Informal Caregivers’ Goal Orientation at Work: The Role of Rational Fit Resources and Psychological Conditions

Abstract

Within the demographic shifts associated with an aging society, the provision of informal unpaid care for relatives may affect the goal orientation and well-being of an increasing proportion of employees in the workforce. A significant gap in the management and organizational behavior empirical literature is the absence of research on this topic. This article responds to and focuses on one resource mechanism that supports working informal caregivers’ well-being by promoting a performance goal orientation in the workplace. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the research model examines the relationship between two personal resources, two psychological conditions, and performance goal orientation among employees combining paid work with informal caregiving responsibilities. The results show that psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability mediate the effects of two rational fit resources—person–organization (P–O) fit and person–job (P–J) fit—to increase caregivers’ performance orientation at work. Based on a sample of 383 primary informal caregivers who participate in the Israeli labor market, and using data drawn from two time points, the results show that high P–O fit and P–J fit perceptions increase both psychological meaningfulness and availability, which, in turn, resulted in a higher performance goal orientation.

1. Introduction

Globally, the provision of eldercare in the community has become the new frontier of work–family balance [1,2,3,4,5]. Indeed, informal care for older adults is a significant part of everyday life for millions of working family members throughout the world [4]. These dual responsibilities can affect family members’ labor market participation capacity [6] as well as their well-being at work [7]. In accordance, a growing literature examines the implications of informal eldercare for caregivers’ employment, physical and mental health, social and marital life, and subjective well-being [8]. The current article adds to this body of work by examining one mechanism supporting informal caregivers’ well-being in the workplace: the effect of so-called rational fit resources—specifically, person–organization and person–job fit—on these employees’ performance goal orientation through the mediating role of psychological meaningfulness and availability.

The choice of performance goal orientation as an outcome variable has two main justifications. First, a performance goal orientation (specifically its performance-approach subtype; see below) has demonstrated positive associations with performance [9,10]. Second, there is evidence linking a goal orientation to well-being in the workplace [11]. In light of literature linking employees’ goal orientation to a range of work outcomes, including self-perceptions of ability, internal/external standards, and approach/avoidance motivation [12,13], we suggest that when seeking to manage the multiple responsibilities of work and eldercare, a performance goal orientation (as opposed to a learning goal orientation) grants employees a greater sense of ownership and control over their work and their performance metrics. As such, a performance goal orientation can provide a source of self-expression, social status, and a reservoir from which to draw inner strength and stability among employees seeking to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.

The present study aims to provide empirical evidence for a mechanism by which personal and psychological resources enhance informal caregivers’ performance goal orientation at work. Specifically, it examines the mediating effect of two psychological conditions, namely psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, on the link between the two rational fit resources (person–organization and person–job fit) and a performance goal orientation. Despite the potential theoretical and practical value of understanding these relationships, they have not been simultaneously or extensively studied in literature. In an attempt to fill this gap, this study draws on conversation of resources (COR) theory, a motivational theory that articulates how people implement key resources, both personal and social, to build a reservoir of sustaining resources for future needs [14,15]. In doing so, we build on two key principles of COR theory: resource caravan passageways and the positive crossover of resources [15] (pp. 108–109). The notion of resource caravans reflects the idea that “resources do not exist individually but travel in packs, or caravans, for both individuals and organizations” [15] (p. 106). By extension, resource caravan passageways are the “ecological conditions that either foster and nurture or limit and block resource creation and sustenance” (p. 106). For its part, the positive crossover of resources reflects the mechanisms by which supportive or sustaining resources are transferred within social and organizational contexts. Yet, the literature ”has not addressed the order in resources are acquired relative to resources that work in caravans”, and, moreover, resource passageways are a relatively unexamined element of COR theory [16] (p. 1344, 1352).

