Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore if an expatriate’s career situation at the level of the couple (single career couple (SCC)/dual career couple (DCC)) is related to the expatriate’s work-to-personal-life conflict (WLC) and if the expatriate’s gender is related to WLC. The authors also investigate if the level of WLC is different for men and women in a DCC or SCC (interaction).

The study was conducted among 393 Finnish expatriates who were in a relationship and were working. A moderated hierarchical regression was utilized in the data analysis.

Gender or DCC/SCC status was not separately related to WLC but an interaction effect between gender and a couple’s career status on WLC was significant. In DCC couples, women experienced more WLC than men. In SCC couples, women experienced less WLC than men.

The findings indicate that organizations should develop practices to support both DCCs and SCCs, for instance, by providing mentors for expatriates and their family members, or through organizing family events for company employees. Couples should also negotiate their roles and responsibilities in both the personal life and work-life spheres before moving abroad and also during the time they live abroad, especially women involved in a DCC and men involved in an SCC.

This is the first study focusing on expatriates’ WLC that simultaneously takes account of how the gender and career situation of the couple are related to it.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and moderating effect of gender and parental status on the relationship between international business travel days and work-to-family conflict (WFC) among international business travellers (IBTs) on the basis of the conservation of resources theory.

The study was conducted among 1,366 Finnish people in jobs demanding international business travel and a moderated hierarchical regression was utilised in data analysis.

An increase in the number of international business travel days and being a parent is positively related to WFC. Women with dependent children experience a lower level of WFC than do men with dependent children. However, a significant interaction effect between international business travel days, parental status and gender was found that indicates that the volume of travel days increases the level of WFC for those women who have children more than it does for women who do not have children. For men, increased numbers of travel days raises levels of WFC, as does having children, but there is no interaction between travel days and parental status among men. An increased number of travel days was least critical for WFC among women without dependent children and most critical for WFC among women with dependent children However, women with dependent children were able to travel to a considerable extent before their levels of WFC overtook those of men with dependent children.

The findings indicate that organisations should pay particular attention to developing policies and practices that take account of the family status of the traveller. In addition, to assist IBTs to cope with their WFC, attention should be paid to the intensity of work-related travel. However, gender seemed not to play a particularly important role in WFC, indicating that organisations need not be wary of recruiting both men and women into roles involving international business travel.

This is the first study focusing on IBTs WFC that simultaneously takes account of how the intensity of business travel and both gender and parenthood are related to it.

This paper aims to explore how mid‐career professional mothers perceive themselves in relation to their work and family roles, how they experience these roles, how they merge their work, family and individual self, and what meaning they make of this integration.

The study used in‐depth qualitative interviews with 18 participants aged between 37 and 55 with at least one dependent child under the age of 18, in dual‐earning/career households.

The study reports that a complex relationship of work‐related dynamics and personal factors shaped the meaning for these women amid competing priorities of work, family and individual lives. Organisation and co‐ordination of multiple activities with support from various sources was fundamental to finding balance. A deep sense of motherhood was evident in that their children were their number one priority but career was of high importance as they sought stimulation, challenges, achievement and enrichment in their work. Now, in mid‐career transition, the respondents seek more self‐care time in an effort to find new meaning in the work, family and self equation.

The study raises important issues for the management of professional working mothers and the implications of the study for individuals and organisations are set out.

This paper makes contributions to work‐life integration and career theory. It provides one of the first empirical studies on work‐life integration in Ireland using the construct of meaningful work and secondly builds on the kaleidoscope career model theory.

Research on work–life interface in the expatriation context has to date focused on expatriates relocating with a family, and the work–life experiences of single and childless expatriates remain largely unexplored. This is particularly relevant for women, as female expatriates appear to be more often single than their male counterparts and have children less often. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to examine the specific work–life experiences of single and childless female expatriates who are working and living in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

A qualitative research design has been adopted for this exploratory study. Data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 20 single and childless female expatriates living and working in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Our findings identify a set of personal, work-related, and social and cultural factors contributing to single and childless female expatriates’ conflict and enrichment between work and nonwork spheres, as well as a range of sources and types of social support they rely upon. Our findings demonstrate that work–life issues are also exacerbated for single and childless women in the international context.

This study is the first dedicated to the examination of specific work–life issues of single and childless women in the expatriate context. By revealing the specificities of their work–life experiences, this study contributes to the fields of (female) expatriate research and work–life research and advances current knowledge on nontraditional expatriates.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of work-related factors, namely work overload and work support on work-life balance (WLB) dimensions and its significant impact on work satisfaction particularly among South Indian nurses in the healthcare sector.

The study was carried out in the healthcare sector comprising of 182 nurses employed in various hospitals located in southern parts of India through a structured questionnaire. The study adopted Barron and Kenny’s mediated regression analysis.

