Abstract Employees experience challenges managing home and work. The increase of women in the workforce, single-parents, childcare, elder care responsibilities, and men in nontraditional roles warrant changes in traditional working hours and flexibility in work schedules. Through the theoretical frameworks of work-family conflict, spillover, border, and boundary theories, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how flexible work arrangements (FWAs) assisted employees in meeting work and family obligations. Minimal research is available in the defense industry and the use of FWAs. A nonprobability, convenience sample was used to explore how management and nonmanagement participants from a Midwest defense contractor used FWAs. An online questionnaire consisting of 59 questions and 14 face-to-face (FTF) interviews were used to collect data. There were 27 participants that responded to all online questions. FTF interviews were audio recorded and member-checked. The research questions were focused on how employees used FWAs and whether work-family balance (WFB) was achieved. Both data collection media were transcribed and inductively coded tracking emerging themes and patterns. Dominant themes showed that FWA increased WFB, employees worked longer hours, employees were loyal to the organization, and telecommuting was the ideal FWA. The implications for social change are providing a realistic view to employers on the importance of balancing work and family. FWAs are also shown to contribute to employee satisfaction and attract and retain highly-skilled workers.

Family businesses including copreneurships have a high failure rate. Copreneurs experience work-family conflict (WFC), which can have a negative effect on business sustainability. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that copreneurs used in managing WFC to achieve business sustainability for longer than 10 years. Three copreneurs from 3 copreneurial businesses located in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, who have employed effective strategies to cope with WFC to achieve business sustainability longer than 10 years, participated in the study. The WFC model for business/marriage partners (copreneurs) and the reciprocal coping model served as the conceptual framework that grounded the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflective journal. The data were analyzed using the framework of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and making conclusions. Emerging themes included strategy themes of personal coping, family-friendly organizational supports, and integrated coping. The implications for positive social change include the potential to help copreneurs use strategies identified to manage WFC to improve business sustainability, which may contribute to wealth creation and poverty reduction in the local economy.

<p>The call centre industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. Call centres have for most companies become a basic business requirement for servicing customers. Zapf, Isic, Bechtoldt and Blau (2003: 311) argue that there are high levels of stress amongst employees in call centres, which they believe to be the result of both the work tasks and the interactions with customers. The aim of this study was to establish whether call centre work design and structure contributed to role stress amongst client service representatives (CSRs). It was also the aim of this study to establish whether role stress affected the CSRs‟ levels of job satisfaction and their intentions to quit from their jobs.</p>

This study investigated how Work-Family Conflict was related to Role Salience and Job level (investigated in terms of the amount of job demand and job control associated with different job levels) among women from a Collectivistic culture. A sample of 65 teachers was used. Although the results of the study showed no correlations between Work-Family Conflict and both role salience and job level, this was attributed to the high data skewness, thereby reducing the chances of detecting correlations. The high positive data skewness was possibly caused by the floor effect, which was the situation that the sample consisted of only female teachers from a Collectivistic culture. The high negative data skewness was possibly caused by the ceiling effect, which is the situation that the women in this sample have a Collectivistic cultural orientation, and are therefore highly likely to consider their home role as more salient. Moreover, correlations between Work Family Conflict and Job demand have been found to be higher in Individualistic cultures compared to Collectivistic cultures. There also seems to be no differences in job control among teachers occupying different job levels, and hence, no correlations were detected. Further analyses depicted that the teachers within this sample considered their home role as more salient. Moreover, despite their commitment to both their home role and occupational role, the data indicated that the sample experienced low levels of Work Family conflict.

<p>The call centre industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. Call centres have for most companies become a basic business requirement for servicing customers. Zapf, Isic, Bechtoldt and Blau (2003: 311) argue that there are high levels of stress amongst employees in call centres, which they believe to be the result of both the work tasks and the interactions with customers. The aim of this study was to establish whether call centre work design and structure contributed to role stress amongst client service representatives (CSRs). It was also the aim of this study to establish whether role stress affected the CSRs‟ levels of job satisfaction and their intentions to quit from their jobs.</p>

This study investigated how Work-Family Conflict was related to Role Salience and Job level (investigated in terms of the amount of job demand and job control associated with different job levels) among women from a Collectivistic culture. A sample of 65 teachers was used. Although the results of the study showed no correlations between Work-Family Conflict and both role salience and job level, this was attributed to the high data skewness, thereby reducing the chances of detecting correlations. The high positive data skewness was possibly caused by the floor effect, which was the situation that the sample consisted of only female teachers from a Collectivistic culture. The high negative data skewness was possibly caused by the ceiling effect, which is the situation that the women in this sample have a Collectivistic cultural orientation, and are therefore highly likely to consider their home role as more salient. Moreover, correlations between Work Family Conflict and Job demand have been found to be higher in Individualistic cultures compared to Collectivistic cultures. There also seems to be no differences in job control among teachers occupying different job levels, and hence, no correlations were detected. Further analyses depicted that the teachers within this sample considered their home role as more salient. Moreover, despite their commitment to both their home role and occupational role, the data indicated that the sample experienced low levels of Work Family conflict.