This article makes three contributions to the literature on informal eldercare and work and family research. First, it integrates the investigation of performance goal orientation in the informal caregivers’ well-being literature by underscoring a resource mechanism that helps drive it. This is consistent with Brett et al.’s [12] notion that goal orientation is associated not only with how individuals set goals, but also with their work beliefs and mental frameworks (p. 612). Second, by investigating how one set of antecedents predicts one type of goal orientation, this article responds to Vandewalle et al. [17], who noted that “at a minimum, goal orientation researchers need to explicitly understand and acknowledge the question focus for each goal orientation factor that they assess” (p. 137). Third, this study responds to Clancy et al. [18], who encourage work and eldercare researchers to look comprehensively at eldercare as an ongoing, dynamic process in which outcome variables may later impact predictors (p. 22). While eldercare among employees has been investigated in relation to varied positive and negative work outcomes, including intentions to quit, retirement, working time, absenteeism, disruptions, job satisfaction, and performance [18,19,20,21,22], the present study extends this line of inquiry to understand how rational fit resources, along with positive psychological states, predict informal caregivers’ well-being when caregiving must be combined with work.

1.1. Theoretical Background and Hypothesis Development

The COR model suggests that people seek to develop and maintain valued resources, whether material, social, or psychological [23]. People who have access to such resources are more likely to feel energetic, healthy, and satisfied. Conversely, the loss or threatened loss of core resources is a cause of stress [15]. As described above, resources tend to appear in aggregates, or resource caravans, with environmental conditions then creating the “passageways” that foster and sustain those resources [15]. Personal resources emerge from nurturing or supportive social conditions, and so “are likely to be related to having supportive families and supportive work organizations” [15] (p. 107). We rely also on the crossover model, which “acts as one of the mechanisms of resource exchange within resource caravans” [15] (p. 108). The crossover model outlines the mechanisms by which resources (as well as experiences and emotions) are transferred within social and organizational contexts, such as from work to the family and vice versa. In the present study, we assume that person–organization fit (P–O fit) and person–job fit (P–J fit) serve as personal resources that travel in a resource caravan along with two psychological conditions—psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability. These four resources interact to help improve informal caregivers’ well-being through the cultivation of a performance goal orientation.

1.2. The Value of a Performance Goal Orientation for Informal Caregivers’ Well-Being

A performance goal orientation can help improve the well-being of individuals who must balance paid work and eldercare responsibilities for two main reasons. First, a performance goal orientation motivates individuals to select moderately difficult tasks that allow them to avoid potential failure. That said, it must be noted that such an orientation also makes people less resilient to failure [24,25]. Second, it reflects individuals’ desire to avoid mistakes, and a tendency to evaluate performance by normative standards [24] (p. 40).

Goal orientation theory (also known as achievement goal theory) is a social cognitive approach to motivation, based on the idea that individuals’ decisions and behavior are driven by their underlying beliefs about the value of developing or validating their abilities within achievement settings [12,26,27,28,29,30]. That is, the goals pursued by individuals create the framework for how they interpret and react to different events or outcomes [24,31]. Individuals acting under a performance goal orientation aim to demonstrate and validate their competence by seeking favorable judgments and avoiding negative judgments [13,24]. Dweck and Leggett [32] conceptualized goal orientation as a personality dimension, though one that is susceptible to influence under different circumstances.

The current study focuses on the performance-approach goal orientation type, drawing on previous work showing that performance-approach goals often show positive associations with performance [9,10]. Specifically, when a performance achievement goal instrument contained items primarily focused on competing with others, the relationship with performance outcomes was positive [10,17]. Accordingly, it can be assumed that when informal caregivers are competing with others, they feel better about themselves when they can do something more successfully than most other people. Hence, they are more likely to seek recognition at work and so are motivated to perform at a high level in their job.

1.3. Person–Organization Fit, Person–Job Fit, and Performance Goal Orientation

The theory of work adjustment provides a framework for explaining both how employees influence and shape the work environment and how the work environment shapes how employees think, interact, and behave [25]. Within this framework, the concept of person–environment fit is prominent in organizational stress research [33], as well as in research into employees’ behavioral outcomes, such as job performance [34,35,36].

