Interactive influence of work-life balance benefits, employee recommendation, and job attributes on employer attractiveness and job pursuit intentions: two experiments

Drawing on signaling theory (Spence 1978), we propose that communicating work-life balance benefits offered along with favorable employee recommendations and valued job attributes could be construed as signals organizations deliberately use to influence potential applicants' perceptions of employer attractiveness and enhance job pursuit intentions. We test these ideas in two experiments. In study 1, using carefully constructed vignettes to manipulate work-life balance (WLB) benefits, employee recommendation, and job attributes in a 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects design and with data gathered from 320 Indian MBA students, we found support for the direct and interactive effects of these variables on employer attractiveness. In study 2, using a 3 x 2 x 2 between-subjects design and data from 360 Indian MBA students, we examined the influence of three different alternative work arrangements, a form of WLB benefit, and how such benefits interact with employee recommendations and job attributes to influence job pursuit intentions. We discuss implications for theory, research, and practice.