Work Life Balance
Increasingly work flexibility and Work Life Balance are emerging as workforce issues and development gaps. The main definitions include:
Flexibility – when, where and how people work. Flexibility needs to work for the employee and the employer.
Flexible work arrangements – practices which vary the location, time and method of working. These arrangements may be used to assist working parents, parents of a child with a disability, workers caring for elderly family members, students or any employee who just needs time to deal with personal commitments.
Work Life Balance – individual choices that enable employers and employees to manage the interaction between work and the demands of life that affect health, family and communities.
Visit Safework SA for information on implementing Work Life Balance.
Work Life Balance Research and Links
AUSTRALIA
How much should we work?: working hours, holidays and working life: the participation challenge
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Pisaniello, Sandra
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI2010-report.pdf
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Pisaniello, Sandra
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI2010-report.pdf
The work-life provisions of the Fair Work Act: a compromise of stakeholder preference
Waterhouse, Jennifer; Colley, Linda
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Waterhouse, Jennifer; Colley, Linda
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Central policies, local discretion: a review of employee access to work-life balance arrangements in a public sector agency
Colley, Linda
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Colley, Linda
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Working time arrangements and recreation: making time for weekends when working long hours
Brown, Kerry; Bradley, Lisa; Lingard, Helen; Townsend, Keith; Ling, Sharine
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Brown, Kerry; Bradley, Lisa; Lingard, Helen; Townsend, Keith; Ling, Sharine
Adelaide, South Australia: National Institute of Labour Studies, 2010
Work, life and workplace flexibility: Australian Work and Life Index 2009
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Ichii, Reina
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI-%2009-full.pdf
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Ichii, Reina
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI-%2009-full.pdf
Adversity to advocacy: the lives and hopes of mental health carers
Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA)
http://www.mhca.org.au/documents/publications/MHCA%20CEP%20webLR.pdf
Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA)
http://www.mhca.org.au/documents/publications/MHCA%20CEP%20webLR.pdf
Managing a diverse workforce: attraction and retention of older workers
De Cieri, Helen; Buttigieg, Donna; Pettit, Trisha; Costa, Christina; Australian Centre in Research in Employment and Work (ACREW); Monash University. Family and Small Business Research Unit (FSBRU)
http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/mgt/research/acrew/ageing-workforce-wp-2008.pdf
De Cieri, Helen; Buttigieg, Donna; Pettit, Trisha; Costa, Christina; Australian Centre in Research in Employment and Work (ACREW); Monash University. Family and Small Business Research Unit (FSBRU)
http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/mgt/research/acrew/ageing-workforce-wp-2008.pdf
A review of work-life research in Australia and New Zealand
Bardoel, E. Anne; De Cieri, Helen; Santos, Clarice
London, England: Sage Publications for Australian Human Resources Institute, 2008
Bardoel, E. Anne; De Cieri, Helen; Santos, Clarice
London, England: Sage Publications for Australian Human Resources Institute, 2008
Work-life conflict: is work time or work overload more important?
Skinner, Natalie; Pocock, Barbara
London, England: Sage Publications for Australian Human Resources Institute, 2008
Skinner, Natalie; Pocock, Barbara
London, England: Sage Publications for Australian Human Resources Institute, 2008
Work, life and workplace culture: the Australian work and life index 2008
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/awali08.pdf
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/awali08.pdf
Work, life and time: Australian Work and Life Index 2007
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Williams, Philippa
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/awali08.pdf
Pocock, Barbara; Skinner, Natalie; Williams, Philippa
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/awali08.pdf
Balancing work and family: a Business Council of Australia survey
Business Council of Australia (BCA)
http://www.bca.com.au/DownloadFile.aspx?FileName=Balancing_Work_and_Family_Survey.pdf
Business Council of Australia (BCA)
http://www.bca.com.au/DownloadFile.aspx?FileName=Balancing_Work_and_Family_Survey.pdf
Annotated bibliography: workforce development
University of Adelaide; Flinders University; University of South Australia; South Australia. Office of Public Employment; South Australia. Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST)
http://www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/5878/Annotated_Bibliography_Workforce_Development_v3.pdf
University of Adelaide; Flinders University; University of South Australia; South Australia. Office of Public Employment; South Australia. Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST)
http://www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/5878/Annotated_Bibliography_Workforce_Development_v3.pdf
EUROPE
Flexicurity from the individual’s work-life balance perspective: coping with the flaws in European child- and eldercare provision
Larsen, Trine P.
London: Sage Publications for Industrial Relations Society of Australia, 2010
Larsen, Trine P.