The work context literature identifies several types of person–environment fits. The current study focuses on two, known as rational fit types: person–organization fit and person–job fit [37]. Person–organization fit is defined as “compatibility between people and the organizations in which they work” [38] (p. 1), where the values and goals of the individual and the organization overlap, and the organization meets the employee’s needs and provides necessary resources [34,38]. Person–job fit reflects the congruence between individual abilities and needs and the demands and supplies of the job [39]. A poor P–J fit entails discrepancies between the degree to which a particular feature is or is not present in one’s job and the quantity of that feature the individual would like to be present [40]. Lower P–J fit is expected to be significantly associated with lower levels of well-being and its associated negative consequences [40]. Edwards and Van Harrison [41] note that a misfit between the person and the environment leads to psychological, physiological, and behavioral strains, such as dissatisfaction, boredom, anxiety, depression, and so on. By contrast, a good P–J and P–O fit—i.e., high compatibility with the job and the organization—can reduce potential employee stress [42] and improve performance [43].

This article argues that both P–O fit and P–J fit are particularly important for informal caregivers, offering a buffer against the stresses arising from the need to manage both work and eldercare. Specifically, employees are more likely to exhibit a performance goal orientation when their work-related stress is buffered by a high P–O and P–J fit—i.e., when their values and goals overlap with those of the organization, and when their abilities and needs are compatible with both the demands of the job and the available resources. However, this article also argues that the effect of P–O fit and P–J fit on informal caregivers’ performance goal orientation is mediated by two psychological conditions: psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability.

1.4. The Mediating Role of Psychological Meaningfulness and Psychological Availability

This mediation role is grounded in the idea that employees, as human beings, have an inherent need to feel that the work they perform is meaningful, e.g., [44,45]. Indeed, changes over recent decades in how people think about work mean that employees are increasingly looking for an even greater sense of meaning and purpose at work [46]. Meaningfulness has been defined as “the value of a work goal or purpose, judged in relation to an individual’s own ideals or standards” [47] (p. 14). Kahn [48] described meaningfulness as the “feeling that one is receiving a return on investments of one’s self in a currency of physical, cognitive, or emotional energy” (p. 704). As Kahn [48] (p. 704) noted: “People experienced meaningfulness when they felt worthwhile, useful, and valuable—as though they made a difference and were not taken for granted.” In accordance, to the extent that employees with high levels of P–O and P–J fit are likely to be engaged, achievement-motivated, and self-disciplined, they are also more likely to devote attention and effort to their work, and as a result, to “derive a sense of meaning from and to assign importance or value to their work” [49] (p. 2205).

Psychological availability, our second mediating factor, is defined as a “sense of having the physical, emotional, or psychological resources to personally engage at a particular moment” [48] (p. 714). This psychological state explains people’s readiness for engagement in work given their involvement in other work and non-work life activities [47]. Consistent with Russo et al.’s [50] notion that people who live a harmonic life experience optimal psycho-physiological conditions that make them more psychologically available to engage in multiple roles, this article suggests that high levels of P–O and P–J fit engender the sense of harmony that gives rise to such psychological availability. Similarly, Glavas [51] suggests that psychological availability may derive from the presence of self-esteem and alignment of one’s self-concept with the organization, which enables individuals to express aspects of their whole self at work.

Taken together, this study’s findings hold that employees with high levels of rational fit—i.e., P–O and P–J fit—will perceive their work as more meaningful and as a result achieve a heightened performance goal orientation. Recall that P–J fit reflects congruence between individual abilities and needs and the demands and supplies of the job [39], while P–O fit means that the values and goals of the individual and the organization overlap, and that the organization meets the employee’s needs and provides necessary resources [34,38]. Both of these fit constructs help employees to experience a sense of meaningfulness at work—that is, to feel worthwhile, valuable, and able to bring aspects of their whole selves to their work role alongside their other roles in life [48]. This, in turn, increases their motivated behavior and, ultimately, their performance goal orientation or desire to demonstrate and validate their competence at work. In this vein, perceived availability should also support a performance goal orientation, especially in the presence of rational fit resources. Employees who are psychologically available “perceive themselves to be ready and prepared to put their physical, cognitive, and emotional energies into role performance” [52] (p. 621). Hence, they are likely to display a higher performance goal orientation.

