<p>The work-life balance is currently in vogue among governments, organizations as well as researchers. Higher managers in organizations all over the world are exposed to significant pressures in their jobs, which further influence the balance between their work and private lives, job satisfaction and overall well-being. In this thesis, we apply a different perspective on the topic of work-life balance than most of the previous scientific research. We have focused on the governmental, organizational and individual factors that affect the work-life balance of higher managers and the consequent influence on their job satisfaction and overall well-being.</p><p>The objective of this study is to contribute to the work-life balance research by exploring the fit between companies’ human resource practices and higher managers’ actual perceptions and needs. In order to gain different perspectives, our empirical research consists of a series of interviews with both HR managers and members of higher management.</p><p>The key findings in terms of the factors influencing higher managers are reported. They suggest that the individuals are influenced by several aspects. The responsibility for personal work-life balance does not only lie on individuals themselves, but the organizations and governments play an important role in treating this issue as well.</p>

The work-life balance is currently in vogue among governments, organizations as well as researchers. Higher managers in organizations all over the world are exposed to significant pressures in their jobs, which further influence the balance between their work and private lives, job satisfaction and overall well-being. In this thesis, we apply a different perspective on the topic of work-life balance than most of the previous scientific research. We have focused on the governmental, organizational and individual factors that affect the work-life balance of higher managers and the consequent influence on their job satisfaction and overall well-being. The objective of this study is to contribute to the work-life balance research by exploring the fit between companies’ human resource practices and higher managers’ actual perceptions and needs. In order to gain different perspectives, our empirical research consists of a series of interviews with both HR managers and members of higher management. The key findings in terms of the factors influencing higher managers are reported. They suggest that the individuals are influenced by several aspects. The responsibility for personal work-life balance does not only lie on individuals themselves, but the organizations and governments play an important role in treating this issue as well.

As empresas têm observado as mudanças no ambiente externo e têm notado a necessidade de se adaptarem a essas mudanças para se manterem no mercado, criarem vantagem competitiva e buscarem a excelência dos seus serviços. Para a área de recursos humanos as mudanças também são necessárias, pois ela congrega as pessoas na organização e determina as políticas e práticas condizentes ao negócio da empresa. Assim, as empresas se reestruturam frente às alterações vindas do seu ambiente de atuação e para isso, elas contam com a área de RH para que os funcionários desempenhem suas funções adequando-as aos objetivos estratégicos propostos por elas. Este trabalho buscou pesquisar empresas brasileiras classificadas entre as 150 melhores para se trabalhar segundo a revista VOCÊ S/A EXAME (2007) com a finalidade de identificar e descrever o papel que a área de RH das empresas brasileiras tem adotado diante dos desafios organizacionais e da evolução da função de RH e de suas políticas e práticas. Por meio de um questionário baseado no estudo americano de Lawler et al. (2006), aplicou-se a pesquisa e com a contribuição de 21 responsáveis da área de RH, pode-se concluir que as mudanças estão sendo trabalhadas na busca de atribuir ao RH o papel de parceiro estratégico, porém o papel identificado nos resultados da pesquisa como o mais forte, das áreas de RH das empresas, foi o papel de parceiro de negócios. / Companies have seen the changes in the external environment and have noted the need to adapt to these changes to stay in the market, creating competitive advantage and to pursue excellence of its services. In the area of human resources changes are also necessary because it brings people together in the organization and determines the policies and practices consistent to the business of the company. Thus, companies restructure its ahead of the coming changes to their environment of work and for this, they hope that HR area contribute with employees perform their duties adapting them to the strategic objectives proposed by them. This study aimed searching Brazilian companies classified among the 150 best to work according to the magazine VOCÊ S/A EXAME (2007) in order to identify and describe the role that the area of HR of Brazilian companies have adopted before the organizational challenges and the evolution of the function of HR and their policies and practices. By means of a questionnaire based on the american study of Lawler et al. (2006), applied to research and with the contribution of 21 responsible people of HR area, we can conclude that the changes are being worked in seeking to give the role of the HR strategic partner, but the paper identified in the results of search as the strongest, that human resources areas of enterprises have the role of business partner.