Work satisfaction showed a significant negative relationship with work overload and a positive relationship with work support. WLB dimensions, namely work to personal life strains, personal life to work strains, work to personal life gains (WPLG) and personal life to work gains mediated the relationships between work support and work satisfaction. However, WPLG mediated the relationships between work overload and work satisfaction.

The present investigation directed toward the importance of work-personal life balance experienced by the nurses in the healthcare sector imperatively influence both work and personal life domains and the study suggests that support from the organization, superiors and peers can go a long way in helping the incumbents to attain improved organizational outcomes.

This study focuses on investigating the mediating role of WLB dimensions in the relationship between organizational-related factors and work satisfaction among nurses in the healthcare sector in South India.

The purpose of this study is to examine how female expatriates mobilise couples’ dual-career coordination strategic choices to achieve their own and their partners’ desired career goals.

This qualitative research is based upon in-depth interviews with 20 dual-career female expatriates working in two case study oil and gas organisations.

Female expatriates use a series of tactics ranging from cooperation in maintaining a dual-career hierarchy, through to coordinating aspects of their own and their partners’ assignments, undertaking compatible industry roles and co-working (working together in the same organisation) to attempt to achieve a greater egalitarian international dual-career strategic outcome.

This case analysis was based on a relatively small sample of female expatriates in heterosexual relationships working in oil and gas exploration. Further research in different sectors, with larger samples, and with male expatriates is also needed.

Employers should minimise periods of separation by focussing on coordinated assignment timings for both partners, facilitate suitable employment for both partners who wish to work abroad, and prioritise securing partner work visas.

The inability to pursue desired dual-careers together while undertaking international assignments can be detrimental to couples’ relationships, potentially leading to unwillingness to expatriate and thereby deliver necessary skills in the host country.

The originality lies in identifying the tactics women use to enact dual-career coordination strategies, including coordinating assignment timings and locations to reduce separation and pursuing compatible roles to achieve egalitarian career and relationship outcomes. While women expected co-working in the same firm to facilitate dual-career mobility, its career outcomes were disappointing.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of work–life balance (WLB) on the employee motivation (EM), job satisfaction (JS) and emloyee performance (EP) of academic staff at universities.

In this regard, the authors collected 490 valid data from academic staff of major public and private universities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. WLB was evaluated under three dimensions as work interference with personal life (WIPL), personal life interference with work (PLIW) and work personal life enhancement (WPLE).

The results of the analyses showed that WIPL and PLIW negatively and significantly affected EM but did not have any significant impact on JS. WPLE affected both JS and EM significantly and positively. Lastly, JS did not have significant impact on EP while EM did.

As the research was conducted in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, it cannot be generalized to other countries and cultures.

Besides, the study suggests theoretical and practical implication as it was a special study proposed during COVID 19 lock downs.

There are very limited or no research works which attempt to study the pros and cons of WLB during such a catastrophic time, the study is useful for the university administrators and researchers in this field.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze female expatriates' work‐life conflicts and enrichments which take place during the international assignment.

A total of 20 interviews were carried out with female expatriates. The interview data were content analyzed.

The findings indicate that females have experiences of conflicts but also enrichment during international assignments. Both aspects – the effect of the personal life on the working life and vice versa – are shown to be important for females. Life and career stages appear to be integral to these experiences. This study utilizes four metaphors – airport, seesaw, stage, and harbor – as main headings to represent female expatriates' experiences in balancing work and their personal lives.

This study expands our understanding of the experiences of female expatriates from the work‐life balance perspective and contributes by analyzing both the work‐life conflicts as well as the enrichment which takes place, broadening the view of private life to include aspects other than the family.

The turn of the twenty-first century witnessed significant shifts in the global work environment that led to employees’ personal and professional lives witnessing dynamic transformations. Work-life interference has become the norm rather than the exception for most employees, who, of late, experience more significant interference in balancing work obligations and family responsibilities. This study aims to examine the bi-directional interference experienced by working women in India’s health-care sector.

For this study, 850 questionnaires were distributed to selected health-care workers in Northern India. After eliminating the invalid questionnaires, 782 valid questionnaires were retained and used for further analyzes.

The study results revealed that working women in a collectivistic culture such as India experience higher work interference on personal life than personal life interference on work in the health sector. However, women health-care workers with higher support from their employers, families and colleagues experienced lower interference levels. Therefore, health organizations need to put a system in place to ensure the least interference in women employees’ personal lives by providing both emotional and institutional support.

This study undertakes to conceptualize the bidirectional nature of the work-life interface among India’s health-care workers. The findings would direct employers, employees and the practitioners involved in the health-care sector to execute policies and practices that attempt to facilitate work-life integration among the workers and generate positive organizational outcomes.