Yes / Both flexible working and worklife balance (WLB) are important issues for the midwifery profession and can have both positive and negative consequences for midwives working in the National Health Service (NHS). This study examined midwives’ views and experiences of flexible working, work-life balance and the implications for the midwifery profession.

No / Within this chapter, we explore the use of participant photo-elicitation methods in studying how people manage their daily episodes or incidences of work-life balance. Participant photo-elicitation methods rely upon research participants taking their own photographs of a subject as guided by the researcher(s). In addressing this particular technique, we explore some important methodological issues for HRM researchers who seek to use these methods and explain how this type pop methodology has much to offer when studying HR issues such as work-life balance. We conclude that one of the major benefits of the method is the role of photographs as a "conversational technology" (Gammack & Stephens, 1994, p. 76) in encouraging participants to talk and reflect.

No / A multivariate analysis identified six predictors to explain positive work-life balance (WLB) among 1,566 teleworkers. Time flexibility variables were found to be most dominant. Gender or having dependent children was not significant. These results demonstrated that controlling working hours was the most important ability for sampled teleworkers to achieve positive WLB.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med en förståelse för hur rekryterare upplever och hanterar flexibilitet, tillgänglighet och work-life balance i en multinationell och expanderande organisation präglad av det gränslösa arbetslivet. Denna förståelse är betydelsefull då det gränslösa arbetslivet innebär ett stort eget ansvar för individen, vilket skapar en utmaning för individen själv att måna om sin work-life balance och upprätthållandet av ett långsiktigt välmående. För att uppfylla studiens syfte genomfördes femton kvalitativa intervjuer med rekryterare på Spotifys rekryteringsavdelning Talent Acquisition. Resultatet visar en positiv upplevelse av flexibilitet och tillgänglighet tillsammans med en rådande medvetenhet kring de utmaningar som följer av ständig uppkoppling, flexibilitet och tillgänglighet och hur de påverkar medarbetarnas work-life balance, då gränser tenderar att suddas ut och bli mer diffusa. Denna medvetenhet har resulterat i flertalet individuella strategier och hanteringssätt för att hantera det gränslösa arbetslivets utmaningar. / The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of how recruiters perceive and manage flexibility, accessibility and work-life balance in an multinational and expanding organization characterized by boundaryless work. This understanding is important because the boundaryless work means a great responsibility for the individual, which creates a challenge for the individual to take care of their work-life balance and the maintenance of a long-term wellbeing. To fulfill the purpose of the study, fifteen qualitative interviews were conducted with recruiters on Spotify's recruitment department Talent Acquisition. The result shows a positive experience of flexibility and accessibility, but also shows an awareness of the challenges of constant connectivity, flexibility and accessibility and how they affect employees' work-life balance, and that boundaries tend to become blurred and more diffuse. This awareness has resulted in several individual strategies to handle the challenges of boundaryless work.

The aim of the study is to find out how employees and employers consider the importance of social support for the work with competency management of organizations. With the goal of generating balance between work life and personal life of employees and attractiveness and prosperous development of organizations. The study has a qualitative approach and semistructured interviews as method. The participants who chose to be a part of the study are employed in organizations and represent both employees and employers. According to previous research the most common forms of social support in work life are emotional and instrumental. In general, emotional social support is considered to be the most important for individuals. The empirical material have been analyzed by meaning concentration. The results have been analyzed from the perspective of systems theory. The findings of the study indicate that all forms of social support are considered contributing to balance between work life and personal life of employees and attractiveness and prosperous development of organizations. However other factors are influencing as well. The conclusions are that social support advantageously can and should be applied in competency management of organizations and that also leadership should be focused on. Organizations are recommended to consider individual needs when offering social support to employees. The perspective of systems theory applied when analyzing the results contributed to an overall understanding of the complexity of balance between work life and personal life of employees and competency management of organizations. Therefore systems thinking is suggested as starting point for leadership of organizations.

