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.     

The impact of team characteristics on the supervisor’s attitude towards telework: a mixed-method study

Abstract

This study examines the impact of team characteristics on the supervisor’s attitude towards telework through a mixed-method approach. First, in the quantitative part, we test hypotheses drawing on disruption and dependency theory, using data of 205 supervisors from four Belgian organizations. The data confirm the hypothesized negative correlation between task interdependence and supervisors’ supportive attitude towards telework, as well as the moderating role of supervisor’s dependency on his or her team on this relation. We found no impact of team heterogeneity and lack of team effort and low performance. Second, we use qualitative data collected through 39 semi-structured face-to-face interviews with supervisors to gain a better understanding of supervisors’ reasoning behind their attitude towards telework. These data provide insight into how task interdependence, team heterogeneity and lack of team effort and low performance affect it. Our team-centred conceptualization of the antecedents of supervisors’ attitude towards telework enables to highlight the key role of structural aspects in shaping supervisors’ attitudes towards telework. This is particularly important for policy, as organizations are better placed to remediate aspects at the team level that contribute to supervisors’ negative attitude towards telework, rather than those at the inter-individual one.     

Family-supportive organizations and supervisors: how do they influence employee outcomes and for whom?

In the present study, we examine a model which seeks to specify the process through which work-family supportive organizations and supervisors influence important organizational outcomes, including commitment and performance. Findings indicated that family-supportive organization perceptions are best conceptualized as influencing family-supportive supervisor behaviors, which in turn influence subordinate self-efficacy, subordinate affective commitment to the organization and subordinate perceptions of supervisor work effort. Subordinate self-efficacy and affective commitment were also both found to independently mediate the relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and self-rated performance. Interestingly, the model functioned similarly for employees with and without dependent care responsibilities, indicating that work-family policies and support are important for all employees, regardless of their familial status. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

Perceptions of a Quality of Work-Life Survey from the Perspective of Employees in a Canadian Cancer Centre

This qualitative (phenomenological) study explored the perceptions of a quality of work-life (QWL) survey from the perspective of 10 employees from a variety of departments in a Canadian cancer centre. Data were collected through one-on-one interviews at the workplace. The interviews were conducted several months after the survey had been completed and the findings presented to staff. The following themes emerged from the analysis: (1) talking about the survey triggered discussions of QWL issues most of which were not captured in the survey; (2) the impact of the survey was more important than the survey itself; and (3) participants were concerned that departments or groups of employees were labelled based on the survey results. Implications for researchers who wish to use surveys and standardized scales in health care settings are discussed.     

Caught in the Middle: Organizational Impediments to Middle Managers’ Work-life Balance

As increased work demands and longer working hours become the reality for many employees, the concept of work-life balance has received increasing attention. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of Australian middle managers, which investigated the impact of middle managers’ daily organizational experiences on their lives both in and beyond the workplace. We focus on respondents’ reports of the difficulty in achieving work-life balance, specifically, the organizational impediments to creating balance. Three particular areas where these impediments were apparent are: the impact of new technologies; limits to autonomy and control in the middle management role; and difficulties in taking advantage of flexibility initiatives in the workplace. As middle managers are caught in the middle between work and personal life, there is a need for organizations to support middle managers’ efforts to achieve work-life balance if the organization’s long-term goals are to be achieved.     

工作研究在按摩椅组件装配方法改善中的应用

基于工作研究的原理和方法,对某健康产品有限公司按摩椅组件的装配方法进行了分析改善。首先对按摩椅组件的装配过程进行了流程程序分析,运用5W1H和ECRS方法,通过流程化改善减少了装配过程中的搬运和等待;其次对按摩椅组件的装配过程关键瓶颈工序进行了双手作业分析,通过合理摆放工具和物料,消除了作业浪费。通过对按摩椅组件装配过程的两次改善,装配产能提升了26.7%,单个工人的效率提高了42.9%。     

The Experience of Participatory Research: Perceptions of Oncology Employees Participating in a Workplace Study

Participatory research, a concept developed in the Third World, has been increasingly applied to community and health research in developed countries. However, little is known about attitudes to the participatory process in the context of workplace research, especially that carried out in health care settings. In this qualitative study, employees participating in a quality of work-life (QWL) project at a Canadian cancer centre were asked about their perceptions of the participatory research process. Using a phenomenological approach, the author interviewed 12 employees. The following themes emerged from the analysis of interview data: (1) The role of management and senior management was viewed as being important but employees were uncomfortable with the presence of management at meetings; (2) The desired composition of the committee was more complex than ensuring representation from workers and there may have been a natural process by which this composition was attained; (3) Participatory research without action was unacceptable; and (4) Full participation in all aspects of the project was difficult to achieve. These findings have important implications because they challenge some existing notions in the literature about participatory research. Recommendations regarding trust issues, membership recruitment, and the role of members in the participatory process are outlined.     

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.     

The impact of spirituality at work on workers’ attitudes and individual performance

This research aims to contribute to a better understanding of the concept of spirituality at work, based on Maslow’s writings, introducing a new dimension, emotional balance and inner peace (EBIP) to enrich the traditional conceptualizations and a new mediator, job resourcefulness, in its relationship with performance. The final goal is to investigate how spirituality at work influences workers’ attitudes. The proposed research model was tested using structural equation modeling and 273 valid questionnaires were collected. According to the literature review and to the concept of spirituality, we concluded that there is room for the new dimension (EBIP), and we found that this new dimension influences job resourcefulness and affective commitment. Job resourcefulness has a strong impact on individual performance and receives the impacts of spirituality at work and affective commitment. Job resourcefulness appears to be a better mediator in the relationship between SW and individual performance.