One of the most important social institutions in our society is that of the family and specifically the union of marriage. Marriage is one of God's central institutions as it depicts His relationship to his body of believers just as Christ is the groom and his body the bride. Full-time ministry couples experience certain pressures, which impact the health and union of the marriage in a variety of ways - yet these "pressures" are not always understood in society or by the church. This study undertakes to understand what the influence of full-time ministry has on the health of a marriage for couples who are engaged in full-time ministry. Through a qualitative empirical research based on the model of Zerfass, the researcher will gain understanding into the various aspects underlying the ministry environment that influences the health of a marriage. The researcher establishes that three main areas must be formulated for future ministry couples in order to function at an optimal level. These areas include the establishment of proper ministerial and marriage guidelines. It also includes that married couples should gain proper equilibrium and consciousness towards their ministry and marriage health. It is evident that the body of Christ doesn't fully grasp the influence of full-time ministry on the health of a marriage. An overall uncertainty exists of what constitutes a healthy marriage and therefore a lack of understanding on the various pressures exerted on full-time ministry is prevalent. Ultimately couples should realise that today's changing times and uncertain job roles necessitate flexibility to adapt to new environments while still holding on to a healthy marriage union / Thesis (M.A. (Practical Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

One of the most important social institutions in our society is that of the family and specifically the union of marriage. Marriage is one of God's central institutions as it depicts His relationship to his body of believers just as Christ is the groom and his body the bride. Full-time ministry couples experience certain pressures, which impact the health and union of the marriage in a variety of ways - yet these "pressures" are not always understood in society or by the church. This study undertakes to understand what the influence of full-time ministry has on the health of a marriage for couples who are engaged in full-time ministry. Through a qualitative empirical research based on the model of Zerfass, the researcher will gain understanding into the various aspects underlying the ministry environment that influences the health of a marriage. The researcher establishes that three main areas must be formulated for future ministry couples in order to function at an optimal level. These areas include the establishment of proper ministerial and marriage guidelines. It also includes that married couples should gain proper equilibrium and consciousness towards their ministry and marriage health. It is evident that the body of Christ doesn't fully grasp the influence of full-time ministry on the health of a marriage. An overall uncertainty exists of what constitutes a healthy marriage and therefore a lack of understanding on the various pressures exerted on full-time ministry is prevalent. Ultimately couples should realise that today's changing times and uncertain job roles necessitate flexibility to adapt to new environments while still holding on to a healthy marriage union / Thesis (M.A. (Practical Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

本研究以已婚社會工作員為對象，瞭解已婚社會工作員的工作與家庭衝突對其家庭生活滿意度的影響。研究透過兩種管道進行資料的蒐集：一種是由台灣社會工作專業人員協會與台灣兒童暨家庭扶助基金會協助樣本的提供；另一種是使用線上問卷，共回收154份有效問卷。本研究有幾點發現：首先，已婚社會工作員面臨了工作與家庭的衝突，且工作干擾家庭的情況較嚴重。其次，已婚社會工作員在家庭生活滿意度的不同構面中，以家務處理滿意程度最低。再者，已婚社會工作員不會因性別的不同在工作與家庭衝突和家庭生活滿意度兩方面有所差異。在工作特質變項上，已婚社會工作員的工作年資愈少、擔任第一線社工員、每週工作時數和每月加班時數愈多者，工作與家庭衝突的情況愈嚴重。在工作投入與勝任感方面，已婚社會工作員對社工專業愈投入，其家庭干擾工作的程度愈低，亦不會因此產生工作干擾家庭的感受；當已婚社會工作員愈難獲得合適的工作作息且愈無法勝任工作時，工作與家庭衝突的程度愈高；而已婚社會工作員對社工專業愈投入者，其家庭生活滿意度愈高。此外，已婚社會工作員的工作與家庭衝突程度愈高，家庭生活滿意度就會愈低。最後，針對研究結果，研究者提出以下建議：已婚社會工作員應瞭解自我角色的情況，在家務處理上取得配偶和家人的支持，並學習有效的時間管理與適度的自我調適；實務界則應正視社會工作員的工作壓力負荷量大的問題。 / This research takes married social workers as research subject to understand how the conflict between work and family affects their family life satisfaction. Our data was collected from two measures. Some are provided by the Taiwan Association of Social Workers and the Taiwan Fund for Children and Family while the rest comes from 154 effective questionnaires collected by an online survey. Through this research, we discovered the followings. First, married social workers do encounter work-family conflicts and their family lives are rather interfered by their work. Second, in terms of different factors of the family life satisfaction, married social workers stand at the lowest level in the satisfaction of house work management. Furthermore, married social workers, regardless of sex, share the same experience regarding work-family conflicts and the family life satisfaction. In terms of the variable of job characteristics, the work-family conflict is much more severe if married social workers have less years of job experience, act as frontline social workers, or have more weekly work hours and overtime hours per month. On the aspect of work devotion and job competency, as they devote more to become professional social workers, their family lives are less likely to be interfered by their work, and thus they don't have the feeling of interference. If they have more trouble balancing between work and rest and become less competent in their jobs, the work-family conflict would be more serious. Meanwhile, if more devotion is put into becoming professional social workers, the family life satisfaction would be higher. In addition, when married social workers suffered from more severe work-family conflicts, their family life satisfaction becomes lower. This research provides several suggestions based on the research result. Married social workers should know more about their roles in work, gain supports from their spouses and family members on housework management and learn better skills on time management and self-adjustment. In practical view, the problem of work stress and overload in social workers should be emphasized.

