scholarly journals Who's Got the Balance? A Study of Satisfaction with the Work–Family Balance among Part-Time Service Sector Employees in Five Western European Countries

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Beham ◽  
Patrick Präg ◽  
Sonja Drobnič
Keyword(s):  
Service Sector ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Time Service ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Western European ◽  
Work Family

Working part-time is frequently considered a viable strategy for employees to better combine work and non-work responsibilities. The present study examines differences in satisfaction with work-family balance (SWFB) among professional and non-professional part-time service sector employees in five western European countries. Part-time employees were found to be more SWFB than full-time employees even after taking varying demands and resources into account. However, there are important differences among the part-timers. Employees in marginal part-time employment with considerably reduced working hours were the most satisfied. Professionals were found to profit less from reduced working hours and experienced lower levels of SWFB than non-professionals. No significant differences in SWFB were found between male and female part-time workers.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Ronda ◽  
Andrea Ollo-López ◽  
Salomé Goñi-Legaz
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
High Performance Work Practices ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

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.

scholarly journals The Influence Of Coaching On Employee Perceptions Of Supervisor Effectiveness And Organizational Policies

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Joseph F. Rocereto ◽  
Joseph B. Mosca ◽  
Susan Forquer Gupta ◽  
Stuart L. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Management Style ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Organizational Policies ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Supervisor Effectiveness ◽  
Organizational Work ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Organizational Rewards ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Rewards Programs

This study investigates the effects of the use of coaching as a management style on supervisor effectiveness and key employee-related organizational policies. Specifically, we examine the direct effects of coaching on employee perceived supervisor effectiveness and organizational work-family balance support, as well as the impact of supervisory effectiveness on employee perceived effectiveness of organizational rewards programs. Ordinal regression was used to test the hypotheses, and data from 134 undergraduate and graduate business students enrolled in a Northeast university who indicated that they were currently employed on a full-time basis support these relationships. Results show that the degree to which employees view their supervisor as acting as a coach positively influences perceived supervisor effectiveness and organizational work-family balance support. Additionally, results support the notion that organizational work-family balance support also leads to perceived supervisor effectiveness which, in turn, positively influences employee perception regarding the effectiveness of organizational rewards programs.

Enforced leisure: Time use and its well-being implications

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 657-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiri Zuzanek ◽  
Margo Hilbrecht
Keyword(s):  
Time Use ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Self Assessed Health

The article examines well-being and social implications of “enforced leisure” resulting from unemployment and underemployment. The first part of the article reviews statistical and research evidence about social and well-being implications of unemployment and underemployment in the context of “technological unemployment” and globalization. The second part examines well-being implications of enforced leisure (due to being unemployed or working part time because the respondent “could not find a full-time job”) based on time use and well-being data collected as part of 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Canadian General Social Surveys. Indicators used in the analyses of social and well-being correlates of “enforced leisure” include respondents’ time use, levels of perceived happiness, life satisfaction, satisfaction with work–family balance, satisfaction with the use of time, self-assessed health, perceived stress, and indices of social integration such as sense of belonging to the community, trusting people, or exposure to socially destabilizing behavior.

The effects of non-standard employment on work—family conflict

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Hosking ◽  
Mark Western
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Employed Parents ◽  
Primary Carer

Over the last five decades the Australian labour market has changed profoundly, one prominent aspect being an increase in non-standard forms of employment. Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia project, this article explores whether non-standard employment is associated with greater or reduced work—family conflict among employed parents and whether experiences vary by gender. We focus on three types of non-standard employment: part-time hours, casual and fixed-term contracts and non-standard scheduling practices. Regression analyses show that mothers who work full-time rather than part-time experience significantly greater work—family conflict. Casual employment is not linked to a reduction in work—family conflict for either mothers or fathers once we control for working hours. Even though mothers are the primary carer in most families, mothers do not report greater work—family conflict than fathers. We attribute this finding to gender differences in the time spent in employment.

scholarly journals Associations Between Work-Family Balance, Parenting Stress, and Marital Conflicts During COVID-19 Pandemic in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard Chung ◽  
Xi Wen Chan ◽  
Paul Lanier ◽  
Peace Wong Yuh Ju
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Parenting Stress ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Working Parents ◽  
Marital Conflicts ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

