'High-performance' Management Practices, Working Hours and Work-Life Balance

2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael White ◽  
Stephen Hill ◽  
Patrick McGovern ◽  
Colin Mills ◽  
Deborah Smeaton
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance

Developing individual and organisational work-life balance strategies to improve employee health and wellbeing

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connie Zheng ◽  
John Molineux ◽  
Soheila Mirshekary ◽  
Simona Scarparo
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Employee Health ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

Purpose – Work-life balance (WLB) is an issue of focus for organisations and individuals because individuals benefit from having better health and wellbeing when they have WLB and this, in turn, impacts on organisational productivity and performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore relevant WLB factors contributing to employee health and wellbeing, and to understand the interactive effects of individual WLB strategies and organisational WLB policies/programmes on improving employee health and wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach – Using the data collected from 700 employees located in Queensland, Australia, multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the variables related to individual WLB strategies and organisational WLB programmes. Several multiple regression models were used to evaluate interrelated relationships among these variables and their combined effects on employee health and wellbeing. Findings – The authors found that employees exercising their own WLB strategies showed better health conditions and wellbeing that those who do not; they were also more capable of achieving WLB. Both availability and usage of organisational WLB programmes were found to help employees reduce their stress levels, but interestingly to have no direct association with WLB and employee health. Several control variables such as age, working hours, education level and household incomes were found to have moderate effects on employee health and wellbeing. Originality/value – Employee health and wellbeing are determined by multiple factors. In distinguishing from prior research in this field, this study discovers an important interface between individual WLB strategies and organisational provision of WLB policies/programmes supplemented by several exogenous factors in addressing overall employee health and wellbeing. The results have implications for organisational delivery of WLB policies and other human resource management practices to support employees.

scholarly journals Surgical leadership within rapidly changing working conditions in Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Schmitz-Rixen ◽  
Reinhart T. Grundmann
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Physician Assistants ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Surgical Department ◽  
Chief Physician

AbstractIntroductionAn overview of the requirements for the head of a surgical department in Germany should be given.Materials and methodsA retrospective literature research on surgical professional policy publications of the last 10 years in Germany was conducted.ResultsSurveys show that commercial influences on medical decisions in German hospitals have today become an everyday, predominantly negative, actuality. Nevertheless, in one survey, 82.9% of surgical chief physicians reported being very satisfied with their profession, compared with 61.5% of senior physicians and only 43.4% of hospital specialists. Here, the chief physician is challenged. Only 70% of those surveyed stated that they could rely on their direct superiors when difficulties arose at work, and only 34.1% regarded feedback on the quality of their work as sufficient. The high distress rate in surgery (58.2% for all respondents) has led to a lack in desirability and is reflected in a shortage of qualified applicants for resident positions. In various position papers, surgical residents (only 35% describe their working conditions as good) demand improved working conditions. Chief physicians are being asked to facilitate a suitable work-life balance with regular working hours and a corporate culture with participative management and collegial cooperation. Appreciation of employee performance must also be expressed. An essential factor contributing to dissatisfaction is that residents fill a large part of their daily working hours with non-physician tasks. In surveys, 70% of respondents stated that they spend up to ≥3 h a day on documentation and secretarial work.DiscussionThe chief physician is expected to relieve his medical staff by employing non-physician assistants to take care of non-physician tasks. Transparent and clearly structured training to achieve specialist status is essential. It has been shown that a balanced work-life balance can be achieved for surgeons. Family and career can be reconciled in appropriately organized departments by making use of part-time and shift models that exclude 24-h shifts and making working hours more flexible.

WORK–LIFE BALANCE IN THE CURRENT JAPANESE CONTEXT

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Akizumi Tsutsumi
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Long Working Hours ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Overtime Work ◽  
Work Style

