The Work–Life Balance in Social Practice

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tess Kay
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
National Level ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Labour Market Participation

This article examines the extent to which the growing attention being paid at EU and national level to issues related to work–life balance is reflected in families' lived experience. It identifies the demands facing families in balancing paid work with other activities, the strategies they adopt to meet them, and the role played by policy interventions. Attention is drawn to diversity in family structures and labour market participation throughout Europe, to differences in the issues encountered by families in achieving a satisfactory work–life balance, and to the contribution of policy to their strategies.

Beyond paid work: Volunteering as a psychosocial resource concerning work-life balance and health

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romualdo Ramos ◽  
Rebecca Brauchli ◽  
Theo Wehner ◽  
Georg Bauer ◽  
Oliver Hammig
Keyword(s):  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Psychosocial Resource

scholarly journals Work Life Balance (WLB) and Flexibility in Paid Work (FPW) for “Generation Y”: A Discussion

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fotios V. Mitsakis ◽  
Georgios Talampekos
Keyword(s):  
Generation Y ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Demographic Trends ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Vital Factor

For many years, the provision of WLB/FPW was offered as an incentive from HR departments to their workforce. However, in the last decade, certain demographic trends and changes in the needs and the nature of the workforce upgraded the WLB/FPW concept to a more significant factor of business growth and competitiveness. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the need for WLB/FPW in the equation of recruitment and retention of “generation Y” employees as a vital factor of the staffing policies and strategies in the forthcoming years.

Is maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth facilitated by mothers’ and partners’ flextime?

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1106-1128
Author(s):  
Yvonne Lott
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Event History Analysis ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
National Level ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Life Balance

How do national-level work–life balance policies shape the role of flextime in maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth? It is well known that such policies influence the adoption, provision, and support of flexible work arrangements by organizations, but whether they shape the relevance of these arrangements for workers has been neglected in past research. This article analyzes whether mothers’ and partners’ flextime facilitates maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth in Germany, where family policy reforms have been implemented in the last two decades. Event history analysis based on German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data from the years 2003–2013 revealed that mothers were more likely to re-enter the labor market if they had used flextime before childbirth. However, this effect existed only before the implementation of family policy reforms, namely the introduction of parental leave in 2007 and the expansion of public childcare. Moreover, the use of flextime before childbirth did not encourage mothers to maintain previous work hours (the legal right to work part time has existed in Germany since 2001). Partners’ use of flextime before childbirth was found to be less relevant for mothers’ return to work after childbirth. The analysis indicates that generous national-level work–life balance policies can diminish the effectiveness of organizational work–life balance policies for mothers’ employment behavior.

scholarly journals The Role of Managers in Work-life Balance Implementation

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mervyl McPherson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Workplace Culture ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Additional Information

The paper draws on existing overseas research to present an argument for the importance of the role of individual managers and workplace culture in the successful outcome of work-life balance programmes in workplaces. Using findings from a recent Work-Life Survey of New Zealand employers by the EEO Trust, and other New Zealand based research, it looks at where New Zealand organisations are at I terms of the role of managers implementing work-life balance programmes. Additional information from employees’ perspectives on the role of managers in implementing work-life balance programmes is drawn from a qualitative study of mothers’ experience on combining paid work and parenting catties out by the author for the Families Commission (forthcoming) and other New Zealand research. The paper concludes with suggestions of how New Zealand organisations can improves outcomes from work-life balance initiatives by greater attentions to the role of mangers in the process.

