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.

This qualitative study treats the construction and maintenance of balance between work and private life and how flexibility in the workplace is perceived. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and these have been conducted in five large companies around Gothenburg. The analysis and results are based on the phenomenographic method approach and the final results were four themes: Balance, Flexibility, Combining family and work and lifelong learning with related subcategories. The result shows that the construction and maintenance of balance between work and personal life is something that is tied to the indi-viduals and the current situation in life. Two of the most common strategies to maintain a dis-tinction proved to be planning as well as other activities, in order to move the focus away from the work. In the larger picture flexibility of work turned out to be something that all re-spondents are in favor of, and not perceived as something stressful / Denna kvalitativa studie behandlar konstruerandet och upprätthållandet av balans mellan ar-bete och privatliv samt hur flexibilitet i arbetslivet uppfattas. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och dessa har utförts på fem stora företag runt omkring Göteborg. Analysen och resultatet utgår från den fenomenografiska metodansatsen och slut-produkten blev fyra teman: Balans, Flexibilitet, Kombination familj och arbete samt Livslångt lärande med tillhörande underkategorier. Resultatet visar på att konstruerandet och upprätt-hållandet av balans mellan arbete och privatliv är någonting som är knutet till individerna och den nuvarande livssituationen. Två av de mest förekommande strategierna för att hålla en distinktion visade sig vara planering samt aktivera sig med annat för att flytta fokus bort från arbetet. Flexibilitet i arbetet visade sig på det stora hela vara någonting som alla respondenter ställer sig positiva till och inte uppfattar som någonting stressande

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.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2005. / Also available online.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-102). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.App.Psy.)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed May 28, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-117)

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2010. / Description based on PDF t.p. (viewed June 30, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-71).

