Article Abstract:
US, British and Swedish policy responses to work and family issues are compared. Type of work, organizational support and the socio-economic conditions prevalent in the countries they live in affect people's coping mechanisms for conflicts between work and family. Neither US nor British policies have attempted to revise career success rules or to consider gender roles in the family. In the former country, women have been merely permitted to attempt to fulfill male work standards, while flexible work arrangements have been made available in the latter. Swedish work policies, on the other hand, have tried to promote gender equality. Nevertheless, women with familial responsibilities still have difficulties rising to top management positions. The results underlie the importance of national contexts in determining firm response to such employee needs.
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Article Abstract:
The determinants of organizational responsiveness to work-and-family issues are examined using survey data across US companies. The results reveal that industry-type, geographical location, size and the use of employee surveys are factors that determine a firm's responsiveness to the family concerns of their employees. High recruitment and training costs in industries such as healthcare, insurance, finance and real estate may account for the family-orientation of firms in those businesses. Responsiveness is also high for companies that are large and located in the Northwestern US. Finally, the use of surveys and other employee information-gathering devices increases the likelihood that management will pursue the development of an effective work-family benefit program in response to employee needs.
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Article Abstract:
Perceptions of how the work and family reward systems interact are examined via interviews from 1983-87 of 300 managers who are fathers as well. Analysis of the parenting styles of such working fathers reveals that office managerial styles and work life emotions often spillover into the realm of the family, with negative effects on the quality of familial relationships. Role-switching difficutlies and the existence of unspoken agendas between executive fathers and their children are also evident. Strategies for developing more meaningful relationships between male managers and their children include regarding the latter as consultants, learning to express feelings and expectations, and interpreting events for the children.
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