Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
1. Learning outcomes
After completing this module the students will be able to:
Institutional Theory: This approach links management‟s decision to adopt WLB practices to
conform to normative pressures in the society (namely, organization size, ownership, industry,
unionization levels and other factors that influence).
Organizational Adaptation Theory: This theory connects the responsiveness of organizations to
internal environmental factors (namely, proportion of female staff, skill levels, work processes
and senior management values).
High Commitment Theory: This theory regards the WLB practices as strategic HRM initiatives
taken up in order to generate increased employee commitment to the organization.
Situational Theory: This approach explains the adoption in terms of pressures to increase
profitability and productivity and to deal with problems of employee recruitment and retention
(Felstead et al., 2002). “
- Childcare and helpline HP runs a dedicated helpline service that provides expert advice on a wide
range of child and dependent care issues. In addition, the childcare vouchers provide tax relief to
employees. Work– life balance programmes at Microsoft include flexible work arrangements, grocery
services, adoption assistance, backup childcare assistance, commuting and public transportation
assistance, dinners-to-go programme, disease management programme, dry cleaning and laundry service,
employee affinity groups, employee development courses, employer-sponsored discount programmes,
ergonomics programme, financial planning, fitness benefits, legal assistance, longterm care for extended
family members, maternity and paternity leave programme, on-campus convenience shopping, online
parenting resources and referrals for counselling and education, school-out programme, tuition assistance
programme and weight management programme.
- Tools to support work–life balance Everyone working for HP has access to equipment such as laptops
and mobile phones and broadband funding, which facilitates and encourages mobile and flexible working.
In addition, HP offers global access tools to enable easy, but secure, access to work files and email,
regardless of an employee‟s location. IBM‟s mobility programme, launched in 2003, enables employees
to access information and perform work from anywhere and at anytime. It gives employees an
opportunity to enhance their effectiveness by providing tools to use at any location, whether it is a
customer office, airport, IBM mobility workstations or home.”
Source: http://cms.outlookindia.com/Uploads/outlookbusiness/20100109/34_Feature_Work3_Office.jpg
8.Some Examples
In recent years, though some large public sector organizations such as National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC), Powergrid, Indian Oil and Oil and Natural Gas Commission have started talking
about WLB, as yet, the discussions have not resulted in major initiatives or programmes towards WLB.
For the Indian public sector, WLB still means holistic services in townships and mother and childcare
facilities at the time of pregnancy and beyond. For example NTPC townships provide an environment of
serenity, natural beauty and close community living. Numerous welfare and recreation facilities including
schools, hospitals and clubs are provided at the townships to enhance the quality of life and the well-being
of employees and their families. An entire range of benefits, from childcare leave to postretirement
medical benefits, is extended to employees to meet any exigency that may arise in a person’s life. NTPC
also recognizes the contribution of employees’ families. The private sector companies seem to have more
innovative ways of making work more enjoyable. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) started Maitree with
an objective to strengthen the relationship between employees and their families as well as to provide a
platform to encourage children. It strives to encourage the hidden aspirations and talents through cracking
quizzes to conquering tall peaks, from shaking a leg, to bending it like Beckham. It also conducts
workshops on theatre, yoga, flower arrangement, chocolate making, and a host of others that allow
employees to learn and know about things they always wanted to. Maitree provides everyone at TCS an
opportunity to establish relationships that extend beyond work and thereby helps build bonds that make
work so much more fun. Infosys’ Health Assessment and Lifestyle Enhancement initiative focuses on
enhancing the emotional value-add of employees by optimizing their health, quality of life and work
environment. It has created world-class gymnasiums, swimming pools, aerobic centres, tennis courts and
so on.
9.Conclusion
In this module we learnt the components of Work Life Balance and also understood the categories of
Work Life Conflict. Some of the best WLB practices were also cited in the module and comparison
between Indian and American & European multinationals were highlighted
Interestingly, while almost all American multinationals focus on flexible working practices as the main
thrust, Indian companies focus on employee welfare (public sector) and employee EAPs for cultural,
recreational, health and educational programmes. It shows that the conceptualization of WLB initiatives
in Indian companies is different from the way it is done in Anglo-Saxon and West European countries.
Also, the concept of WLB is still new to the old economy industries in India, although the welfare focus
is equally there in the latter.
The meaning and content of welfare and employee assistance services in IT and modern, new economy
industries is different from that in the old economy industries. For example, in the IT sector, few care for
retirement benefits and most want everything in cash. Further, they want some assistance in taking care of
some domestic chores such as booking of tickets, payment of electricity and water bills, and refilling of
gas cylinders.