Factors that influence perceptions of work-life balance in owners of copreneurial firms

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R. Helmle ◽  
Isabel C. Botero ◽  
David R. Seibold
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Conflict ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
Life Work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence perceptions of work-life balance among owners of copreneurial firms. Research on work-life balance in the context of family firms has focussed on the effects that perceptions of balance can have on the emotional well-being of business owners and performance of the firm. Less attention has been given to understanding the factors affecting an owner's perceptions of work-life balance. This paper not only explores the antecedents of perceptions of work-life balance but does so with copreneurs, or couples who own and manage a firm. Design/methodology/approach – Data for this study were collected using surveys. In all, 210 copreneurs with businesses in nearly 20 industries answered questions about their perceptions of work-life balance, work-life conflict (WLC), life-work conflict, communication practices, characteristics of their jobs, and spousal support. Findings – WLC was negatively related to perceptions of work-life balance. Job involvement, flexibility at work, and permeability of communication were significantly related to perceptions of WLC. Interestingly spousal support did not affect individual perceptions of life-work balance, but had a direct influence on perceptions of work-life balance. Research limitations/implications – The sample was not randomly selected, and participants were surveyed at only one point in time. Notwithstanding these limitations, the findings have implications for advancing research and theory in the areas of family business, work-life issues, and communication. While the paper focus on copreneurial firms, the findings may have implications for family firms and co-founded ventures. Practical implications – The potential benefits of copreneurs’ increased awareness of these findings (from readings or through coaching) are important given prior research demonstrating that family to work conflict and work to family conflict affect the emotional well-being of family business owners, their satisfaction with work, and firm performance. Originality/value – This project offers two important contributions to research in family firms. First, it focusses on copreneurial firms as a unique type of family firm which has the potential to shed light on the differences between family firms. Second, results from this study provide a picture of the predictors of work-life balance for couples who are firm owners.

Enhancing social and individual sustainability in urban co-living

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christin Mellner ◽  
Maria Niemi ◽  
Elin Pollanen ◽  
Walter Osika
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Living Space

Purpose Urbanisation is trending globally, leading to population densification and housing shortage and people living increasingly in isolation. This entails challenges to sustainable development including ecological, social and well-being issues. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a six-month onboarding self-leadership programme including exercises in mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy, amongst residents in a co-living space (n = 24) and a waiting list (n = 21). Design/methodology/approach At baseline and post-intervention, participants filled out questionnaires and two waves of in-depth interviews (n = 24) were conducted. Repeated measures one-way analysis of variance and thematic text analyses were performed. Findings Participation in the programme significantly (all ps < 0.000 to 0.050) improved relationship quality and communication about one’s needs regarding work-non-work boundaries, especially amongst residents at the co-living space. Moreover, programme participation significantly increased perceived work-non-work boundary control, work-life balance, psychological well-being, psychological flexibility and self-compassion, with effect sizes (hp2) in the medium to the large range (0.14 to 0.39). Qualitative findings suggested that increased psychological flexibility and self-compassion encouraged co-living residents to be more vulnerable and trusting, which enabled communication regarding one’s needs and enhanced mutual social support and relationship quality. This, in turn, improved overall boundary management, work-life balance and well-being. Originality/value Co-living settings – while contributing to overall sustainable development through more efficient use of space and resources – can also contribute to societal and individual sustainability. However, to ensure this contribution, the physical environment including private areas and common and semi-public areas, as well as the socio-emotional environment need to be considered.

Sustainable people management through work-life balance: a study of the Malaysian Chinese context

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Chan Au ◽  
Pervaiz K. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Negative Externality ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Malaysian Chinese

