Women in the U.S. workforce have been a focus of scholars since the onset of the 21st century, when work-life balance skewed in favor of the term work-life integration because professional working mothers found that balance was an unachievable ideal in the fast pace of the contemporary world. Accordingly, this research study examined the work-life challenges and career choices of women working in the public sector through the framework of the Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM). While research has been conducted on women in corporate America, there have been limited studies exploring the work-life challenges and career decisions of women working in government. The study design was phenomenological with convenience sampling of women working for state government agencies. Data were collected through a structured interview and demographic questionnaire. Data from the 7 participants were analyzed using the KCM theory and considering Mainiero and Sullivan's A-authenticity, B-balance, C-challenge parameters. Overall, findings indicated that women working in state government chose and remained in their jobs because of stability, security, and benefits. These women did not opt-out, as is common for corporate workers, because they received the flexibility and benefits required to integrate work-life balance. Corporate human resources might explore needs of their own workers using the KCM framework. Policies to retain workers might include more flexibility in scheduling and benefits for workers. This work extends applicability of the KCM to a population of which it has not been used.

Employers' reliance on asynchronous electronic communications, connective technology devices, and remote work arrangements has led employees to feel preoccupied with staying connected after-hours to be responsive to work-related demands. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of professional workers who coped with constant pressure to monitor and immediately respond to work-related electronic communications during nonwork hours. The conceptual framework was supported by boundary and border theory and the constructs of work-life balance, flexible work arrangements, information and communication technology. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 16 professional workers near Washington, DC. Moustakas's modified van Kaam method was used to analyze, code, and organize data. Six themes emerged: mobilize or immobilize, manage expectations, safeguard personal time, work-life fusion, work engagement, and psychological outcomes. Findings revealed that professional workers felt a sense of urgency to reply to work-related e-mails and text messages outside of their regularly scheduled work hours and felt a sense of professional obligation to be available after-hours. Results may be used to shape and support positive social change through effective organizational change programs for technology-related work-life imbalances, thereby benefiting employers and employees.

<p>Kan kulturaktiviteter vilka erbjuds genom arbetet, resultera i ett ökat välmående för den anställde och eventuellt även en ökad känsla av sammanhang? Detta är utgångspunkten för uppsatsen, som tar sin början i Antonovskys salutogena perspektiv och KASAM, vilket mäts kvantitativt på två grupper där Grupp 1 utgjordes av anställda på arbetsplatser där kulturaktiviteter regelbundet erbjöds och Grupp 2 av anställda på en arbetsplats utan kulturaktiviteter. Genom deltagarnas resultat på KASAM formuläret, utlästes att kulturaktiviteter och ett deltagande i dessa visar ett samband med en ökad KASAM hos individen. Uppsatsen diskuterar sedermera hur kulturkonsumtion kan vara en bidragande mental hälsofaktor av lika vikt som den av arbetsplatser mer erkända uppbyggnaden av fysisk hälsa, genom träning för förebyggande av sjukdom och ohälsa.</p>

Möjligheten till att uppnå balans mellan arbete och privatliv antas i framtiden bli en allt viktigare fråga och i allt högre grad påverka individen i hennes val av arbetsgivare. Studiens syfte utformade författarna tillsammans med Halmstad kommun vilka har märkt av en svårighet att rekrytera yngre kompetenta chefer och därför önskar bli mer attraktiv som arbetsgivare. Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för hur kvinnliga chefer mitt i livet upplever balans i livet och vad arbetsgivaren, Halmstad kommun, kan erbjuda för att de skall uppnå balans. Undersökningen är av kvalitativ karaktär och till grund för studien låg åtta djupintervjuer med kvinnliga mellanchefer. Enbart kvinnor valdes ut till studien eftersom kvinnor utöver sitt lönearbete traditionellt sett även antas utföra det mesta av hushållsarbetet. Resultatet visade att de kvinnliga cheferna ansåg sig ha balans mellan arbete och privatliv. Exempel på faktorer som kan hämma balansen är otillräckligt stöd från chef och en för hög arbetsbelastning utan möjlighet till avlastning. Arbetsgivaren kan i hög grad påverka de anställdas upplevelse och möjlighet till balans genom arbetsvillkoren. Balans i livet kan bland annat främjas av en familjevänlig personalpolitik. / The possibility to obtain a work-life balance will in the future be of greater importance in an individual’s choice of employer. The purpose of the study was drawn up in collaboration with the municipal of Halmstad who, since they have experienced some difficulties in attracting and recruiting younger qualified managers, wants to become more attractive as employer. The purpose decided upon was to enlarge the understanding of how female managers in the middle scene of life experience work-life balance and what their employer, the municipal of Halmstad, can offer their employees to facilitate a work-life balance. It is a qualitative study in which eight deep interviews with female middle managers make up the foundation. Only women were chosen to the study since women, even though they are employed outside of the home, traditionally carry out most the domestic chores. The result showed that the female middle managers felt that they today experienced a work-life balance. Some of the elements that can restrain a positive work-life balance are insufficient support from superior manager and a high degree of workload without relief. It was found that through the working conditions is the employer to a large extent able to influence the employee’s experience of work-life balance. Family-friendly organizational policies, among other factors, can foster work-life balance.

