Dr. Ingrid Dickes. University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen / Rhine. Master of Business Administration International Management Consulting

Transkript

1 Investigations on Work-Life Balance within the Middle Management of Pharmaceutical Companies and the Effects of Work-Life Balance Initiatives on Job Satisfaction Dr. Ingrid Dickes University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen / Rhine Master of Business Administration International Management Consulting May

2 Acknowledgement A project like this can come to success only with the support and assistance of many other people. It was a great experience during this research period to get in contact with so many friendly and helpful people willing to assist and to share their experience. To all of them I would like to express my greatest thanks. A lot of thanks to my supervisor Dr. Staude, who gave his experienced advice and always took the necessary time to discuss with me and to support my work. A big thank to all participants of my survey; despite their workload they were taking some of their time to complete the questionnaire. Special thanks to my interview partners, who were very helpful and open to provide the information needed. Great thanks to Charlotte Ducker, who has become my best friend during the MBA course and who had a critical look at my English writing style in the master thesis. Thanks to my group and the teachers, who made the MBA course an interesting and enjoyable experience of my life. My biggest thanks go to my family: to Michael, Daniel, Corinna, Alexander and my mother Gertrud Beh. During my absence periods they took over part of my tasks and allowed me all the free time I needed to complete the studies and to perform the research on the master thesis. 2

3 Abstract The effective management of work-life balance (WLB) has become an issue of strategic importance to organizations and of significance to employees. This investigation focuses on the WLB situation of managers in the middle management of pharmaceutical companies and their awareness and use of WLB initiatives as well as its effects on job satisfaction. The obtained results were amended by the views of HR representatives of four large pharmaceutical companies on the topic WLB. The survey of 36 managers, aged 40+, revealed that the managers were on a critical path regarding their WLB, due to frequent work on evenings and week-ends, inability to mentally disconnect from work and limited time to spend with family and friends. About half of the respondents were satisfied with their personal WLB, the others were not. The managers were aware of the WLB initiatives offered by their companies, but the use of the various WLB programs was quite variable. The most commonly used initiatives were flexi-time as a working time model and initiatives in the health sector. The reasons for limited use of WLB initiatives were reported as being lack of time and the needs of the managers not being addressed by the offered WLB initiatives. However, the majority of the managers were satisfied with their work and mainly attributed this satisfaction to the content of the work and to superiors and colleagues. WLB initiatives played a minor role for job satisfaction. Despite the fact that large pharmaceutical companies handle the topic WLB with high priority and offer a wide range of WLB initiatives for their employees, the results of the current investigations suggest that there are still some points for improvement. A major issue being to achieve a change in company culture and a higher involvement of top management. To obtain a lived WLB from top to bottom has been on the agenda since many years and remains so today, indicating that successful implementation strategies of WLB remains a problematic area. The middle managers should be encouraged to actively participate in the WLB concepts and to interact with upper management on that issue. For HR managers, potential tasks could be to evaluate more specifically and target group orientated the needs of employees and to intensify the analysis of use and success of the initiatives. Finally, for the target group of middle managers aged 40+ in this study, the importance of WLB initiatives for the evaluation of job satisfaction was a minor one and as a consequence WLB and its effect and importance on retention, absenteeism and commitment of employee to work and the organization needs to be re-evaluated. 3

4 Contents Acknowledgement... 2 Abstract... 3 Contents Introduction Definition of Work-Life Balance Various Perspectives of WLB Social and Macro- Economic Perspective of WLB rganizational Perspective of WLB Employee s Perspective of WLB Aims of the Research Methodology Methodologic Approach Target Group The Special Role of Middle Managers Influencing Factors on WLB Quantitative Survey Development of the Questionnaire Assessment of personal work-life balance Awareness and use of WLB initiatives and their effect on job satisfaction Awareness and use of WLB initiatives Effect of WLB initiatives on job satisfaction Demographic data Sampling Method / Distribution of the Questionnaire nline Survey Qualitative Survey Selection of Interviewee Procedure of Interview Limitations of the Study

5 3. Empirical Results Results of the Quantitative Survey WLB Assessment in the Middle Management Summary of WLB Assessment in the Middle Management Awareness and Use of WLB Initiatives and their Impact on Job Satisfaction WLB initiatives Working time models : awareness, use, practice WLB initiatives Family : awareness, use, practice WLB initiatives Health : awareness, use, practice WLB initiatives Various : awareness, use, practice Personal evaluation of WLB initiatives Assessment of job satisfaction Summary of WLB Initiatives: Awareness, Use, Practice and Job Satisfaction Demographic Data Age, gender, marital status Family background Position in the company and company size Summary of Demographic Data Results of Qualitative Survey rganisations View on WLB and WLB Initiatives Significance of the topic work-life balance in the company Assessment of work-life balance situation Assessment of the information collection procedure Perception about WLB situation of middle managers Assessment of efficacy and success of WLB initiatives Assessment of efficacy of WLB initiatives in the group of middle managers Usage of WLB initiatives in the middle management and its effect on job satisfaction Are the offered WLB initiatives sufficient to allow middle managers WLB and do new innovative WLB initiatives exist? Summary of Interview Results Summary and Discussion Conclusions Bibliography

6 7. List of Figures Confirmation Appendix APPENDI A: Questionnaire German Version APPENDI B: Questionnaire English Version APPENDI C: List of Interviewees APPENDI D: Transcripts of Interviews APPENDI E: WLB Initiatives in Pharmaceutical Companies APPENDI F: Results of Survey (riginal Data)

7 1. Introduction Work-life balance (WLB) has become a subject of widespread public debate How to allow employees to manage their roles, responsibilities and interests in their life as whole persons, engaged in work and non-work domains. The following chapters describe basic views and different perspectives of WLB, leading to the questions this research study is going to address. 1.1 Definition of Work-Life Balance The most general definition found in literature describes work-life balance (WLB) as a new, intelligent interlocking of work- and private life in view of a changed and ongoing dynamically changing work- and life environment (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ) 2005). Based on the different perspectives and interpretations of the three domains work, life and balance, various definitions of work-life balance do exist within the literature. According to Pichler (2009) WLB is experienced when demands from the domain of (paid) work are compatible with demands from other domains, e.g. family or leisure time. A balanced living then occurs when activities and aspirations in one domain do not have a negative effect on activities in the other domains. DeCieri et al. (2005) described WLB as the maintenance of a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. The term work-life balance is critized by Kaiser et al. (2008); they argue that WLB implicates a separation between work and life. With the current trend of increasing intrusion of work into non-work domains, call for flexibility and rapid response to change, this separation no longer exists. They furthermore state that paid work can also be considered as part of life and furthermore activities outside paid work can be considered as work. The authors established the term Life Domain Balance they also argue that during the changing phases of life, the needs in the different domains might change dependent on the individual s situation and therefore the term Life Domain Balance is more appropriate. According to chs and rban (2007) the direct association with the word balance can be refered to a scale being in balance i.e. or meaning the same weight on each site. This kind of balance is not always achievable and therefore they propose to replace balance / balancing by navigation. ne could imagine that navigation, which illustrates a going back and forth and around the daily obstacles in order to reach the target, better describes the situation as the effort of trying to get into balance. The authors argue for a dynamic interaction between family life and work. An imbalance in work-life results in work-life conflict (WLC), described in literature as a form of inner role conflict in which the role pressures from work and other life 7

8 domains, such as family, are mutually incompatible in some respect (DeDieri et al., 2005; Carlson et al., 2000; Grennhouse and Beutell, 1985). WLC may be characterized by a lack of fit between employees and their life responsibilities and the goals of the organization (DeCieri et al., 2005). Most of the studies on WLB and WLC focus their view on the effect of work on life. However, one can also think in the opposite direction: life events that affect the work aspect (Carlson et al., 2000). The different dimensions of work-life balance in this context are discussed in chapter In the context of the current study the following definition will be used: Work-life balance is considered as the balance of paid work commitments with personal life responsibilities and non-work activities. 1.2 Various Perspectives of WLB The concept of work-life balance can be imbedded in a triangle of society, organizations and employees and as such be viewed from these three different perspectives. In a recent study performed by the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ, 2005) it was shown that the implementation of WLB concepts leads to a 3-fold win situation, where the employees, the organizations and the society are the winners (Fig.1-1). In the current study the focus is on the situation of the employees. Additionally the perspectives of the organizations on WLB in the target group of middle management will be reviewed. 8

9 Society Socio-economic framework Active participation in the society Work- Life- Balance Concept rganization Productive workforce for achievement of organizational goals Employees Fig. 1-1 Work-life balance concept Social and Macro- Economic Perspective of WLB The socio-economic framework is the driving force for WLB initiatives and programs. It is affected by the following influencing factors: - demographic changes of the society - structural changes in the work environment through new technologies and innovation - changing society with the need for more individuality, flexibility and changed family structures - principle of equal opportunities for men and women The objectives of WLB initiatives should be to allow a harmonization between these work and life aspects. WLB is also a political issue because it is viewed as the government s responsibility to support WLB e.g. through family friendly politics, economical and educational policy and other supportive actions (Michalk and Nieder, 2007). Work-life balance can be considered as an economic topic of major importance, this has been shown in a recent German study, initiated by the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ) in cooperation with several large organizations and performed by the Prognos AG. In this study WLB and its 9

10 impact on economic growth and social stability was investigated. The forecast until the year 2020 was based on current data of the participating companies related to their WLB programs and on the assumption that overall 30% of employees will participate in WLB initiatives. The results of the study showed that WLB concepts, as long as they are part of an innovative organization- and HR policy, will show positive effects on economic growth and overall employment. According to the forecast an additional achievement of 248 billions in gross domestic product, an increased productivity per employee working hour of 1.6% and an increased birth rate of 1.56 births per woman (leading to 986,000 additional births) could be achieved until Due to these effects the private consumption and also employment will increase. However, there are still uncalculable effects caused by e.g. the globalization, technological and demographic development. Besides the economic aspects, the introduction of WLB initiatives will lead to increased personal freedom, intensification in social and non-work engagement and thus stabilization of the society and social communication (BMFSFJ, 2005) rganizational Perspective of WLB The competition on the job market is high and will even increase within the next decade when the effects of demographic changes of the population, resulting in a lack of young professionals and an aging workforce, and further globalisation of the economy will effect the society (Kienbaum, 2007). WLB initiatives exert their positive effects inside as well as outside an organization. Internally they aim at achieving an optimized flow of organizational processes and a stronger involvement and commitment of the employees. Therefore the engagement of the organizations in a comprehensive WLB program leads to an increase in productivity, high retention rate, low fluctuation rate, improved recruitment, low absenteeism, and a high commitment of the employees to work in a positive work environment (BMFSFJ, 2005). Thus, WLB has emerged as a strategic issue for human resource management and a key element of an organization s employee retention strategy. rganizations that seek to increase employee morale, commitment and satisfaction, and reduce sources of stress and problems at work, will improve their ability to recruit and retain talented and valued employees (Cappelli 2000). WLB initiatives are taken as an indicator on how the company cares about their employees. Externally the organization benefits from a good reputation within society and among its customers and other stakeholders and gain a competitive advantage. WLB initiatives furthermore assist with the attraction of new employees 10