Given the importance of affect in the experience of psychological meaningfulness and availability, as just described, we can expect that those constructs fully mediate the link between working informal caregivers’ P–O and P–J fit and performance goal orientation.

The foregoing leads to the following hypotheses:

H1a. 

Perceptions of person–organization fit relate positively to psychological meaningfulness.

H1b. 

Perceptions of person–organization fit relate positively to psychological availability.

H2a. 

Psychological meaningfulness relates positively to performance goal orientation.

H2b. 

Psychological availability relate positively to performance goal orientation.

H3a. 

Psychological meaningfulness mediates the relationship between perceptions of person–organization fit and performance goal orientation.

H3b. 

Psychological availability mediates the relationship between perceptions of person–organization fit and performance goal orientation.

H4a. 

Perceptions of person–job fit relate positively to psychological meaningfulness.

H4b. 

Perceptions of person–job fit relate positively to psychological availability.

H5a. 

Psychological meaningfulness mediates the relationship between perceptions of person–job fit and performance goal orientation.

H5b. 

Psychological availability mediates the relationship between perceptions of person–job fit and performance goal orientation.

The relationships examined in this study are highlighted in Figure 1.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Design

A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was used to collect the data. Working informal caregivers from both public- and private-sector organizations were invited to participate. An online survey was conducted using iPanel (https://www.ipanel.co.il/en/solutions/solutions_a.php, accessed on 2 December 2024), which permits access to diverse population segments. Our representative sample matches the Israeli labor market in a range of key characteristics, including income, gender, sector, family status, geographical distribution, and religion. All participants were screened to ensure that they combined paid work with informal care responsibilities for elderly relatives.

2.2. Procedure and Participants

Survey data were collected among 383 employees at two chronological points separated by a lag of two months to reduce any potential influence of common method bias [53]. A survey measuring P–O fit and P–J fit was distributed in the first wave, followed in the second wave by a second survey measuring psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, and performance goal orientation. Demographic information was collected in the first wave. In the first wave, a total of 443 informal caregivers completed the questionnaire (an 88.6% response rate). The second part of the survey was completed by 383 of the original participants (86.5%). Thus, complete data were obtained for 383 informal family caregivers (237 men and 146 women) who combined paid work (either part-time or full-time) with caring for an elderly or disabled family member. Concerning respondents’ work hours, the initial screening question pertained to labor market participation. The findings from the first wave indicated that 15% of the respondents were engaged in part-time employment, while the remaining 85% were employed on a full-time basis. The mean age of respondents was 54.23 years (SD = 6.57). The sample was generally well-educated, with over half having earned at least one academic degree (55.8%) and another third having completed secondary school (33.7%). Most care recipients were respondents’ parents (73.1%). In general, participants reported their relationship with care recipients as very strong (an average of 8.72 on a scale from 1, not at all strong, to 10, extremely strong). Demographic details of the sample can be found in

Table 1. Demographic details of the sample.

Characteristics	Total Sample (N = 383)
Age, mean (SD)	54.23 (6.57)
Gender, n (%)
Male	237 (61.9)
Female	146 (38.1)
Education, n (%)
Secondary	129 (33.7)
Bachelor’s Degree	120 (31.3)
Master’s Degree	94 (24.5)
Other	40 (10.4)
Household monthly income in thousands ILS, mean (SD)	16.54 (20.67)
Care recipient relation, n (%)
Parent	280 (73.1)
Uncle/Cousin	27 (7.0)
Spouse	12 (3.1)
Brother/Sister	7 (1.8)
Other	57 (14.9)
Strength of the relationship with care recipient score
(1 = not strong at all; 10 = extremely strong), mean (SD)	8.72 (1.43)

.

