“It’s Like You Need a Family to Have a Reason to Leave on Time”: Family Type and the Perceived Inclusiveness of Work-Life Practices

Abstract

The present study examined employees’ perceptions of inclusiveness and fairness of work-life policies for varying family types (i.e., single/childfree employees, partnered/childfree employees, and employees with children). Employees reported no significant differences in job design (autonomy, boundary control), supervisor or coworker support for work-life balance, or access to opportunities based on family type. Single/childfree employees perceived significantly less access to benefits, work expectations, and respect for nonwork roles. Finally, organizations’ support of work-life balance and perceptions of fairness in work-life policy decisions emerged as key themes in the open- ended responses, particularly from employees without children.

Keywords:

• Balance
• Family Type
• Organizational Justice
• Work-Life

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).