A business case or social responsibility? How top managers’ support for work-life arrangements relates to the national context

The extent to which organizations supplement statutory work-life arrangements varies systematically between countries. Empirical evidence on how organizations’ approaches to work-life arrangements relate to the national context is, however, mixed. This study aims to elucidate this complex relationship by focusing on how top managers’ considerations about whether or not to provide work-life arrangements are related to the national context. Semi-structured interviews were held with 78 top managers in Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and the UK. This study finds that top managers’ relate their considerations whether to provide work-life arrangements to the extensiveness of national legislation: only in the context of few state work-life policies top managers saw it as a business issue. Top managers also take into consideration what they believe is expected of them by employees and society at large, which can work either in favor or against the provision of work-life arrangements. Perceiving the provision of work-life arrangements as a social responsibility seems more apparent for top managers in Slovenia and Finland. By leaving the social responsibility argument out of the central framework of most studies, the existing literature appears to tell the story mainly from an Anglo-Saxon perspective placing business oriented arguments central

Association between COVID-19 lockdown measures and the incidence of iatrogenic versus spontaneous very preterm births in the Netherlands:a retrospective study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to regional or nationwide lockdowns as part of risk mitigation measurements in many countries worldwide. Recent studies suggest an unexpected and unprecedented decrease in preterm births during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns in the first half of 2020. The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of the two months of the initial national COVID-19 lockdown period on the incidence of very and extremely preterm birth in the Netherlands, stratified by either spontaneous or iatrogenic onset of delivery, in both singleton and multiple pregnancies. Methods: Retrospective cohort study using data from all 10 perinatal centers in the Netherlands on very and extremely preterm births during the initial COVID-19 lockdown from March 15 to May 15, 2020. Incidences of very and extremely preterm birth were calculated using an estimate of the total number of births in the Netherlands in this period. As reference, we used data from the corresponding calendar period in 2015–2018 from the national perinatal registry (Perined). We differentiated between spontaneous versus iatrogenic onset of delivery and between singleton versus multiple pregnancies. Results: The incidence of total preterm birth < 32 weeks in singleton pregnancies was 6.1‰ in the study period in 2020 versus 6.5‰ in the corresponding period in 2015–2018. The decrease in preterm births in singletons was solely due to a significant decrease in iatrogenic preterm births, both < 32 weeks (OR 0.71; 95%CI 0.53 to 0.95) and < 28 weeks (OR 0.53; 95%CI 0.29 to 0.97). For multiple pregnancies, an increase in preterm births < 28 weeks was observed (OR 2.43; 95%CI 1.35 to 4.39). Conclusion: This study shows a decrease in iatrogenic preterm births during the initial COVID-19-related lockdown in the Netherlands in singletons. Future studies should focus on the mechanism of action of lockdown measures and reduction of preterm birth and the effects of perinatal outcome

European top managers' support for work-life arrangements

In recent decades, work-life arrangements increasingly became an integral part of the organization of work. Arrangements such as telecommuting, flextime, part-time hours, and various types of leave arrangements are available to employees in many organizations. Top managers, such as CEOs, CFOs and members of boards of directors, are central to work-life arrangements, as they are the ones who decide whether or not their organization provides them. In addition, they are in the position to affect the acceptance of the use of work-life arrangements throughout the organization. Nevertheless, researchers have seldom included them directly in studies towards the provision of work-life arrangements. We therefore know little about why they decide to adopt or stimulate them in their organizations or refrain from doing so. This dissertation takes a first step to including the top managers’ perspective in the literature about work-life arrangements, aiming to understand top managers’ support for work-life arrangements in their organization. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the studies presented reveal the factors that top managers consider when deciding whether or not to provide work-life arrangements and the conditions under which they are willing to support them in their own organizations. By focusing on various countries, specifically on Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and the U.K., differences in top managers’ considerations are related to the broader policy and societal context. Results show that top managers put the organization’s interests first and evaluate each policy separately against how they believe it will affect the organization. In general, they are most supportive of flextime and telecommuting, showing that this is where the current developments take place. They are least supportive of part-time working hours. However, their reluctance against part-time hours varies between countries and is related to the social acceptance of part-time work. When it is more accepted, top managers are more supportive. How willing top managers are to provide leave arrangements beyond what is statutory required and to provide on-site child care is related to government policies. In countries where the government provides extensive leave arrangements and public child care, top managers see leave arrangements and child care options as a government responsibility and therefor not theirs to provide. However, in these countries top managers do more often feel that it is their social responsibility to provide work-life arrangements. This shows that the degree to which top managers evaluate work-life arrangements in terms of a business case varies between countries. Finally, work-life arrangements seem to enjoy growing acceptance among top managers and are regarded as belonging to general terms of employment, suggesting that they are increasingly available to a larger part of the workers within an organization rather than the lucky few