2.3. Measures

• Five main measures were collected. All measures used a 7-point Likert-type response scale, ranging from 1 (never/strongly disagree) to 7 (always/strongly agree) (see Appendix A).
• Person–Organization Fit. P–O fit perceptions were assessed using Cable and DeRue’s [54] three-item measure. The reliability of the scale was reported as α = 0.91 by Cable and DeRue [54]. In our study, we found a reliability score of α = 0.95.
• Person–Job Fit. P–J fit perceptions were assessed using Donavan et al.’s [55] three-item measure. A previous study reported a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.85 [56]. We found a reliability score of α = 0.91.
• Person–Job Fit. P–J fit perceptions were assessed using Donavan et al.’s [55] three-item measure. A previous study reported a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.85 [56]. We found a reliability score of α = 0.91.
• Psychological Conditions. The two conditions of interest, psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, were assessed via the relevant subscales of the Psychological Conditions Scale (PCS) [47]. Psychological meaningfulness was measured through five items assessing the degree to which respondents drew meaning from their work-related activities. Psychological availability was measured through five items assessing respondents’ confidence in their ability to be cognitively, physically, and emotionally available for work. May et al. [47] reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.86 for psychological meaningfulness and 0.84 for psychological availability. The reliability coefficients in our study were α = 0.90 and α = 0.91, respectively.
• Performance Goal Orientation. Performance goal orientation was assessed using the 10-item scale of Button et al. [24]. Reliability as reported by Button et al. [24] was acceptable at α = 0.76. In our study, we found a reliability rate of α = 0.88.

2.4. Statistical Analyses

The data were analyzed utilizing SPSS version 26. Bivariate correlation analyses were conducted to examine how the study variables correlated with the control variables. The mediation analysis was run using Model 4 of Hayes’ [57] PROCESS Macro. This macro makes it possible to include multiple mediators in one model simultaneously, and to compare the specific indirect effects associated with each mediator. Moreover, using the macro makes it possible to measure the direct effects between independent and dependent variables. Indirect effects were subjected to follow-up bootstrap analyses with 5000 bootstrap samples and were determined to be statistically significant in all cases where the 95% confidence interval did not include zero [58].

3. Results

3.1. Descriptive Statistics

Means, standard deviations, reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha), and bivariate correlations are displayed in

Table 2. Means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations of all variables with internal consistency reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha) in the diagonal.

		M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	Age	54.23	6.57	−
2	Gender			0.02	−
3	Education			−0.18 **	−0.06	−
4	HH income	16.54	20.67	−0.02	−0.07	0.12 *	−
5	Relationship strength	8.72	1.43	0.07	0.11 *	−0.12 *	−0.01	−
6	P–O Fit	4.44	1.64	0.16 **	0.05	−0.08	0.00	0.20 **	(0.95)
7	P–J Fit	5.05	1.48	0.15 **	0.03	−0.07	0.03	0.16 **	0.61 **	(0.91)
8	Meaningfulness	5.28	1.24	0.13 *	0.08	−0.10 *	0.07	0.19 **	0.48 **	0.41 **	(0.90)
9	Availability	5.68	1.00	0.21 **	0.01	−0.11 *	0.09	0.17 **	0.33 **	0.39 **	0.63 **	(0.91)
10	Performance Goal Orientation	5.29	0.97	0.10 *	0.12 *	−0.06	0.00	0.14 **	0.15 **	0.18 **	0.41 **	0.46 **	(0.88)

Note. 1 = male, 2 = female; 1 = secondary or ‘other’ education, 2 = academic degree * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.

. Overall, respondents reported moderate levels of P–O fit and slightly higher levels of P–J fit, relatively high levels of psychological meaningfulness and availability, and relatively high performance goal orientation. All study variables were positively related to each other. With respect to the control variables, both age and strength of the relationship with the care recipient were positively associated with all study variables. Female caregivers reported stronger relationships with their care recipients, and higher levels of performance goal orientation. Finally, more-educated respondents reported lower levels of relationship strength, psychological meaningfulness, and psychological availability.