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the harmful effects of negative externality at both national and firm level by identifying practices that impact Malaysian Chinese ' s well-being in the form of work-life imbalance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts an emic approach using phenomenological enquiry to investigate what factors influence and shape work-life balance experience of Malaysian Chinese working adults. Emic approach, which takes into account elements that are indigenous to a particular culture, is useful to explore the uniqueness of the Malaysian context. Semi-structured interviews with six Malaysian Chinese working adults were conducted to understand their experience of work-life balance in the Malaysian Chinese context. Findings – The findings highlight how contextual elements in the macro-environment (such as government legislation and policy, societal values, and practices) and the firm environment (owner and leadership values, superiors’ attitude) come together to shape the overall experience of work-life balance among Chinese Malaysians. The findings show that current work-life practices in Malaysia fall short in a number of ways, which ultimately leads to an unsustainable human resource position for Malaysian firms. Practical implications – From a practical perspective the paper highlights the need to focus on employees’ work-life balance as a means to create sustainable and productive workplaces. Originality/value – Given that the concept of work-life balance is grounded in western literature, it is important to explore the nature and relevance work-life balance in sustaining human resources in nonwestern, especially less developed business settings. Findings of this study contribute to the work-life literature by exploring the work-life balance experience in Malaysia through emic approach using a phenomenological lens. The findings identify a shortfall in sustainable people management arising through the interplay of unique negative externality multi-level contextual factors.

Leader personality and employees’ experience of workplace stressors

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Robertson ◽  
Mark P. Healey ◽  
Gerard P. Hodgkinson ◽  
Jill Flint-Taylor ◽  
Fiona Jones
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Work Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workplace Stressors ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Control Work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore relationships between leader personality traits (neuroticism and conscientiousness) and four specific workplace stressors (control; work overload; work-life balance and managerial relationships) experienced by work group members. Design/methodology/approach – The authors accessed personality data from N=84 leaders and surveyed members of their respective work groups (N=928) to measure established workplace stressors. Multi-level modelling analyses were conducted to explore relationships between leader neuroticism and conscientiousness and work group members’ perceptions of sources of pressure. Findings – The results relate to the general problem of how, and to what extent leaders have an impact on the well-being of members of their workgroups. Although previous research has generally associated conscientiousness with effective leadership, the results suggest that some facets of conscientiousness may be less useful for leadership effectiveness than others. In particular, the results show that leaders’ levels of achievement striving are linked to poor work life balance scores for their workgroups. The results also show that leader neuroticism is not related to work group members’ perceptions of sources of pressure. Practical implications – The findings showed that leader personality influences three out of the four employee stressors hypothesized. The idea that the influence of leader personality may be relatively indirect via employee working conditions is potentially important and suggests implications for practice. To the extent that the negative effects of leader personality are mediated via working conditions, it may be feasible to counter, or at least assuage such effects by implementing appropriate regulations or working practices that mitigate leaders’ ability to influence the specific conditions in question. Originality/value – Most studies have focused on how employee well-being outcomes are influenced through the direct impacts of leadership styles and behaviours, or contagious emotions. The authors explore an alternative and untested proposition that the leaders’ personality influences the working conditions that are afforded to subordinates. No empirical research to date have examined the relationships between leader personality and workplace stressors. The research also demonstrates the importance of using facet-level personality measures, compared with measures at the broad domain level.

Beware of side effects on quality! Investigating the implications of home working on work-life balance in educational services

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Rosalba Manna ◽  
Mauro Cavallone
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Home Based

PurposeTelecommuting from home is back up on the agenda as a result of the unforeseen challenges brought by COVID-19. Working from home permits to avoid disruption in the ordinary functioning of educational institutions triggered by social distancing. However, home-based telecommuting may have some side effects on employees, especially in terms of work-life balance. Soft Total Quality Management (TQM) initiatives are needed to address these side effects. The article intends to shed light on these issues, providing some food for thought to scholars and practitioners.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data about the working conditions of 2,046 people employed in the education sector across Europe were investigated. A serial mediation analysis was designed to examine the direct and indirect implications of working from home on work-life balance.FindingsThe study suggests that home-based telecommuting may trigger work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts, due to the blurring of boundaries between work and everyday life. Soft tools, such as organizational meaningfulness (OM) and work-related well-being (WB), mediate the relationship between working from home (HW) and work-life conflicts (WLC), lessening the negative implications of working from home on work-life balance.Practical implicationsThe design and the implementation of home-based telecommuting arrangements should include a special concern for soft TQM practices. Among others, OM and WB are likely to minimize the disruption of remote employees' jobs and interpersonal relationships. Failure to do so impairs the ability of home-based employees to make sense out of their working arrangements and to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts to illuminate the side effects of home-based telecommuting and to investigate the role of soft TQM in addressing these side effects.

