Foster care workers are an important part of the social service system, as they are the first line of support for children without families or who have been subjected to tragic events leading to their need for foster care. Foster care workers often experience work-life boundary issues due to the emotional nature of their work. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between (a) emotional intelligence and absenteeism and (b) emotional intelligence and work-life balance with foster care workers. Data was collected from foster care workers in the state of South Carolina employed with the Department of Social Services (n=200). Participants completed the Emotional Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) and the Work Related Quality of Life Scale (WRQoL) via pen and paper and email receipts. Ordinary least squares regression was used, including methods for mediation testing; multivariate analysis of covariance was also carried out for robustness testing purposes. No significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence and absenteeism. There was a significant relationship between various elements of emotional intelligence and various elements of work-life balance, but the effect sizes were small (> 0.04). There were no significance effects based on the results for absenteeism. Overall, the results illuminate the role of emotional intelligence on the work and life balance of foster care workers. One recommendation for future research would be to distinguish between voluntary and involuntary absenteeism. The results of the study can be used by organizations that employ foster care workers to improve the work and life balance and the effects of absenteeism in this line of work.

Balancing the needs of family with career ambitions is often challenging for women who pursue science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers, particularly in academia. In these male-dominated workplaces, few incentives exist for women who decide to manage both work and family. In this basic qualitative research study, a modified approach combining in-depth interviewing with life-history interviewing was used to examine the work-life balance experiences of 12 tenured and tenure-track women engineering faculty who have children. The research question addressed participants' perceptions of engineering academia and experiences regarding family formation, child-raising, and the tenure process. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. The conceptual lens consisted of identity formation, feminine ethic of care, procedural knowing, and social learning. Four themes or key findings surfaced from this study: Participants experienced gender stereotyping in engineering academia, participants recognized overlap between the tenure and biological clocks, participants expressed a default arrangement in assuming the burden of childcare, and participants revealed that work-life balance is a false concept. The most significant finding was that the notion of work-life balance was inconsistent with participants' experiences with managing childcare and career; they described their experiences to be more about work-life integration. Implications for positive social change include improving gender diversity and the representation of women in engineering academia. Senior leaders and administrators at institutions of higher education may use study findings, for instance, to undertake program reform to recruit more women into engineering academia.

Telecommuting, or working away from the office, has during the covid-19 pandemic proved both challenging and advantageous. The new prerequisites and lessons learned has led companies to adopt Hybrid Virtual Models (HVM), a combination between in office work and telecommuting. The purpose of this study has been to analyze this new way of working in order to provide practitioners with important insight into the implications and possibilities with HVM. The theoretical contribution consists of broadening scarce theoretical coverage by highlighting important aspects for its implementation and usage. Empirical data has been gathered using an abductive method and indicates that voluntary HVM leads to increased organizational performance in terms of less sick days and increased employer attractiveness as a result of being highly desired. Concluded in the study is that a balance between office work and flexible telecommuting is the best way to organize to meet the demands of the future. / Pandemin flyttade mycket av verksamheten från kontoret till anställdas hem. I takt med att restriktionerna lättas ställs företagen inför frågan hur de ska organisera sig givet de nya förutsättningarna. Distansarbete har visat vara både utmanande och fördelaktigt. Detta har lett till att företagen infört virtuella hybridmodeller (HVM). En kombination av arbete på kontoret och på distans. Studiens syfte har varit att analysera detta nya sätt att arbeta för att ge branschverksamma viktiga insikter om konsekvenser och möjligheter med hybridorganisering. Det teoretiska bidraget breddar det tidigare knapphändiga teoretiska underlaget genom att belysa aspekter för hybridarbetets genomförande och användning. Empirisk data har samlats in genom en abduktiv metod och visar att HVM tenderar att öka prestation på grund av färre sjukdagar och image av att vara en attraktiv arbetsgivare. Studien kommer fram till att en balans mellan kontorsarbete och distansarbete är det bästa sättet att organisera sig för att möta framtidens krav

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Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur chefer med förtroendearbetstid upplever balansen mellan arbete och privatliv. Studien baserades på en induktiv kvalitativ design där åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes i tre olika organisationer via en digital plattform. Den insamlade data transkriberades och analyserades genom tematisk analys. Insamlat material genererade fyra huvudteman och nio underteman. Resultatet visade att det fanns både en upplevelse av en god balans mellan arbete och privatliv där utmärkande upplevelser som hade betydelse för balansen var flexibilitet och kontroll över sin arbetstid. Balansen tenderade att variera under stressiga perioder. Bland respondenterna fanns även en upplevelse av låg balans mellan arbete och privatliv, där stress och krav från chefer hade en betydande roll som innebar minskad möjlighet att spendera tid med deras familjer. / The aim of the study was to examine how managers with flexible work time experience their work life balance. The study was inductive and eight qualitative semi structured interviews were held in three different organizations through a digital platform. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. That resulted in a total of four themes and nine sub-themes. The result showed that the managers in general experienced a well balanced everyday life where distinguishing feelings that seemed to be important for the balance were flexibility and the possibility to control the working hours. The balance tended to fluctuate during stressful periods. Among the respondents, there were also an experience of low work life balance, where stress and demands from managers were important because it could mean a reduced opportunity to spend time with their families.