A Perspective on Work-Life Balance and Its Determinants

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-59
Author(s):  
Sonali Bhattacharya ◽  
Netra Neelam ◽  
K. Rajagopal
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Familial Support ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Order Construct

With a changing demography and social structure, the work life balance (WLB) is a major concern felt by employees of most organizations. This study has attempted to have relook at the constructs of work-life balance from the perspectives of banking and information technology employees with various household structures. The present study develops a multidimensional work-life balance scale to measure existing levels of work-life balance. The scale considers work-life balance as a multidimensional second order construct comprising workplace inclusion, family support, employee benefit, time management, coworker relationship, and supervisor-subordinate relationship. The study reveals not only indicators of organizational family work culture, but also personal characteristics such as time management and familial support determine work-life balance. However, no significant difference was perceived in the work life balance was found between employees with different family structures and between the two sectors considered under the study. Also, there was no significant difference in perception of work life- balance between knowledge workers from IT and banking sectors.

scholarly journals Regendering care in the aftermath of recession?

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Boyer ◽  
Esther Dermott ◽  
Al James ◽  
Julie MacLeavy
Keyword(s):  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Economic Restructuring ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Welfare Spending ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Childcare Policy

Against a backdrop of persistent gender inequalities around childcare, recent research suggests that some men – and especially fathers – are engaging to a greater extent in the everyday tasks of social reproduction. However, our understanding of the multiple factors, motivations and institutions that facilitate and constrain this nuanced ‘regendering of care’ phenomenon in different national contexts remains limited. Previous work has theorized the uneven rise of male primary caregiving in North America and Scandinavia. This article extends these debates through an empirical focus on the United Kingdom in the wake of the 2008–09 recession and double dip of 2011–12, to explore male work-care in relation to economic restructuring, welfare spending cuts, rising costs of childcare, policy interventions which seek to culturally and numerically defeminize care work, and concerns over work–life balance in an ‘age of austerity’. The final part of the article explains the significance of a larger research agenda that recentres the expansive work–life balance literature through an expanded focus of analysis on men, work-care intermediaries and socially sustainable modes of post-recessionary growth.

scholarly journals ‘Intelligent’ lockdown, intelligent effects? Results from a survey on gender (in)equality in paid work, the division of childcare and household work, and quality of life among parents in the Netherlands during the Covid-19 lockdown

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242249
Author(s):  
Mara A. Yerkes ◽  
Stéfanie C. H. André ◽  
Janna W. Besamusca ◽  
Peter M. Kruyen ◽  
Chantal L. H. S. Remery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Household Work ◽  
Relationship Dynamics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Balance

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic is more than a public health crisis. Lockdown measures have substantial societal effects, including a significant impact on parents with (young) children. Given the existence of persistent gender inequality prior to the pandemic, particularly among parents, it is crucial to study the societal impact of COVID-19 from a gender perspective. The objective of this paper is to use representative survey data gathered among Dutch parents in April 2020 to explore differences between mothers and fathers in three areas: paid work, the division of childcare and household tasks, and three dimensions of quality of life (leisure, work-life balance, relationship dynamics). Additionally, we explore whether changes take place in these dimensions by comparing the situation prior to the lockdown with the situation during the lockdown. Method We use descriptive methods (crosstabulations) supported by multivariate modelling (linear regression modelling for continuous outcomes; linear probability modelling (LPM) for binary outcomes (0/1 outcomes); and multinomial logits for multinomial outcomes) in a cross-sectional survey design. Results Results show that the way in which parents were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic reflects a complex gendered reality. Mothers work in essential occupations more often than fathers, report more adjustments of the times at which they work, and experience both more and less work pressure in comparison to before the lockdown. Moreover, mothers continue to do more childcare and household work than fathers, but some fathers report taking on greater shares of childcare and housework during the lockdown in comparison to before. Mothers also report a larger decline in leisure time than fathers. We find no gender differences in the propensity to work from home, in perceived work-life balance, or in relationship dynamics. Conclusion In conclusion, we find that gender inequality in paid work, the division of childcare and household work, and the quality of life are evident during the first lockdown period. Specifically, we find evidence of an increase in gender inequality in relation to paid work and quality of life when comparing the situation prior to and during the lockdown, as well as a decrease in gender inequality in the division of childcare and household work. We conclude that the unique situation created by restrictive lockdown measures magnifies some gender inequalities while lessening others. Discussion The insights we provide offer key comparative evidence based on a representative, probability-based sample for understanding the broader impact of lockdown measures as we move forward in the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the limitations in this study is the cross-sectional design. Further study, in the form of a longitudinal design, will be crucial in investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender inequality.