Work-life balance crafting behaviors: an empirical study

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 786-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Nario Gravador ◽  
Mendiola Teng-Calleja
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Objective Health

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address gaps in the work-life balance (WLB) literature by identifying WLB crafting behaviors employed by individuals, empirically testing which of these behaviors significantly affect WLB, and examining the relationship between the identified WLB crafting behaviors, WLB, and subjective well-being (SWB). Design/methodology/approach The study utilized a quantitative approach. In total, 314 employees participated in the online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships among the variables. Findings Results show that protecting private time and working efficiently significantly relate with WLB and that WLB mediates the relationships between these two WLB crafting behaviors and SWB. Findings also suggest a significant direct relationship between behaviors that foster family relationships and SWB. Research limitations/implications The study is correlational in nature. Future studies may make use of experimental designs or conduct a longitudinal study. Other variables can be examined in future research such as life circumstances (i.e. life cycle stage change, objective health status) or other constructs within the self-concordance model (i.e. goal concordance, need satisfaction fulfillment). Practical implications The results suggest the importance of organization support in employees’ mastery of significant crafting behaviors through offering socialization, productivity, and time management employee programs. Originality/value The present research, unlike previous studies on employees’ proactive behaviors to attain WLB, empirically tested the identified behaviors and was able to identify the WLB crafting behaviors with significant relationships with WLB and SWB.

scholarly journals Time biases: exploring the work–life balance of single Nigerian managers and professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babatunde Akanji ◽  
Chima Mordi ◽  
Ruth Simpson ◽  
Toyin Ajibade Adisa ◽  
Emeka Smart Oruh
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
High Status ◽  
Perceived Fairness ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organisational Justice

PurposeThis study investigates the overarching ideology of work–life balance (WLB) or conflict as predominantly being a work–family affair. Based on a Nigerian study, and using organisational justice as a theoretical lens, it explores perceived fairness in accessing family-friendly policies by managers and professionals who are single and do not have children – a workgroup conventionally ignored in research on WLB.Design/methodology/approachRelying on an interpretivist approach, the data set comprises of interviews with 24 bank managers and 20 medical doctors working in Nigeria.FindingsThe authors’ findings highlight employers' misconceptions concerning the non-work preferences and commitments of singles as well as an undervaluation by employers of their non-work time. Conceptualised as “time biases”, such time is routinely invaded by the organisation, with profound implications for perceptions of fairness. This fosters backlash behaviours with potential detrimental effects in terms of organisational effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to investigating the WLB of singles in high-status roles, namely banking and medical careers. Future research may examine the experiences of a more diverse range of occupations. The sample comprises heterosexual, never-married professionals, whose experiences may differ from other categories of single workers, such as childless divorced people, widows, non-heterosexual singles and partners who have no children.Practical implicationsIn order to avoid counterproductive behaviours in the workplace, WLB policies should not only focus on those with childcare concerns. Inclusive work–life policies for other household structures, such as single-persons, are necessary for improving overall organisational well-being.Originality/valueThe majority of WLB studies have been undertaken in Western and Asian contexts, to the neglect of the Sub-Saharan African experience. Additionally, research tends to focus on WLB issues on the part of working parents, overlooking the difficulties faced by singles.

Mentoring, research self-efficacy, work–life balance and psychological well-being of doctoral program students

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zain Haider ◽  
Rabia Dasti
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present correlational research study examined the theoretical and statistical relationship between mentoring, research self-efficacy, work–life balance and the psychological well-being of doctoral program students. The study highlights the positive role of mentoring for uplifting the eudemonic aspects of well-being of doctoral program students of natural sciences.Design/methodology/approachA purposive sample (N = 72) of natural sciences doctoral program students was selected from the Higher Education Commission recognized universities of Lahore and Sargodha. Participants' experiences regarding mentoring were operationalized utilizing the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale (Berk et al., 2005). Similarly, their levels of research self-efficacy, work–life balance and psychological well-being were operationalized via the Self-Efficacy in Research Measure (Phillips and Russell, 1994), Work–life Balance Scale (Brough et al., 2014) and Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989), respectively.FindingsResults indicated that mentoring, research self-efficacy, work–life balance and psychological well-being were significantly positively related to one another. The parallel mediation analysis through the process established the path model of mentoring and psychological well-being. The model highlights the importance of mentoring mechanisms in strengthening research self-efficacy and work–life balance and in turn enhancing the psychological well-being of doctoral program students.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the significance of mentoring for the psychological well-being of doctoral program students. It can guide policymakers and mentors to acknowledge and address the research-based needs of these students in terms of improved well-being and productivity.