11 and helps to position the company as an employer of choice (BMFSFJ, 2005; Kienbaum, 2007). The positive economic effects of family friendly WLB initiatives were confirmed in a recent study of the Universities of Münster and Berlin (Forschungszentrum Familienbewusste Personalpolitik (FFP), 2008). rganizations with and without family friendly WLB initiatives were compared and a clear benefit for the organizations offering these initiatives could be demonstrated e.g. in terms of increased employee motivation, satisfaction, low fluctuation rates, low absenteeism and various other effects Employee s Perspective of WLB For the employee it is of utmost importance to find the balance between the work domain and the life domain. Several factors influence this balance: - the role, function and expectations the individual has to fulfill within the domains - the weight of the domains at the given time point i.e. intensity of activities and tasks to fulfill - the individual s capability to tolerate and handle stress and to manage conflicts - the individual s phase of life, which can be separated into the professional e.g. stage of career and private part e.g. little children or elderly relatives to take care of - the way of living including health, sports activities, social engagement etc. To find the balance therefore depends on various aspects of work- and life environment as well as the individual itself. The extended work-life balance concept of Seiwert (2006) adds to the work and the life domain two additional domains, which are health and culture. Thus, to achieve or to sustain personal work-life balance, the employee has to find out what he / she wants or expects from life, which whishes and dreams should be fulfilled, what are the most important aspects of life and what priorities need to be given to it (Michalk and Nieder, 2007; Seiwert, 2006). 11

12 Fig. 1-2 Work-life balance concept (Seiwert, 2006) It is obvious that there is not one perfect work-life balance but every employee has his / her own WLB, which makes it more interesting but also more difficult in terms of assessment and fulfillment of the individual needs. The organizations offer a wide range of WLB initiatives, which allow the employees to have flexible working hours, which assist families in child care, support women to restart work after a family break or support the employees health by offering sport programs. A key question is whether individuals make use of these WLB initiatives and whether they really meet the needs of the employees and result in an increased satisfaction in the job. 12

13 1.3 Aims of the Research The importance of work-life balance has been described above in detail. Several studies prove and give examples of large companies from various branches, that an implementation of a successful WLB program is of benefit for the organization and the employees (BFMSJ, 2005). This study will critically assess the daily-work situation of managers in the middle management of the pharmaceutical industry, how they feel, what they do and what they think in terms of work-life balance. The special role of middle management in an organization is outlined in chapter In addition, the work-life balance visions, strategies and success evaluation of WLB initiatives will be viewed on from the HR perspective of four selected pharmaceutical companies. To summarize the investigations will focus on the following objectives: - analysis of work-life balance within middle management of pharmaceutical companies - investigations with regard to awareness and use of work-life balance initiatives and how they affect job satisfaction - investigations on companies perceptions regarding the work-life balance situation in the target group and the effect and outcome of work-life balance initiatives in this group 2. Methodology 2.1 Methodologic Approach The current research was performed based on an inductive research approach. In the first step a literature research was performed to collect information on basic concepts and existing theories on the topic of work-life balance. Additional focus of the desk research was on current journals, publications and reviews, which address specific aspects of the topic. Based on the theoretical background a field research was performed using the methods of a survey and semi-structured expert interviews to collect data. The different perspectives gained from the survey, the interviews and the literature research allowed a triangulation of data and facts. Based on these specific observations broader generalizations / concepts and theories were formulated. 13

14 2.2 Target Group The Special Role of Middle Managers In a typically tall pyramid shaped organizational structure middle managers represent the thickest layer of the pyramid. They are responsible for implementing top management s plans and strategies. They have to monitor their subordinates and to ensure that all activities are performed in order to achieve the set goals they have to solve problems as they occur and have to make things happen. Positioned between top management and workforce, they are the center of knowledge and experience as well as the central point of communication. In terms of leadership they play a double role. n the one hand reporting to superiors, they are superiors themselves with the responsibility to motivate and lead their own staff (Pritchet, 2010). The pivotal role of managers in an organization is described by sterman (2008): the middle managers are the glue that holds the organization together. They perform specific tasks themselves and they lead groups that make the products and that do the work for the organization. Middle managers are also ambassadors between top management and the workforce and between the many teams that make organizations function. With the downsizing and restructuring of organizations since the 1980s and the flattening of hierarchical structures and reduction in number of middle management levels, middle managers gained wider span of control, increased responsibility for areas such as decision-making, people-management and directing organizational change. In addition the intensification of work regimes and the organizational demand for flexibility, innovation and rapid response to change have gained particular relevance for middle managers. Development of new technologies such as mobile phones and laptop computers allow the managers to extend their working time beyond the regular office hours, thus letting work issues more and more interfere with personal / family life. All these changes have contributed to a greater difficulty in attaining and maintaining a balance between work and non-work activities among the middle managers (Parris et al., 2008). Due to their functions and management qualifications middle managers should be considered as key employees in the HR portfolio (Gauger, 2000). Therefore the organizational long-term goal should be to support middle managers effort to achieve work-life balance. The definition of middle management is not clear-cut, as it depends on the organizational structure and hierarchy in the company. The current survey allowed participants from various companies to participate, therefore a wide definition of middle management was applied to allow managers with functions ranging from department head to project leader to complete the questionnaire. 14

15 For the assessment of WLB only the personal situation of the manager was considered. The managers supervising role and responsibility for the WLB of their staff was not addressed Influencing Factors on WLB Work-life balance is a very complex phenomenon and affected by various influencing factors to the positive as well as the negative side of balance. Source of influence can be the work environment, where supportive organizational behaviour and social support can positively affect the WLB. Work-pressure, need for success, all-time availability, long working hours might have a negative impact on the employees work-life balance. Another source of influence arises from the manager s personal environment. Support of the family and effective stress management positively influence the WLB, whereas self-made success pressure, familiar responsibilities or missing familiar support evoke a negative effect (Stock- Homburger and Bauer, 2007). Among the personal influencing factors one could furthermore list: responsibility for minor children, relatives with need for care, employment of the partner, mental and physical health and age. In the context of this study a special emphasis was laid on the age of the participants. The defined age of the target group was 40+. It is well documented that WLB changes during the life span and that the needs and the perception of one s own work-life balance is different in elderly employees than in younger ones. It might be assumed that e.g. for elderly managers the issue of child care is less relevant, whereas care for elderly relatives, personal health situation and potential health problems get into focus. The elderly managers have reached already a certain career level, but are still highly motivated and willing to transfer their knowledge to younger colleagues. However, based on their long experience they set priorities differently. For example monetary aspects and prestige of the job loose importance, whereas work content and time flexibility gain importance (Voelpel, 2008). Especially in view of the demographic change and the resulting extended work life of employees it should be a major goal of the organizations to address the needs of these managers by offering them suitable initiatives to gain and sustain the balance between work and private life. 2.3 Quantitative Survey Development of the Questionnaire The questionnaire was divided in three parts: Assessment of personal work-life balance Awareness and usage of WLB initiatives and their effect on job satisfaction Demographic data 15

16 The questionnaire was developed to be of a length which allows completion in less than 15 minutes in order to be acceptable by survey participants. The completion of each of the questions was optional. The advantage of using a questionnaire is that a large group of managers can be asked within a managable time and all receive the same questions and have the same options for answering, allowing for comparabel results. However, one assumption is that there is a common understanding of the topic as such and of the terms / expressions used in the questionnaire Assessment of personal work-life balance A total of 6 questions were raised to assess the personal work-life balance of the managers completing the questionnaire. There is currently no standardized, internationally accepted, validated standardized questionnaire available for the assessment of work-life balance. In current research various scales for assessment of WLB (Netemeyer et al.,1996; Carlson et al., 2000) are reported and used which makes a comparison of reported results on that topic rather difficult. Various papers deal with the shortcomings of the WLB measurement and try to set up standards (Pichler, 2009; Carlson et al., 2000). A very detailed report is published by Carlson et al. (2000), who investigated work-life conflict, which has been defined as a form of interrole conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutally incompatible in some respect (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985). The researchers constructed a multidimensional validated 18 item scale covering all six dimensions of work-life conflict. Two dimensions arise from the directions of interactions, which are work interference with family and family interference with work. For both directions three different forms of conflicts might arise. The first one is time-based, which indicates that conflicts might occur, when time devoted to one part (e.g. work) makes it difficult to participate in the other part (e.g. family). The second one is strain-based, suggesting that strain experienced in one part intrudes to and inferes with the other part. The third form is behaviour-based, which occurs when typical behaviour from one part interferes with or is incompatibel with the other part. 16

17 Work Interference with Family Family Interference with Work TIME Time Based Work Interference with Family Time Based Family Interference with Work STRAIN Strain Based Work Interference with Family Strain Based Family Interference with Work BEHAVIRAL Behavioral Based Work Interference with Family Behavioral Based Family Interference with Work Fig. 2-1 Dimensions of work-family conflict (Carlson et al., 2000) Stock-Homburger and Bauer (2007) have developed a validated work-life balance monitor to asses the personal WLB of employees. They based their assessment on three columns: personal resources (positive self- assessment, selfmanagement, leading competence and stress management), private resources (family support and friendship) and finally company resources ( WLB friendly company culture, support through colleagues and the freedom of action). For the assessment of WLB not only the manager, but also the partner has to answer a questionnaire and an individual chance-risk-profil with recommendations for further activies is the result. This demonstrates that there are various approaches for assessing the work-life balance. For the purpose of this study the selected questions focussed on the following criteria: - to assess the personal view of WLB of the manager without taking into account external views e.g. of family members, colleagues. - to address the direction of work interference with family, which is considered by the author as the more import direction of interaction (questions A.1- A.4) - to address the time-based forms of interference with family and the social environment (questions A.1, A.3, A.4) - to address the strain-based forms of interference (question A.2) - to assess the overall subjective assessment of WLB (question A.5) and evaluation of potential key factors for change in personal WLB (question A.6) The questions were closed questions allowing for one answer only, except for question A.6 (key factors for change) where multiple answers were allowed. 17

