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Extending Work-Life Balance Initiatives

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Handbook on Management and Employment Practices

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

Abstract

In the last decade, we have seen strong growth in published scholarly and practitioner-focused research on work–life balance initiatives which are implemented in organizations to assist employees with managing their work and non-work demands. Correspondingly, the goal of this book chapter is twofold. First, we seek to take stock of existing scholarly and practitioner-focused research conducted on work–life balance initiatives, and in so doing, provide a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of work–life balance initiatives on organizations and employees. Second, we contend that despite increased scholarly and practitioner attention on work–life balance initiatives, there remains a significant gap between the provision and promise of work–life balance initiatives and their actual uptake and outcomes. We also discuss how the nature of these issues has changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what this means for work–life balance initiatives going forward. Finally, we propose several areas to extend existing work–life balance initiatives, which we hope can enhance the effectiveness and intended positive outcomes of work–life balance initiatives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, QLD, Australia

    Xi Wen Chan

  2. School of Management, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Shirley Tay

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  1. Xi Wen Chan
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  2. Shirley Tay
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Correspondence to Xi Wen Chan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, QLD, Australia

    Paula Brough

  2. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, Australia

    Elliroma Gardiner

  3. University of East Anglia, Norwich Business School, Norwich, UK

    Kevin Daniels

Section Editor information

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, QLD, Australia

    Paula Brough PhD

  2. Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom

    Kevin Daniels

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Chan, X.W., Tay, S. (2021). Extending Work-Life Balance Initiatives. In: Brough, P., Gardiner, E., Daniels, K. (eds) Handbook on Management and Employment Practices. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24936-6_31-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24936-6_31-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24936-6

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