Homosociality, the societal norm toward same-gender social bonding, has been hypothesized as an important explanatory variable in the maintenance of occupational segregation by gender and the low status of women in traditionally male-dominated occupations (Lipman-Blumen, 1976; Reagan & Blaxall, 1976). In this investigation of homosociality in the workplace, 257 women and 197 men employed in managerial, supervisory, professional, and technical positions in seven organizations completed a questionnaire regarding their career development and interpersonal relationships in their current organization. Predictions derived from homosociality theory and the literature and research on mentoring, friendship, and organizational networks were tested. Of the 17 hypotheses associated with five research questions, 8 were fully or partially supported, 6 were not supported, and 3 could not be tested because factor analysis did not support the variable of interest (lifetime attachment). Alpha was apportioned using the Bonferroni inequality procedure; probability levels ranged from .025 to .0025 depending on the number of significance tests conducted for each question. Analysis of variance (Gender x Gender Composition of Network) and simple main effects analysis performed on mentoring and relationship provisions (intimacy, similarity, defiance of convention, respect for differences) scores indicated one significant main effect for gender: women's same-gender networks provided more intimacy than men's. Significant main effects for gender composition were: (a) men's same-gender networks provided more mentoring than their cross-gender networks; (b) women's same-gender networks provided more intimacy than their cross-gender networks; and (c) for both genders, same-gender networks provided higher levels of similarity and defiance of convention than cross-gender networks. Correlational analyses indicated: (a) for women, but generally not for men, homosocial attitudes were significantly related to the size and activities of same- and cross-gender networks; (b) for both genders, same- and cross-gender mentoring and primarily same-gender relationship provisions were positively and significantly related to career- and job-related outcomes. Homosociality was evident in attitudes, network activities, and outcomes. Results also indicated signs of organizational gender integration. Implications for theory and counselling, and suggestions for future research, are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This dissertation is focused on the problematic of content and motivation of employees in a concrete firm and the problem of high fluctuation connected with it. In the theoretical part there are summarized basic knowledge from the sphere of motivation and work motivation, demonstrated the best known theories of motivation and leading styles; and summarized knowledge of The work life quality research which is related to value orientation of employees in the Czech Republic. In the practical part I have analyzed recent situation in workmen's content and motivation using a questionnaire enquiry among employees. The employees were asked about a importance of single aspects of content with work -- wage, supervisor behaviour, processing atmosphere, access to information, job stability, appreciation of attained results, service conditions, scope of employment, employee benefits and financial bonuses. From gained information I have summarized conclusions and recommendation for leading an organization.

Work-life balance is often a discussed topic in most industrialized countries. Many employees are dissatisfied with working hours, high labor intensity and stress at work. A large number of employees would prefer flexible working hours, part-time, which would lead to better opportunities for reconciling work and family life. Individuals are trying to find a balance between professional and personal interests, some are even forced to decide whether to give priority to family and private life. Thesis deals with different work-life balance policies and programs, problems of gender differences and equal opportunities. It examines how the Czech Republic is able to juggle family and work life. It focuses on the status of women in the labour market, including historical context, the individual programs and policies that promote the harmonization of personal and professional sphere. The practical part analyzed the situation in selected countries and the paper is also engaged in various international companies in which I used structured interviews with HR representatives and other staff examined the possibility of work-life balance and the differences between the situation in the Czech affiliates and the mother country.

This Master's Thesis deals with the balance between an entrepreneurship and a personal life. Its main goal is to identify which factors have or don't have an impact on the balance between an entrepreneurship and a personal life. As a part of the theoretical section I defined components of balanced life, the consequences of imbalances and recommendations how to get a life into a balance. Additionally, there are described important parts of entrepreneurship. For my methodological section I established the list of standards how to choose a suitable entrepreneurs for my research as well as research methods (incl. personal interviews with every single entrepreneur) and data evaluation system. This methodological section justifies and determines the way in which the balance is measured. In my practical section I examined a sample of 40 entrepreneurs (majored in restaurant business). During the research I tried to find a statistical significance among groups of entrepreneurs. The research results leads to the conclusion that the balance between an entrepreneurship and a personal life depends on qualitative rather than on quantitative features.

The Master's Thesis on "Analysis of the conditions of use of programs for disadvantaged workers at Česká spořitelna, a.s." deals with harmonizing personal and professional life and support of disadvantaged groups of workers in Česká spořitelna (Czech Savings Bank). The aim is to analyze the level of Česká spořitelna staff's awareness of programs aimed at supporting disadvantaged groups of workers. To find out how they are informed of such programs existence, how they perceive the programs, what their opinions are on the programs and how they use the wide variety of activities and support in their daily lives. The theoretical part defines basic terms and characterizes selected programs. The empirical part takes up resolving the actual research, which is carried via questionnaires and individual interviews. A subsequent analysis of the research outcomes is essential in order to draw conclusions and propose appropriate recommendations in the field of diversity management and work-life balance in Česká spořitelna.

The thesis discusses the problems of reconciling work and family life, focusing on the provision of services in a children's group under Act no. 247/2014 Coll. The theoretical part defines basic concepts relevant to work-life balance and briefly summarizes the options of preschool children care in the Czech Republic. The first part also elaborates the legal formalities of so called children's group. The practical part aims to assess the current situation of a specific children's group, reveals its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats and on their basis formulates recommendations for its future successful operation. When processing this paper, literature review, description, questionnaire, depth interview and a final analysis and synthesis of knowledge utilized for formulating future proposals are used.

