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Article
Publication date: 3 November 2020

Angus J. Duff and Scott B. Rankin

The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of workers who live in vans to explore how work and non-work interact when one's living environment is mobile.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of workers who live in vans to explore how work and non-work interact when one's living environment is mobile.

Design/methodology/approach

In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 participants. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts, coded while listening to each interview recording, provided a rich account of the interaction of work and non-work life domains.

Findings

Several themes were identified, including seeing the van as a home, hidden or disclosed identity stemming from living in a van, financial freedom, career freedom and work/non-work synchronization. Overall, findings suggest that flexible home arrangements, the relocation of one's home to adapt to work, aligned work and non-work domains to positively impact their overall work and non-work satisfaction, providing career freedom and expanded career opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

The understanding of workers who live in vans broadens one’s understanding of mobile work and the work/non-work interface, providing insight into the dual alignment of work and home to accommodate each other, which the authors term work/non-work synchronization.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to consider van living from a work and career perspective and for the first time conceptualizes the notion of flexible home arrangements.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2006

Ian Towers, Linda Duxbury, Christopher Higgins and John Thomas

This paper aims to investigate the shifting boundaries between two experiential categories – home and work – for office workers. The boundaries are both spatial and temporal, and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the shifting boundaries between two experiential categories – home and work – for office workers. The boundaries are both spatial and temporal, and the paper seeks to analyse how certain kinds of mobile technology are being used in such a way as to make these boundaries increasingly permeable.

Design/methodology/approach

The research involved both the collection of quantitative data using a survey tool, and the gathering of qualitative data through in‐depth interviews.

Findings

The paper finds that the mobile technology discussed enables work extension – the ability to work outside the office, outside “normal” office hours. This provides flexibility with respect to the timing and location of work, and makes it easier to accommodate both work and family. But at the same time, of course, it also increases expectations: managers and colleagues alike expect staff to be almost always available to do work, which makes it easier for work to encroach on family time, and also leads to a greater workload. The ability to perform work extension is, then, a dual‐edged sword.

Practical implications

The paper provides both managers and non‐managers with insight into the effects of providing mobile technology to office workers, and suggests some mechanisms to mitigate negative effects.

Originality/value

The paper explores the impact of mobile technologies on non‐mobile office staff.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2003

Susanne Tietze and Gill Musson

Drawing on an empirical investigation situated in 25 households of professional managers, who worked regularly at home, this article explores how internalised time discipline is…

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Abstract

Drawing on an empirical investigation situated in 25 households of professional managers, who worked regularly at home, this article explores how internalised time discipline is evoked, appropriated and challenged through and in home‐based telework. The notion of clock‐time is opposed with the notion of task‐time and it is shown how both temporalities inform the organisation of paid and unpaid work. It is shown that in some households the simultaneous co‐presence of conceptually different temporalities led to an increasing bureaucratisation of time as boundaries between “work” and “the household” had to be maintained and protected. In other households such co‐presence resulted in the emergence of more task‐based approaches to the co‐ordination of all activity and more elastic temporal boundaries drawn around them.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2018

Isabel Soares Silva and Renata Bastos

The purpose of this paper is to understand workers’ resistance toward change from a semi-continuous (SCW) to a continuous shift work system (CW), especially focusing the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand workers’ resistance toward change from a semi-continuous (SCW) to a continuous shift work system (CW), especially focusing the perspective of change and its impact on workers’ personal lives.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was conducted at a Portuguese steel plant. A questionnaire was administered to 98 shift workers of the two systems, three focus groups (FG) each with ten CW workers, and three interviews with their managers.

Findings

The results of the FG and the interviews indicate the loss of days off during weekends as the main drawback of this change, leading to work schedule dissatisfaction. The consequences of the change focused on social and family life. For the CW workers, the conciliation between working hours and life outside the company were the only predictors of satisfaction with work schedule.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional design is one of the main limitations, as well the use of only one organization in the study suggests future replication. Organizations need to consider the aspects of family and social life in the management of working hours.