3.2. Hypothesis Testing

First, the impact of P–O Fit (X1) on performance goal orientation (Y) through the proposed mediating factors of psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability (M1, M2) is investigated. The control variables (age, gender, education, household income, and strength of the relationship with the care recipient) were entered as covariates. The results of the mediation analysis are presented in Figure 2.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the total effect of P–O fit on performance goal orientation (path c) is significant (b = 0.07, t = 2.22, p = 0.027). Turning to the mediation analysis, P–O fit is highly significantly and positively related to both psychological meaningfulness (path a1: b = 0.45, t = 9.76, p < 0.001) and psychological availability (path a2: b = 0.29, t = 5.84, p < 0.001), supporting Hypotheses 1a and 1b. Likewise, both psychological meaningfulness and availability are positively and significantly related to performance goal orientation (path b1: b = 0.21, t = 3.34, p < 0.001; path b2: b = 0.35, t = 5.87, p < 0.001), supporting Hypotheses 2a and 2b. Finally, in support of Hypotheses 3a and 3b, the 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals of the indirect effects do not contain zero [57], confirming that the impact of P–O fit on performance goal orientation is mediated through psychological meaningfulness (b = 0.06, 95% CI [0.035, 0.154]) and psychological availability (b = 0.06, 95% CI [0.055, 0.152]) (these results are summarized in

Table 3. Results of mediation analysis (Hypotheses 3a and 3b).

Direct Effect (P–O Fit -> Performance Goal Orientation)	Relationship	Indirect Effect	BC 95% Confidence Interval	Conclusion
−0.08	P–O fit → Meaningfulness → Performance Goal Orientation	0.06	0.035–0.154	Full Mediation
	P–O fit → Availability → Performance Goal Orientation	0.06	0.055–0.152	Full Mediation

). Further supporting the mediation effect, the path coefficient for the effect of P–O fit on performance goal orientation becomes non-significant in the presence of the mediators (path c’: b = −0.08, t = −1.50, p = 0.133). These findings support the full mediation effect of psychological meaningfulness and availability on the relationship between the P–O fit and performance goal orientation.

Next, we conducted the same mediation analysis with P–J Fit (X2) as the independent variable. The results are presented in Figure 3.

Again, as the figure shows, the total effect of P–J fit on performance goal orientation is significant (path c: b = 0.10, t = 2.91, p = 0.004). Supporting Hypotheses 4a and 4b, P–J fit is highly significantly and positively related to both psychological meaningfulness (path a1: b = 0.38, t = 8.05, p < 0.001) and psychological availability (path a2: b = 0.35, t = 7.36, p < 0.001). In addition, it is found significant indirect effects of P–J fit on performance goal orientation through psychological meaningfulness (b = 0.05, 95% CI [0.015, 0.078]) and psychological availability (b = 0.08, 95% CI [0.046, 0.122]), supporting Hypotheses 5a and 5b (these results are summarized in

Table 4. Results of mediation analysis (Hypotheses 5a and 5b).

Total Effect (P–J Fit -> Performance Goal Orientation)	Direct Effect (P–J Fit -> Performance Goal Orientation)	Relationship	Indirect Effect	BC 95% Confidence Interval	Conclusion
0.10 **	−0.03	P–O fit → Meaningfulness → Performance Goal Orientation	0.05	0.015–0.078	Full Mediation
		P–O fit → Availability → Performance Goal Orientation	0.08	0.046–0.122	Full Mediation

** p < 0.01.

). Finally, the direct effect of P–O fit on performance goal orientation in the presence of the mediators was not significant (path c’: b = −0.03, t = −0.90, p = 0.367). Thus, we can conclude that psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability fully mediated the relationship between P–J fit and performance goal orientation.

In short, the results of the two models suggest that informal caregivers with high P–O and P–J fit perceptions are more likely to report higher levels of psychological meaningfulness and availability—and in consequence, to have a higher performance goal orientation.

