Organizational work-life initiatives

Abstract

Why are organizational work-life initiatives endorsed in some countries such as the US or the UK, while they generate little interest in France and other non Anglo-Saxon environments? In a qualitative theory-building approach, this article assesses the gap in workplace practices adoption among the US, the UK and France and analyzes in-depth interviews with 44 HR officers, employee representatives, unions and work-life service providers in France. Five main factors explain the adoption of organizational work-life initiatives in France and potentially other countries: (1) Employers versus State's legitimacy in the nonwork sphere of life (2) industrial relations and unions' stance towards work-life practices (3) the complexity of the legal framework (4) the awareness of work-life issues within HR departments and (5) the framing of work-life as a business or a social issue. With reference to prior research, a model is built to account for the influence of the national context on employees' expectations and employers' leeway at the macro level, and for strategic choices made by employers at the meso level.