Kan kulturaktiviteter vilka erbjuds genom arbetet, resultera i ett ökat välmående för den anställde och eventuellt även en ökad känsla av sammanhang? Detta är utgångspunkten för uppsatsen, som tar sin början i Antonovskys salutogena perspektiv och KASAM, vilket mäts kvantitativt på två grupper där Grupp 1 utgjordes av anställda på arbetsplatser där kulturaktiviteter regelbundet erbjöds och Grupp 2 av anställda på en arbetsplats utan kulturaktiviteter. Genom deltagarnas resultat på KASAM formuläret, utlästes att kulturaktiviteter och ett deltagande i dessa visar ett samband med en ökad KASAM hos individen. Uppsatsen diskuterar sedermera hur kulturkonsumtion kan vara en bidragande mental hälsofaktor av lika vikt som den av arbetsplatser mer erkända uppbyggnaden av fysisk hälsa, genom träning för förebyggande av sjukdom och ohälsa.

In an ever-changing world, people are constantly faced with the challenge of simultaneously managing multiple roles in their work as well as their home-sphere. It therefore becomes increasingly important to maintain a balance in these two life spheres. Unfortunately, a gap exists between the positive and negative side of work-home balance as most research focuses on the negative side. Recently, a much needed instrument was develop in the Netherlands, namely the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING), which measures both the direction of influence (work→home and vice versa) and the quality of influence (negative vs. positive). The objectives of this study were to validate the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING) for workers of the earthmoving equipment industry in a South African context, to determine its construct equivalence and bias for different language groups, and to determine differences regarding work-home interaction between different demographic groups. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 330) were taken of workers in the earthmoving equipment industry across South Africa. The SWING and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Item bias analyses, exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach alpha coefficients, MANOVAs, ANOVAs and T-tests were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the SWING consists of four factors, namely Negative Work-Home Interference, Negative Home-Work Interference, Positive Work-Home Interference and Positive Home-Work Interference. All four factors showed acceptable internal consistencies. No evidence was found for uniform or non-uniform bias of the items of the SWING for different language groups. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of the work-home interface construct. There were also no differences regarding work-home interaction between different demographic groups, except for a practically significant difference (medium effect) between males and females with respect to negative Work-Home Interaction levels. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Psychological detachment occurs in the absence of work ruminations during non-work time and is a vital component in the recovery from work-related fatigue, avoiding burnout, performance decrement and detrimental health-outcomes. Overcommitment to work entails excessive job involvement and resembles poor detachment. Detachment and overcommitment are influenced by characteristics of the worker, their work, and their leisure time, but few studies have examined the effects of work or leisure demands on detachment and overcommitment. The current study examined the activity demands, detachment and overcommitment ratings of 51 workers and university students by having participants complete nine internet-based surveys over four weeks, and analysing data with a multilevel modelling approach. Rates of psychological detachment were found to be increased by physically demanding leisure activities, and decreased by mentally demanding work activities when leisure activities were mentally undemanding. In addition, detachment rates were higher when work activities were emotionally demanding and leisure activities emotionally undemanding, and when work activities were emotionally undemanding and leisure activities emotionally demanding. Overcommitment was found to be increased by leisure activities which were mentally demanding or emotionally demanding. Work ruminations during leisure time were therefore found to be influenced by work and leisure demands, with the manipulation of leisure demands thereby offering a method through with to diminish or buffer the detrimental impact of arduous work demands on the recovery from fatigue.