4. Discussion

The current article joins a body of work aimed at identifying mechanisms supporting the well-being of employees who also serve as informal caregivers for relatives at home, usually aging parents.

This study contributes to the literature in three main ways. First, while a number of empirical studies have examined Israeli caregivers’ mental health, psychological well-being, and labor force participation, no previous work in Israel, to my knowledge, has analyzed how employees’ rational fit resources, along with positive psychological conditions, influence their performance goal orientation. The findings thus add to the literature on informal caregivers’ well-being by showing one consideration not yet examined in previous research—that the interplay of different resources can enhance their performance goal orientation at work. In fact, the findings lend full support to our research hypotheses and, therefore, fill part of an existing gap in the goal orientation literature regarding the relationship between personal resources, psychological conditions, and one type of goal orientation among employees who combine work and eldercare responsibilities. Specifically, by confirming H1a, H1b, H4a, and H4b, the findings support recent research [59], suggesting that increased fit leads employees to derive a sense of purpose from their work—a feeling that their work is significant, purposeful, and useful, and meets their inner needs. These findings also correspond with and extend Kahn’s [48] concept of psychological conditions, part of the engagement literature, whereby employees who hold the same values as their organization have a greater sense of meaningfulness [48]. In this vein, high levels of rational fit give employees the mental capacity to devote more attention to their work, and to be psychologically available to determine how to engage with their task performance. Further, by confirming four mediating hypotheses (H3a, H3b, H5a, and H5b), this study underscores that two psychological conditions—meaningfulness and availability—significantly matter for a performance goal orientation.

As can be seen, the findings indicate a significant negative correlation between education level and psychological meaningfulness. It can be posited that those employees engaged in eldercare responsibility with lower levels of educational attainment tend to derive greater meaning from their work and job. Namely, at a lower level of education, work is an important source of meaningfulness and respondents rated their job activities as important and valuable.

Second, this article addresses gaps in the literature on COR theory, and specifically in our understanding of resource caravans [15] (pp. 108–109). Yet the nature of resource caravans in COR theory is still not particularly well-developed [16]. In an attempt to help fill these gaps, the current study examines one pattern of fit resources that travel together, such that the rational fit resources (P–O fit and P–J fit) engender two positive psychological states, which are then deployed by informal caregivers to accomplish goals at work. Additionally, recent trends in the COR literature focus on building implications for practice, e.g., [16]. The present study contributes to this effort by outlining specific resources that seem to be effective in improving the well-being of employees who also serve as informal caregivers. More precisely, by confirming the mediation hypotheses, the findings support the notion that “because resources tend to be the consequence of nurturance and learned adaptation, they are likely to appear as co-travelers”, rather than operating individually [15] (p. 107). These findings are also in line with Schmidt and Keil’s [60] suggestion that some resources are enhanced to the extent that they follow the acquisition of other resources. They also argue that several conditions help increase or decrease the value of a resource, and the first is complementarities, or the extent to which a resource fits with an organization’s current resource portfolio. The notion of the complementarity issue also explains resources in terms of an individual’s ability to manage resources rather than the existence of resources [61,62]. Namely, if the new resource does not complement existing resources, it may be more difficult for an individual to manage and thus be less valuable to the individual. In an attempt to integrate the existing COR literature with insights from the organizational behavior and management literature, resource caravan may be defined in terms of one’s ability to facilitate progress toward meeting one’s goals. I can further argue that resource caravans are increased to the extent that new resources will enable goal achievement more than the current resources. Based on the findings of this article, the following points are suggested: (1) caregivers expect it to help them achieve a goal at work; (2) caregivers already have fit resources (P–O fit and P–J fit); (3) the new resources of psychological conditions complement existing resources and effectively utilize those resources. This study also shed light on the resource caravan passageways principle [15], which is a relatively unexamined element of COR theory [16] (p. 1352). The findings indicate that working conditions play a major role as accelerators of resource development. This is in response to Hobfoll et al. [15] (p. 107), who say that despite organizations and the broader culture playing a major role in this process, organization scholars often miss this level of analysis due to the field’s overwhelming focus on the individual level.