Orientation: Rapid changes in the workforce, such as increases in working women and dual-earner couples and single parent families, have led to increases for both men and women in their work and household responsibilities. Employees who are unable to fulfil both work and non-work roles efficiently may experience problems with their health and psychological state, have reduced job satisfaction, burnout, higher absenteeism and work tension. In order to assist employees during these turbulent times many organisations have implemented family-friendly programmes to accommodate employees. The specific needs of employees in the South African context in terms of family-friendly programme seem to be unknown. Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the receptiveness of South African working mothers towards a family-friendly programme and to determine the desired features of such a programme. Motivation for the study: Research regarding the use and benefits of family-friendly programmes was done in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia. However, the specific needs of employees in the South African context in terms of family-friendly programmes seem to be unknown. Therefore, in this study, the focus will be to explore the receptiveness of working mothers towards a family-friendly programme, as well what an effective family-family programme might entail for them in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: The research was conducted using a qualitative research design within the interpretivism paradigm. A combined convenient and purposive non-probability sample (N = 11) was taken from working mothers employed at a printing and bar coding organisation in Gauteng. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analysed by making use of thematic analysis. Main findings: The results of this study indicate that working mothers experience work-life conflict and they would make use of family-friendly programmes if their organisations could provide these programmes. They would like features such as a day-care facility, transport service, flexible working hours, working from home, career guidance, a support group for parents and a baby room. Practical/Managerial implications: This research identified that there is a need for family-friendly programmes in the South African context. Such programmes can assist employees in reducing work-life conflict and, mostly likely, enhance job satisfaction and work engagement. Contribution/Value-add: This study can possibly create awareness about the need for family-friendly programmes in South Africa and provide management with insight about the desired features of such a programme. This study further adds value to the limited research about the needs and desired features of a family-friendly programme in the South African context. / Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur balansen mellan arbetslivet och privatlivet upplevdes efter en omställning från kontorsarbete till distansarbete. Studien genomfördes genom en kvalitativ metod där tio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med respondenter som genomgått en omställning från kontorsarbete till distansarbete. För att analysera materialet användes en induktiv tematisk analys. Utifrån analysen hittades tre huvudteman. Dessa teman var: Gränserna mellan arbetstid och privattid, Hemmets effektivitet och Socialt stöd. Resultatet visade att en omställning från kontorsarbete till distansarbete upplevdes förbättra privatlivet genom en förbättrad flexibilitet men försämra arbetslivet på grund av bristen av socialt stöd vilket kunde leda till en förändrad balans mellan de båda. / This study had the purpose of examining individual experiences of the balance between work life and personal life after a conversion from office work to telework. The study was conducted using a qualitative method. Ten respondents participated in a semi-structured interview that focused on individual experiences of a conversion from office work to telework. All of the respondents had experience of a conversion from office work to telework. The material was analyzed using an inductive thematic method. Three head-themes were constructed from the transcription: The boundaries between working time and private time, Home efficiency and Social support. The results showed that a conversion from office work to telework was perceived to improve private life due to improved flexibility but worsen working life due to the lack of social support, which could lead to a changed balance between the two.

Globalization, 24-hour connectivity, and the expectation that members of the organization commit increasingly more time to work are the reality in an ever-changing environment. Research shows, however, that these demands have resulted in a significant work-life imbalance that produces the opposite effect of reducing productivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between work life balance satisfaction of front-line managers and the engagement of employees whom they supervise. The variables of these study were: work life balance satisfaction of frontline managers measured by Work life Balance and Emotional Support Scale and engagement perception employees measured by Employee Engagement Survey. Survey data from front-line managers and front-line employees from different industries across the United States were analyzed using a Bivariate Pearson Correlation test to understand the strength of the correlation. The study results r (89) = 0.115, p>.01showed no statistically significant correlation between managers work life balance satisfaction and employee engagement. Work-life imbalances create a significant internal conflict as the manager tries to cope with the stress and pressure that affect his/her overall ability to effectively lead and manage. Their work behaviors can promote or destroy a positive work environment where employees strive to meet the organizations' mission and vision. The organization and front-line managers benefit from understanding the findings because the organization may adopt innovative ways to support manager work-life balance and front-line managers may improve employee engagement. Positive social change is realized in less stress for managers and employees whom interact in an environment that demands more time and flexibility. Considering the amount of time, we spend at work, less stress can improve the overall quality of the work environment and productivity.