London: Sage Publications for Industrial Relations Society of Australia, 2010
The quality of work life in comparative perspective
Gallie, Duncan
Oxford, England: OUP, 2009
Gallie, Duncan
Oxford, England: OUP, 2009
High performance working: a synthesis of key literature
Belt, Vicki; Giles, Lesley; UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)
http://www.ukces.org.uk/upload/pdf/UKCES%20Evidence%20Report%204.pdf
Belt, Vicki; Giles, Lesley; UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)
http://www.ukces.org.uk/upload/pdf/UKCES%20Evidence%20Report%204.pdf
European Employment Observatory review: Spring 2008
European Commission. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2008/85/en/2/EF0885EN.pdf
European Commission. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2008/85/en/2/EF0885EN.pdf
New models of high performance work systems: the business case for strategic HRM, partnership and diversity and equality systems
Flood, Patrick C.; Mkamwa, Thaddeus; O’Regan, Cathal; Guthrie, James P.; Liu, Wenchuan; Armstrong, Claire; MacCurtain, Sarah; National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP); Equality Authority (Ireland)
http://www.ncpp.ie/dynamic/docs/HPWS%20Final%20Jan%202008.pdf
Flood, Patrick C.; Mkamwa, Thaddeus; O’Regan, Cathal; Guthrie, James P.; Liu, Wenchuan; Armstrong, Claire; MacCurtain, Sarah; National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP); Equality Authority (Ireland)
http://www.ncpp.ie/dynamic/docs/HPWS%20Final%20Jan%202008.pdf
Success at work: protecting vulnerable workers, supporting good employers: a policy statement for this Parliament
Great Britain. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27469.pdf?pubpdfdload=06%2F1024
Great Britain. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27469.pdf?pubpdfdload=06%2F1024
Ageing and employment: identification of good practice to increase job opportunities and maintain older workers in employment: final report
University of Warwick. Institute for Employment Research (IER); Economic Research and Consulting (Munich); European Commission. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
http://www.ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=2073&langId=enHuman capital practices of Russian enterprises
Ardichvili, Alexandre; Dirani, Khalil
Abingdon, England: Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, 2005
University of Warwick. Institute for Employment Research (IER); Economic Research and Consulting (Munich); European Commission. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
http://www.ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=2073&langId=enHuman capital practices of Russian enterprises
Ardichvili, Alexandre; Dirani, Khalil
Abingdon, England: Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, 2005
Human capital practices of Russian enterprises
Ardichvili, Alexandre; Dirani, Khalil
Abingdon, England: Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, 2005
Ardichvili, Alexandre; Dirani, Khalil
Abingdon, England: Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, 2005
NORTH AMERICA
Work-life balance of older workers
Uriarte-Landa, Jorge; Hebert, Benoit-Paul
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2009110/pdf/10944-eng.pdf
Uriarte-Landa, Jorge; Hebert, Benoit-Paul
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2009110/pdf/10944-eng.pdf
The 2008 Canadian immigrant labour market: analysis of quality of employment
Gilmore, Jason; Statistics Canada. Labour Statistics Division
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-606-x/71-606-x2009001-eng.pdf
Gilmore, Jason; Statistics Canada. Labour Statistics Division
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-606-x/71-606-x2009001-eng.pdf
Current strategies to employ and retain older workers: final report
Eyster, Lauren; Johnson, Richard W.; Toder, Eric; United States. Department of Labor. Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA); Urban Institute (U.S.)
http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Current%20Strategies%20to%20Employ%20and%20Retain%20Older%20Workers%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Eyster, Lauren; Johnson, Richard W.; Toder, Eric; United States. Department of Labor. Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA); Urban Institute (U.S.)
http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Current%20Strategies%20to%20Employ%20and%20Retain%20Older%20Workers%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Work-life balance of shift workers
Williams, Cara
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2008108/pdf/10677-eng.pdf
Williams, Cara
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2008108/pdf/10677-eng.pdf
Use of formal and informal work-family policies on the digital assembly line
Wharton, Amy S.; Chivers, Sarah; Blair-Loy, Mary
Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 2008
Wharton, Amy S.; Chivers, Sarah; Blair-Loy, Mary
Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 2008
Changing labour markets: key challenges facing Canada
Saunders, Ron; Maxwell, Judith; Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN)
http://www.cprn.org/documents/20430_en.pdf
Saunders, Ron; Maxwell, Judith; Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN)
http://www.cprn.org/documents/20430_en.pdf
Thank you to the Information Services and Library Branch of NCVER for providing their VOCED Plus search.
