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The need for employers to become more "family-friendly," and to support "work-life balance" is now widely accepted. It is on the agenda of senior managers, policy makers, the UK government and the EU. Yet this study shows that many line managers are tackling these issues without adequate training in how to respond to their employees' needs and requests for flexible working arrangements. Based on interviews with over 100 managers in over 30 workplaces in the UK, this report: focuses on the role of line managers in implementing family-friendly employment policies; considers day-to-day issues that arise, as employees and managers negotiate appropriate responses; and explores the relationship between managers' personal attributes, attitudes and experiences, and the organizational and policy context in which they operate. The report's findings will be of interest to managers in public and private sector organizations and SMEs, academics, human resources professionals, policy makers and stud
List of contents
Introduction; Line managers and the management of work-life balance; Line managers' knowledge and awareness of the policies; Managers' attitudes to employees with caring responsibilities; Approaches to implementing family-friendly and work-life balance policies; Managing flexibility; Conclusions.
About the author
Sue Yeandle is Professor of Sociology and Head of the Centre for Research in Social Inclusion at Sheffield Hallam University. Judith Phillips is Professor of Social Gerontology at the University of Keele. Fiona Scheibl is Research Fellow in the Health Services Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Andrea Wigfield is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. Sarah Wise is a Research Associate at the Employment Research Institute, Napier University Business School, Edinburgh.
