Work life balance - the impact on a woman’s career prospects

Kemmis, Charlotte (2012) Work life balance - the impact on a woman’s career prospects. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

In the context of work flexibility and work-life programmes, the question arises as to whether work flexibility is a mutual gains enterprise for employers and employees. This dissertation continues the debate on the firm to incorporate a work-life balance agenda. The extent of numerical and functional flexibility is correlated with the extent of work-life balance support. Company benefits are not linked to numerical flexibility, but in both the employer and employee surveys they are consistently associated with a functional flexibility and work-life balance supporting arrangements. This would suggest an integrated approach to human resource management, where some companies engage in a modern employee focused approach and other companies tend to be more practical.

From an employer perspective functional flexibility supports employee benefits and mutual gain. In respect of the hypothesis that work-life balance policies are more beneficial to the employer than the employee, the analysis shows that work-life balance supports are important for mutual gain. Overall benefits for the employer such as cost saving, tend to occur in companies where a redundancy policy, little or no functional flexibility and where family-friendly/work-life balance arrangements are irrelevant.

The literature to date highlighted the need for new research given the global and in particular Irish economic recession from 2008 to present.

The aim of this study was to investigate the equality of opportunities provided by flexible working arrangements and a balanced work-life. The study will look at practical workings of flexible working arrangements and the reasons behind the development of such practices.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Classes of Labour > Women and Work
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	11 May 2013 10:22
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2013 16:30
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/780

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