- and nine-month follow-ups. Further, this study examined Veteran employees’ stress as a potential factor that may alter the associations between supervisor training, marital satisfaction, and positive parenting. Results suggest that a military-tailored supportive supervisor training program can improve Veteran family outcomes, particularly for those who are under higher stress.

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