As empresas têm observado as mudanças no ambiente externo e têm notado a necessidade de se adaptarem a essas mudanças para se manterem no mercado, criarem vantagem competitiva e buscarem a excelência dos seus serviços. Para a área de recursos humanos as mudanças também são necessárias, pois ela congrega as pessoas na organização e determina as políticas e práticas condizentes ao negócio da empresa. Assim, as empresas se reestruturam frente às alterações vindas do seu ambiente de atuação e para isso, elas contam com a área de RH para que os funcionários desempenhem suas funções adequando-as aos objetivos estratégicos propostos por elas. Este trabalho buscou pesquisar empresas brasileiras classificadas entre as 150 melhores para se trabalhar segundo a revista VOCÊ S/A EXAME (2007) com a finalidade de identificar e descrever o papel que a área de RH das empresas brasileiras tem adotado diante dos desafios organizacionais e da evolução da função de RH e de suas políticas e práticas. Por meio de um questionário baseado no estudo americano de Lawler et al. (2006), aplicou-se a pesquisa e com a contribuição de 21 responsáveis da área de RH, pode-se concluir que as mudanças estão sendo trabalhadas na busca de atribuir ao RH o papel de parceiro estratégico, porém o papel identificado nos resultados da pesquisa como o mais forte, das áreas de RH das empresas, foi o papel de parceiro de negócios. / Companies have seen the changes in the external environment and have noted the need to adapt to these changes to stay in the market, creating competitive advantage and to pursue excellence of its services. In the area of human resources changes are also necessary because it brings people together in the organization and determines the policies and practices consistent to the business of the company. Thus, companies restructure its ahead of the coming changes to their environment of work and for this, they hope that HR area contribute with employees perform their duties adapting them to the strategic objectives proposed by them. This study aimed searching Brazilian companies classified among the 150 best to work according to the magazine VOCÊ S/A EXAME (2007) in order to identify and describe the role that the area of HR of Brazilian companies have adopted before the organizational challenges and the evolution of the function of HR and their policies and practices. By means of a questionnaire based on the american study of Lawler et al. (2006), applied to research and with the contribution of 21 responsible people of HR area, we can conclude that the changes are being worked in seeking to give the role of the HR strategic partner, but the paper identified in the results of search as the strongest, that human resources areas of enterprises have the role of business partner.

Ce travail de recherche doctorale a pour objectif de mieux comprendre le lien entre politiques d’équilibre vie professionnelle- vie personnelle et égalité femmes-hommes en entreprise. Il s’attache à comprendre comment ces dispositifs influencent la norme sexuée.En mobilisant le cadre théorique des représentations sociales, notre investigation s’appuie sur deux études de cas approfondies, avec 44 entretiens semi-directifs « outil majeur de repérage des représentations » (Abric, 2011), comme méthode principale de collecte de données. Nous avons choisi de mener ces études dans deux pays différents : la France et l’Espagne, en raison de leur approche contrastée de la question de la conciliation : plutôt traditionnelle pour la France, plutôt intrusive et individualisée pour l’Espagne.Les résultats mettent en lumière l’hétérogénéité et le caractère sexué des représentations des salariés vis-à-vis des politiques d’équilibre, celles-ci apparaissent aussi fortement liées à la figure du manager et à son style de management. La catégorisation des représentations (progressistes/ traditionnalistes/ neutres et hostiles) contribue à comprendre leur influence sur l’égalité, et fait apparaître que la prise de conscience des inégalités –plus forte chez les salariés espagnols- est une condition préalable vers une conciliation égalitaire. / This PhD research aims at better understanding the link between work life balance policies and gender equality in the workplace. The objective is to understand how these measures can influence sexual roles division at work.By referring to the theoretical framework of social perceptions, our work is based on two main case studies, with 44 semi-oriented interviews “major tool to identify perceptions”, as the main method to collect data. We chose to conduct the two case studies in two different countries: France and Spain, because of their contrasted approach towards work life balance topic: rather traditional for France, more intrusive and individualized for Spain.The results highlight the heterogeneity and the gendered character of the employees’ perceptions of work life balance policies; those ones also appear to be strongly connected to the manager behavior and its management style. The categorization of perceptions (progressist/ traditionalist/ neutral/ hostile) contributes to a better understanding of their influence on gender equality, and reveals that inequalities awareness –stronger amongst Spanish employees- is a prior condition for a more equal work life balance.