Third, within the goal orientation literature, most studies focus on the mastery or learning goal orientation, and existing findings on the performance goal orientation are inconsistent, e.g., [63,64]. The present findings enrich our understanding of how one particular resource mechanism nurtures a performance goal orientation. This article thereby enhances the potential application of goal orientation research findings in informal caregiver studies.

To conclude, family caregivers who are more engaged in the care journey have more of a capacity to deal with the stressful situations resulting from caregiving [65] (p. 1364). Thus, it is imperative to sustain their well-being while they are reconciling paid work and informal eldercare responsibilities. In this respect, fostering a goal orientation at work can help informal caregivers remain adaptive and competitive in today’s ever-changing workplace environment. The current findings thus offer a valuable addition to the literature on informal family caregivers who participate in the labor market.

Limitations and Future Research

Several limitations of this research should be noted. First, the research model was cross-sectional but not longitudinal. Although the data were collected at two chronological points with a lag of two months to reduce any potential influence of common method bias [53], we cannot draw clear conclusions about causal relations in the mediation model. A longitudinal or time-series data collection approach would be a useful next step in examining the relations between personal resources, psychological states, and goal orientation. A second limitation is the potential influence of common method bias [66]. However, given the nature of the variables in the study, self-reporting was appropriate for the data collection. Thirdly, it is important to consider and acknowledge the potential for social desirability bias, particularly prevalent in self-report questionnaires. This is a common limitation in studies that focus on sensitive or personal topics. Specifically, respondents may present their work-eldercare reality in a manner that aligns with what is perceived to be socially acceptable. This may manifest as caregivers who fulfill family obligations or as a desire to be part of a group of empathic and energetic people. In either case, this may conceal their true opinions or experiences. However, several strategies were employed to mitigate the impact of social desirability bias in the research design. These included the use of forced-choice items, which required respondents to provide a comprehensive ranking of the items within each forced-choice block, as well as the provision of anonymity and self-administered questionnaires. Fourth, the model, while theoretically encompassing rational fit resources and two psychological conditions, fails to take into account potential moderators or external influences, such as social or organizational support, which could affect the outcomes of this study. Also, the absence of additional control variables in the research model, including caregiving hours and the degree of external support, may potentially introduce bias in the results. Future studies should take into account variables that were beyond the scope of the present research. For example, they might consider whether an employee who is the primary caregiver also shares caregiving responsibilities with other family members. They might also consider individual attributes of caregivers, such as caregiving-related self-efficacy, as additional psychological resources. Finally, the data were collected in only one country, and the findings reflect the responses of Israeli employees who combine paid work and eldercare within the context of certain long-term care policies. This limits our ability to draw general conclusions about the pattern of results. Given the existence of cultural variation between nations and regions, as well as across different contexts, it is not possible to apply the findings presented here universally to all employees who combine work and eldercare. Future studies should examine the impact of P–O fit, P–J fit, and psychological conditions on performance goal orientation in a broader range of cultures. Also, future work should examine the role of gender and culture in relationships between caregiving demands, resources, strain, support, and performance orientation.

5. Conclusions

This study operationalized well-being through goal orientation on the basis that goal orientation is associated with improved engagement, satisfaction, work–life balance, and even physical well-being [11]. Drawing on COR theory [14,15,23], the proposed research model predicts that informal caregivers’ rational fit resources—i.e., perceptions of how they fit with their organization and job—would be associated with a higher performance goal orientation, and that these links would be mediated by two psychological resources: psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability. The results support four mediation hypotheses. Specifically, they show that caregivers with high P–O and P–J fit perceptions are more likely to report higher levels of psychological meaningfulness and availability, and that this positive experience of psychological conditions is in turn linked with higher performance goal orientation. These findings offer valuable insights for organizations facing the dual challenge of maintaining informal caregivers in the workplace while simultaneously supporting their well-being.