oa Werk-privébeleid: de visie van topmanagers

Paid work and private life: the view of topmanagers

The past few decades have seen growing interest in the integration of paid work and private life. This interview study (N = 24) examines the view of Dutch senior managers (CEOs, executive directors and managing directors) on the changing relationship between work and private life and their attitude toward current state and organizational work-life policies. How can we explain differences in their views and what implications do these views have for the sustainable, modern organisation of work? The study reveals that Dutch senior managers tend to have three different attitudes toward work-life policies: (1) they reject such policies and support the male breadwinner model; (2) they support such policies in exchange for worker commitment; (3) they regard employees as 'entrepreneurs' both in their jobs and in their work-life balance. Organisational characteristics influence whether senior managers consider it necessary to support work-life policies and the cost and benefits of introducing such policies. Although a majority of senior managers consider work-life policies conducive both to employee welfare and organisational efficiency, in the everyday workplace practice they struggle to find a sustainable win-win situation.