18 Awareness and use of WLB initiatives and their effect on job satisfaction Awareness and use of WLB initiatives The most commonly offered WLB initiatives were listed and categorized into the four groups: - working time models - family - health - various There was the possibility for the respondents to add WLB initiatives which were not listed. For each initiative the question was raised whether it is offered at the company s place. YES or N had to be ticked in order to assess the awareness of the offered WLB initiatives. If the answer was YES the managers had to report the frequency of usage and had to tick regularly, frequently, rarely or never (questions B.2, B.3, B.4, B.5). In addition, the participants were asked to assess the importance of the topic WLB in their company (B.1) and to report their satisfaction with the offered WLB initiatives (B.6). These questions were closed questions allowing for one answer only. In question B.7 possible reasons were asked for not using / rarely using WLB initiatives. This closed question allowed for multiple answers. Finally the managers had the chance to report in an open text field any WLB initiative they miss the most to support a balanced work-life (B.8) Effect of WLB initiatives on job satisfaction Job satisfaction can be described as the contendedness of an individual with his or her job. For an organization it is of importance how satisfied the employees are because job satisfaction does not only influence productivity, but also other parameters like e.g. absenteeism, retention. There are various theoretical models about job satisfaction, which will not be addressed in the context of the current investigations. There exist also many methods for measuring job satisfaction, the most commonly used for many years is the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) evaluated by Smith et al. (1969). They measure job satisfaction in view of five facts: pay, promotions and promotion opportunities, coworkers, supervision and the work itself. In the current study the managers had to answer a very general question as how satisfied they are currently in their job (B.9)(closed question). They could select between very satisfied, satisfied, not satisfied and not satisfied at all. The following matrix question (B.10) listed influencing factors, which were basically the five facts of the JDI; it was work content, payment / bonus, collegues, superiors, career possibilities / further training. Two additional facts were added, that were WLB initiatives and job security. The managers had to rate how important these factors are for the assessment of job satisfaction. The importance 18

19 was categorized into very important, important, less important and not important at all Demographic data Standard demographic data age (C.1), gender (C.2) and marital status (C.3) were recorded. Questions C.1 C.3 were closed questions, allowing for one answer only. The assessment of age allows later evaluation if the participants of the survey do actually belong to the target group. To evaluate the familiar background of the managers they were asked if minor children life in the household, if there are elderly family members in need of care and if the partner is employed as well. These questions had to be answered with YES / N (C.4). Function description was recorded to assess if the participants of the survey are part of the middle management. They had to chose between the functions of department head, group leader, project leader or other (=> free text field). Company size was also recorded Sampling Method / Distribution of the Questionnaire The respondents of the survey were managers of the middle management in pharmaceutical companies and secured through a snowball sampling approach. The principal sample included personally known managers in six pharmaceutical companies. Besides completing the questionnaire themselves, these individuals were asked to distribute the questionnaire to collegues at their places of employment who would be willing to participate in the survey. The only selection criteria applied were that the participants should have a position in middle management and should be aged 40+. The advantage of this distribution method is that one gets access to managers to whom one would not have gained access before. The risk is that one looses some control on the selection of participants and it might happen that despite defining the criteria of the target group, managers will complete the survey that do not belong to the target group nline Survey The survey was performed in German language using a commercial online survey provider. The survey was open for completion from 1. March 2010 until 25. March The link for access to the questionaire was sent via to the principal sample with the request for further distribution. The access to the questionnaire was not password protected. Nevertheless, it was not possible to complete a 19

20 questionnaire twice. In cases were data were transferred from the raw data tables to Excel tables manually, the data were double checked. 2.4 Qualitative Survey Selection of Interviewee A written request was sent out to six pharmaceutical companies, which were known to be interested and active in the topic of work-life balance. Five companies, mainly large, international companies, agreed to participate and appointed an expert from the HR division as interviewee. The expert was characterized as a representative of the company with previous and current experience in the field of work-life balance. A list of the interviewees with details of their professional status, function and experience is provided in Appendix C Procedure of Interview The objectives of the expert interviews were to address the following points: how do the companies gain information regarding the WLB situation of their employees in general and in the target group how do the companies measure the success and benefits of WLB initiatives do they perform target group specific analysis of the success and benefits of WLB initiatives is there any information available with regard to usage of WLB initiatives by the target group is there a known effect of WLB initiatives on job satisfaction in the target group what are the future plans to support WLB in the target group Before the interviews took place a discussion guide in the form of eight leading questions was prepared by the interviewer. These questions should set a frame to the overall discussed topic and guide through the interview in order to make sure that the relevant aspects are discussed. It leads the interviewee into the topic and emphasizes the competence of the interviewer. Furthermore the discussion guide allows a comparable performance of the interviews.the questions should be used in a flexible way to allow also for unforeseen discussion extention if relevant to the topic. The questions were raised in such a way that the interviewee had the opportunity to answer them in a narrative way. The questions are part of the interview transcripts in Appendix D. All interviews were performed by telephone, the estimated duration was 30 minutes. Before the interview a short notice on the topic and a checklist for WLB initiatives were sent to the interviewees by mail. The interviewees were asked to complete the checklist with regard to WLB initiatives currently offered in their companies. For multinational companies only WLB initiatives at the respective 20

21 company site should be considered. The interviewees were asked either to send the list back before the interview or to keep it until the interview. The WLB initiatives listed on the checklist were identical to the ones used in the questionnaire. The purpose was to gain information regarding the offered WLB initiatives in the companies and to partially draw conclusions to the awareness of these WLB initiatives among the managers of the middle management. The completed checklist of WLB initiatives is provided as a summary list and as individual lists for the four companies in Appendix E. ne of the drawbacks of telephone interviewing is that the direct personal contact is missing, which definitely influences the performance of an interview. As with any form of interview there is also the time constraint, mainly from the side of the interviewee, which potentially prevents from going into more detail, if necessary. In addition the interviewees might differ in terms of the level of detail they are going to answer the questions. 2.5 Limitations of the Study The major limitation of this study is caused by the selection of the participants of the survey. Due to the fact that they work in different companies, with different WLB initiatives and programs a generalization on observed effects becomes difficult. At least part of the employees work in the companies from which HR experts were intervieweed on WLB initiatives and programs. Nevertheless a direct correlation between WLB initiatives offered and the usage cannot be drawn. The information on offered WLB initiatives provided by the pharmaceutical companies will be used as an indicator for the effort taken within the branch. 21

22 3. Empirical Results 3.1 Results of the Quantitative Survey The results of the survey are presented in this section. 36 questionnaires were completed in the time from 1. March until 25. March The answers were optional, therefore not all questions were always answered by the 36 respondents. The data are presented in % of total responses given. The number of times mentioned is reported in brackets. Due to the relatively small number of participants and the thereout resulting accuracy of measurement the value behind the digits were rounded and the rounded values are reported in the text. riginal online data of the survey are documented in Appendix F WLB Assessment in the Middle Management In the following section the results of the questions are presented which referred to the personal assessment of the current work-life balance situation of the respondents. For all questions with one possible answer only, all 36 participants responded. I am working frequently on evenings and at week-ends , , ,11 % of total responses 2,78 agree completely agree do not agree do not agree at all Fig. 3-1 Work on evenings Half of the participants (50%, 18) agreed with the statement to work frequently on evenings and at week-ends and about 36% (13) fully agreed to it. nly 11% (4) did not agree and about 3% (1) did not agree at all to that statement, indicating that they do not work frequently from home. 22

23 It is difficult for me to mentally disconnect from work on evenings and week-ends , ,89 19, ,78 0 % of total responses agree completely agree do not agree do not agree at all Fig. 3-2 Mental disconnection from work About 64% (23) of the respondents agreed to have difficulties to disconnect mentally from work in their free time, 14% (5) fully agreed to that fact. Approximately 19% (7) participants did not agree and 3% (1) did not agree at all, thus, they were able to mentally disconnect from work. I have sufficient time for family activities , , ,78 % of total responses 0 agree completely agree do not agree do not agree at all Fig. 3-3 Time for family activities 23

24 About 58% (21) of the participants agreed to the statement that they do have sufficient time for family activities and about 3% (1) fully agreed to that statement. Approximately 39% (14) respondents felt that they do not have enough time to spent with their family. None of the respondents was in absolute disagreement with the statement. verall, the results indicate that the vast majority of the managers in this study see room for improvement of the situation. I have sufficient time for activities with friends, hobbies, cultural events and social engagements , , % of respsonses agree completely agree do not agree do not agree at all Fig. 3-4 Time for other social activities About two third of the respondents (61%, 22) did not agree with the statement to have sufficient time for activities with friends, hobbies and social activities and about 14% (5) were in complete disagreement with this statement. A quarter (25%, 9) could agree to the statement and none (0) of them completely agreed. 24

25 How do you judge your current personal work-life balance i.e. the balance between your work and your private life? % of total responses 5,56 0,00 47,22 47,22 completely satisfied satisfied not satisfied not satisfied at all Fig. 3-5 Assessment of personal work-life balance None of the participants (0) of the survey was completely satisfied with the current personal work-life balance. 47% (17) reported to be satisfied and another 47% (17) reported to be not satisfied with the current WLB situation. nly 6% (2) were completely unsatisfied. If you see the need for change in your personal work-life balance, which key factors should be addressed first? (multiple answers possible) , ,33 % of total responses 2,78 wn behaviour Behaviour of superiors Behaviour of colleagues Company culture No need for change Fig. 3-6 Key factors to be addressed for change 25

26 A total of 65 answers were given. 75% (27 times mentioned) of responses stressed the need for a change in the own behaviour, followed by about 69% (25 times mentioned) of responses that rated the company culture as a key factor. Less importance as influencing factor is given to the behaviour of the superiors (25%, 9 times mentioned) and the behaviour of the colleagues (8%, 3 times mentioned). No need for change was reported only once (3%,1) Summary of WLB Assessment in the Middle Management The results of the survey clearly underline the need for supporting the managers of the middle management in gaining and attaining a balance between work life and family life. For about 86% of the participants it appeared to be absolutely normal to continue with work after the office hours on workdays and also during the weekends, thus abolishing in the first instance the physical distance between workspace and home. As a logical consequence also the mental disconnection to work related issues in the evening and at week-ends did not occur for about 78% of the managers. They still feel connected to work. Therefore the middle managers loose the time to physically and mentally relax. Despite the time and strain based work influences on the managers, two third of them (61%) reported to have sufficient time to spent with their family, but still about 39% felt that they do not have enough time for common family activities. These values are different compared to the time, managers spend for other social acitivites e.g. meeting friends, participating in cultural or social activities. About 75% felt that they do not have sufficient time for this kind of activities. This result clearly shows that the managers are quite aware of deficiencies they do have in terms of social contacts and social activities outside the family due to their work load. There was a clear prioritization: family first, followed by other social activities in case there is still time left for it. This effect should not be underestimated, because not only the family environment, but also social network and activities e.g. sports, social engagement are of importance for the physical and mental health of the managers. Asked for the judgement of their personal work-life balance about half of the managers answered that they are satisfied with it and the other half answered to be unsatisfied. The half and half split with regard to the satisfaction with the personal work-life balance can be explained with the individual handling of the issue. How the subjective well being is described by an individual depends a lot on the attitude of the individual towards the influences he or she has to deal with. The same influences can be perceived differently, thus resulting in a different overall assessment. There was a great need to change the personal work-life balance situation, only one answer was stating that there is no need. There were also clear majorities with regard to the key issues which should be addressed to get the situation changed. 75% of the given answers stated the necessity to change the own 26