Bakgrunden till denna studie är den tilltagande svenska psykosociala ohälsan där stress är en huvudsaklig faktor. Stress förekommer när det finns en obalans mellan individers resurser samt upplevda krav. Vid hög arbetsbelastning kan socialt stöd vara avgörande för hur individer förmår att hantera kraven, tillgång till detta sociala stöd är dock ofta en bristvara. Forskning har tidigare fokuserat på undersökning samt förbättring av medarbetares arbetsmiljö, detta trots att just chefers välmående är centralt för att skapa välfungerande och hållbara arbetsplatser. En specifikt utsatt yrkesgrupp är enhetschefer inom äldreomsorgen och tidigare studier visar att majoriteten av dessa upplever negativa hälsoeffekter såsom hjärtklappning, sömnproblem samt högt blodtryck. Detta leder sammantaget fram till följande problemformulering: Hur kan enhetschefers upplevelse av socialt stöd förstås och hur inverkar detta på att upprätthålla ett hållbart arbetsliv? Syfte med föreliggande studie är att undersöka enhetschefers individuella upplevelse av arbetsrelaterat socialt stöd samt vilken inverkan det har på att upprätthålla ett hållbart arbetsliv. För att utreda detta har enhetschefers tillgång och behov av socialt stöd samt dess relation till kontrollspann att studeras. Föreliggande studie har en kvalitativ ansats och resultatet har samlats in genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med enhetschefer inom äldreomsorgen. Studiens empiri visar att respondenterna upplever en ansträngd arbetsbörda vilket leder till ett ytterligare behov av praktiskt socialt stöd. Gällande känslomässigt socialt stöd råder delade meningar då hälften av respondenterna inte ser sig ha något större behov av detta stöd. Vidare upplever respondenterna att den huvudsakliga faktorn till tidsbrist inte är relaterad till kontrollspannet, det vill säga antal medarbetare de ansvarar för. Faktorer som istället nämns som anledning till detta är ett splittrat verksamhetsområde, sidouppdrag samt arbetsgruppens självständighet. Studiens empiriska resultat visar att viktiga begrepp gällande socialt stöd och ett hållbart arbetsliv är närhet och tid. Socialt stöd krävs i närtid till upplevt behov och avstånd avgör vilka källor enhetscheferna vänder sig till för stöd. Studien slutsats visar att upplevelsen av socialt stöd är avgörande för att enhetschefer ska upprätthålla ett hållbart arbetsliv. Vidare är det vetskapen om att socialt stöd finns tillgängligt som är avgörande snarare än användning av det faktiska stödet. / The background to this study is the increase of psychosocial illness in Sweden, where stress is a major factor. Stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the individual's resources and perceived requirements. At high workloads, social support can be critical to how individuals handles the requirements, however access to this social support is often a shortcoming. Research has previously focused on analysis and improvement of subordinates working environment, despite the fact that the well-being of the managers is central to creating wellfunctioning and sustainable workplaces. A particular and exposed occupational group is head of elderly care unit's and previous studies show that the majority experience negative health effects such as palpitation, sleep problems and high blood pressure. This leads to the following problem that is set for the study: How can head of elderly care unit's experience of social support be understood and what is the effect on maintaining a sustainable working life? The purpose of this study is to examine head of elderly care unit's experience of work-related social support. To examine this, head of elderly care unit's access to and need for social support as well as the relationship with the span of control, will be studied. The present study has a qualitative approach and the results have been collected through ten semi-structured interviews with head of elderly care unit's. The empirical study shows that respondents are experiencing an strained workload which leads to an additional need for practical support. Regarding emotional support there are shared opinions, as half of respondents do not consider themselves in a greater need of this support. In addition, respondents find that a major factor in time shortage is not related to the span of control. Factors mentioned instead are a fragmented area of business, side assignments and the independence of the working group. The empirical study also shows that important concepts regarding social support and sustainable working life are physical closeness and time. Social support is required in the near future to perceived needs and distance determines what sources to address for support. The conclusion of the study shows that the experience of social support is critical for head of elderly care unit's to maintain a sustainable working life. Furthermore, knowing that the support is available is crucial rather than using the actual support.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur chefer upplever flexibelt arbete samt hur de använder sig av gränsdragningsstrategier för att hantera balansen mellan arbete och privatliv. Studien har baserats på frågeställningar gällande hur chefer ser på det flexibla arbetet, hur krav/kontroll/stöd och balans påverkar chefers hälsa, hur förhållandet mellan arbete och privatliv ser ut samt vilka gränsdragningsstrategier som används. Studien visar på att cheferna har en positiv uppfattning om flexibelt arbete men att det finns svårigheter kring hur flexibiliteten ska hanteras. Vidare visar resultatet i studien att cheferna önskar en balans mellan arbete och privatliv, vilket de får genom en hårddragen gräns som vissa av cheferna dock saknar. Resultatet visar också på att cheferna är i behov av stöd från arbetsgivare, chef och omgivning och att de uppskattar ett stödjande och öppet klimat där de tillåts diskutera kring arbetssituation och hur de hanterar det flexibla arbetslivet. En kvalitativ metod valdes för studien som sedan genomfördes i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer tillsammans med sex chefer som valdes på grund av deras flexibla arbetsliv. Svaren från intervjuerna analyserades sedan gentemot relevanta teorier och tidigare studier inom ämnet. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how managers experience flexible work and how they use work balance strategies to be able to handle the balance between work and private life. The study is based on questions regarding how managers experience flexible work, how high demand-low control and balance affects managers health, how the relationship between work and private life looks like and what work balance strategies that are being used. The study shows that the managers have positive experiences with flexible work but that there are difficulties with how the flexibility should be handled. Furthermore, the results of the study show that the managers would like to have a certain balance between work and private time which they get with set limits. However, some managers lack these limits. The results also show that the managers require support from their managers, employers and work environment and that they appreciate a supporting and open work environment where they are allowed to discuss their work situation and how they handle flexible work. A qualitative method was chosen for the study which was done as a semistructured interviews with six managers who were chosen because of their flexible work. The answers from the interviews were analysed and compared with relevant theories and earlier studies in the subject.