Predictors of the adoption of work–care arrangements: a study of South African firms

This study examines predictors of work–care arrangements in South African organisations. It investigates the adoption of 23 work–care arrangements in organisations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Organisational size, female presence in the organisation and in trade unions, female leadership and trade union density are tested as predictors of the adoption of these arrangements. In addition, foreign ownership, a previously untested variable predicting the adoption of work–care arrangements, is included in this study. The findings show that the level of adoption of work–care arrangements in South African organisations is low. Organisational size and female presence in senior managerial positions are found to be associated with the greater adoption of work–care arrangements. The study adds to existing work–family research by examining work–care integration in a non-Western context. Furthermore, the study is innovative in the addition of foreign ownership as an independent variable and the inclusion of a broader range of work–care arrangements in the study. The study is relevant for other developing nations and extends the existing research on employer involvement in work and care in developed nations.     

企业人力资源柔性管理研究述评

伴随经济全球化和知识经济的到来,传统的刚性管理模式严重制约着企业人力资源的创新性和主动性,企业人力资源只有实施柔性管理才能适应当今的竞争环境。介绍了人力资源柔性管理的定义、国内外学者在这一领域的研究状况及启示。     

Searching for a balance: work–family practices,work–team design,and organizational performance

The crucial impact of work–family issues on employee's well-being has been recognized and responded with a variety of research in field of organizational behavior. However, few studies examine the impact of how work–family practices affect productivity at firm-level. Following the research stream of strategic human resource management, we proposed that work–family may form the norm of reciprocity, which is a more sophisticated and more critical, internal social-structure component to enable organizational performance. We also examine the contingent effect, work–team structure – on the extent to which the work–family practices are appreciated by employees – and then create complementarities. We conduct a longitudinal study and utilize a data set of 204 Taiwanese public-traded firms to test our hypotheses. The results show that, contrary to our prediction, utilizing work–family practices does not have a significant positive impact on organizational productivity. However, the most important finding of this study is that there are synergies between work–family practices and work–team design on organizational productivity. Work–team design is an important situation in which the returns of work–family practices can be enhanced.     

Uptake of organisational work–life balance opportunities: the context of support

This research examines the relationship between structural and cultural dimensions affecting managerial decision-making about work–life balance (WLB) opportunities. Through a top-down study of two contrasting Irish organisations, we identify how each of five dimensions of work–life culture: ‘managerial and organisational support’, ‘organisational time expectations’, ‘career consequences’, ‘gendered perception of policy use’ and ‘co-worker support’ are mediated through managers to affect availability and uptake of WLB opportunities and creating gaps between policy and practice. This study demonstrates how marked distinctions between the personal opportunities managers may wish to offer and the discretion available to them arise. Secondly, the concept of organisational work–life culture is advanced by elaborating the ‘context of support’, namely interdependencies between organisational culture and structure that affect the uptake of WLB opportunities. Implications for researchers and practitioners are also discussed.     

Negative work–family/family–work spillover and demand for flexible work arrangements: the moderating roles of parenthood and gender

In recent years, companies have increasingly adopted flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to help company managers address negative work–family/family–work spillover (inter-role conflicts between work and family roles). Accordingly, we investigate the effects of parenthood and gender on the relationship between negative work–family/family–work spillover and demand for FWAs. Based on a sample of 1577 managers (967 females and 610 males) of South Korean companies, the results show that parenthood has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between negative work–family/family–work spillover and the demand for FWAs, regardless of gender. The present study highlights the importance of parenthood not only in addressing negative work–family/family–work spillover but also in expressing a demand for FWAs.     

Family-friendly work practices and their outcomes in China: the mediating role of work-to-family enrichment and the moderating role of gender

Based on a survey of a sample of employees (n = 726), we examine whether work-to-family enrichment mediates the relationship between two types of flexible work arrangements (i.e. flextime and a compressed workweek) and two work-related outcomes (job satisfaction and turnover intention). In addition, we examine the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between flexible work arrangements and work-to-family enrichment and between work-to-family enrichment and the work-related outcomes. The results show that work-to-family enrichment acts as a mediating factor between flexible work arrangements and outcomes. In addition, the relationship between work-to-family enrichment and turnover intention is stronger for female employees. Finally, the implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Gaps between managers' and employees' perceptions of work–life balance

Research on work–life balance (WLB) practices has increased in recent years. Academics affirm that the implementation of WLB practices helps to achieve better organizational results and improve employee outcomes such as higher satisfaction and commitment, and reduce turnover intentions. However, some authors have argued that there are differences between the availability of WLB practices in companies and employees' perceptions of access to such practices. The literature on the differences in perceptions between managers and employees in relation to WLB and its effects is sparse. Using two samples of 229 managers and 511 employees from the same firms, we in this paper contribute to our knowledge of the existence of the perception gaps between managers and employees and their influence on the take-up of WLB. Implications for academics and practitioners are discussed.     

The ‘expat factor’: the influence of working time on women's decisions to undertake international assignments in the oil and gas industry

This article examines the effect of working time on women's willingness to go on expatriate assignments in the oil and gas exploration and production sector. The research draws upon an analysis of two case study firms' international assignment and working time policies, semi-structured interviews with 14 human resource staff responsible for policy design and implementation, and a survey of the views of 71 women expatriates, supported by in-depth interviews with 26 of the survey respondents. The research identifies an ‘expat factor’: assignees state that long hours are inherent in expatriation and necessary to further their careers. However, in practice, working time is not excessive and flexible working practices are utilised. Hours of work have little effect on women's decisions to undertake long-term assignments but alternatives such as short-term and commuter assignments are unpopular as their working patterns are disruptive to family life. This article contributes to theory development by linking two discrete frameworks that explain women's career choices when they strive to balance their career goals with their families and by identifying a career compromise threshold when expatriation is rejected in favour of family considerations. A model is proposed to link working time/patterns to women's international assignment participation.     

Family-friendly policies in the workplace and their effect on work–life conflicts in Hong Kong

As in many other big cities, employees in Hong Kong face competing demands from their work and family and are under a tremendous conflict between work and life. Recently, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has put a lot of effort into promoting family-friendly policies, but the availability and effectiveness of these policies are largely unknown. The social distribution of work–life conflicts across social status and the dimensions of stratification in Hong Kong have already been documented. This paper examines these issues by way of a telephone survey of over 1000 employees in Hong Kong. We argue that certain groups of workers are particularly vulnerable to work–life conflicts, and target interventions must be devised to address their needs. Moreover, we also suggest that a regulatory approach to implementing family-friendly policies must be undertaken once implementation on a voluntary basis has failed, owing to the low availability of family-friendly policies in the Hong Kong workplace. Lastly, we show the effectiveness of three measures – namely flexible work time, a five-day work week and career breaks – in reducing both work–life conflicts and their negative consequences. We argue that more rigorous randomized intervention must be undertaken to provide more conclusive evidence so as to convince employers to implement these policies in their enterprises.     

企业人力资源生命周期及对策研究

本文提出了基于人力资源生命周期的人力资源管理新思维，针对人力资源处于生命周期的不同阶段所表现出的不同特征，研究并提出了相应的人力资源管理对策，以实现企业的持续发展。     

现代物流企业柔性人力资源管理模式研究

首先论述了人力资源对现代物流企业的重要性;然后分析了现代物流企业的人力资源特点及结构,提出应创新人力资源管理模式,即实行柔性人力资源管理体系;最后探讨了实施新的管理模式的具体途径,以期促进现代物流企业提高人力资源管理水平,进而获得竞争优势。