27 behaviour, demonstrating that the managers are quite aware of the problem and of possible solutions, but for various reasons not in the position to initiate a change process for a better work-life balance. The second most important factor to be addressed for change was the company culture (69%). The managers need support from the organization to improve their WLB, which they obviously miss. Company culture does not only include the organization and set up of various WLB initiatives, but what is even more important is how the concept of WLB is lived in the company Awareness and Use of WLB Initiatives and their Impact on Job Satisfaction WLB initiatives Working time models : awareness, use, practice The most common working time models were listed and the participants reported wether these initiatives are offered in their company or not. Awareness of WLB initiatives Working time models Part-time work Flexi-time Working time on trust basis Annual working time account Working life time account Job sharing Partial retirement Study leave / Sabbatical Unpaid leave thers % of total responses YES N Fig. 3-7 Awareness 'Working time model' The most frequently reported working time models offered in the companies are part-time work (97%, 35), flexi-time (92%, 33), partial retirement (75%, 27) and unpaid leave (53%, 19). Working time on trust basis was known by 33% (12) and study leave / sabbatical by 31% (11) of the participants. f minor importance seemed to be the model of annual working time account (19%, 7), job sharing 27

28 (11%, 4) and working life time account (8%, 3). Among the other initiatives reported by the respondents, the most frequent was teleworking (4), followed by reduced payment for more vacation days (1) and various family / health supporting acitivities (4). Complete Data are provided in Appendix F. The respondents were asked to what extend (regularly, frequently, rarely, never) they use the offered work time schedules. For the evaluation of the data one has to keep in mind that for the usage of working time models there is a limitation due to the fact that one model might automatically exclude the use of the other working time model. Usage of WLB initiatives Working time models Part-time work Flexi-time Working time on trust basis Annual working time account Working life time account Job sharing Partial retirement Study leave / Sabbatical Unpaid leave thers Fig. 3-8 Usage 'Working time model' % of total responses regularly frequently rarely never The working time model used the most is flexi-time: 58% (21) use it rarely, 14% (5) used it frequently and 3% (1) used it regularly. Working time on trust basis was used rarely by 3% (1), frequently by 3% (1) and regularly by 11% (4). Two of the participants (6%) worked frequently part-time, one (3%) was on partial retirement. The option for an unpaid leave or a study leave / sabbatical was used rarely by one (3%) of the managers. Job sharing and working life time account were not reported at all.teleworking (others) was used regularly (1), frequently (1) and rarely (1). In the category others one manager used the option for parental leave regularly. During the interviews performed with the HR experts from four large pharmaceutical companies the interviewees were asked to report the WLB 28

29 initiatives they offer in their companies. They had to answer with Yes or N irrespective how intense the WLB initiative is used. The orginal checklists including several additional and more detailed information regarding the individual initiatives are provided in Appendix E. The results of the four companies were summarized and are graphically displayed. ffered WLB initiatives Working time models in four pharmaceutical companies Part-time work Flexi-time Working time on trust basis Annual working time account Working life time account Job sharing Partial retirement Study leave / Sabbatical Unpaid leave thers % of total responses YES N Fig. 3-9 Practice 'Working time model' Part-time, flexi-time, partial retirement and unpaid leave were the working time models offered by all four pharmaceutical companies. Working time on trust basis was offered by three, whereas the fourth is offering this model to top management only. ne company reports on a pilot project to offer all employees of the company to work on trust basis. Job sharing and study leave were offered in 3 out of the 4, but they are used only rarely. Annual working time account and working life time account (offered in 1 company only) appeared to be less common models for supporting WLB. The other two initiatives reported were teleworking and reduced payment for more vacation days. 29

30 WLB initiatives Family : awareness, use, practice The most common WLB initiatives offered to support family related issues were listed and the participants reported wether these initiatives are offered in their company or not. Awareness of WLB initiatives Family Child care / nursery school Vacation program for kids Flexible child care (sickness, further training) Family day Time for elderly care thers % of total responses YES N Fig Awareness 'Family' The most frequently reported WLB initiative known by the respondents is the family day (81%, 29), followed by child care / nursery school with 56% (20). nly about a third fo the respondents (28%, 10) was aware that the company offers vacation program for the kids and 19% (7) were informed about the possibility of flexible child care in cases of sickness of the child or job related absence of the mother / father (further training program). The possibility of having special arrangements for elderly care was known by 17% (6) and one participant mentioned as special event the companies summer party. 30

31 Usage of WLB initiatives Family Child care / nursery school Vacation program for kids Flexible child care (sickness, further training) Family day Time for elderly care thers Fig Usage 'Family' % of total responses regularly frequently rarely never The family day was attended regularly by 2 (6%), frequently by 3 (8%) and rarely by 15 (42%) of the managers in the survey. Child care was regularly used by one respondent (3%), the same applied to the category others the summer party. The opportunity of having flexible child care was used frequently and rarely in one case (3%) each. 11% of the respondents (4) used the chance for having extra time for eldely care rarely. About 8% (3) of the managers made use of the offered vacation program for kids. 31

32 ffered WLB initiatives Family in four pharmaceutical companies Child care / nursery school Vacation program for kids Flexible child care (sickness, further training) Family day Time for elderly care thers % of total responses YES N Fig Practice 'Family' Child care / nursery schools were offered by all four companies. In some cases it was the company s own institution, in other cases it was an external nursery school were the companies did have access to places. The companies did offer in addition support to find adequate places for the children. All companies were aware of the increased need to support the employees in case they have elderly relatives with need for care. Various models do exist and the cases were addressed on individual basis.three out of the four companies offered flexible child care; this is quite often done in cooperation with external organisations. In one company also retired employees could participate in the flexible child care program. Family days and similar activities took place in three of the four companies. Special vacation programs for kids did exist in two of the companies. ther WLB projects reported to support the family were internships and vacation jobs for grown up children of employees, internal job offers and the companies newsletter send to the home address in order to reach the complete family. Details are reported in Appendix E. 32

33 WLB initiatives Health : awareness, use, practice The most common WLB initiatives offered to support health related issues were listed and the participants reported wether these initiatives are offered in their company or not. Awareness of WLB initiatives Health Regular health checks Special health days Company sports, fitness Specific health programs Healthy food (canteen) Stress management Healthy working place thers % of responses YES N Fig Awareness 'Health' All participants of the survey (100%, 36 responses) were aware of the special health days e.g. diabetes info, influenza vaccination. 83% (30) reported the healthy food program (canteen), followed by 78% (28) who knew about company sports activities and fitness programs. Three quarter of the participants (75%, 27) were informed about regular health checks and stress management. Specific health programs e.g. back training were reported by 64% (23) and a healthy working place e.g. ergonomic furniture by 58% (21). 33

34 Usage of WLB initiatives Health Regular health checks Special health days Company sports, fitness Specific health programs Healthy food (canteen) Stress management Healthy working place thers Fig Usage 'Health' % of total responses regularly frequently rarely never The most commonly used WLB initiatives in the health sector were the participation on special health days e.g. information days on diabetes, influenca vaccination campaign and the healthy food (vegetarian meals, salads, fat reduced meals) offered by the canteen. 22% (8) participated regularly, 39% (14) frequently and 36% (13) rarely in these special health days. For healthy food activities the numbers were 11% (4) regularly, 31% (11) frequently and 39% (14) rarely. Regular health checks offered by the compagny were used in 17% (6) of the participants regularly, in 14% (5) frequently and in 36% (13) rarely. The offer for a healthy working place e.g. ergonomic work environment was used regularly by 6% (2), frequently by 22% (8) and rarely by 19% (7) of the participants. Company sports and fitness programs were regularly used by 6% (2), frequently by 8% (3) and rarely by 14% (5). No regular or frequent use of stress management programs and specific health programs e.g. back training was reported. 33% (12) and 25% (9) respectively reported rare use of these programs. No WLB initiatives other than the listed were reported. 34

35 ffered WLB initiatives Health in four pharmaceutical companies Regular health checks Special health days Company sports, fitness Specific health programs Healthy food (canteen) Stress management Healthy working place thers % of responses YES N Fig Practice 'Health' Except for regular health checks, which were performed in half of the companies, all other listed WLB initiatives which support the health of the employees were offered by all intervieweed companies. ne of the companies with a N for regular health checks offered this possibility to management only (about >15% of the total employees). The topic of the special health days ranged from prevention e.g. information on diabetes, influenza vaccination, to specific investigations e.g. eye check. The specific health programs offered included for example back training, training of prophylactic examination for breast cancer as well as the possibility to get individual massage. Various company sports activities are offered, fitness programs take place either in cooperation with external partners, where the employees do get reduced fees or in the company s own fitness center. Courses for stress management were offered, in some companies this was done in cooperation with external partners. Details are reported in Appendix E. 35

36 WLB initiatives Various : awareness, use, practice The most common WLB initiatives offered to support the WLB of the managers were listed and the participants reported wether these initiatives are offered in their company or not. Awareness of WLB initiatives Various Information on WLB (seminars etc.) EAP-Employee Assistance Program Time management seminars Care / return management thers % of total responses YES N Fig Awareness 'Various' 92% of the respondents (33) reported that their company offers time management seminars, followed by 81% (29) who were aware of the existence of a care / return management program in their company. 58% (21) were aware of existing Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and 42% (15) reported on information programs addressing the topic of WLB. ne participant reported the initiative of internal mentorship. 36

37 Usage of WLB initiative Various Information on WLB (seminars etc.) EAP-Employee Assistance Program Time management seminars Care / return management thers Fig Usage 'Various' % of responses regularly frequently rarely never Time management seminars were attended regularly by one participant of the survey (3%), frequently by two participants (6%) and rarely by seventeen participants (47%). The program of care / return management was used frequently and rarely by 8% (3) of the participants each. About 6% (2) of the participants reported frequent and 17% (6) reported rare use of initiatives referring to the information on WLB. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) were used rarely by 14% (5) of the participants. A rare participation in the internal mentorship program was reported by one respondent. 37

