Family-friendly practices, high-performance work practices and work–family balance

Author(s):  
Lorena Ronda ◽  
Andrea Ollo-López ◽  
Salomé Goñi-Legaz

Purpose This paper aims to establish to what extent family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices are positively related to work–family balance and to identify the role played by job satisfaction and working hours as mediators of this relationship Design/methodology/approach We use data for a representative sample of almost 17,000 employees of dual-earner couples from European countries. To test the mediation mechanism implied by our hypotheses, we follow the procedure outlined in Baron and Kenny (1986). Given the nature of the dependent variables, ordered probit and regression models were estimated in the analysis. Findings The results show that, in general, family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase work–family balance and that these positive relationships are partially mediated by job satisfaction and working hours. While both family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices increase job satisfaction, only the first increase working hours. Moreover, job satisfaction increases work–family balance, while working hours reduces it. The net effect of these opposing forces on work–family balance is positive. Research limitations/implications The use of secondary data posits some constraints, such as the type of measures and the failure to control for a higher number of family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices. Additionally, the non-longitudinal nature of the data set implies that some relationships cannot be considered causal in the intended direction. Practical implications Managers should implement family-friendly practices and high-performance work practices, as, in general, they increase work–family balance. A significant portion of this positive effect is channeled through job satisfaction and working hours. Originality/value The paper contributes to understanding the relationship between different subsets of human-resources management practices and work–family balance, proposing a model that aims to disentangle the mediating mechanisms through which this relationship occurs.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Garlatti Costa ◽  
Darija Aleksić ◽  
Guido Bortoluzzi

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the inverted U-shaped relationship that exists between exploitative leadership styles and innovation implementation. In addition, drawing on the social cognitive theory, the paper explores the effect of the three-way interaction between exploitative leadership style (ELS), work–family balance (WFB) and family-friendly workplace practices (FFWPs) on innovation implementation.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative study of 440 employees from 38 medium and large companies based in Italy and Croatia was conducted, using an online survey. The proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis.FindingsThe results show that there is an inverted U-shaped curvilinear relationship between ELS and innovation implementation. Furthermore, the findings support the existence of the three-way interaction suggesting that the combination of high-level WFB and high-level FFWPs strengthens the relationship between ELS² and innovation implementation.Originality/valueThis is the first contribution that examines a curvilinear relationship between ELS and innovation implementation. Additionally, it contributes to the work–family literature by providing the first empirical examination of the joint impact of WFB and FFWPs in enhancing innovation implementation. Our results suggest that individuals who perceive a high level of WFB and who work in an organization with family-friendly practices are more accepting of an exploitative leader, and that the positive feelings from the family domain encourage the implementation of innovation. These results may change the attitudes of managers, encouraging them to consider WFB and FFWPs as important for the implementation of innovation.


Author(s):  
Md. Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Noor Azman Ali ◽  
Amer Hamzah Jantan ◽  
Zuraina Dato' Mansor ◽  
Md. Saidur Rahaman

Purpose The purpose of this study is to confirm that work to family conflict (W to FC), family to work conflict (F to WC) and work family balance (WFB) are the predictors of job satisfaction (JS) for Malaysian academic community. To achieve the fundamental objective, the authors first test the direct (structural model) effects of W to FC and F to WC on JS. Secondly, using mediation model, the indirect effects of WFB were calculated through W to FC, F to WC and JS. Design/methodology/approach Using convenience sampling, the data was collected from 280 academic people who work at private universities in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling technique was applied to complete the data analyses procedures. Findings The findings revealed that W to FC and F to WC have negative significant effects on JS. Besides, WFB partially mediates only the relationship between W to FC and JS while no mediation effect was found for F to WC and JS. Research limitations/implications All the research variables in this study were individual-level variables, thus it is suggested to use some organizational and national level variables such as religion and culture as they might be good intervening variables for predicting JS. Practical implications Using the findings of this research, the Malaysian private universities community can take some necessary initiatives to mitigate work family conflict (W-FC) and ensure WFB and JS that might enhance the standard of higher education in Malaysia. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to test the mediation effect of WFB in the relationship between both directions of W-FC and JS of employees from the perspective of Malaysia (a collectivist community).


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Mayo ◽  
Luis Gomez-Mejia ◽  
Shainaz Firfiray ◽  
Pascual Berrone ◽  
Veronica H Villena

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of top leaders beliefs in the importance of work-family balance as a key determinant in explaining the adoption of social practices oriented toward internal stakeholders, focussing on home telework as one of these practices. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 2,388 top executive officers reported the senior leaders belief favoring work-family balance by completing a new scale developed for this purpose asking how much key decision makers were convinced of the value to employees of supportive family-friendly HR practices, modeled how to balance work and family life, and felt a personal commitment to implement family-friendly practices. They also reported the firm’s provision of telework and organizational characteristics such as industry, multinational status, and firm size. Findings – Regression analyses revealed that firm’s provision of telework is more pervasive when its top leaders believe in the importance of work-family balance, even after controlling for firm context (industry, geographical dispersion, and size). More importantly, the authors also find that managerial beliefs augment the positive effect of instrumental factors on the provision of home telework. Practical implications – For practitioners, the most important message is that, while contextual and organizational features are important in the choice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices for employees, the conviction of senior leaders is absolutely essential. Originality/value – This study contributes to the leadership and CSR literature by suggesting that top leaders play a catalyst role in contexts where telework is instrumentally valued. If we conceive CSR for employees as not driven solely by utilitarian logic, it requires a different paradigm that includes leadership motives.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toyin Ajibade Adisa ◽  
Ellis L.C. Osabutey ◽  
Gbolahan Gbadamosi

Purpose The implications of the work-family balance (WFB) of dual-earner couples are well known; however, the extant literature on this topic has failed to adequately explore the context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), specifically Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the WFB of dual-earner couples in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a qualitative methodology in order to explore the effect of couples’ dual-earner status on their WFB in an African context by using Nigerian medical practitioners as the empirical focus. Findings The findings reveal that the dual-earner status provides some respite from financial hardship and improves family finances, which subsequently enhances WFB. However, the dual-earner status also has negative impacts on WFB in terms of work performance, dysfunctionality, and associated societal problems. Originality/value This paper provides insights into the WFB of dual-earner couples in the non-western context of SSA, highlighting the previously unexplored implications of dual-earner status in the context of SSA.


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