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Caught in the middle : organizational impediments to middle managers' work-life balance

journal contribution
posted on 2008-01-01, 00:00 authored by Melissa ParrisMelissa Parris, M Vickers, L Wilkes
As increased work demands and longer working hours become the reality for many employees, the concept of work-life balance has received increasing attention. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of Australian middle managers, which investigated the impact of middle managers’ daily organizational experiences on their lives both in and beyond the workplace. We focus on respondents’ reports of the difficulty in achieving work-life balance, specifically, the organizational impediments to creating balance. Three particular areas where these impediments were apparent are: the impact of new technologies; limits to autonomy and control in the middle management role; and difficulties in taking advantage of flexibility initiatives in the workplace. As middle managers are caught in the middle between work and personal life, there is a need for organizations to support middle managers’ efforts to achieve work-life balance if the organization’s long-term goals are to be achieved.

History

Journal

Employee responsibilities and rights journal

Volume

20

Issue

2

Pagination

101 - 117

Publisher

Springer New York LLC

Location

New York, N.Y.

ISSN

0892-7545

eISSN

1573-3378

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2008, Springer Science + Business Media

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