Background:  Employees are the basis upon which a successful firm is built. Today, it is a talents market, and companies must prioritize their employer branding strategies and improve their employee value proposition to attract and retain the best talent. In addition, the pandemic’s disruption in everybody’s daily life caused "The Great Resignation," a phenomenon in which many people quit their employment owing to a lack of recognition and unpleasant working conditions. Consequently, businesses have an even greater challenge to identify and address the challenge to fulfill employees' values and needs. While traditional methods such as salary and other benefits are still necessary, they may not be sufficient for many potential employees who value a positive work environment and feeling connected to the company's goals. Therefore, a gap in literature was found regarding how personal values affect employees decision on choosing employers. Purpose: The objective of the thesis is to create a conceptual framework to explain and investigate the relationship between identity formation and employer branding - how personal values shape employees' decisions to stay or leave their jobs in the transition to a post-pandemic period.   Method: Semi-structured interviews from people in Generation Z and who operate in the white-collar sector, particularly in the "transition to post-pandemic period" was noted. A conceptual model was created from the theoretical background. The data from the interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis, which was carried out using a qualitative method with an abductive approach. Conclusion: The conceptual framework was used to investigate the relationship between identity formation and employer branding. Five contingent variables were identified; employer branding, identity formation, work-life balance, fresh-start mindset, and mobile technology with correlating hypothesises. The authors confirmed that four out of five hypotheses were accepted, except for the fresh-start mindset. The research highlights the importance of employers understanding the values and priorities of their employees to build a strong employer brand strategy. The study recommends that employers evaluate what employees value and form their strategy accordingly.

Det övergripande syftet med denna studie var att undersöka eventuella skillnader i Work-Life Balance hos kvinnor med och utan ADHD-diagnos. Studien ämnade även att undersöka om Work-Life Balance var beroende av individuella faktorer som Generell självförmåga, hemmaboende barn samt civilstånd. Studien var av kvantitativ karaktär, där en webbaserad enkätundersökning genomfördes och genererade totalt (N=145) deltagare. Deltagarna var mellan 20 till 63 år, varav (N=86) kvinnor med ADHD-diagnos (59,3 %) och (N=59) kvinnor utan ADHD-diagnos (40,7 %) som rekryterades med hjälp av snöbolls- samt bekvämlighetsurval. Vid analys av data användes tre separata Two-Way ANOVA. Resultatet visade att det finns en statistisk signifikant skillnad i Work-Life Balance mellan kvinnor med- och utan ADHD diagnos, samt att självförmåga och hemmaboende barn hade en statistisk signifikant effekt på Work-Life Balance, vilket är konsekvent med tidigare forskning på området. Däremot visade studien inte signifikant effekt av civilstånd på Work-Life Balance, detta går i linje med tidigare forskning som inte gett entydiga resultat. Dessa resultat utvärderas i avsnittet diskussion.

How policies offering flexible or unlimited PTO shape employees of different generations’ intentions to stay in behavioral health is not well understood. Using Caplow et al.’s 5Ps theory as a framework, 20 participants of various generations in the workforce were interviewed to explore the perceptions of flexible or unlimited PTO policies among behavioral healthcare workers as they related to perceptions of satisfaction, productivity, and intent to leave. Eight themes emerged from thematic analysis. The themes (a) different generational groups have different PTO preferences, (b) PTO policies required responsibility and accountability of workers, (c) PTO policies are not reasons to leave the behavioral healthcare industry, and (d) PTO policies created feelings of being valued and respected among generational workers (e) generational workers feel satisfied with the autonomy they enjoy with PTO policies, (f) generational workers feel satisfied with the amount of time they spend with people as a result of PTO policies, (g) generational workers can focus on working when they feel rested and healthy, and (h) generational workers feel accomplished and in control of their work. Key findings from this study indicated that effectively implementing these policies could improve employee retention and engagement, reduce employee burnout and turnover, and increase employee work-life balance, which is expected not only to improve employee recruitment and retention, but result in better patient care. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

High rates of employee turnover in the legal sector are an internationally recognized problem. Despite persistent efforts from business law firms, many lawyers choose to leave their employer. This suggests these business law firms struggle with talent management and employee retention. Based on several concepts from organizational theory, this study investigates which motivational forces contribute to employee retention at Swedish business law firms. Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with six respondents; working as associates, senior associate and partner at their respective firms. The empirical findings show that affective, contractual and calculative forces contribute most to lawyers choosing to stay at their law firms. Meanwhile, normative, alternative, behavioral, moral/ethical and constituent factors contributed little or nothing to employee retention. Complementary factors such as compensation, fringe benefits and work-life balance were also not regarded as decisive in the lawyers’ decisions to remain.