scholarly journals What happened to the border? The role of mobile information technology devices on employees’ work-life balance

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1651-1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toyin Ajibade Adisa ◽  
Gbolahan Gbadamosi ◽  
Ellis L.C. Osabutey
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mobile Information

Purpose Mobile information technology devices (MITDs) are of special interest for researchers who seek to understand the role of these devices on employees’ work-life balance (WLB). The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of MITDs on employees’ WLB. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses semi-structured interviews to investigate the role of MITDs on employees’ WLB. Findings The findings underscore the important role of MITDs in terms of the attainment of flexibility (how, where, and when work is done), which is significant for achieving WLB. However, the use of MITDs has blurred the division between work and non-work domains. This has inadvertently lengthened employees’ working hours, has affected their family relationships, and affected their general health and well-being. The evidence suggests that MITDs have the potential to improve WLB but could also lead to work-life conflict if not properly managed. Originality/value The study calls for a re-examination of WLB policies and practices, specifically border theory, in order to ensure that MITDs can enhance productivity without inadvertently resulting in poor WLB.

Work–life balance: how can we help women IT professionals in Morocco?

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Semlali ◽  
Abderrahman Hassi
Keyword(s):  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Employees ◽  
It Workers ◽  
Moroccan Women

Purpose The present study aims to understand how Moroccan women working in information technology (IT) perceive the roles they fulfill in both their private and professional lives and assess their Work–life balance (WLB). Design/methodology/approach Existing research about WLB in Morocco focuses mainly on the public sector. As the present study is the first of its kind to deal with the private sector and more specifically IT, it is exploratory in nature while adopting a qualitative methodology. Twenty Moroccan women working in IT companies in the city of Casablanca were interviewed. Collected data were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Findings It emerged from the data analysis that adhering to the cultural assumption of being the pillar of the household and to the culture of respondents’ organizations seems to be a key factor in employee WLB. Three main recommendations stemmed from the current research, namely, increased maternity leave duration, workplace nurseries and telework, may help IT female employees improve their WLB and well-being. Research limitations/implications First, the study participants were selected by one individual, which may create a “sampling bias”, where one specific profile of IT specialist could be selected. Second, only IT workers took part in the study and no IT employers were interviewed, which may yield having only “one side of the story”. Practical implications The results that emerged from the current study, particularly the three main recommendations made by the 20 interviewees (increase of maternity leave duration, workplace nurseries and telework) may be used by different IT companies in the hopes of improving female employees’ WLB and well-being. Overall, employers ought to put in place measures and accommodate employees to help them reconcile their work and personal life commitments. Social implications It has been documented that lack of WLB can result in increased stress, deleterious effects on psychological and physical well-being and increased family and marital tensions (Burchell et al., 2001; Lewis and Cooper, 1999; Scase and Scales, 1998). Therefore, various stakeholders, in addition to employers, such as the government and IT employees’ families should work collaboratively to implement meaningful WLB arrangements and, in turn, prevent the negative effects of work–life imbalance through, among others, government policy interventions. Originality/value The present study is the first of its kind that looked into the perception of WLB among Moroccan women operating in the IT industry. It offers valuable insights about how to assist female Moroccan IT workers to reconcile their work and personal life commitments.

Work Life Balance and Job Satisfaction - A Structural Equation Modeling

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
Dr. D. Shoba ◽  
Dr. G. Suganthi
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Study Results

Work-Life balance has its importance from ancient days and the concept is very old, from the day the world has been created. There was a drastic change that has occurred in the market of teachers and their personal profiles. There are tremendous changes in various families which have bartered from the ‘breadwinner’ role of traditional men to single parent families and dual earning couples. This study furnishes an insight into work life balance and job satisfaction of teachers working in School of Villupuram District. The sample comprises of 75 school teachers from Government and private schools in Villupuram District. The Study results that there is increasing mediating evidence in Work-life balance as well as Job satisfaction of teachers are not affected by the type of school in which they are working. Job satisfaction or Pleasure of life will be affected as a whole by Work life balance of an individual which is the main which can be calculated by construct of subjective well being.

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