scholarly journals Factors influencing career progress for early stage clinician-scientists in emerging Asian academic medical centres: a qualitative study in Singapore

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e020398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungwon Yoon ◽  
Woon-Puay Koh ◽  
Marcus E H Ong ◽  
Julian Thumboo
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
National Level ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Research Career ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Clinician Scientist ◽  
Career Progress

ObjectivesTo explore the factors that influence career progress for early stage clinician-scientists and to identify ways to mitigate these factors in the context of emerging Asian academic medical centres (AMCs).DesignQualitative interviews and thematic data analysis based on grounded theory.Setting and participantsFive focus group interviews comprising 29 early career clinician-scientists who have received their first national-level career development award in Singapore.ResultsClinical priorities represented an overarching concern with many reporting the difficulty in delineating responsibilities between clinical care and research. Additionally, there was a prevailing perception of the lack of support for research at the institutional level. Participants tended to identify mentors through their own efforts in a relatively haphazard manner, often owing to the dearth of role models and perceived inadequacy of reward systems for mentoring. Support from mentors was thought to be limited in terms of targeted scientific guidance and long-term commitments to the relationship. Most of the participants expressed concerns about how they could secure the next level of funding with diminishing confidence. Notably, the work-life balance was neither conceptualised as a ‘barrier’ to successful pursuit of research career nor was it translated into the reason for leaving the dual clinical-research career pathway.ConclusionsResults revealed specific limitations presented by the research environment in newly emerging Asian AMCs. To retain a vibrant clinician-scientist workforce, additional measures are needed, aiming to improve institutional culture of research, build mentoring networks, adopt effective tools for tracking career progress and provide a clear and viable career progression path for clinician-scientist. Further research might explore the cross-cultural differences in managing work-life balance in academic medicine.

Work/Life Balance

Sociology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misun Lim ◽  
Joya Misra
Keyword(s):  
Poor Quality ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Worker Turnover ◽  
Work Family

There are many different ways to define work–life balance. Some scholars emphasize that work–life balance requires balancing demands of both paid work and family responsibilities or maximizing satisfaction by minimizing conflict between paid work and family responsibilities. Others view work–life balance as encompassing the way that boundaries blur between work, family, and leisure time. In attempting to address work–life balance, workers are generally trying to preserve both quality of life, and potential for career advancements, while employers are trying to preserve high productivity and reduce worker turnover. Although the term “work–life balance” is widely used, alternative terms are also employed, such as work–family balance, work–life integration, work–life harmonization, or work–life articulation. Research on attempts to manage paid work along with family and other parts of life has been carried out for decades. Yet this scholarship has exploded in the last two decades, particularly as middle-class women have increased their workforce participation, but also work is being carried out during nonstandard hours, technology is creating more permeability between work and home, and union protections have been weakened. Work–life balance efforts may lead to poor-quality jobs in terms of earnings, job security, working time and promotion opportunities, rather than long-term quality employment over the life course that allows for leisure and family time. Research on work–life balance should take structural, rather than individual approaches, to consider workplace cultures, including by occupation and gender inequality, and recognize the different assumptions underlying policies aimed at addressing work–life balance.

scholarly journals A Right to Care: Putting Care Ethics at the Heart of UK Reconciliation Legislation

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-230
Author(s):  
Gemma Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
Care Ethics ◽  
Work Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Caring Relationships ◽  
The Uk

Abstract This article will examine how a right to care could be applied in the UK to better support people’s ability to balance their paid work and caring responsibilities. I will argue that this would inject the ethic of care into the body of work–life balance legislation to better value caring relationships and carers. This is important because paid work is currently prioritised in this body of legislation. I will argue that better valuing caring labour is key to achieving transformative changes in both the workplace and the division of caring labour.

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