María José Vela Jiménez

Work‐family conflict in a southern European country

Shows the results of a survey about the antecedents of work‐family conflict in a sample of Spanish employees. Analyses and discusses the influence of job‐related and non‐related factors. The results indicate that both groups of factors are antecedents of work‐family conflict. Even though gender is not a significant variable to explain work‐family conflict, the empirical study found differences at the time to explain the antecedents of men and womens work‐family conflict. A few family‐domain and work‐domain perceptions had a strong influence on work‐family conflict such as the gender roles, importance of family, job flexibility and job mental and physical requirements. Some of these perceptions suggest the influence of a culture where traditional gender roles still prevail and family as an institution is very strong. Functional mobility and educational level are also antecedents of work‐family conflict. However, job category level, marital status, and social benefits do not have any influence on work‐family conflict in the multivariate analysis, but the bivariate analysis showed that they have indeed an influence on the work‐family conflict according to the hypotheses developed in the research framework.

Teleworking and workplace flexibility: a study of impact on firm performance

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between teleworking adoption, workplace flexibility, and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical survey of a representative sample of 479 small‐ and medium‐sized firms. Data gathered through interviews with company managers using a structured questionnaire. A t‐test used to analyse the mean differences of flexibility dimensions between companies, and a regression analysis used to study the impact of teleworking and other flexible workplace practices on firm performance. Findings – Firm performance is positively related to the use of teleworking, flexitime, contingent work and spatial decentralisation. Teleworking firms use more flexitime, have more employees involved in job design and planning, are more intensively managed by results, and use more variable compensation. The relationship of teleworking and external workplace flexibility is not so conclusive. Measures of external flexibility like subcontracting or contingent work are not associated with teleworking but spatial decentralisation is positively associated. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of this research is the measurement of flexibility at the firm level and the use of cross‐sectional data. To the extent that organisations may obtain functional and numerical flexibility by means of their relations to other organisations in networks, the most appropriate unit of analysis may be the network which it has implications for future longitudinal studies. Practical implications – Flexibility is a source of competitive advantage. Enhancing flexibility may be costly in the short run, but it gets easier over time. Firms become more flexible because their managers emphasise the importance of flexibility and because they practice being flexible. A self‐reinforcing process then begins. The relationships between the different forms of flexibility are important to understand the interaction between the dynamic control capacity of management and the responsiveness of the organisation. Originality/value – The article analyses the relationship between teleworking adoption and other flexibility dimensions.

A technology acceptance model of innovation adoption: the case of teleworking

This paper develops a model of teleworking adoption based on the principles of the technology acceptance model. The framework integrates three categories of factors influencing on teleworking adoption: technological, human resources, and organisational factors. The model fills a gap in the teleworking literature by developing research propositions that take into account different theoretical perspectives to study teleworking adoption.

Analysis of internal and external labour mobility: A model of job‐related and non‐related factors

This paper shows the results of a survey to Spanish employees about labour mobility and its determinants. Job non‐related factors are more significant than job related factors to explain the employees’ labour mobility. The employees perceptions about job satisfaction, pay fairness, and work‐family conflict are more explanatory of labour mobility than traditional job‐related factors like pay or social benefits.

The environmental impacts of teleworking

This paper analyses the environmental impacts of teleworking. Some empirical studies indicate a positive relationship between the use of teleworking and the reduction of commuting and pollution. The article discusses the variables that impact on the use of teleworking in urban environments, and shows a case estimation for a Spanish city.

Gender differences of mobility: analysis of job and work‐family factors

This paper analyzes the results of a survey about labor mobility of a sample of 1,182 Spanish employees. The results indicate that women have lower mobility than men, and that the mobility of men and women is explained by different factors. The employee’s perceptions about job satisfaction, pay fairness, and employment stability are also more explicative of job mobility than traditional job‐related factors, such as wages or training. These results have managerial implications for the segmentation of men and women in the labor market.

The synergism of teleworking and information and communication technologies

Purpose – Aims to contribute to the teleworking literature by analysing the differences between teleworking adopters and non‐adopters regarding the use and impact of information and communication technologies.Design/methodology/aproach – Analyses the differences on the use and impact of information and communication technologies in a sample of Spanish companies. The data for the study come from a survey of a representative sample of 479 small and medium sized companies located in Galicia, a Spanish region in the northwest of the country. The data were obtained through interviews with the company managers (CEO, systems information manager, or technology manager) between May and October of 2003Findings – The results indicate that teleworking companies have adopted more equipment (per company and per employee), and the differences are statistically significant for all type of information equipment but personal computers. Although there is a positive correlation between the number of equipment and firm size (...

Team empowerment: an empirical study in Spanish University R&D teams

This paper analyses the results of a survey to university R&D teams about the moderator role of some variables on the relationship between team empowerment and team performance and organisational attitudes. The results support the positive impact of team empowerment on team performance and organisational attitudes. Regarding the moderator role of the analysed variables, the data indicate that teams labour flexibility and age diversity decrease the positive effect of team empowerment on performance. Perceived work-based social support positively moderates the impact of team empowerment on team productivity, whereas perceived work-based organisational support moderates its impact on customer service. Finally, perceived fairness and teams gender diversity are also positively related to job satisfaction.

Modelling the adoption of teleworking: an empirical study of resources and organisational factors

This paper analyses the differences between teleworking adopters and non-adopters in a sample of Spanish companies. The results indicate that teleworking adopters use more information and communication technologies, invest more resources in R&D, have a larger percentage of knowledge workers and salespeople in the workforce, and have a larger geographical market. The employees have greater access to the internet and electronic communication, are more trained in the use of information and communication technologies, and are more involved in their job design and planning. Regarding the business organisation, teleworking adopters use more human resource flexible practices and variable compensation, outsource more activities, and manage employees by objectives.

Human resources mobility management: a study of job related and non-related factors

This paper analyses the results of a survey about labour mobility, which used a representative sample of 1,185 Spanish employees. The results indicate that the perceptions of jobs, such as job satisfaction, fairness of pay, employment stability and work-family balance are explanatory factors of job mobility, while some human resources management practices, such as internal training, may have effects opposite to those expected. Different types of mobility have been studied: occupational mobility is greater in large companies, and among senior, younger and more trained employees; voluntary turnover is more frequent among male employees, who have a greater level of formal education, have had access to more training and have reached a higher level of professional category; intentions to quit increase among junior and younger employees who have had no access to training in the company. The results also have implications for the analysis of dualities in the labour markets.