Originality/value

Globally, this case study highlights the importance of family and social aspects in the adjustment process to working hours, especially when these involve performing work on the weekends, such as shift work.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 31 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2019

Toyin Ajibade Adisa, Issa Abdulraheem and Sulu Babaita Isiaka

Research on the impact of patriarchy and patriarchal norms on women’s work-life balance is scarce. A typical patriarchal society, such as Nigeria, tends to be organised based on…

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Abstract

Purpose

Research on the impact of patriarchy and patriarchal norms on women’s work-life balance is scarce. A typical patriarchal society, such as Nigeria, tends to be organised based on gender, and the construct is embedded in the culture. This paper aims to investigate the impact of patriarchy on women’s work-life balance in a non-Western context: Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt a qualitative research approach to enhance their insight into the issue of patriarchy and women’s work-life balance. Data for the study were collected over a four-month period, using semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection.

Findings

The findings of the thematic analysis reveal the impact of patriarchy on women’s work-life balance in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Nigeria. Women’s aspirations to achieve work-life balance in this part of the world are often frustrated by patriarchal norms, which are deeply ingrained in the culture. The findings of this study reveal that male dominance of and excessive subordination of females, domestic and gender-based division of labour and higher patriarchal proclivities among men are the ingredients of a patriarchal society. These issues make the achievement of work-life balance difficult for women.

Research limitations/implications

The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited sample size and the selected research context.

Practical implications

The insights gleaned from this research suggest that there are still major challenges for women in the global south, specifically Nigeria, in terms of achieving work-life balance due to the prevalent patriarchy and patriarchal norms in the society. Strong patriarchal norms and proclivity negatively affect women’s work-life balance and in turn may impact employee productivity, organisational effectiveness, employee performance and employee punctuality at work. However, an Australian “Champion of Change” initiative may be adopted to ease the patriarchal proclivity and help women to achieve work-life balance.

Originality/value

This paper provides valuable insights by bringing patriarchy into the discussion of work-life balance. This issue has been hitherto rare in the literature. It therefore enriches the literature on work-life balance from a patriarchal perspective.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Organisational Roadmap Towards Teal Organisations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-311-7

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2019

Abhishek Kalra and Rupashree Baral

Enterprise Social Network (ESN) systems have emerged as the technology of choice to bolster and support organizational efforts for harnessing embedded knowledge. However, a lack…

Abstract

Purpose

Enterprise Social Network (ESN) systems have emerged as the technology of choice to bolster and support organizational efforts for harnessing embedded knowledge. However, a lack of understanding about it limits the optimization of its potential. Hence, this paper aims to assess the role of hedonic motivation, network externalities (NE) and top management support in conjugation with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology theory to understand ESN’s usage for knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 187 ESN users through a survey questionnaire and subsequently analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling using the partial least squares method.

Findings

ESNs are used both for utilitarian and hedonic purposes. Furthermore, the results also bring out the importance of externalities arising from an extensive network of users and complimentary services, as well as support regarding resources and recognition from the top management toward reinforcing the benefits of using ESNs.

Research limitations/implications

This study advances earlier knowledge by assessing the actual usage of ESNs for knowledge sharing. It takes into consideration multiple input variables, namely, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, NE amongst others to best resonate with the key factors driving its adoption and usage by an individual. However, because of the cross-sectional research design, causality can only be inferred.

Practical implications

The organizations are recommended to have in place the measures for attaining optimal usage of ESNs, and in turn, witness knowledge moves around in ways unfathomable. Steps should be taken to develop tools and ecosystems to provide users affordances for both increasing productivity, as well as opportunities for gaining pleasure.

Originality/value

This study is one of its kind effort to synthesize the knowledge about the ESNs in an Indian context. It provides fascinating insights into the determinants of intention and usage of ESNs for knowledge sharing.