This thesis focuses on the reconciliation of work and family responsibilities of women. The aim is to find out how women manage to balance work and family, how much time per week they dedicate to housework and family care and how is their partner involved in the responsibilities. Interviews and questionnaires are used for these purposes. The idea of gender roles is reflected not only in the work area, but also in the personal one. The man expects that the woman will take care of household and children. It is appropriate for the partners to have an equal part of the responsibilities that arise from living together and starting a family. It is also necessary to solve who of the partners stays on parental leave. It always depends on the individual case and the mutual agreement of the partners.

This Master's Thesis deals with attitude of women entrepreneurs to manage their time in relation to the balance between work and personal life. The main goal is to determine how women manage to fulfill different roles (entrepreneur, mother, wife, friend, etc.) and what rules or procedures they use to align all of these roles in terms of time. The theoretical part characterize the role of women in today's society, describe the definition of work-life balance and time management. Methodological part defines the list of criteria according to which I choose a suitable entrepreneurs for my research and also describes research methods for evaluating the data. The practical part examines a sample of 21 entrepreneurs from various specialization and interprets the results. At the end of thesis there are recommendations about time management obtained from the research and from the practice of female respondents.

The relationships between work and personal life have been on the public, business, and research agenda for about 35 years. Perspectives on these relationships have shifted from a work-family to work-life or work-personal life focus, from a conflict to a balance or enrichment view and, finally, from a segmentation to an integration perspective. This evolution, however, leads to a theoretical and practical impasse where neither integration nor segmentation can be seen as the absolute individual, organisational and societal value. This thesis takes the discussion one step further and focuses on individuals’ work/non-work experiences, calling for a humanistic case. The humanistic case urges placing individuals’ work/non-work experiences at the centre of human resources and at the centre of the work-life field. The aim of the thesis is to theorise individuals’ work/non-work experiences in their individual, organisational and societal contexts. To achieve the purpose, the thesis presents individuals’ work/non-work self-narratives. These self-narratives of six French middle-managers, three men and three women, underline how individuals experience their diverse life domains, namely the work, the family, the social and the private and their management. The self-narratives have been generated through in-depth qualitative interviews and diaries. The thesis explores and provides an understanding of individuals’ work/non-work experiences from a boundary perspective. Focusing on the processes behind individuals’ work/non-work experiences, the thesis reveals that work/non-work preferences for integration and/or segmentation are not sufficient to understand individuals’ experiences. It is essential to consider the preferences in relation to their level of explicitness and the development of work/non-work self-identity. Moreover, it is important to understand the roles of positive and negative work/non-work emotions emerging in the work/non-work process as a respective signal of individuals’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction in how their life domains are developed and managed. The thesis contributes to the work-life field, especially the boundary perspective on work and non-work by presenting a model of individuals’ work/non-work experiences. The model pursued is derived from 33 theoretical propositions. The study suggests a two-dimensional approach for life domain boundaries as a systematic combination of seven boundary types (spatial, temporal, human, cognitive, behavioural, emotional and psychosomatic) and their mental and concrete natures. It suggests a three-dimensional model for work/non-work preferences, revealing five major archetypes of work/non-work preferences between segmentation and integration, and stressing the emotional side of the work/non-work process. It shows that individuals value segmentation on a daily basis and integration on a long-term. This thesis concludes that segmenting and integrating is essential for the harmony of their life domains namely their work, their family, their social and their private.

Person-environment (PE) fit has been considered one of the most pervasive concepts in psychology. This study presents an integrative investigation of three levels of PE fit: person-vocation (PV) fit, person-organization (PO) fit, and person-job (PJ) fit, using multiple conceptualizations (e.g., value congruence, needs-supplies fit) of each fit level. While a trend in the PE fit literature has been the inclusion of only one fit level with a single conceptualization, researchers call for the addition of multiple conceptualizations of multiple fit levels in a single study. Traditionally, PO fit has been conceptualized as value congruence, whereas PV fit has remained untouched in the literature investigating the direct measurement of fit perceptions. Therefore, new fit perceptions scales assessing PO fit using a needs-supplies fit conceptualization and PV fit using a variety of conceptualizations were introduced. To address the limitation of employing direct measures, common method variance was modeled with a positive affect factor. The study accomplished two objectives. First, a previously supported three-factor model of fit perceptions consisting of PO value congruence (PO-VC), PJ needs-supplies (PJ-NS), and PJ demands-abilities (PJ-DA) fit was strongly replicated. Second, this model was expanded by examining additional conceptualizations (needs-supplies, demands-abilities fit, value, personality, and interest congruence) of fit levels (PV, PO, and PJ fit). Results suggested that professionals make distinctions based on both the fit level and fit conceptualization and these fit perceptions uniquely influence their attitudes and behaviors. A six-factor model (PO-VC, PJ-NS, PJ-DA, PO needs-supplies fit [PO-NS], PV demands-abilities fit [PV-DA], and general PV fit) best fit the data. Providing ample evidence of construct validity, PO fit perceptions (PO-VC and PO-NS fit) were related to the organization-focused outcome of organizational identification, whereas the profession-focused outcome of occupational commitment was exclusively predicted by PV fit perceptions (PV-DA and general PV fit). As expected, both needs-supplies fit perceptions (PO-NS and PJ-NS fit) predicted intentions to quit and job satisfaction. Recommendations for future research are suggested.