European top managers' support for work-life arrangements

In recent decades, work-life arrangements increasingly became an integral part of the organization of work. Arrangements such as telecommuting, flextime, part-time hours, and various types of leave arrangements are available to employees in many organizations. Top managers, such as CEOs, CFOs and members of boards of directors, are central to work-life arrangements, as they are the ones who decide whether or not their organization provides them. In addition, they are in the position to affect the acceptance of the use of work-life arrangements throughout the organization. Nevertheless, researchers have seldom included them directly in studies towards the provision of work-life arrangements. We therefore know little about why they decide to adopt or stimulate them in their organizations or refrain from doing so. This dissertation takes a first step to including the top managers’ perspective in the literature about work-life arrangements, aiming to understand top managers’ support for work-life arrangements in their organization. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the studies presented reveal the factors that top managers consider when deciding whether or not to provide work-life arrangements and the conditions under which they are willing to support them in their own organizations. By focusing on various countries, specifically on Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and the U.K., differences in top managers’ considerations are related to the broader policy and societal context. Results show that top managers put the organization’s interests first and evaluate each policy separately against how they believe it will affect the organization. In general, they are most supportive of flextime and telecommuting, showing that this is where the current developments take place. They are least supportive of part-time working hours. However, their reluctance against part-time hours varies between countries and is related to the social acceptance of part-time work. When it is more accepted, top managers are more supportive. How willing top managers are to provide leave arrangements beyond what is statutory required and to provide on-site child care is related to government policies. In countries where the government provides extensive leave arrangements and public child care, top managers see leave arrangements and child care options as a government responsibility and therefor not theirs to provide. However, in these countries top managers do more often feel that it is their social responsibility to provide work-life arrangements. This shows that the degree to which top managers evaluate work-life arrangements in terms of a business case varies between countries. Finally, work-life arrangements seem to enjoy growing acceptance among top managers and are regarded as belonging to general terms of employment, suggesting that they are increasingly available to a larger part of the workers within an organization rather than the lucky few

Dutch top managers and work-life arrangements in times of economic crisis

This paper investigates the considerations of top managers regarding work-life arrangements. A dynamic and contextual approach is taken, using data from 26 semi-structured interviews with top managers from 13 organizations in 2008, before the economic crisis began, and again in 2011, when the ensuing recessions were well under way. Analysis shows that work-life arrangements are increasingly perceived by top managers as integrated into their organizations. However, they indicate that such arrangements should benefit both the employees and the organization. If the consequences of work-life arrangements are perceived by top managers to be negative for their organization, they establish conditions for their use by employees so as to reduce the effect on the organization, rather than refrain from providing the arrangements altogether. During the economic crisis, top managers grew more cost-aware and expressed more concern about negative consequences for their organization. Government regulations are perceived as ‘only normal,’ but in the end top managers wish to remain in control of arrangements. If the law leaves room for interpretation, the Dutch top managers in this study used this freedom to bend the arrangements to suit their own ideas

Playing alone? Interest representation in the videogame industry in Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands

This article presents a comparison of interest representation in the videogame industry in Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands. While traditional industrial relations actors play a minor role, interest representation is far from absent in this creative industry. Interest representation is, however, dominated by other actors that often cut across the employer–employee divide.This article argues that the specific features of interest representation in the videogame industry can be explained by the characteristics of employment in the sector. The presence of fluid labour markets, the strong importance of intrinsic motivation in workers’ attitudes to work, and the presence of groups of workers willing to pursue individual strategies, contribute to distance the industry from the collective identities of traditional industrial relations actors and to strengthenthe appeal to occupational identities developed by professional organizations, trade associations and informal communities