Susana Pasamar

Availability and use of work-life benefits: what’s in between?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the availability and the real use of work-life (WL) benefits by employees. Most research focuses on adoption, and some studies have analysed the levels of use. However, it is yet to be explained why some firms offer formal WL benefits, which ultimately are not used by employees. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses developed here are tested using data from a sample of 146 Spanish private firms, which is very relevant because findings from research developed in Anglo-Saxon contexts cannot necessarily be extended elsewhere. Findings – The results reveal that availability significantly influences the level of use of WL programmes. Both the proportion of women employees in the organization and the formalization of the WL balance culture moderate the relationship between availability and use. Practical implications – These findings hold lessons for practitioners and researchers interested in WL balance and its actual diffusion a...

Work-life balance under challenging financial and economic conditions

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to analyse perceptions of institutional pressures on employers to improve the work-life balance in challenging environments with difficult financial and economic conditions and to classify organisations according to these perceptions. Design/methodology/approach - – Using survey data from 146 Spanish private firms in different industries, the cluster analysis was conducted. Findings - – The analysis clearly shows the existence of three different groups of companies according to their perception of coercive, mimetic and normative pressures, and the different characteristics of the groups. The perceptions of institutional pressures determine the stance of the company with regard to work-life balance. Research limitations/implications - – Despite the changing economic context, it seems important to analyse the existence of environmental pressures to encourage work-life balance. Social implications - – Spain still has a long way to go in the diffusion of work-life practices. Originality/value - – This paper explores the institutional pressures on employers to improve work-life balance in a crisis context, and in a non-Anglo-Saxon country, showing that companies pay attention to the dynamics of the environment in which the company operates, and do not only consider economic reasons.

Antecedents of work–life involvement in work–life issues: institutional pressures, efficiency gains or both?

This paper contributes to the literature by integrating relevant insights from institutional theory and expected efficiency gains to explain organisational responsiveness to work–life issues. In times of global crisis it seems relevant to explore both the question of whether institutional pressures influence organisational behaviour and the positive and negative consequences implementing work–life practices. We tested the model using survey data from 146 private Spanish firms in two different industries. Hierarchical regression analyses tested the relationship between institutional pressures and organisational responsiveness and the potential moderator effect of the expected efficiency gains. The results reveal that mimetic and particular normative pressures significantly influence work–life practices, while coercive and global normative pressures appear not to do so. The perception of certain negative consequences related to the implementation of work–life practices inhibits this responsiveness. The positive outcomes are only relevant for the moderating effect they have on the relationship between institutional pressures and work–life responsiveness.

Firm innovativeness and work-life balance

ABSTRACT Assessing firms’ innovativeness is not an easy task. The literature recognises a number of innovativeness indicators. Most of them are technology-based indicators which perform well in high-tech industries but might be ineffective in other industries where patenting is not usual or in which R&D budgets are low or not formalised. In this paper, we critically review previous innovativeness indicators and we propose a new approach to assess firm innovativeness that is based not on the role of technology but on that of people. This new approach focuses on the existence of work-life balance benefits that are connected with motivation, engagement and creativity in the workplace. We argue that this could be an effective complementary means to assess the innovativeness of firms. It could be combined with previously used indicators and might have considerable advantages such as their suitability for application in any kind of firm regardless of its technological profile.

Service innovation in times of economic crisis: the strategic adaptation activities of the top E.U. service firms

This article examines the long-term strategic adaptation activities top service firms use to respond to economic crisis. Based on a longitudinal dataset of 97 leading European service firms, it empirically conceptualizes three clusters or strategic types of organizational response to overcome long-term financial strain experienced during 2008–2011, it tests the survivability of their strategic orientation and it assesses their relationship with organizational performance during the crisis (2008–2011) and in the post-crisis period (2014–2016). Leading E.U. service firms that attempt to maximize adaptation by ‘Commitment-to-expansion’ (i.e., increase in R&D investment, strategic M&A and recruitment) ensure the long-term survivability of their strategic orientation and generate growth in their operating profits, sales and market capitalization in contrast to service firms that implement cost-oriented actions (layoffs and cutting back on R&D investment). These results extend the limited knowledge available on strategic adaptation in top E.U. service firms and provide insight into the role that different responses play in fostering recovery from ongoing economic and financial crisis, which have thus far remained empirically under-researched.