Behavioural and emotional problems in children have been linked with a number of deleterious effects for the child, their family and the community at large. Research has demonstrated that targeting parents through behavioural family interventions is an effective way of ameliorating the negative long term effects of early behaviour problems. A number of evidence-based interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing dysfunctional parenting practices and reducing the severity and intensity of behaviour problems however less than 10% of parents’ access parenting services and even fewer access evidence-based interventions. Some researchers now advocate that a population approach that emphasizes prevention rather than treatment and considers parenting in its broader ecological context is required to increase parental access to evidence-based parenting interventions and reduce population levels of disruptive behaviour problems. One important context that affects parenting is the workplace. Changing economic and demographic climates mean the majority of parents are now employed and must balance the competing demands of work and family commitments leading to increased levels of work and family conflict as functioning in one domain invariably effects functioning in the other. High levels of work and family conflict have been shown to increase psychological distress and dysfunctional parenting and are associated with a range of negative organisational outcomes such as increased turnover and absenteeism. Additionally, levels of work and family conflict are highest in parents of young children indicating that balancing work and parenting is particularly difficult at a point in a child’s life where there is greatest development plasticity. This thesis argues that one way to improve parents’ access to services and to reduce work and family conflict is to provide support to working parents in the form of a workplace parenting intervention. Such an intervention has the potential to ease the burden on working parents, increase parental access to evidence-based parenting support and reduce population levels of disruptive behaviour problems. This research comprises of a randomised controlled trial of Workplace Triple P, a variant of Triple P- Positive Parenting Program that is tailored to the specific needs of working parents. Two studies are presented. Study 1 examined the utility of a model that posits that the relationship between parental exposure to disruptive behaviour problems and occupational stress is mediated by family-work conflict. Data analyses supported the hypothesised model. The relationship between parental exposure to disruptive behaviour problems and occupational stress was fully mediated by family-work conflict. The results of this study provide a rationale for examining parenting in a workplace context by demonstrating that disruptive behaviour problems in the children of employees are related to higher levels of occupational stress and that reducing disruptive behaviour and family-work conflict should result in reductions in occupational stress. Study 2 built on the findings of Study 1 by evaluating the effectiveness of Workplace Triple P, a workplace parenting intervention that aims to assist parents to more effectively manage work and family demands. Using a sample of teachers balancing work and parenting commitments, a randomised controlled trial was conducted comparing Workplace Triple P to a waitlist control condition. Results indicated that participants who completed the Workplace Triple P intervention reported improvements in five key outcome areas: disruptive behaviour problems, parenting style and satisfaction, personal adjustment, work and family conflict and occupational wellbeing. Specifically, compared with participants in the waitlist control condition participants in the intervention condition reported that their child displayed lower numbers of disruptive behaviours and engaged in problem behaviour less frequently, that they themselves engaged less in verbose, over-reactive and lax parenting styles, that they felt more confident in dealing with a range of behaviour problems across a range of home and community settings and enjoyed parenting more. Participants in the intervention condition also reported lower levels of personal anxiety and depression. The intervention was also effective at improving work-related variables. Participants who completed the Workplace Triple P intervention reported lower levels of work-family conflict, family-work conflict and occupational stress, as well as reporting increased levels of occupational efficacy. No changes were reported for participants in the waitlist control condition. Participants in the intervention condition were reassessed at 4-months post intervention. Results indicated that all intervention gains were maintained. Together these studies contribute significantly to our understanding of work-family interface by providing insight into the mechanisms by which family life exerts an influence on occupational stress and by demonstrating that a workplace parenting intervention has the potential to improve functioning both family and occupational domains. The findings have significant implications for assisting parents more effectively manage work and family demands, for increasing parental access to services, and informing family-friendly policies and practices. Research, clinical and policy implications are discussed.