38 ffered WLB initiatives Various in four pharmaceutical companies Information on WLB (seminars etc.) EAP-Employee Assistance Program Time management seminars Care / return management thers % of responses YES N Fig Practice 'Various' Time management seminars and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) were offered by all four companies. The aim of the EAP should be to support the employee in cases of all kind of private e.g. family problems, alcohol addiction, financial problems or work-related e.g. mobbing, burn-out problems. Due to the sensitive issue the EAP is frequently performed in cooperation with external partners. ne of the four companies reported to perform EAP internally. Care / return management is offered by three companies (75%), the company were this is not a separate initiative reported that the return management is performed within the team of the returning employee. ne company described in detail their care management. The aim is to allow the employee with limited working capacities due to health, psychological or other reasons to remain in their line unit and continue to work according to their available work abilities (time flexibility depending on the current status of well being of the employee). Participants of that program are accompanied by the company s physician. The line unit is compensated financially to employ an additional employee in order to achieve the team s goals. Information on the topic of work-life balance e.g. in seminars to get the awareness for the issue in the upper management, but also within all employees is offered in 50% of the companies only. Details are reported in Appendix E. 38

39 Personal evaluation of WLB initiatives The respondents were asked how they judge the currently offered WLB initiatives at their company site in terms of supportive effect for their WLB and to give reasons in case of not using / rare usage of the offered WLB initiatives. In addition they could report in an open text field any initiative they miss and which they suppose could help to support their WLB. How satisfied are you with the offered WLB initiatives at your company site and their support to your personal work-life balance? % of total responses 5,56 5,56 33,33 55,56 completely satisfied satisfied not satisfied not satisfied at all Fig Satisfaction with WLB initiatives Two participants (6%) were completely satisfied with the offered WLB initiatives and 56% (20) were satisfied. ne third (33%,12) of the participants were not satisfied and 6% (2) were completely unsatisified. 39

40 What are the potential reasons for not using / rare usage of the offered WLB initiatives? (Multiple answers possible) , ,67 22, ,56 0 do not have necessary time not informed in time superiors / colleagues do not appreciate participation WLB initiatives do not address needs not interested at all % ot total responses Fig Reasons for not using / rare usage of WLB initiatives The most frequently given answer to the question why WLB initiatives were not used or not used more frequently was that the time is missing to do so (75% of responses, 27 times mentioned). The fact that WLB initiatives did not address the needs of the respondents was reported in 39% of the responses (14 times mentioned) as a reason. In 22% (8) the fact that the superiors / colleagues would not appreciate the participation in a WLB initiative hindered the respondents from participation. Being not informed in time about the WLB initiative was given as a reason in 22% (8) of the respondents followed by 6% (2 times mentioned) were there is no interest at all in these initiatives. Which WLB initiatives do you miss, which would support you the most to gain a balance between work- and private life? This open question was addressed to the participants of the survey to find out wether there is an important issue which was not addressed before or wether there are any new, innovative ideas regarding WLB initiatives. Twenty out of the 36 participants gave an answer. The text reported was analyzed and the content grouped according to the previously used categories of WLB initiatives in worktime models, family, health and various. The results are summarized in the below table, all data are reported in Appendix F. 40

41 WLB initiatives Numbers of times mentioned Work-time models Home office / teleworking 5 Annual working time account 2 Unpaid leave 2 Working life time account 2 Working time on trust basis 2 Job sharing 1 Part-time for middle management 1 Family Child care / flexible 4 Family activities 1 Health Company sports 1 Leisure activities after 18 h 1 Healthy food (canteen) 1 Stress management /relax seminars 3 Various Mentoring-coaching programs 1 Reduction of workload /extra working time 3 Change in company culture: less pressure from top management; lived WLB on top management level; clear set of priorities 3 Analyzing the reported data one has to keep in mind that participants from the survey came from various pharmaceutical companies so it is not suprising that some WLB initiatives are mentioned as missing, even if they appeared from the previous results of section to to be regularly offered by the pharmaceutical companies. Regarding the different work-time models offered the most frequently listed issue was the need for having the chance to work from home (teleworking), which obviously gives the employees more flexibility. ne participant reported the need for job sharing, whereas in this special case it is not the classical understanding of job sharing, but a division of work between the practical field (physician in a clinic) and the work in the office, which should allow the person to keep in touch with current trends in the clinic. Part-time for middle management was also reported by one respondent, indicating that part-time is offered, but quite often practiced in the lower hierarchical levels of the company only. The WLB initiatives mentioned in the family section are need for child care, with emphasis on the improvement on flexibility e.g. in case of a sick child. 41

42 Stress management and relax seminars were reported by three participants as wishful WLB initiatives. The participant who proposed to offer leisure activities after 6 p.m. stressed the importance of having a participation of the top management in these activities. Two issues were raised which are currently in section WLB initiatives Various, but in a strict sense cannot be regarded as WLB initiatives. The one issue is the enormous amount of workload the managers have to deal with, which results in working extra time from home on evenings and week-ends. Globalization of work and internationalization of teams require regular work activities outside normal office hours e.g. weekly teleconference at 9 p.m.. The second point is the lived company culture: superiors not sticking to normal working hours put an enormous pressure on their employees. There is a need for change in behaviour of top management who should live WLB themselves and thereby encourage their employees to follow them Assessment of job satisfaction The participants were asked to assess their satisfaction with their current job and to evaluate the importance of criteria affecting their assessment. How do you judge your current job satisfaction? % of total responses 27, ,89 58,33 completely satisfied satisfied not satisfied not satisfied at all Fig Individual assessment of job satisfaction About 14 % (5) of the participants of the survey were completely satisfied with their current job, followed by 58% (21) who were satisfied. About a quarter of the respondents (28%, 10) assessed the current situation as not satisfying. No data indicated that one of the managers was not satisfied at all with the job. 42

43 Which of the following factors were of importance for the assessment of your job satisfaction? % of total response Work content Salary / bonus payment WLB initiatives Colleagues Superiors Career Job security Further training very important important less important not important at all Fig Factors affecting job satisfaction assessment The highest priority was given to the content of the work. 75% of the respondents (27) rated the work content as very important, followed by 22% (8) who rated it important. Superiors and colleagues do also play an important role for being satified with the job. Superiors were very important for 42% (15) and important for 50% (18) of the respondents. nly 8% (3) found the influence less important for job satisfaction. The colleagues as influencal factors were rated as very important for 39% (14) and important for 58% (21) of the managers. nly one (3%) found them less important. The salary and / or getting extra bonus payment were important for 69% (25) and very important for 19% (7) of the participants of the survey when it came to assess the job satisfaction. 11% (4) rated the monetary aspect of the job as being less important. The results furthermore showed that the influencal effects of career perspectives, job security and the possibility of having further training on the job are comparable in terms of rating. Career was rated very important by 17% (6), important by 56% (20) and less important by 28% (10). Job security was very important for 25% (9), important for 53% (19), less important for 19% (7) and not important at all for 3% (1). Further training was very important for 19% (7), important for 53% (19) and less important for 28% (10) of the participating managers. The factor with the lowest effect on the job satisfaction was WLB initiatives. nly 8% (3) considered them as very important and 19% (7) as important for being 43

44 satisfied with the job. In contrast 58% (21) of the respondents rated them as being less important and 14% (5) as not important at all Summary of WLB Initiatives: Awareness, Use, Practice and Job Satisfaction Various working time models are offered by the companies to support the employees work-life balance by allowing them a more flexible work schedule. The participants of the survey were quite aware of the existence of the most common working time models and reported about the opportunity of part-time work (95%), flexi-time (92%), partial retirement (75%) and unpaid leave (53%) in their company. They were less informed about the possibility of study leave, working life time account and annual working time account. This corresponds to the information provided by the interviewed companies, where the respective programs are offered less frequently or used only rarely. nly a third of the respondents was informed about the possibility of working on trust basis, whereas three out of the four companies offered this possibility. An explanation could be that this opportunity is not open to every employee, but sometimes restricted to certain position levels. There were also discrepancies between the awareness of the employees on job sharing, unpaid leave and sabbatical and the offer of these initiatives by the companies. As with any other initiative the awareness of a specific program is often correlated to the need of use, so if e.g. there is no reason for having an unpaid leave one might not become aware of that possibility. Among the other initiatives mentioned by the respondents, teleworking was the most prominent topic (4 times mentioned). The most frequently used working time model was flexitime (27 respondents), followed by working time on trust bases (6 respondents) who used it to various extents. The other working time models were used to a minor extent. However, one has to keep in mind that use of special working time models is exclusive, i.e. the use of one model might exclude the use of the other, except for study leave, unpaid leave or teleworking, which could be used in addition. Among the WLB initiatives which support the family life, the family day was best known. 29 participants (81%) reported to be aware of the family day in their company, two respondents attended regularly, three frequently and fifteen rarely. 56% of the respondents were aware that the company offers child care / nursery school, only one respondent used this opportunity. ne third was aware of the vacation programs offered for kids, three respondents made use of them. 19% of the respondent said that they know about the possibility of having flexibel child care in case the child is sick or the caring part of the parents has to leave for business reasons, two participants made use of it. The low level use of child related initiatives is suprising in the first instance as 24 out of 34 participants reported to have minor children. However, looking at the age structure of the participants of the survey, where about 75% are between years old, one can assume that most of the children are of an older age where child care is no longer 44

45 necessary. Having older children might also explain the interest in family day, where the family can visit father s / mother s workplace. Four out of the five participants with the responsibility for elderly with need of care used rarely the initiative for having time for elderly care. With regard to the initiatives offered by the four pharmaceutical companies all of them provide child care programs and special offers for employees who have to care for elderly relatives. Three out of four have family days and offer flexible child care. The engagement in these WLB initiatives demonstrate the importance given to family related issues in terms of achieving a balance between work and private life. Among the four categories - working time models, family, health, various - of the WLB initiatives under investigation, the programs supporting health were the ones the participants of the survey were mostly aware of. All of them reported to know about special health days in their company where special information or special investigations are provided to the employees e.g. influenza vaccination, eye examination. About 80% reported on a healthy food program and company sports / fitness activity. Also the programs for regular health checks (75%), specific health programs (64%) and healthy working place (58%) achieved a relatively high level of awareness. In case of health initiatives the awareness correlated with the use of these initiatives. 35 of the 36 participants used the special health days and participated to various extend (regularly (8), frequently (14), and rarely (13)). 29 respondents made use of healthy food offered in the staff restaurant. The participation in company sports was relatively low (regularly (2), frequently (3), rarely (5)). Specific health programs e.g. back training and stress management was used rarely by 9 and 12 respondents, retrospectively. This is quite suprising as especially these two initiatives directly aim at acute health problems, whereas the other initiatives are more prophylactic or supportive in terms of health. In addition it can be observed that the frequently used initiatives (healthy food, special health days) require a limited organizational and timely effort, in contrast to continuous sport or fitness programs or seminars on stress management. Regarding the initiatives offered by the four interviewed companies, all four of them offered the completed set of initiatives, except one company were the performance of regular health checks was limited to management only. Therefore it can be concluded that health is dealt with high priority among the WLB initatives. The fact that besides the listed initiatives no other initiative was reported by the companies can be explained by the limited time during the interview and the detail level of discussion rather than the non-existence of additional activities. Time management seminars (92%) and care management (81%) are the predominantly known programs, when it comes to the various other WLB initiatives. 45

