The Work–Family Interface of Service Sector Workers: A Comparison of Work Resources and Professional Status across Five European Countries

Abstract

The present paper examines cross‐national differences in the utilisation of work–family resources at the organisational level and the relationships between these resources and work‐to‐home interference (WHI) and satisfaction with work–family balance (SWFB) among professional and non‐professional service sector employees in five Western European countries. Further, it explores cross‐national variations in the gap between professionals and non‐professionals with respect to both outcome variables. Professional service sector employees were consistently found to experience higher levels of WHI and lower levels of SWFB. The use of organisational work–family resources differed across welfare state regimes and levels of national gender equality. It was highest in Sweden and the Netherlands and lowest in Portugal. A family‐supportive supervisor and a family‐supportive organisational culture differentially affected WHI of professional and non‐professional workers, with a family‐supportive supervisor being more beneficial to non‐professionals and a family‐supportive organisational culture being more beneficial to professional employees. Finally, the gap between professionals and non‐professionals was also found to vary across countries for WHI but not for SWFB. It was significantly larger in the UK and in Sweden than in the other three countries.

The Influence of Organizational Reconciliation Policies and Culture on Workers Stress Perceptions

“…The study also looked at the requirements/existing needs in the labour market and in the domestic sphere, and how they articulate with the capabilities of individuals (Rodrigues et al, 2010). The study compares eight European countries (Finland, Sweden, Holland, Germany, UK, Portugal, Hungary and Bulgaria), assuming that the working conditions, reconciliation policies and opportunities to achieve a workingfamily balance vary on national contexts, in accordance, for example, with the various welfare state regimes (Beham, Drobnič, & Präg, 2014;Beham, Präg, & Drobniĉ, 2012).…”

“…They have adopted a conception of work requirements (work demands) that defines how workplace characteristics are associated with certain physiological and psychological costs; while the labour resources refer to the working environment aspects that increase the possibility of achieving goals, personal health and stimulate personal growth and development (Demerouti et al, 2001 as cited in Beham et al, 2014). As labour or organizational resources they point autonomy, flexibility, interrelational support and support to work-life balance.…”

A Framework for Work-Life Management in Multinational Corporations

“…First, several studies have investigated crosscultural perspectives of work-life and identified implications of globalisation for work-life management; this research has been largely driven by substantial changes in workforce demography and by increasing recognition that work-life issues are highly salient for many people (Allen et al 2014;Beham et al 2014;Billing et al 2014;Rapoport et al 2005). Second, there is nascent research exploring the worklife policies and practices designed and implemented in MNCs (e.g., Chandra 2012).…”

“…It is encouraging that researchers have responded to calls such as those by Agars and French (2011) to move beyond a focus on middle-class, white-collar positions. Recent examples in this stream include studies of women in developing countries (Hearn et al 2008;Hutchings et al 2012) and comparative studies of work-life issues among workers across the operations of an MNC (e.g., Allen et al 2014;Beham et al 2014). In sum, this body of literature offers insights to inform MNC managers about how to approach work-life in local contexts and across the HRM architecture.…”

“…As McCarthy and colleagues (2010) discuss, line managers have an important impact on employees' experience of work-life balance and employees' utilisation of work-life practices. For example, Beham et al (2014) found that a family-supportive supervisor was particularly important for non-professional employees across five European countries when seeking to manage the interference of work in their home lives. However, as Cooke and Jing (2009) found, the majority of managers they interviewed in China showed indifference to work-life balance concerns.…”