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Introduction Work-Life Balance is an area of interest to both researchers and organizations who strive to understand the various facets of work, life and work-life. For an individual and society today, balance is of paramount interest affected by the personality aspects, family aspects, support scenario, organizational culture and the existence of policies and their usage at the organizational level. The changing aspirations of individuals with time, across economies have made this a global issue . In India, the rapid urbanization in major cities and the manner in which individuals are embracing a 24*7 work environment, makes it crucial to understand Work-Life balance in a holistic and contextual manner. The efforts of the government and the organization along with the individual drive determines how the scales tilt in this strive for Work-Life balance. Literature Review The gamut of literature shows that Work-Life balance has been studied across countries and industries. Work-Life balance as an issue has been explored from both an organizational and individual perspective. The impact of demographic aspects like gender, age, education, marital status, family type, children and care taking responsibility have been delineated, along with personality aspects like leadership and motivation. Support has been delved into, both at family level and at organizational level; coupled with the impact of mentoring and networking. Researchers have worked towards understanding policies at the organizational level that help an individual attain Work-Life balance, along with individual philosophy and family culture. Work-Life balance attained by an individual is exhibited in their behavior towards their team and organization; the loyalty and commitment exhibited by them. It is evident in the satisfaction they experience and their positive attitude towards work. The positive impact on their families is also evident, in terms of the time they are able to spend with their family. While the literature looks at various aspects, the view is an isolated one and there is a need for a holistic and multi-construct understanding of Work-Life Balance. Research Objectives and Methodology The ensuing gaps from literature lead to the objectives of the study. The specific objectives of the study are: 1 To evolve and validate a multi-construct model of Work-Life Balance (WLB) in the Indian Context 2 To identify and relate organizational, individual and family factors affecting WLB. 3 To critically analyze the role of gender, organizational policies, self efficacy and organization type in understanding work-life issues 4. To suggest ways and means of mitigating WLB in the Indian context. The various variables in the study were identified and the information framework was put in place. The preliminary study and the pilot study helped to finalise the questionnaire for the main study. The questionnaire comprised of two sections: Part B: My Perceptions of My Home and Work. Random sampling, coupled with the snowballing technique was the sampling technique adopted. The questionnaires were mostly administered in a face to face format; and in some cases, it was done over email as the respondents found that more convenient. The total sample of the study was 426 respondents 248 from public organizations, 118 from private organizations and 60 from entrepreneurial organizations. The data thus collected was subjected to statistical analyses. Major Findings First part of the analysis was carried out to establish the validity and the reliability of the questionnaire. This was done through factor analysis and by calculating the Cronbach's alpha. The factors analysis shows that the explanatory factors that emerge significant are aspects of culture, leadership and support; along with motivation towards family and work; including aspects of mentoring and networking. The mediating factors that emerge important revolve around aspects of Work-Life issues and impact of conflict; awareness and benefit of organizational policies; the perception of policy usage and individual thought. The output factors that emerge with high scores are the team and organizational engagement, impact of organizational support on work and family; the perception of work, the satisfaction with job and career and the citizenship behaviour exhibited. To understand how different the groups, categorised by age, education, children, marital status, gender, family type, care taking responsibility and the organization type public, private and entrepreneurial, are on the factors; manova and t test was carried out. The groups emerge significantly different in terms of their understanding of organizational culture and involvement in networking. The way they view organizational support and the role of mentoring, how they view family support and responsibilities at home. How confident individuals feel about handling challenges and how satisfied they felt with their jobs and career, also differ between the groups. The next step in analysis involved understanding the experience of Work-Life balance and the individual impact of the explanatory, mediating and interaction factors on the various output factors of team and organizational engagement, the positive impact of policies on family, the perception of work, the job and career satisfaction experienced and the citizenship proactive behavior exhibited by the individual. Apriori models based on literature were developed and regression analysis was carried out. Many of the models emerged insignificant showing that Work as a phenomena cannot be understood through isolated factors. For this, a full model was developed with explanatory, mediating and interaction factors (explanatory*mediating) and their causal impact on the output factors was studied. It was seen that the model for team and organizational engagement emerged the strongest with the factors explaining 69% of the model. The results of the full model showed that different factors had major impacts on different output aspects. It was seen that organizational culture, self efficacy and family values and the motivation towards work, interacting with the existence and awareness of policies have the greatest impact on team and organizational engagement. The support seniors/boss, perceived stress and networking interacting with the usage effect of organizational policies have the greatest impact on organizational policy positive impact on family. Organizational culture, perceived stress and networking interacting with the existence and awareness of organizational factors have the greatest impact on work perception. Job and career satisfaction is impacted the most by the motivation towards work, organizational policy existence, awareness and benefit and organization focus leadership interacting with the usage effect of policies. Finally, it is seen that networking, perceived stress and support from seniors and boss interacting with perceived stress have the greatest impact on citizenship proactive behavior. We thus see that Work Life balance is a multi-dimensional phenomena and its' comprehensive understanding is attained through multiple constructs. Conclusion This study provides a holistic understanding of Work Life Balance and is understood by looking at aspects of organizational culture, leadership, motivation, networking, mentoring, and support factors at both the organizational and the family level. The mediating role of organizational policies their existence, awareness and benefit and the usage effects on an individual; along with the role of self efficacy and family values and individuals' perception of stress becomes important. The experience of Work Life balance is understood through various behaviors exhibited team and organizational engagement shown by the individual, the positive impact of policies on family, the perception of work, the job and career satisfaction experienced and the citizenship proactive behavior exhibited by the individual. The comparison across groups and organization types public, private and entrepreneurial, show the importance of individual thought in mitigating Work Life issues. This study makes contributions at the theoretical level by developing and validating a multi-construct model for WLB. The study highlights the importance of organizational culture, organizational policies and the role of mentoring and networking that the organizations and managers need to delve into. This study entails scope in terms of extension of the model across organizations and cities in India and the development of a WLB measurement scale.