Cette thèse examine l’autonomie décisionnelle des gestionnaires au sein des filiales des entreprises multinationales. Tout en reconnaissant l’impact de l’autonomie au sein des filiales des entreprises multinationales sur l’innovation et la création et le maintien d’emploi local, cette recherche se penche sur l’étude de ses déterminants multiniveaux. Elle propose d’aller au-delà des explications classiques de l’autonomie décisionnelle, souvent de niveaux institutionnel et organisationnel, en explorant les déterminants individuels des hauts gestionnaires des filiales. Ce sont les profils de ces gestionnaires, et plus spécifiquement leurs identités, qui sont étudiées en lien avec leurs niveaux d’autonomie décisionnelle en matière de politiques et pratiques des ressources humaines. Afin de construire notre modèle conceptuel multiniveau, trois grandes approches théoriques ont été mobilisées. Il s’agit de : l’approche néo-institutionnelle, l’approche des ressources et l’approche d’analyse stratégique. Ces trois approches permettent d’étudier l’autonomie décisionnelle des gestionnaires comme un concept à la fois, encastré dans une structure institutionnelle particulière, dépendant des ressources organisationnelles et négocié par les acteurs individuels en fonction de leurs identités. L’approche méthodologique est qualitative. Dix études de cas de gestionnaires de filiales émanant de deux entreprises multinationales françaises ont été analysées. La collecte de données s’est faite, pour la plupart, par les technologies de l’information et de la communication sans limitation d’espace géographique. La base de données est composée de 40 entretiens semi-directifs avec des gestionnaires des entreprises multinationales, principalement responsables de la fonction RH et des centaines de documents internes, de rapports organisationnels et de revues de presse. Ces données ont été codées et analysées. Les résultats de notre étude sont porteurs de cinq contributions à l’étude de l’autonomie décisionnelle des gestionnaires des filiales. 1. Ce concept d’autonomie est multifacette, dynamique et variant en fonction des entreprises multinationales, des politiques RH et des gestionnaires. 2. Il gagne à être étudié au niveau du haut gestionnaire de la filiale et par un cadre multiniveau et multithéories. 3. Les institutions nationales et les structures organisationnelles sont des déterminants nécessaires, mais non suffisants de l’autonomie décisionnelle des gestionnaires. 4. Les identités de ces gestionnaires telles que l’identité sexuelle, l’identité professionnelle, l’identification organisationnelle et le pays d’origine contribuent à une meilleure compréhension de l’autonomie. Les acteurs individuels ont toujours une marge de manoeuvre même dans les structures les plus centralisées. 5. C’est la combinaison de ces différents facteurs multiniveaux qui est déterminante. Cette recherche incite les hauts gestionnaires des filiales à repenser leur rôle au sein de l’entreprise multinationale et en matière de politiques et pratiques RH. Avec la montée des projets de normalisation de la gestion au sein des entreprises multinationales et pour gagner plus d’autonomie, ils doivent revoir et actualiser leurs identités professionnelles et leurs identifications organisationnelles tout en restant ouverts à l’expérience internationale. / This thesis examines the decision-making autonomy of managers within the subsidiaries of multinational companies. While acknowledging the impact of subsidiary autonomy on innovation and creating and maintaining local jobs, this research examines its multilevel determinants. It suggests going beyond traditional explanations of decision-making autonomy, often at institutional and organizational levels, by exploring the individual determinants of subsidiaries' senior managers. These managers' profils, more specifically, their identities, are studied in this thesis in connection with their decision-making autonomy in terms of human resources policies and practices. In order to build our multilevel conceptual model, three major theoretical approaches were used: the neo-institutional, the resources, and the strategic analysis approaches. These three approaches allow us to study managers' decision-making autonomy as a concept simultaneously embedded in a specific institutional structure, dependent on organizational resources and negotiated by individual actors according to their identities. The methodological approach is qualitative. Ten case studies of senior managers of subsidiaries from two French multinational companies were analyzed. Much of the data was collected through information and communication technologies without any geographic space limitation. The database consists of 40 semi-structured interviews with senior managers of multinational companies, mainly responsible for the HR function and hundreds of internal documents, organizational reports, and press reviews. These data were coded and analyzed. Our study's results provide five contributions to the study of the decision-making autonomy of subsidiary managers. 1. The concept of autonomy is multifaceted, dynamic and varies in terms of multinational companies, HR policies, and managers. 2. It benefits from being studied at the level of the subsidiary managers and by a multilevel and multi-theory framework. 3. National institutions and organizational structures are essential but not sufficient determinants of managers' decision-making autonomy. 4. These managers' identities, such as gender, professional, organizational, and country of origin, contribute to a better understanding of autonomy. Individual actors always have a margin the maneuver, even in the most centralized structures. 5. It is the combination of these different multilevel factors that is decisive. This research prompts senior managers of subsidiaries in charge of HR policies and practices to rethink their role within the multinational company and in terms of HR policies and practices. With the rise of management standardization projects within multinational companies and to gain more autonomy, they must review and update their professional identities and organizational identification while remaining open to international experience.