Objective:To identify profiles of parents’ work-family balance (WFB) and social support and examine their links with parenting stress and marital conflict.Background:As part of the “Circuit-breaker” social distancing measure to address COVID-19, the government of Singapore closed schools and workplaces from April-May 2020. Although this helped reduce transmission rates, for working parents, this period had been a challenging experience of working from home while providing care for children full-time. Problems in the work-home interface can have a significant impact on parenting and marital harmony.Method:We collected data from 258 parents in Singapore using online surveys. Latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of parents’ WFB and spousal and employer support. Linear regression was used to examine links between profiles with parenting stress and marital conflicts. Results:Results indicated three distinct profiles of WFB and social support levels: (a) Strong (43%), (b) Moderate (38%), and (c) Poor (19%). Mothers were more likely than fathers to be in the Moderate and Poor profiles. One key finding is that profiles characterized by poorer WFB were found to be linked with higher parenting stress and increased marital conflicts. Conclusion:There are important variations in parents’ abilities to balance work and family and levels of social support received. Lock-downs can be detrimental to parenting and marital harmony especially for parents with poor WFB and weak social support. Implications:Any attention given to supporting working parents is vital and urgent to counter any problems in the work–family interface during a lock-down

scholarly journals Conciliação Trabalho-Família na Profissão Médica: Um Estudo Exploratório

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 697
Author(s):  
Pedro Afonso ◽  
Olga Vaz Aleixo ◽  
Rute Vaz Aleixo ◽  
Diogo J. F. de Carvalho ◽  
José Augusto Simões
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
National Health System ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

Introduction: The aim of this study is to characterize and assess work-family balance within the medical profession in Portugal.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional and exploratory study analyzed a sample of 181 doctors who are members of the Portuguese Catholic Doctors’ Association. A qualitative survey with multiple-choice questions was applied in order to assess socioeconomic and working conditions as well as work-family balance. Descriptive and linear regression analyses were carried out.Results: Nearly 40% of the surveyed doctors negatively assessed the work-family balance within the private sector. As for the Portuguese National Health System, 73% negatively assessed the work-family balance within the public sector. More than half of those surveyed (56%) worked more hours than what they considered as harmful for their work-family balance and the vast majority was working at the limit or overtime. Data collected enabled us to associate a heavier workload with working in the emergency room, age and men. Moreover, it was observed that working more hours was not linked to having children or being married.Discussion: In our study, the three measures of work-family balance that the participants considered to be the most important were the possibility of flexible scheduling, part-time work and temporarily reducing working hours (e.g. for family assistance). These aspects may explain the differences found in the assessment of work-family balance between the public and private sector.Conclusion: Due to the demanding nature of the medical profession, doctors are placed into a particularly risky situation in order to achieve a suitable work-family balance. The results of our study indicate a general dissatisfaction regarding this balance – special in the public sector – which is mainly associated with excessive weekly working hours.

Flexible Use of the Father’s Quota: Problems and Possibilities

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Berit Brandth ◽  
Elin Kvande
Keyword(s):  
Parental Leave ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Flexible Work Arrangements ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

Research on work-family balance has seen flexible work arrangements as a key solution for reconciling work and family, but it has given contradictory results regarding fathers. This chapter focuses on flexible parental leave use for fathers in Norway. It is based on interviews with 20 fathers who have used the father’s quota flexibly either as part-time combined with part-time leave or as piecemeal leave. The study describes the motives for using flexible leave and the consequences of the two types of flexibility for fathers’ caregiving. Flexibility provides them with a menu of choices, which affects their caregiving differently. Findings show that part-time leave allows work to invade care, produces a double stress and promotes halfway fathering. It tends to confirm fathers as secondary caregivers instead of empowering them as primary caregivers.

Work/Family Balance Policies in the UK since 1997: A New Departure?

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANE LEWIS ◽  
MARY CAMPBELL
Keyword(s):  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Continuity And Change ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Uk

Three successive Labour governments have developed a range of work/family balance (WFB) policies, including child care services, leaves and flexible working hours, which have also become an increasingly coherent package. Drawing on Hall (1993), we explore the extent to which these represent a significant change at three levels: that of ideas (the goals of policy), mechanisms (the nature of the policy instruments), and settings (the fine-tuning of policy instruments). We examine how far the ideas driving the policy developments have been about the welfare of the family and its members, and the nature of the balance of continuity and change in policy instruments and settings, making some suggestions as to how this might be explained.

scholarly journals Usklajevanje delovnega in družinskega življenja: vidik spola

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmina Žnidaršič ◽  
Mojca Bernik
Keyword(s):  
Work Organization ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Work Organizations ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
More Care ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Individual

With the growth of the family, in which both parents are working or single parents, and on the other hand the growing demands of work organizations, the extension of working hours and the requirement to be constantly on call, the harmonization of work and family life is becoming increasingly difficult. Work-family balance is important for both the individual and the work organization, as it affects job satisfaction, engagement, productivity and also less employee turnover. Work-family balance is influenced by many factors, one of the most important is gender. Although men also face difficulties in work-family balance, research shows that women are still the ones with more work-family conflicts, as they take more care of children and household chores. The contribution based on previous literature and previous research presents the situation in the field of work-life balance in Slovenia from the gender point of view of. The results of a survey conducted among 343 employees in Slovenian companies were also presented, as well as possible improvements proposed at the level of both organizations and the state.

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