Abstract
This article examines perspectives on employer work-life initiatives as potential organizational change phenomena. Work-life initiatives address two main organizational challenges: structural (flexible job design, human resource policies) and cultural (supportive supervisors, climate) factors. While work-life initiatives serve a purpose in highlighting the need for organizational adaptation to changing relationships between work, family, and personal life, we argue they usually are marginalized rather than mainstreamed into organizational systems. We note mixed consequences of work-life initiatives for individuals and organizations. While they may enable employees to manage work and caregiving, they can increase work intensification and perpetuate stereotypes of ideal workers. In order to advance the field, organizations and scholars need to frame both structural and cultural work-life changes as part of the core employment systems to enhance organizational effectiveness and not just as strategies to support disadvantaged, non-ideal workers. We conclude with an overview of the articles in this special issue.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3-19 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Human Relations |
Volume | 63 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Flexibility
- Mainstreaming
- Organizational change
- Work-family
- Work-family conflict
- Work-life
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- General Social Sciences
- Strategy and Management
- Management of Technology and Innovation