Work-life balance crafting behaviours of managers from a gender perspective - A case study of a multinational corporation in the male-dominated automotive industry

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this research is to explore managers’ work-life balance (WLB) crafting behaviours within the male dominated automotive industry. The study adds to the literature by considering the individual’s room for manoeuvring WLB crafting within the limits of the gendered organisation. To gain deeper knowledge regarding managers’ WLB crafting, the following research questions have been explored: What difficulties do managers encounter in crafting WLB? How do managers craft WLB to combine work and private life? How is the gender regime of the workplace reflected in female and male managers' possibilities to achieve WLB? Theory: The present study is constructed upon Connell’s (2006) framework on how gender regimes are persistent within organisations, and Acker’s (1990) concept of the abstract worker. To explore work-life balance crafting behaviours, Sturges’s (2012) concept on relational, cognitive and physical crafting behaviours was applied. Method: Qualitative research design was used for this study. Primary data was collected from 19 interviews, including 18 managers and one gatekeeper interview with an HRBP. Secondary data consisting of internal organisational documents were reviewed. The analysis was conducted following Braun & Clarke's (2006) 6-phase guide on thematic analysis. Result: Three main findings were identified. First, the nature of the workplace can inhibit employees' opportunities to achieve WLB. Second, employees craft WLB in both the work- and private sphere. And third, the gender regime of the organisation and societal expectations on genders influence how women and men are able to achieve WLB. Whether the participants experienced satisfying WLB, was much in relation to how their WLB was crafted, by themselves and with support from people around them. Important properties in designing a desired WLB proved to be the ability to value and administer the time, both private time and work time, as well as receiving relational support. The way the participants thought about work also influenced their overall experience of WLB. Gender was considered “invisible”, simultaneously with having an impact on the way employees act and interact within the organisation.