46 About half of the respondents used time management seminars rarely, whereas three responders use care management frequently and three rarely. Employee assistance programs are known to about 58% of the participants, used rarely by 5 (14%). There seems to be a lack of information regarding the topic of WLB as such. That information is given on WLB was reported by 41% of the respondents and only two of the pharmaceutical companies reported that they perform special seminars, informations on that topic. All four pharmaceutical companies reported to offer time management seminars and employee assistance programs. Three of the four had a care management established. In general the managers of the middle management, who were the participants of the survey were rather satisfied (6% completely satisfied, 56% satisfied) with the WLB initiatives offered by their company. nly one third (33%) was not satisfied or not satisfied at all (6%). When the managers were asked for reasons why they do not participate or do participate only rarely in WLB initiatives the majority (75% of the total answers given) mentioned a lack in time to do so. The second frequently reported reason (39%) was that the offered WLB initiatives do not fulfill the need of the managers. Missing acceptance of superiors / colleagues (22%), lack of information (17%) and not interest at all in WLB initiatives (6%) were on the lower ranks of the list. In order to find out the needs or unfulfilled wishes of the participants in terms of supportive WLB initiatives the managers had the opportunity to openly describe what kind of activities they need to achieve / maintain the balance between work and life activities. Among the initiatives raised there was no new or innovative idea for WLB initiatives. Most of the issues were already addressed previously. Among the working time models the work from home / teleworking got the most votes, emphasizing the need of the managers for flexibility in working time. ther activities mentioned were part-time for middle management, annual working time account, working life time account, unpaid leave, working on trust basis. To have more activities within the area of child care / flexible child care was mentioned by 4 respondents. Within the health initiatives stress management and relax seminars achieved the most hits (3). In addition to the well known initiatives two issues were raised which do not belong to the WLB initiatives, but are rather a cause for an existing imbalance between work and life. ne point mentioned was the necessity of reducing the workload and the extra working time (3 times mentioned) in order to achieve reasonable WLB. The second point was that the company culture needs to change (3 times mentioned): as long as superiors send mails all around day and night times a certain pressure arises for the employees. The work-life balance concept is only convincing if it is lived by the top management as well. 46

47 The assessment of overall job satisfaction showed that about three quarter of the respondents are either completely satisfied (14%, 5) or satisfied (58%, 21) with their current job. For 28% (10) the current job is not satisfying. The evaluation and prioritization of criteria affecting the assessment of job satisfaction showed very clear results. Top rating of being very important for the assessment was achieved for the work content (75%), followed by superiors (42%) and colleagues (39%). The salary and bonus payment achieved the highest rate for being important (69%), followed by colleagues, superiors, career, job security and availability for further training, which achieved rates between 58% and 50%. Really surprising was the result for the importance of WLB initiatives when it came to its effects on job satisfaction. nly 8% (3 times mentioned) considered them as very important and 19% (7) as important. 58% (21) rated them as being less important and 14% (5) as not being important at all Demographic Data Age, gender, marital status A quarter of the participating managers (9) was younger than 40 years, three quarters of the participants met the criteria of the target group (40+) and were between years (36%,13) or between years (39%,14). No participant was older than 60 years. Age of Managers 0% 25% 39% 36% >40 years years years > 60 years Fig Age 69% (25) of the managers were male and 31% (11) were female. 94% (34) were married or lived in a civil partnership and one participant was divorced. 47

48 Family background Three questions regarding the family background were raised to identify potential factors which might influence the participants balance between work and life , ,67 % of total response ,78 58, ,89 8,33 0 Minor children Relatives in need of care Partner employed YES N Fig Family background ut of those participants who answered to the question 67% (24) reported to have minor children, whereas 28% (10) had no minor children at home. 14% (5) of participants had relatives who were in need of care, whereas 58% (21) did not. 31 of the participants who were married or lived in civil partnership answered the question regarding the employment status of their partner. In 78% (28%) of the cases the partner was employed, in 8% (3) the partner was not employed Position in the company and company size More than a third of the participating managers (36%,13) had the position of a head of department. 22% (8) were group leaders and 25% (9) were project leaders. Among the 17% (6) others there was one divisional head, one in governance, one manager, one functional head and two laboratory heads, one of them with supervising function for other laboratory managers. 48

49 Functional Level 17% 36% 25% 22% Head of Department Group Leader Project Leader ther Fig Position in the company About half of the respondents (53%,19) worked for a pharmaceutical company with more than employees. 36% (13) worked for a company with a size of employees and 11% (4) worked for a smaller company (<1.000 employees). Company Size 11% 53% 36% 0% Fig Company size < Employees Employees Employees > Employees 49

50 3.1.6 Summary of Demographic Data The defined target group of the survey were managers of the middle management level aged participants completed the questionnaires, 9 of them were younger than 40 years, 13 were between years and 14 between years. In total 75% of the participants met the age criteria of the target group. 69% (25) of the participants were male, 31% (11) female. 94% (34) were married or lived in civil partnership, one participant was divorced. With regard to the familiar background 24 respondents reported to have minor children and 5 reported to have relatives who were in need of care. The majority of the partners (78%) of the respondents were employed. More than a third (13) of the participating managers had the position of a department head, 8 were group leaders and 9 were project leaders. Among the six others two were of upper management level, the remaining four can be considered as middle management levels as well. More than half of the managers worked for large pharmaceutical companies with > employees, 13 managers worked for a company sized and 4 worked for smaller companies. 3.2 Results of Qualitative Survey rganisations View on WLB and WLB Initiatives The results of the interviews performed with HR experts in four pharmaceutical companies are summarized in the following paragraphs. The key facts of the responses are reported. The interviews are given in full length in Appendix D Significance of the topic work-life balance in the company The importance of a balance between work and life activities and the resulting well-being of the employees was reflected by the high priority the topic was given within all four companies. Changes in the social and economic environment leading to work intensification, technical developments (e.g. lap top computers) abolishing the boarder between work and life place are the driving forces to set up WLB initiatives. It can be expected that offering support for the achievement of a balanced life increases the employees satisfaction, employee retention and positions the company as an employer of best choice. Work-life balance initiatives are not viewed as isolated activities only, but they are part of the overall companies strategy and company culture. 50

51 Assessment of work-life balance situation The major source of information regarding the overall work-life balance situation of the employees is the performance of employee surveys, which take place in yearly or two yearly intervals on local or global level. The results of the surveys give an overall view of the employees well being. The surveys include all employees of the company, target group specific surveys were not reported. However, the survey results can be filtered according to defined criteria e.g. functional level, organizational structure, demographic data. The extent to which target specific data analysis is performed within the companies varies and could not be specified in more detail. Within the surveys WLB specifc questions are raised and use of WLB initiatives are checked. Results of the survey are analyzed, action plans developed. Additional sources of information on the overall WLB situation are the feedback of external cooperation partners e.g. EAP, family service institution, input from workers council or the analysis on available company data e.g. use of different working time models, duration of parental leave etc. n the individual level the WLB situation can be assessed based on personal communications between supervisor and employee Assessment of the information collection procedure The currently performed method to collect information regarding the WLB situation of the employees (see ) was judged as sufficient and satisfying by all interviewees. The aspects of anonymity and voluntary participation in surveys were emphasized. Motivation of management for participation is considered as a prerequisite to achieve high response rates Perception about WLB situation of middle managers Intensification of work and increase of workload has happened within the last years. Thus managers of the middle management are on risk with respect to their WLB. The HR responsible persons are well aware of this situation. Nevertheless, from their perspective the WLB in the target group was perceived as quite good. This perception was attributed to various facts: increased flexibility in working time and workplace, which allows the managers to stay flexible and compensate for long working periods constant, normal fluctuation rates, low level of sickness days in the company In addition the middle managers were described as having: 51

52 high commitment to the job and the company acceptance of high workload or workflow peaks as part of their job self-driven motivation to achieve common goals In one company the WLB was perceived as less good or somewhere in the middle between good and not good. This perception was based on the situation that ambitioned managers, aiming at a carreer within the company, are exposed to a highly competitive work environment. Not all of the managers know how to deal with the pressure or how to handle the increasing stress they are exposed to. This holds especially true for foreign managers without family or relatives at site, where the company gets the status of a second home. Top management has to support the WLB concept and the WLB initiatives and has to practice it themselves. Role cases should demonstrate the feasibility of WLB. It was furthermore suggested to establish a culture of questioning from bottom to top Is all what is done or requested from top management always necessary? Assessment of efficacy and success of WLB initiatives ne of the key criteria for assessment of WLB initiatives is the use of the respective initiatives. High demand and high rate of use indicate that the offered initiatives address the needs of the employees. Usage can be either analyzed based on company data e.g. percentage of employees in part-time positions or duration of parental leave times. In addition the information is retrieved from the feedback of external partners offering the WLB initiatives e.g. employees using fitness programs or special time management seminars. Various procedures exist regarding the collection of direct feedback from the participants of the initiatives. It is not always useful or practical to get this direct feedback. As the successful implementation of WLB initiatives is reflected by the employees satisfaction, results of the regularly performed employee surveys are also a major source of information and an indicator for efficiency and success of these initiatives. Based on survey results new initiatives can be established or corrective measures been taken. The survey data can further be analyzed with respect to e.g. functional level, divisional level, operational area or other criteria like gender, age. In general no cost-benefit analysis is performed for individual WLB initiatives, as this is considered to be to complex and the resulting information to weak to base clear correlation on. The companies consider the WLB initiatives in general as beneficial for their employees. nly one company participated in a pilot project were family-friendly WLB initiatives were assessed for their economic benefit for the company. The result showed an 8% increase in RI (return on investment) for these initiatives. This 52

