Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you should:
Know why I/O psychologists and organizations are interested in the balance between employees work and non-work lives Know what happens when individuals experience a lack of balance Understand how psychologists work to improve balance
Why Is Studying Work-life Balance Important? (Hidden Slide With Additional Speaker Notes)
Work impacts quality of life & what happens outside of work (e.g., family, leisure) impacts work Technology makes working from home easier & more commonplace More dual earner couples, single parent families, need for elder care
Balance increases well-being & imbalance creates conflict between roles Effective balance may have economic advantages for organizations Effective balance may have advantages for positive life experiences, reduction in stress , normal life for children, all of which have economic and social ramifications
Occurrence of Conflict
Does work interfere with family?
Work family conflict
Or both?
Do some people experience more conflict than others? Do some people interpret conflict differently? Do some people react differently to conflict?
How Might I/O Psychologists Help Organizations and Employees With Balance?
Continue to study effects of balance & conflict Help organizations to measure work-life balance Help organizations to identify and implement strategies for increasing balance Help organizations design work to facilitate balance Help workers take advantage of strategies
Instructor Resources
The following books, chapters, and articles were used in preparation of this module. 1) Barnett, R.C. & Hyde, J.S. (2001). Women, men, work, and family. American Psychologist, 56(10), 781-796. 2) Biddle, B.J. & Thomas, E.J. (1966). Role Theory: Concepts and Research. New York: Wiley. 3) Greenhaus, J.H., & Parasuraman, S. (1999). Research on work, family, and gender. In G.N. Powell (Ed.), Handbook of Gender and Work. (pp. 391-412). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 4) Hall, D.T. & Mirvis, P.H. (1995). Careers as lifelong learning. In A. Howard (Ed.) Changing Nature of Work, New York: Jossey-Bass. 5) Zedeck, S. (Ed.). (1998). Work, Families, and Organizations. New York: JosseyBass.