Background: Work style reform in Japan is under way in response to a predicted shortfall in the workforce owing to the country’s low birth rate and high longevity, health problems due to excessive working hours, and the need for diversification of employment. A legal limit for physicians’ overtime work will be introduced in 2024. Objectives: This study examines the work–life balance among Japan’s doctors in the context of ongoing work style reform. Methodology: The study applied included selective reviews of demographic shifts, legislation against long working hours, and trends in doctors’ participation in the labor force. Results: Japan’s doctors work long hours, which creates a conflict between their working and private lives. The proportion of female doctors in Japan is the lowest among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Employment trends among women doctors by age group show an M-curve: many quit their jobs upon marriage or childbirth. Gender role stereotyping has led male Japanese doctors to devote themselves entirely to their professions and working excessively long hours: they leave all family work to their female partners. This stereotyping obliges female doctors to undertake household chores in addition to their career tasks, which makes it difficult for them to re-enter their careers. Because of the harsh working conditions (including long working hours), there has been a decline in newly graduated doctors in some medical specialties. Conclusions: For sustainable, effective health care in Japan, it is necessary to improve the work conditions for Japan’s doctors towards achieving work–life harmony.

scholarly journals The role of life friendly policies on employees' work-life balance

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Yuile ◽  
Artemis Chang ◽  
Amanda Gudmundsson ◽  
Sukanlaya Sawang
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAn employee's inability to balance work and non-work related responsibilities has resulted in an increase in stress related illnesses. Historically, research into the relationship between work and non-work has primarily focused on work/family conflict, predominately investigating the impact of this conflict on parents, usually mothers. To date research has not sufficiently examined the management practices that enable all ‘individuals’ to achieve a ‘balance’ between work and life. This study explores the relationship between contemporary life friendly, HR management policies and work/life balance for individuals as well as the effect of managerial support to the policies. Self-report questionnaire data from 1241 men and women is analysed and discussed to enable organizations to consider the use of life friendly policies and thus create a convergence between the well-being of employees and the effectiveness of the organization.

scholarly journals Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Eshak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Flexible Work Arrangements ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
The Impact

This study aimed to analyse the impact of flexible work arrangements on the employee performance of employees in private Egyptian universities in Alexandria, mediated by work-life balance (applied to the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport). institutions to retain talented people, raise the efficiency of employee performance, and thus raise the efficiency of institutional performance and competitive capabilities of organizations. The researcher used the descriptive analytical method and the questionnaire as a tool for data collection, to measure the impact of flexible work arrangements (focusing on reducing working hours, benefits provided to employees, work policies towards parenting) on the work-life balance, and the extent of the impact of all this on raising the efficiency of employees' employee performance. A stratified random sample of 423 employees was used, and the data collected was analysed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software. The findings revealed a positive relationship between flexible work arrangements (reduced working hours, benefits provided to employees, and work policies toward parenting) and employee performance, as well as a positive relationship between flexible work arrangements and work-life balance, as well as a positive relationship between work-life balance and employee performance, and the researcher recommends implementing such policies.The recommendations also include the need to review current labour laws before legislators, and update them in line with contemporary technological development and the requirement to achieve a balance between the requirements of life and work. This study also recommends the adoption of reducing working hours as one of the flexible work policies offered by organisations to employees. The study concludes that flexible work arrangements and programmes are in fact a competitive tool that organisations can use to increase loyalty, improve performance, achieve commitment and job satisfaction, which enhances the organization's productivity.

Work-life balance and male lawyers: a socially constructed and dynamic process

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 866-879
Author(s):  
Galina Boiarintseva ◽  
Julia Richardson
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Male Dominated ◽  
Societal Expectations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to theorize men’s experiences of work-life balance in male-dominated, high-performance industries.Design/methodology/approachThis study provides an in-depth qualitative study comprising interviews and informal conversations with male lawyers in Canada.FindingsThis study highlights the socially constructed nature of male lawyers’ experiences of work-life balance and the recursive impact of industry, professional and societal expectations and norms.Research limitations/implicationsA relatively small sample size, suggesting the need for further study with a larger and more diverse sample. The study was conducted in Canada – other national contexts may furnish different results.Practical implicationsThis study identifies the need for greater awareness of how institutional, professional and societal expectations and norms impact on men’s experiences of work-life balance in male-dominated, high-performance industries.Social implicationsThis paper indicates that greater attention needs to be paid to work-life balance among men in male-dominated, high-performance industries.Originality/valueThis paper explores men’s experiences of work-life balance in a male-dominated industry within an interpretivist paradigm.

scholarly journals Work-Life Balance, Management Practices and Productivity

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Bloom ◽  
Tobias Kretschmer ◽  
John Michael Van Reenen
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance
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