53 was achieved e.g. by low fluctuation rates resulting in decreased replacement costs or by a decrease in absenteeism Assessment of efficacy of WLB initiatives in the group of middle managers The assessment of efficacy and success of WLB initiatives is done on a very general level and no specifc data are available for the middle management. Not all companies do perform target group specific analysis of the participants of the programs. For detailed analysis of participants one has to keep in mind that the privacy of the individuals always has to be kept. Some of the WLB initiatives e.g. (EAP) are anonymous anyhow. In one company the need analysis for WLB initiatives is performed in cooperation with the heads of the departments who define the requirements and thus it is assumed that the needs of the specific target groups are reflected in the WLB program offered. Furthermore it is considered as part of the superiors responsibility to address WLB in the personal dialogue hold regularly with the employee and to discuss measures, if necessary. In addition it is considered to be the employees own responsibility wether to take part in WLB initiatives or not and therefore a more detailed analysis of the participant structure was not considered as useful Usage of WLB initiatives in the middle management and its effect on job satisfaction There is no detailed information available in the companies regarding the usage of WLB initiatives in middle management and the effects on job satisfaction. It was found difficult to correlate these two issues, because there are too many other factors influencing job satisfaction. Furthermore, employees often do not appreciate WLB initiatives, but take it as normal to have e.g. the flexibility of working time. Therefore it is not expected that it plays a role for the assessment of job satisfaction Are the offered WLB initiatives sufficient to allow middle managers WLB and do new innovative WLB initiatives exist? There are currently no new, innovative WLB initiatives in sight or in discussion. The focus is on the consolidation of already established programs. Employees should be motivated and the rate of participation in the offered WLB initiatives should be increased. An important issue raised was, that it is not sufficient just to offer WLB initiatives, but that they have to be lived in order to find acceptance. This has to be done in a 53

54 clear top-down approach, starting with a change in mind set on the top management level and a change in behaviour. Performance oriented work with peaks of workload are acceptable as long as the managers do have the possibility to compensate for the extra effort later. Therefore they need the support of their superiors Summary of Interview Results The topic work-life balance is given high priority in all four pharmaceutical companies. The well-being of the employees is considered of major importance as satisfied employees lead to high quality of work, high retention rates, low fluctuation rates, low rate of sickness days and a positive external positioning of the company. The major sources used to assess the current WLB situation of the employees are the employee surveys, which are performed regularly (every 1-2 years). They are analyzed and the data can be filtered to look specifically at subgroups of employees. In addition feedback from cooperation partners and analysis of company data e.g. use of working time models are sources of information. In general the currently used sources of information were considered as sufficient to get a picture about the WLB situation. The perception of the current WLB situation of the middle managers ranged from quite good to less good. The current work situation high workload, resulting in overtime, working from home, the highly competitive work environment was correctly described by the HR responsibles. n the other hand the managers were described as being highly motivated, committed to their work and company and ready to accept work above normal. However, not all of the managers know how to deal with the situation and increasing stress. The need for support from top management was emphasized. The efficiency and success of WLB initiatives are evaluated through the usage of the initiatives, assuming that there is a direct correlation between usage and need. The information is retrieved from the results of the employees survey, the feedback of cooperation partners or company data e.g. usage of various work time schedules. Although analysis of survey data can be performed for specific target groups there appears to be variations as to the extent to which level this detailed analysis is actually performed. No company reported on an analysis that has specifically been performed for the target group of middle managers and how they use WLB initiatives. It was furthermore questionned wether it makes sense to correlate usage of WLB initiatives and job satisfaction as too many factors influence the satisfcation of the employee. As regards future activities in the field of WLB the companies focus on the consolidation of existing programs. There are no new innovative concepts in sight. 54

55 A prerequisite to have a functioning WLB concept in the company is that the topic has to be lived within the company starting at the top management level. 4. Summary and Discussion Managers in the middle layer of an organization have become key personnel in HR portfolios. Situated between top management and the operative basis they play a mulitfunctional role in the areas of information, transformation and implementation (Gauger, 2000). Due to their diverse functions, which lead to overload of work, time pressure and need for success, they are at risk to achieve and sustain a balanced work-life. An Australian study in managers of the middle management has identified three areas where these impediments become apparent: impact of new technologies, limit to autonomy and control in middle management and difficulties in taking advantage of flexibility initiatives in the workplace (Parris et al., 2008). New technologies such as mobile phones and lap top computers more and more allow an intrusion from work into non-work areas leading to a permanent availability of people for their job. In addition, the globalization of companies and internationalization of team work make this time flexibility an absolute prerequisite for efficient work.these findings are in line with the results of the current investigations where a total of 86% (31 respondents) confirmed that they work frequently on evenings and on week-ends. Consequently the managers were not only physically involved in work issues in their free time, but most of them were also mentally affected by work after the office hours. 78% of the managers in the survey agreed or completely agreed that they have difficulties to mentally disconnect from work in their leisure time. Thus, these managers loose the time for physical and mental recovery, which is necessary to avoid health problems. A study performed by Hämig et al. (2009) has shown that working overtime regularly, having variable work schedules and being in a management position are strongly associated with work-life conflicts (WLC). In addition a high degree of WLC has been shown to be associated with several physical and mental health problems. How do the middle managers spend their leisure time? The participants of the current survey, most of them being married or in civil partnership and two thirds of them with minor children, were clearly family orientated. About two thirds (61%) reported to have sufficient time to spend with the family and a quarter (25%) of them reported to have sufficient time for friends and other social activities. This indicates that family needs do have top priority over other social activities as e.g. meeting friends, hobbies, cultural events or social engagements. Similar results were found in a recent study among managers from various branches (Hauffe Akademie Studie, 2009) where spending leisure time with family / partners was rated with top priority, followed by social activities and active sport. In case of additional leisure time available, about 35 % of the managers would spend this additional time with family / friends, followed by sport (19%) and hobbies (12%). The great impact of family issues on WLB is a known phenomenon and in various 55

56 WLB studies and investigations the focus is on the work-family aspects (FFP, 2008; Gröpel and Kuhl, 2009; Carlson et al., 2000). However, the result of the current investigations also showed that about 40% of the managers felt that they do not have sufficient time for their family and even about 61% felt they have not sufficient time for social activities besides the family. Gröpel and Kuhl (2009) have demonstrated that the perceived sufficiency of the time available for work and social life predicts the level of well-being only if the individual s needs are fulfilled within that time. rganizations should therefore aim at the achievment of individual s needs in order to have satisfied employees. When it comes to self-assessment of the managers work-life balance, the distribution between those who were content with the current situation and those who were not content is about half (47%) each. This is surprising based on the previous results of time and strain based influences and emphasizes the impact of personal influencal factors on WLB. Individual expectations in private life and career, capability to tolerate and handle stress, individual s phase of life and various other factors lead to the individual assessments (Michalk and Nieder, 2007). Resilience the ability to be resistant against external stresses and crisis situations and to withstand these without permant impairments - is in the focus of recent research. It was found that the personality trait of resilience is only partially genetically determined; it can be trained and further developed to a certain degree in order to face increasing risks and stresses of the work environment (Scharnhorst, 2010). The managers in the current study did identify two key factors which should be addressed in order to change their own WLB. The first one was within their own responsibility it is their own behaviour, the second one was the company culture. The large influences of the company culture on WLB were also emphasized in the interviews with HR experts in pharmaceutical companies. The importance of having a lived WLB culture from top to bottom has been widely identified (Hansen, 2002; Reade, 2002; Dorrell, 2001) however it still appears to be the most difficult part of the implementation of a WLB concept. As regards to the individual WLB situation of middle managers the HR experts in the interviews were aware of the special situation of middle managers e.g. high workload, high responsibility for projects and staff, time pressure, but they still felt that the middle managers in their companies perform quite well in dealing with this specific situation. In one case the HR expert perceived WLB in the target group as being on a critical path due to the high competition within the work environment and missing experience to manage stress. Based on the survey data, where about half of the managers reported a satisfied WLB and the assessment of job satisfaction, where about 72% of the managers reported to be satisfied, the perception reported by HR is not suprising. 56

57 Most companies are aware that in view of the demographic change and economic globalization they have to offer their employees arrangements that enhance the autonomy of the employees to coordinate and integrate work and non workaspects of their lives (De Cieri et al., 2005). However, there are two prerequisites for that szenario to happen: firstly the employees need to be aware of the offered WLB initiatives and secondly the employees have to use them in order to achieve the benefit. Results of the current investigations demonstrated that in general the middle managers were quite aware of the WLB initiatives offered in their companies. As regards to working time models they knew about the most common models: part-time work, flexi-time, working time on trust basis and partial retirement. The awareness was lower for annual working time account, job sharing, study leave, unpaid leave, which could be either explained by the fact that these initiatives are rarely offered or seldomly used in the companies or that there is no need or interest from the employees perspective. Results from the interviewees with HR experts from four pharmaceutical companies showed that the working life time account and annual working time account are offered rarely, whereas other initiatives like job sharing, unpaid leave or study leave are offered but used only rarely. Among the various working time models, the flexi-time model was the one used the most, followed by work on trust basis. All other work time models were used to minor extent only.the need for having flexible working time and the possibility to work from home was stressed by participants of the survey. When they were asked for missing supportive WLB initiatives those initiatives referring to work time (e.g. home office, unpaid leave, annual working time account, part-time for middle management) were the ones most cited. Various other studies confirm that the need for having flexibility and autonomy in the decision regarding when to work and where to work is of utmost importance for the employees (De Cieri et al., 2005; Parris et al., 2008). In a recent Kienbaum study (2007) performed among HR representatives of companies from various branches the WLB initiatives parttime work, working life time account and working on trust basis were among the top 5 important initiatives mentioned. However, there are two sides of the medal work time flexibility on the one side it gives more freedom and individual choice to the employee, on the other side it abandons the boarder between work and life domains, which might negatively impact the WLB and hinders the employee to disconnect from work and recover at home. The study of Parris et al. (2008) among middle managers has also shown that the gained flexibility is of theoretical existence only, because often these middle managers are not in a position due to work overflow, staff responsiblities and forced by expectations from top management - to make use of time flexibility. It turned out that time flexibility leads to an extension of office working hours only. Therefore it is part of the organizations responsibility not only to offer the flexible work time arrangments, but also to assure that they are used as beneficial support for the employees well being. 57

