The Direct and Indirect Benefits of Whanau Connections for Maori Employees: Towards Satisfaction & Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

For Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, whanau (extended family) is of fundamental importance and the present study tests whether working with whanau has positive effects for Maori employees. Using a sample of 197 Maori, workplace relationships amongst Maori employees and their whanau were tested. Factor analysis found two distinct dimensions: whanau work connections and whanau home connections, which represented interactions in the workplace about work and home respectively. These were explored towards satisfaction and mental health outcomes. Due to the importance of whanau for Maori, we hypothesized that greater whanau connections would have a beneficial influence on outcomes. Findings showed that whanau work connections significantly and positively influenced job satisfaction and workplace cultural satisfaction, while whanau home connections significantly and negatively influenced anxiety and depression. In addition, moderation effects were found between the two dimensions of whanau connections towards all outcomes. Overall, higher whanau connections on both dimensions were advantageous. The findings indicate that indigenous employees may respond with the strongest positive outcomes when interacting and working with their extended family, which has previously been unexplored.