Details

VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, vol. 50 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5891

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

Elisabeth Michielsens, Cecilie Bingham and Linda Clarke

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role flexible work arrangements (FWA) play in diversity policies, and the reasons for/barriers to their implementation.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role flexible work arrangements (FWA) play in diversity policies, and the reasons for/barriers to their implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on qualitative case study research in four large multinational service companies. Primary data were collected through senior and line-manager interviews and questionnaires.

Findings

The research shows FWA are an integral part of diversity implementation but organisational imperatives, particularly management concerns about client interaction, constrain the acceptance of FWA and therefore restrict their impact as a means to greater diversity. As FWA have different effects (being available “remotely” vs not being available) their acceptability is not inclusive, but dependent on job character and level.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed on the difficulties of implementing FWA and, particularly, its impact on career progression. The prioritisation of business imperatives over social arguments, such as client needs and staff availability, with its impact on the acceptability of FWA and hence ultimate enhancement of diversity deserves more attention.

Practical implications

This paper shows that company discourse with its unambiguous business focus highlights the shortcomings of relying upon FWA to bring about a changed climate for diversity.

Originality/value

Importantly issues are explored which have not featured significantly in the literature to date, especially the role of clients/customers and differences in the effect of FWA as elements in managerial perspectives on the acceptability of FWA, which can act as constraints to its use for diversity enhancement.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2009

Susanne Tietze, Gill Musson and Tracy Scurry

The purpose of this paper is to systematically summarise and evaluate recent articles on modern homebased work (2000‐2009). In identifying the key recurrent themes and…

3199

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically summarise and evaluate recent articles on modern homebased work (2000‐2009). In identifying the key recurrent themes and commonalities in the existing research, it brings order to the variety of contributions to provide future directions for inquiry and knowledge production.

Design/methodology/approach

Papers are identified through systematic keyword searches of multi‐disciplinary databases. The aim is to identify papers that explore the social/organisational embeddedness of homebased work, rather than framing it as a technology related phenomena/problem.

Findings

The review highlights some contradictory evidence about the potential for change entailed in homeworking practices and an absence of studies which focus on “less visible” workers engaged in homebased production. It also argues that few longitudinal studies exist which could address the question of the ability of homebased work to initiate change.

Practical implications

The paper provides an evaluation of the literature to make sense of the diversity of themes and issues within existing research. The insights gained are of use to both academics researching this form of working and practitioners implementing it. Gaps within existing knowledge and directions for future study are also identified.

Originality/value

This paper is a timely review of the recent articles that have been published on homebased work.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2022

Santanu Mandal, Payel Das, Gayathri V. Menon and R. Amritha

With the emergence of COVID-19 and increased infections, organizations urged their employees to work from home. Furthermore, with the on-going pandemic, employees take measures to…

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Abstract

Purpose

With the emergence of COVID-19 and increased infections, organizations urged their employees to work from home. Furthermore, with the on-going pandemic, employees take measures to ensure individual safety and their families. Hence, work from home culture can result in long-term employee satisfaction. However, no study addresses the development of work from the home culture in an integrated framework. Therefore, the current research explores the role of safety during the pandemic, organizational commitment and employee motivation on work from home culture, which may influence employee satisfaction. Furthermore, job demands and home demands were also evaluated for employee satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used existing scales of the factors to develop the measures and collect perceptual responses from employees working from home, supported with a pre-test. The study executed a survey with effective responses from 132 individuals spread across different sectors to validate the hypotheses. The responses were analysed using partial least squares in ADANCO 2.2.

Findings

Findings suggest safety concerns along with organization commitment enhances work from home culture. Such work from home culture enhances employee motivation and employee satisfaction. Furthermore, job demands and home demands also influence employee satisfaction.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors knowledge, the study is the foremost to develop an integrated empirical framework for work from home culture and its antecedents and consequences. The study has several important implications for managers.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

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