In an ever-changing world, people are constantly faced with the challenge of simultaneously managing multiple roles in their work as well as their home-sphere. It therefore becomes increasingly important to maintain a balance in these two life spheres. Unfortunately, a gap exists between the positive and negative side of work-home balance as most research focuses on the negative side. Recently, a much needed instrument was develop in the Netherlands, namely the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING), which measures both the direction of influence (work→home and vice versa) and the quality of influence (negative vs. positive). The objectives of this study were to validate the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING) for workers of the earthmoving equipment industry in a South African context, to determine its construct equivalence and bias for different language groups, and to determine differences regarding work-home interaction between different demographic groups. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 330) were taken of workers in the earthmoving equipment industry across South Africa. The SWING and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Item bias analyses, exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach alpha coefficients, MANOVAs, ANOVAs and T-tests were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the SWING consists of four factors, namely Negative Work-Home Interference, Negative Home-Work Interference, Positive Work-Home Interference and Positive Home-Work Interference. All four factors showed acceptable internal consistencies. No evidence was found for uniform or non-uniform bias of the items of the SWING for different language groups. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of the work-home interface construct. There were also no differences regarding work-home interaction between different demographic groups, except for a practically significant difference (medium effect) between males and females with respect to negative Work-Home Interaction levels. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Organisationen har en betydande roll i medarbetarens livspussel. Det finns mycket att vinna för arbetsgivaren genom att hantera problem och finna lösningar som passar den anställde. Studier av hälsofrämjande interventioner på arbetsplatsen visar att bäst resultat uppnås om interventionen riktar sig samtidigt till både individen och organisationen. Syftet med studien var att beskriva kommunanställda chefers uppfattningar av hur en interventionsstudie, som chefernas medarbetare deltagit i, påverkat arbetsplatsen. Studien syftade även till att söka förståelse för chefernas vidare tankar kring hälsofrämjande arbete på organisationsnivå utifrån ett perspektiv där hela vardagen inkluderas. Metoden som användes vid datainsamlingen var individuella intervjuer. Det genomfördes sex intervjuer med chefer inom socialförvaltningen i en kommun. Resultatet av studien visade att cheferna var positivt inställda till interventionsstudien, men cheferna märkte inte någon förändring på arbetsplatsen eller på deltagande medarbetare. De ansåg att chefen var ytterst ansvarig för hälsa på arbetsplatsen och individen ytterst ansvarig för sin personliga hälsa. Slutsatsen från studien visade att chefens hälsosyn påverkade i vilken utsträckning organisationen kunde tillgodogöra sig kunskap från hälsointerventionen. Chefens syn på vilka faktorer som innefattas i arbetshälsa kan genom kompetensutveckling breddas och därmed skapa bättre förutsättningar för en mer hälsosam arbetsmiljö. Litteraturgenomgången pekar på att en gemensam grundsyn i organisationen och strävan mot en balans i vardagen för medarbetaren är viktigt i det hälsofrämjande arbetet på arbetsplatsen. En positiv effekt av en intervention som fokuserar på livspusslet är att det kan leda till mer hållbar personal som stannar längre, vilket kan bidra till att organisationen blir mer konkurrenskraftig och attraherar ny personal. / The organization has a significant role in an employee’s work-life balance. There is much to gain for the employer by addressing problems and finding solutions that fit the employee. Studies of health promotion interventions at the workplace show that the best results are achieved if the intervention focuses simultaneously on both the individual and the organization. The aim of the study was to describe municipal employed managerial perceptions of an intervention study, that managers employees participated in, affected the workplace. The study also aimed to seek understanding of managers further thoughts on health promotion at an organizational level from a perspective where everyday life was included. The method used for data gathering was six individual interviews with managers in the social department in a municipality. The results of the study showed that managers were in favor of the intervention study, but the managers did not notice any change at the workplace or on participating employees. They thought that the manager was responsible for health at the workplace and that individuals were responsible for their own health. The conclusion from our study showed that managers attitude towards work-related health affects to which extent the organization can assimilate knowledge from a health intervention. The managers opinion of which factors are included in work-related health can be broadened through education and create better conditions for a healthier work environment. The literature review suggests that a shared ethos of the organization and the pursuit of work-life balance for employees is an important step in health promotion at the workplace. A positive effect of work-life balance interventions are more sustainable staff who stay longer, which makes the organization become more competitive and attractive to new staff.

Despite work-life balance being an area of interest to many researchers, there is little reference to any effects related specifically to elder care. Current demographics indicate that the proportion of elderly in the community is increasing, and with greater workforce participation (particularly among women workers) the availability of family caregivers is less guaranteed. Women are more likely to be responsible for elder care, and as they seek to manage their work and life, are also more likely to seek workplace flexibility, sometimes through self-employment. The effect that elder care may be having on the work-life balance of self-employed women is the focus of this research project. Using work-family border theory as a lens, this research documented the effect that elder care had on the lives of a group of self-employed women who also had elder care responsibilities. Eight women from the Wellington region participated in this research, which was carried out from a broadly phenomenological perspective. Each participant shared information, using a case study approach, about their business and elder care responsibilities. The results of this research indicate the profound effect of emotions in the elder care situation, and also the effect of expectations from others whose influences affected the ability of the participants to achieve work-life balance.