Discourse practice gaps in work life balance : comparative case studies in the Australian construction industry

Perspectives on work-life balance (WLB) reflected in political, media and organisational discourse, would maintain that WLB is on the agenda because of broad social, economic and political factors (Fleetwood 2007). In contrast, critical scholarship which examines work-life balance (WLB) and its associated practices maintains that workplace flexibility is more than a quasi-functionalist response to contemporary problems faced by individuals, families or organisations. For example, the literature identifies where flexible work arrangements have not lived up to expectations of a panacea for work-home conflicts, being characterised as much by employer-driven working conditions that disadvantage workers and constrain balance, as they are by employee friendly practices that enable it (Charlesworth 1997). Further, even where generous organisational work-life balance policies exist, under-utilisation is an issue (Schaefer et al, 2007). Compounding these issues is that many employees perceive their paid work as becoming more intense, pressured and demanding (Townsend et al 2003).

What about me? Avoiding fatigue and gaining personal time in the work to leisure transition in work-life balance initiatives

Fatigue and overwork are problems experienced by numerous employees in many industry sectors. Focusing on improving work-life balance can frame the ‘problem’ of long work hours to resolve working time duration issues. Flexible work options through re-organising working time arrangements is key to developing an organisational response for delivering work-life balance and usually involves changing the internal structure of work time. This study examines the effect of compressed long weekly working hours and the consequent ‘long break’ on work-life balance. Using Spillover theory and Border theory, this research considers organisational and personal determinants of overwork and fatigue. It concludes compressed long work hours with a long break provide better work-life balance. Further, a long break allows gaining ‘personal time’ and overcoming fatigue.

Talking the talk and walking the walk : how managers can influence the quality of work-life balance in a construction project

Purpose – The construction industry in Australia is characterised by a long work-hours culture, with conditions that make it difficult for staff to balance their work and non-work lives. The objective of this paper is to measure the success of a work-place intervention designed to improve work-life balance (WLB) in an alliance project in the construction industry, and the role the project manager plays in this success. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on an alliance case study. Interviews were conducted at two points in time, several months apart, after the interventions were implemented. Findings – Results showed that staff on the whole were more satisfied with their work experience after the interventions, and indicated the important role that managers' attitudes and behaviours played. Originality/value – Managerial support for work-life initiatives is a critical element in achieving WLB and satisfaction with working arrangements. The fact that the manager “talked the talk and walked the walk” was a major contributing success factor, which has not previously been demonstrated.

An extended measure of work-life balance culture : development and confirmation of the measure

This paper extends the work of Thompson, Beauvais and Lyness (1999) to develop a more comprehensive measure of work-life balance culture. Thompson et al. developed a survey based on three sub-dimensions which examine work-family culture. We have extended this to incorporate extra dimensions, and to broaden the measure to encompass life aspects beyond the family. Two studies were conducted in order to test and refine the measure. Over 700 participants in the first study completed the survey, and the Confirmatory Factor Analysis results show that the extended measure is robust. Further, a second study with a sample of 629 participants confirmed the general measure, with slight adaptations. The results are discussed in relation to the use of the measure for work-life balance research.

The role of life friendly policies on employees’ work-life balance

Employees' inability to balance work and non-work related responsibilities have 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 1,241 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.

Labouring for leisure? Achieving work-life balance through compressed working weeks

Flexible work practices spreading work times across the entire week have reduced the time to engage in leisure activities and for some have compounded the problem of a lack of defined break between work weeks. This study examines time spent outside of the workplace through a multiple case study of working time and leisure in the construction industry. A framework of synchronous leisure is used to examine the interplay of work and non-work arrangements. The effects of changing work arrangements to deliver a longer break between working weeks and the consequent impact on leisure activities are analysed. Interviews and focus groups across four construction sites revealed that while leisure is important to relieve fatigue and overwork, a work schedule allowing a long break between working weeks, specifically on a weekend, enables workers to achieve synchronous time, particularly with family, and improves work-life balance satisfaction. It was found that a well-defined break across a weekend also offers the opportunity to synchronize schedules with others to spend time away on short breaks.

The legitimation and reproduction of discourse-practice gaps in work-life balance

Purpose - Critical scholarship on work-life balance (WLB) and its associated practices maintains that workplace flexibility is more than a quasi-functionalist response to contemporary problems faced by individuals, families or organisations. Beginning with Fleetwood’s contention that WLB discourses have become "detached" from their associated practices, this paper explores how workplace practices support or challenge dominant WLB discourses evident in socio-cultural, political and organisational sources. Design/methodology/approach - We analyse individual and group interview transcripts derived from 122 white-collar employees in two different organisational contexts (one public, one private) in the construction industry in Australia. Findings - Four major themes were identified in the data which illustrate discourse practice gaps. First, the demands facing this particular industry/ sector were framed as heightened and unique. Second, productivity was prioritised, dominating employees’ care-giving and lifestyle concerns. Third, employees’ caring responsibilities were communicated as personal and individual choices. Fourth, commitment and efficiency were judged on the basis of presence in the workplace. Research limitations/implications - Even in industries that have embraced WLB, workplace practices legitimate and reinforce the status quo, and maintain a gap between the promises of WLB and its potential to ameliorate conflict and assist workers to span the boundaries of paid work and other life domains. Originality/value - While the practices demonstrated in the research are focused on one industry, the study provides a critical analysis of how the contextually-influenced meaning of WLB is constructed, created and contested in these workplaces and the effects it produces.

