scholarly journals Flexible Working, Work–Life Balance, and Gender Equality: Introduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heejung Chung ◽  
Tanja van der Lippe
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Outcomes ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
The Us

AbstractThis special brings together innovative and multidisciplinary research (sociology, economics, and social work) using data from across Europe and the US to examine the potential flexible working has on the gender division of labour and workers’ work–life balance. Despite numerous studies on the gendered outcomes of flexible working, it is limited in that the majority is based on qualitative studies based in the US. The papers of this special issue overcome some of the limitations by examining the importance of context, namely, family, organisational and country context, examining the intersection between gender and class, and finally examining the outcomes for different types of flexible working arrangements. The introduction to this special issue provides a review of the existing literature on the gendered outcomes of flexible working on work life balance and other work and family outcomes, before presenting the key findings of the articles of this special issue. The results of the studies show that gender matters in understanding the outcomes of flexible working, but also it matters differently in different contexts. The introduction further provides policy implications drawn from the conclusions of the studies and some thoughts for future studies to consider.

scholarly journals Work-life balance and the legal right to request flexible working arrangements

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Dancaster
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
New Right ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
The Government ◽  
Legal Right

In 2003, eligible employees in the United Kingdom acquired the legal right to request flexible working arrangements. The government believes that this new right will provide parents with greater choice and support in balancing work and childcare, whilst being compatible with business efficiency. This article critically appraises this new right and examines how it is applied in relation to other UK legislation on discrimination and unfair dismissal. An overview of international studies on corporate efforts to introduce family-friendly arrangements, and an overview of governmental efforts to address the reconciliation of work and family-life is provided in this article, with a view to arguing that there is a need, in South Africa, for state policy regarding work-life balance and for further research into corporate efforts to introduce family-friendly work arrangements.   

scholarly journals Flexible Working Arrangement, Stress, Worklife Balance And Motivation: Evidence From Postgraduate Students As Worker

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-213
Author(s):  
Anita Maharani ◽  
Salsabila Intan ◽  
Siti Afifah Mahlani ◽  
Christian Wahyu Berlian
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Partial Least Square Analysis ◽  
Flexible Working

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) and Stress toward Work-Life Balance (WLB). The effect of those two variables, however, is strengthened by motivation. The goal is to provide a better understanding of the Work-Life Balance of Postgraduate students who fulfil multiple roles in their life, managing between academic, work, and family life. The survey used questionnaires for data collection in this research. A quantitative approach uses to analyze the data. The subjects of our sample were postgraduate students at a private university, with a total of 96 respondents. To analyze the data, PLS (Partial Least Square) analysis technique was used through the SmartPLS software. Also, to test the second and third hypotheses, a robustness test was performed to assess between items in the independent, dependent, and moderator variables. Findings. The results indicated that the Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) is not proven to have a significant effect on the Work-Life Balance of postgraduate students. This research suggests the need to see the role of motivation, and the present of motivation in individual who fulfils multiple roles in life.

scholarly journals The right to request flexible working arrangements under the Work-life Balance Directive – A comparative perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 203195252110382
Author(s):  
Lisa Waddington ◽  
Mark Bell
Keyword(s):  
Parental Leave ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Time Work ◽  
The Right

The 2019 Work-life Balance Directive creates a new right for parents and carers to request flexible working arrangements for caring purposes. The significance of this innovation has been heightened by the pandemic because it includes the right to request remote working arrangements. This article undertakes a contextual and comparative analysis in order to understand better the strengths, limitations and opportunities created by the Directive. It compares the right to request flexible working arrangements to provisions found in existing Directives on parental leave and part-time work, as well as protections that may be derived from EU equality law. It looks also at examples of existing legislation in two jurisdictions, the Netherlands and Australia, in order to illustrate the options available to Member States when they implement this right within domestic law. The article concludes that the full potential of this right can only be understood when it is viewed as part of a wider range of legal provisions that assist in the reconciliation of work and family life.

REFLECTIONS ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS IN THE LIGHT OF DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/1158 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

2021 ◽  
Vol specjalny II (XXI) ◽  
pp. 189-207
Author(s):  
Justyna Czerniak-Swędzioł ◽  
Ewelina Kumor-Jezierska
Keyword(s):  
Parental Leave ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Council Directive ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Minimum Requirements ◽  
Market Opportunities

In this article the authors submit thorough analysis a new Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers as well as the repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU that entered into force on August 1, 2019, paying special attention to adjusting domestic regulations to it. The solutions adopted in this Directive lay down minimum requirements designed to achieve equality between men and women regarding labour market opportunities and treatment at work, by facilitating the reconciliation of work and family life for workers who are parents, or carers. To that end, this Directive 2019/1158 provides for individual rights related to the following: paternity leave, parental leave and carers’ leave, flexible working arrangements for workers who are parents, or carers.

Teleconference focus groups with fathers: ‘You’re on the line with …’

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Burnett ◽  
Caroline Gatrell
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Dependent Children ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Entire Process

This chapter analyses methodological issues experienced in the employment of audio teleconference focus groups in fatherhood research. It cites a research project entitled ‘Work Life Balance: Working for Fathers?’, which explores how men with dependent children combine work and family commitments. As part of this research, when recruiting fathers for face-to-face interviews and focus groups proved difficult, scholars utilised the medium of recordable teleconferencing technology. In the context of research on fatherhood, the chapter evaluates the emergent complexities integral to the entire process of running ‘teleconference’ (telecon) focus groups. The first part of the chapter describes the technological and procedural challenges in the commissioning of telecon focus groups, while the second reflects on fathers' confession-like admissions.

scholarly journals Gender, Flexibility Stigma and the Perceived Negative Consequences of Flexible Working in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heejung Chung
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThis study examines the prevalence and the gender differences in the perceptions and experiences of flexibility stigma—i.e., the belief that workers who use flexible working arrangements for care purposes are less productive and less committed to the workplace. This is done by using the 4th wave of the Work-Life Balance Survey conducted in 2011 in the UK. The results show that 35% of all workers agree to the statement that those who work flexibly generate more work for others, and 32% believe that those who work flexibly have lower chances for promotion. Although at first glance, men are more likely to agree to both, once other factors are controlled for, women especially mothers are more likely to agree to the latter statement. Similarly, men are more likely to say they experienced negative outcomes due to co-workers working flexibly, while again mothers are more likely to say they experienced negative career consequences due to their own flexible working. The use of working time reducing arrangements, such as part-time, is a major reason why people experience negative career outcomes, and can partially explain why mothers are more likely to suffer from such outcomes when working flexibly. However, this relationship could be reverse, namely, the stigma towards part-time workers may be due to negative perceptions society hold towards mothers’ commitment to work and their productivity. In sum, this paper shows that flexibility stigma is gendered, in that men are more likely to discriminate against flexible workers, while women, especially mothers, are more likely to suffer from such discrimination.

Teleworker performance in the COVID-19 era in Japan

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Okubo ◽  
Atsushi Inoue ◽  
Kozue Sekijima
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Japanese Workers ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
Flexible Working

This paper investigates teleworkers' efficiency in Japan in the COVID-19 era by using unique survey data on telework. Many Japanese workers started teleworking during the pandemic and found both benefits as well as impediments. Overall, we find that telework experience and the work environment (e.g., having clearly specified tasks and a flexible working system), changes in work-life balance (e.g., working time), and good mental health improves teleworkers' efficiency.

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