The Right Balance of Family and Work - Case Study Example

How can work and family responsibilities best be balanced? 2006 During several decades of the twentieth century U.S. families have changed ‘under recognition’ – their size and structure, working hours of parents, their income and breadwinner roles, the management of household tasks and rearing of children. In majority of the families both parents work full-time. The number of mothers with young children working outside their household has increases significantly, the number of children in the family decreased. (Reimers, 2002, p.71) Women with young children do not usually abandon employment – compare 59% of working mothers of under age children in 1990 versus 19% in 1960. (Dubeck, 1998 p.3) These revolutionary changes have altered the social life of every member of society. Due to these changes parental time for family became limited. (Phillips 2002, p.159) Having no time for family is a major work-family problem in the United States since the average full-time worker works the most annual hours among industrial nations. (Raabe, 1998 p.81) Work-life balance became one the most burning problems for an individual in contemporary society. According to the study of the Families and Work Institute work-life balance was named one of the most important factors when considering a new position. (Wohl, 1999 p.15) Indeed work-family integration became one of the significant social problems of the last couple of decades. But how can family and work be combined in the modern turbulent world of rapid changes? As Hochschild noted in The Second Shift people trying to combine family and career "need careers basically redesigned to suit workers who also care for families" (Hochschild 1989 in Raabe, 1998 p. 81) Work and family are interdependent components ‘operating within, influencing, and being influenced by wider social systems, which incorporate cultural norms, state institutions and public policies’. (Lewis, 1998 p.91) Accepting that families and work organizations are thoroughly integrated with one another can solve the problem of work/family balance. (Vannoy, 1998 p.217) Only economic, legal, and social efforts can solve the problem of work/family responsibilities balance. ECONOMIC ASPECT The reality of life suggests that work life balance is impossible in lower-income families. As women are usually engaged in low status and lower paid jobs, they usually take several low paying jobs to support their lifestyle needs. Of course, managing several jobs’ responsibilities and home responsibilities places a great emotional burden particularly on women. Increase in working hours effects work-family balance and eventually leads to its conflict. Schor (1991 in Runte & Mills, 2004) noted that 40 hours working week once a standard increased in recent decades. Increased working hours for men again mean greater burdens for women. (Runte & Mills, 2004) Work-family balance benefits are unavailable for part-time workers, day workers, domestics, and minimum wages earners. Low-wage employees cannot use sufficient market power to demand family-friendly benefits. They are ‘viewed as assets to be deployed rather than human resources to be developed.’ (Varuhas, Fursman, Jacobsen, 2003) All this negative effects should be overcome by the government regulations of the corresponding processes. The reduction of work-life strain and financial burdens can be achieved by the introduction of tax credits or changes to the minimum wage by the government as the balance in work and life "may be strongly linked to the bottom line." (Work-life balance difficult, 2003) The economic basis of work-family conflict is one the strongest aspects of work-family balancing which should be regulated by the government. Particularly the concern is low income families who devote the majority of the time to work rather than family. This non deliberate shift toward work discourse means that adequate regulations should be enacted. LEGAL ASPECT In the United States the social benefits to most workers are determined by their employers in the first place and the government on the second. Those benefits offered by the government include Social Security – fully national insurance system, unemployment insurance (level and duration set by the states); health insurance and dependent care are determined by the individual employer or to collective bargaining. (Work and Family Responsibilities, 1989) The reliance on employers in terms of benefits results in an adequate treatment of employees and their needs by company management. Family-friendly policies are available only to workers who are deemed to be ‘valuable’ to the firm. Low-level workers possessing no particular skills have no access to benefits the skilled workers have. (Varuhas, Fursman, Jacobsen, 2003) This injustice needs to be addressed by adequate legal mechanisms. Work-life balance is difficult to obtain if no adequate policies are introduced on the government level. Balancing family and work is not possible by only personal efforts. The government support of family and security of employers from abuse is required for successful balancing of work and family. Interventions advised are leave, childcare, cut of working hours, organizational culture changes and tax/benefits polices. (Varuhas, Fursman, Jacobsen, 2003) Though these changes are in use, they do not contribute to work-family balance. Organization awareness of the importance of work-life balance and introduction of policies and practices to meet the needs of employees are required for solving work-life conflict. Importance of organizational culture which contributes to the work-family balance of its employees cannot be overestimated. The federal and state governments as well as employers should aim to achieve work-family balance by ‘enacting forward-thinking policies and changing accountability frameworks.’ (Work-life balance, 2003) So the legal aspects of work-family balancing must be combined efforts of both individual employers and federal and state governments which set minimum requirements. SOCIAL A person is a ‘combination’ of different social roles which define one’s essence. One should remember that a person cannot sacrifice all life to one role and that a person can only live a full life when one operates in different social settings. That’s why it’s important that management and employees have a high degree of trust and cooperation. Only such an approach can ensure commitment and increased productivity. In the modern business settings employers start to understand that productivity cannot be achieved by extending working day to 10-12 hours and maximum results can be achieved within 8 hour shift. Companies seem to be much interested in setting favorable working conditions for their staff to increase an overall productivity. They start to address the work/life dilemma with a great number of initiatives. However, only few of them ‘fully adopt a work/life perspective as a management strategy to the full advantage of the company and their employees. (Wohl 1999, p.15) That’ why only the understanding of a family and an organization as being integrated with one another institutions can create favorable social setting in which both companies and families benefit. Only such approach can make the life of the family full and the work of the company productive. As over several decades the social situation changed – only 10% introduce traditional family with working father and stay at home mother – the work-family balance has become a burning issue. As more and more women with children are employed, new roles are adopted and role changes take place. Women perform more responsibilities outside the home while men get more involved in work within the home. (Aycan & Eskin, 2005) Despite work-life conflict families with dual employed parents have their benefits – both economic and psychological which are expressed in terms of ‘a better standard of living; intellectual stimulation; increased personal satisfaction; valuing one anothers abilities, talents, and ambitions, etc’. (OHare, 1999, p.57) The problems which the dual-employed couples face are ‘issues of equality, role overload and role conflict, normative dilemmas, sex-role and personal identity conflicts, and marital-role quality distress.’ (OHare, 1999, p.57) On the other hand attempts to balance incompatible roles results in ‘negative work outcomes, including higher absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and turnover.’ (Riley & McCloskey, 1999 p.133) Combining family and work responsibilities have some benefits for employers. At the same time it poses certain problems. As the reality of modern life suggests people are more and more involved into active social participation while family life may suffer greatly. That’s why it’s important to find some social mechanisms to balance work and family. The solution is possible if organizations adopt the flexibility approach to allow the employees to harmonize their work and family commitments. Flexibility approach applies ‘employers’ flexibility and adaptability in terms of creating programs, policies and cultures which support work/life integration.’ (Work/life balance for men, 2005) Flexibility can be achieved by developing family-responsive programs like dependent care, compressed workweeks, and job sharing. (Riley & McCloskey, 1999 p.133) On the other hand flexibility can more infringe work-family balance as employees get a greater sense of control over their time use and cannot use it in a proper way according to the research of E. Kevin Kelloway and Benjamin H. Gottlieb, University of Guelph, Ontario conducted in 1998. Setting firm times for work and for family is the best way to balance work/family responsibilities, researches believe. (Setting firm times, 2001) Employers who care for their employee must adopt flexibility approach which does apply setting flexible working hours but introduction and implementation of programs and policies which contribute to the work/family balance. References Aycan Z., & M.Eskin “Relative contributions of childcare, spousal support, and organizational support in reducing work-family conflict for men and women: the case of Turkey.” Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Oct. 2005 Brett, Jeanne M. “Family, Sex, and Career Advancement.” Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World. . Eds. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. Dubeck, Paula J. “The Need and Challenge to Better Integrate Work and Family Life in the Twenty-First Century.” Challenges for Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century. . Eds. Paula J. Dubeck and Dana Vannoy. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. Gerson, Kathleen “Implications for the Postindustrial Workplace.” Challenges for Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century. . Eds. Paula J. Dubeck and Dana Vannoy. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. Lewis, Suzan. "An International Perspective on Work-Family Issues " Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World. . Eds. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. OHare, Marianne “Managing Work-Family Tensions: A Counseling Perspective.” Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World. . Eds. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. Phillips, Katherin Ross. “Working for All Families? Family Leave Policies in the United States.” The Economics of Work and Family. Eds. Emily P. Hoffman, Jean Kimmel. Kalamazoo: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2002. Raabe, Phyllis Hutton. "Being a Part-Time Manager: One Way to Combine Family and Career " Challenges for Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century. . Eds. Paula J. Dubeck and Dana Vannoy. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. Reimers, Cordelia W. “Parents Work Time and the Family Thirty Years of Change.” The Economics of Work and Family. Eds. Emily P. Hoffman, Jean Kimmel. Kalamazoo: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2002. Riley, Francine and Donna Weaver McCloskey “Telecommuting as a Response to Helping People Balance Work and Family.” Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World. . Eds. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. Runte, M., and A.J. Mills. "Paying the Toll: A Feminist Post-Structural Critique of the Discourse Bridging Work and Family " Culture and Organization 10 (3 ), 2004: 237-49 Setting firm times for work and family may make balance more likely. Work and Family Newsbrief, Oct. 2001 Schor, J. The Overworked American. New York: Basic books, 1991 in Runte, M., and A.J. Mills. "Paying the Toll: A Feminist Post-Structural Critique of the Discourse Bridging Work and Family " Culture and Organization 10 (3 ), 2004: 237-49 Wohl, Faith “A Panoramic View of Work and Family.” Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World. . Eds. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Saroj Parasuraman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. Work and Family Responsibilities: Achieving a balance: A Program Paper. Ford Foundation, 1989 Work-life balance difficult for many, impossible for lower income families - Child & Family - Voices of Canadians: Seeking Work-Life Balance. Community Action. Feb 17, 2003 Work/life balance for men. HR Magazine. Oct. 2005 Vannoy, Dana “Problems and Prospects for More Effective. Integration of Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century.” Challenges for Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century. . Eds. Paula J. Dubeck and Dana Vannoy. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. Varuhas J., L. Fursman, V. Jacobsen Work and Family Balance: An economic View. New Zealand Treasury Working paper 03/26. Sept. 2003 Read More