Improving work and life balance : building a multilevel model of work-life balance focusing on group structure and relational job design

One in five Australian workers believes that work doesn’t fit well with their family and social commitments. Concurrently, organisations are recognising that to stay competitive they need policies and practices that support the multiple aspects of employees’ lives. Many employees work in group environments yet there is currently little group level work-life balance research. This paper proposes a new theoretical framework developed to understand the design of work groups to better facilitate work-life balance. This new framework focuses on task and relational job designs, group structures and processes and workplace culture.

Resilience and work-life balance in first-line nurse manager

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore how first-line nurse managers constructed the meaning of resilience and its relationship to work-life balance for nurses in Korea. Methods Participants were 20 first-line nurse managers working in six university hospitals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from December 2011 to August 2012, and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory method. Results Analysis revealed that participants perceived work-life balance and resilience to be shaped by dynamic, reflective processes. The features consisting resilience included "positive thinking", "flexibility", "assuming responsibility", and "separating work and life". This perception of resilience has the potential to facilitate a shift in focus from negative to positive experiences, from rigidity to flexibility, from task-centered to person-centered thinking, and from the organization to life. Conclusions Recognizing the importance of work-life balance in producing and sustaining resilience in first-line nurse managers could increase retention in the Korean nursing workforce.

Generation Y : salutogenes unternehmerisches Engagement und Work-Life-Balance Maßnahmen als Auslöser affektiven Mitarbeiter-Commitments

In einem Artikel der Zeitschrift Die Zeit wird die Generation Y, die Generation deren Angehörige derzeit zum Großteil ihre akademische Ausbildung beenden und sich dem Arbeitsmarkt zuwenden, auch als Generation Pippi, angelehnt an Astrid Lindgrens Kinderbuchheldin Pippi Langstrumpf, bezeichnet (Bund et al., 2013: 1). Individualität, eine ausgeprägte Abneigung gegenüber Autoritätspersonen, der Wunsch nach Spaß und Abwechslung sowie das Bestreben, sich selbst zu verwirklichen, charakterisieren Pippi Langstrumpf (Bund et al., 2013: 1). Diese Charakterbeschreibungen werden z. T. auf die Generation Y übertragen und stellen Unternehmen vor eine Herausforderung: Um Arbeitnehmer der Generation Y affektiv zu binden, so dass sich in diese getätigte und noch zu tätigenden Investitionen rentieren, müssen neue Strategien entwickelt werden. Innerhalb dieser Bachelorarbeit konnten erste Erkenntnisse dahingehend gewonnen werden, dass u. a. Work-Life-Balance Maßnahmen, (gesundheitsorientierte) Führung, ein positives Arbeitsklima und Mitbestimmung als Auslöser affektiven organisationalen Commitments der Generation Y fungieren können. Bei der nachfolgend dargestellten Arbeit handelt es sich um eine überarbeitete Version der gleichnamigen Bachelorarbeit, die von Prof. Dr. Sven Litzcke sowie von Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel Wichelhaus betreut wurde.

The Influence of Burnout Symptoms on the Relationship between Work-Life Balance and Self-Rated Health

The effects of stress at work are estimated to cost Canadian employers more than 20 billion dollars annually through absenteeism, sick leave and decreased productivity. Over the past two decades, Canadians have reported higher stress levels, increased work hours and more work performed outside of normal business hours. This work-life imbalance has far-reaching repercussions–affecting an employee’s performance as well as their health. Chronic exposure to these high levels of stress can also lead to burnout. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude in which burnout symptoms influence the relationship between work-life balance and self-rated health. The secondary purpose of this study was to determine if gender and age interactions exist in the relationship between burnout, work-life balance, and self-rated health. This cross-sectional study involved secondary analysis of 220 managers, workers and human service professionals who completed an Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers’ Mental Injury Toolkit (MIT) survey for the launch of the MIT. The MIT survey is a modified form of the short version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire and includes expanded questioning around burnout, stress, sleep troubles, cognitive, and somatic symptoms. There were no significant differences in self-rated health based on a respondent’s gender or age, indicating that no interaction of gender and age would be required. Respondents with low self-rated health reported significantly higher burnout and work-life imbalance compared to those with high self-rated health. The regression analysis demonstrated that the magnitude in which burnout mediates the relationship between work-life balance and self-rated health was 96%. These findings support previous studies that associate high levels of work-life imbalance or burnout with poor self-rated health or health outcomes. In this study, the shared variance between work-life balance and burnout also supports recent efforts to redefine the context and causes of burnout to include non-work factors. Based on our findings, the potential exists for the development of workplace health promotion strategies that address maintaining a balance between work and home as they may improve employee health and reduce burnout.