58 Among the family related WLB initiatives the current investigations showed that the awareness was most prominent for family days within the company. There was less awareness about childcare programs (including vactions programs, care in cases of sickness, day care etc.).this awareness correlated with the use of these initiatives.this finding is in contrast to the overall importance given to childcare as a major topic of getting the balance between work and life. In the Kienbaum study (2007) the organizations rated the childcare programs as the second most important WLB initiative and also the intervieweed HR experts in this study confirmed an intensive engagement in childcare and family related WLB initiatives.the current results can be explained by the profile of the target group under investigation. More than two third of the managers reported to have children of minor age.the majority of the managers was between 40 to 60 years old, assuming that their children were already of an age of partial independence without need for special care. Thus, childcare programs were of less importance for these managers. However, the majority of those managers who had relatives in need of care made use of special arrangements made by the company. It is obvious that the topic of elderly care will become of increasing importance and will affect employees as well as companies (Kaiser, 2007; Rygl and Puck, 2007) The organizations seem to be prepared to this topic as all of the four interviewed pharmaceutical companies confirmed that they offer individual support for employees who are responsible for elderly relatives in need of care. Health is a major element of the subjects well being. Thus it is not surprising that the companies, including those four interviewed, offer a wide range of health related programs. This includes healthy food in the staff restaurant, stress management, special health activities, regular health checks and various sports activities. The awareness of all these programs was high within the middle management under investigation.the managers participated the most in activities on special health days, where e.g. information is provided on diabetes or other diseases or the possibility for influenca vaccination is given and they made intensive use of healthy food offered in the canteen. In contrast they made little use of stress management seminars and special health programs e.g. back training. This is surprising as one would assume that the target group does have a need especially for the latter two initiatives. ne could explain these findings with the time constraints the middle managers have to face. The participants of the study gave as a major reason why they do not use or use only rarely WLB initiative is the lack of time. While enjoying healthy food does not need extra time, this does not hold true for the participation in a stress management seminar. In view of the aging workforce (Kaiser, 2007; Rump, 2008) and known effects of work or work related conflicts on the health of the employees (Hämmig et al., 2009) the organizations need to continiously address the topic of health with high priority. However, there seems to be space for improvement in terms of employee motivation for participation in these health intitiatives. 58

59 The managers of the middle management in this study were aware of the existence of return management, time management seminars and employee assistance programs (EAP). Except for time management seminars, little use was made of the other initiatives. There appears to be place for improvement when it comes to information regarding WLB, because only 42% of the managers reported to be informed on WLB. Communication plays a key role in the successful implementation of work life balance initiatives. De Cieri et al.(2005) found in her study that lack of communication to staff as well as growing need to improve the dialogue with senior management were considered major barriers for implementing WLB strategies successfully. verall more than half of the managers participating in the current survey were satisfied with the WLB programs offered by their company. The major reason for not using or using more frequently the initiatives was given as lack of time and followed by the statement that the offered WLB initiatives did not address the needs of the managers. No new ideas came up when the managers were asked for missing supportive WLB initiatives. All initiatives mentioned were part of the well known programs, but obviously not in place in the respective companies. In a recent study among managers of the first three hierachical levels of an organization (Hauffe Akademie Sutdie, 2009) it was found that about a quarter of the managers used WLB initiatives frequently, about 29% partially and 31% rarely. Every eighth manager (12%) did not use it at all. Top managers reported the reasons for not using WLB initiatives as being: necessity for permant availability, enormous workload and internationalization of work. Age played also a crucial role in this study. It was found that the use of WLB initiatives decreased with increasing age. About 69% of the managers older than 50 years did not use WLB initiatives rarely or not at all, which might be explainable by a missing awareness of the topic WLB as such, demonstrating additional need for improvement in this area. Job satisfaction, defined as the degree to which individuals are generally satisfied with their work, is a wide and diverse field of current research (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2007; Sax, 2008; Meyer, 1982; Bruggemann et al., 1975; Smith et al., 1969). The results of this study showed that overall about three quarters of the managers were completely satisfied or at least satisfied with their current position. The most important factor influencing this assessment was work content, followed by superiors and colleagues. Important in terms of affecting job satisfaction were salary / bonus payments, colleagues, superiors, career, job security and further training. In the First European Quality of Life Survey the quality of work and life satisfaction in European countries was investigated (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2007). Additional aspects addressed were the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction. The results showed that work and time pressure negatively impact job satisfaction, however, overall work-life balance issues appear to be of little importance in prediciting either job or life satisfaction. In contrast the findings suggested that 59

60 especially in wealthier EU countries the subjective evaluation of the quality of work i.e. having an interesting job, having good career prospects predominated the determining of job satisfaction. Among the different aspects of working conditions, working hours had little direct impact, while the feeling of being well rewarded was important. The findings of this study are partially in line with the results of the EU study. At this stage one has to keep in mind the difficulty in comparing different study results. Due to the variation in questionnaires (content of questions / number of questions) to assess e.g. WLB or job satisfaction, a direct comparison will not be possible at all. However similarities or trends can be described. It is definetely the work content which plays the most important role for job satisfaction of the middle managers. The social environment (colleagues, superiors) is also of importance for the managers.the effect of WLB initiatives, which were considered by the majority of the managers as being of no importance, the form of questioning being used is differing to those of existing studies. While most studies ask for the worklife balance situation, this research asked for the influence of WLB initiatives. As the effect of the initiatives is more an indirect one and of course, depends on the extent to which the WLB initiatives are used, it might not get the weight of importance when it comes to evaluate the job satisfaction. To a large extent these offers might be perceived already as a normal part of the job and are not estimeed or evaluated for their true value. rganizations are aware of the increasing need to implement WLB strategies as part of the overall HR strategy. The Kienbaum study (2007) showed that about 80% of the large organizations have implemented WLB, whereas only about half of the small or midsize organizations have done that. In the current investigations HR experts from four large, multinational pharmaceutical companies gave their view on WLB and confirmed that this topic is handled with a very high priority and strategic implication within their company. This is in contrast to the view of the managers of the survey, about half of them felt that the topic is handled as being less important in their company, only about 16% rated the handling of the topic with very high and 25% with high importance within the organization. The most frequently used tool to assess the WLB of the employees is through regular employee surveys, which address employee satisfaction issues as well as issues related to WLB. The survey data can be filtered for subgroups, however it became not clear from the interviews how deep and extended these subgroup analyses are actually performed. Additional sources of usage data are company data or information through external cooperation partners. According to the Kienbaum study (2007) 80% of the WLB initiatives are assessed for their usage rate, only in the case of health related WLB initiatives the assessment of usage rate goes down to 20%. For the assessment of success and efficiency, the companies use the same tools as for information collection on WLB, namely employee surveys, feedback from external cooperation partners and HR company data. Extent of usage and indirect success factors e.g. employee satisfaction are mainly used to evaluate success. 60

61 The difficulties to retrieve solid data for assessment and the need to keep the anonymity of the employee was mentioned as the main reason for not performing cost-benefit analyses. According to Michalk and Nieder (2007) it is always easier to calculate the costs of the WLB program than to evaluate the success, which falls into the two categories: soft and hard facts. Hard success factors to be considered are fluctuation rates and absenteeism, soft factors are changes in employee satisfaction and changes in employer reputation. The experience and the number of projects performed in this area of cost assessment are still limited, however even in future it is always the organizations individual needs that have to be considered. In a recent study (FFP, 2008) the economic effects of family friendly WLB initiatives were assessed. The results clearly demonstrated that organizations that have introduced family friendly initiatives clearly benefitted from it in terms of higher rate of applicants, human resources, increased productivity, higher employee motivation and retention and various other factors. An evaluation of success factors for family friendly WLB initiatives was reported by one of the interviewed companies where the achieved return of investment confirmed the success of the initiatives. It appeared from the interviews that so far no specific analyses for middle mangagement regarding WLB initiatives use and its effect on job satisfaction has been performed by the companies. The HR experts argued that the WLB programs are designed to address the various needs of the employees and finally it is up to the employee himself to decide to make use of it or not. However, the fact that WLB initiatives do not address needs was the second most reason mentioned when it comes to list reasons for not using WLB initiatives shows, that it might be useful to look in more detail into the needs of specific subgroups. The future of the WLB programs in the intertvieweed companies will lay its emphasis on the consolidation of current activities, increased motivation of employees for participation and emphasis WLB as a lived concept with role cases. There is a need for having senior management taking an active role in WLB in order to achieve success of the concept through all levels of the company. While the programs of offered WLB initiatives have steadily increased within the last few years, the critical role of senior management within the WLB concept has been reported long ago. Dorrell (2001) described already the real problem within work-life balance as being within senior management clinging onto old ways of doing business. Reade (2002) summarized the views of WLB experts, who clearly stated that there is a need to lead from the top and that a change in culture and attitudes within the organization is necessary for the successful implementation of WLB practices. The fact that changes in company culture and the critical role of top management in the WLB concept is still on the agenda indicates that this part appears to be the most difficult part to be successful in getting a WLB strategy from theory to life. 61

62 5. Conclusions The results of the current investigations in middle management of pharmaceutical industries confirmed the previous findings (De Cieri et al., 2005; Gauger, 2000) that these managers are heavily burdened with workload resulting in the need for continued work in the evenings and on week-ends. This led not only to the inability to disconnect mentally from work-related issues, but also to time limitations with regard to the activities done with the family or other social activities. Whereas half of the managers under investigation still felt quite satisfied with their personal WLB, the other half were not satisfied, indicating that there is a need to assist these managers to achieve a balance. The portion of unsatisfied managers appears high in relation to the extended and intensive WLB programs offered by the large pharmaceutical companies which the majority of the managers worked for. The two major factors that affected the potential problems with WLB were the individual behaviour and the company culture. Potential leverages can be identified as: influence on individual behaviour of middle managers change in company culture It has been shown that the managers were aware of WLB initiatives offered by their companies, however the information mainly referred to the initiatives as such and to a lesser degree to the overall concept of WLB within the company. Hereby the potential leverage can be identified as: improvement of information flow regarding WLB concepts For the pharmaceutical companies under investigation WLB is a topic of high importance and various WLB initiatives are offered to the employees. Interestingly the assessment of success and efficiency often remained on a more general level and is not / not always broken down to specific groups as e.g. the middle management. Among the middle managers of the survey the usage of the WLB initiatives varied and of course was strongly related to the needs of the individuals i.e. there is no need for child care, if the children are already of an age to take care for themselves, which might have been the case in the target group of managers 40+. Surprisingly WLB initiatives which were considered as being important for this target group e.g. stress management, time management, special health programs were only rarely used. The two major factors reported to affect usage of WLB initiatives were the lack of time and the fact that WLB initiatives did not address the needs of the managers. Due to their workload and overall responsibility the managers do not make use of the WLB initiatives even knowing that it would be useful. The assessment that the needs are not addressed is in accordance with the previously described need for a more target group specific evaluation of WLB. 62

63 This has probably been done already for specific target groups e.g. families, but is missing for the middle management. Hereby, potential leverages can be identified as: support managers in usage of WLB initiatives by providing time definition of needs on target group level and control of use and success Even though WLB balance has been addressed within pharmaceutical industry quite extensively, current investigations have revealed some potential issues for improvement especially in terms of middle management. These issues will need to be addressed in order to achieve further success for the implementation of WLB within the target group. Fig. 5-1 Successful WLB implementation Despite the balance of work and life being sometimes on a critical path, the vast majority of the middle managers were satisfied with their current job and attributed this satisfaction mainly to the content of the work they do. The offered WLB initiatives played a minor role in the assessment of WLB which might be caused by their more indirect nature of influencing the well being of the managers. Even 63