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In search of the perfect manager? Work-life balance and managerial work

Author

Listed:
  • Jackie Ford

    (Bradford University, UKÂ Â j.m.ford@bradford.ac.uk)

  • David Collinson

    (Lancaster University, UKÂ)

Abstract

Work-life balance debates continue to proliferate but give relatively little critical attention to managerial workers. This article draws on research into the experiences of managers in a local government organization revealing an intricate, multifaceted and heterogeneous picture of fragmentation, conflicting demands, pressures and anxieties. The study highlights the importance of paid work for public sector managers; the concomitant difficulties in controlling working hours for those in managerial roles and the extent to which shifts in work orientation occur during managers’ careers. Research findings suggest that in practice work-life balance initiatives may only serve to increase managerial anxieties and pressures, the very opposite outcome to that intended. These themes do not feature in many work-life balance debates, which tend to assume the perfect manager who is able and willing to create a symmetrical balance between different spheres of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Jackie Ford & David Collinson, 2011. "In search of the perfect manager? Work-life balance and managerial work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 25(2), pages 257-273, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:25:y:2011:i:2:p:257-273
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017011398895
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shirley Dex & Sue Bond, 2005. "Measuring work-life balance and its covariates," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 19(3), pages 627-637, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gwen Daverth & Catherine Cassell & Paula Hyde, 2016. "The Subjectivity of Fairness: Managerial Discretion and Work–Life Balance," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 89-107, March.
    2. Jürgen Mühlbacher & Tom Siebenaler, 2018. "Ready for Changes? The Influence of General Self-Efficacy and Resistance to Change on Managers' Future Competence Requirements," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 4(2), pages 126-142.
    3. Suvi Heikkinen & Anna‐Maija Lämsä, 2017. "Narratives of Spousal Support for the Careers of Men in Managerial Posts," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 171-193, March.
    4. Daniel Wheatley & Zhongmin Wu, 2014. "Dual careers, time-use and satisfaction levels: evidence from the British Household Panel Survey," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 443-464, September.

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