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

Abstract

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.

Este ensayo investiga las reflexiones de los altos directivos sobre los pactos relativos a vida personal y laboral. Se parte de un planteamiento dinámico y de los resultados de veintiséis entrevistas semiestructuradas con los altos directivos de trece organizaciones. Estas entrevistas se hicieron en 2008, antes de que comenzara la crisis económica, y en 2011, cuando la recesión ya estaba muy avanzada. El análisis nos muestra que los altos directivos conciben estos pactos cada vez más como parte integrante de sus organizaciones, aunque señalan que deberían beneficiar tanto a los trabajadores como a la organización. Si los altos directivos consideran que los efectos de estos pactos perjudican a su organización, antes que abstenerse totalmente de aplicarlos, condicionan su uso por los trabajadores para reducir su efecto negativo en la organización. Durante la crisis económica, los altos directivos se han vuelto más conscientes de los costes y están más preocupados por las consecuencias negativas para su organización. La normativa se percibe como "lo normal", pero, al final, los altos directivos desean controlar los pactos. Si la ley deja margen para la interpretación, los altos directivos de los Países Bajos utilizan esta libertad, en este estudio, para acoplar los pactos a sus propias ideas.

Keywords:

• work-life arrangements
• top managers
• qualitative
• changes
• economic crisis

Palabras claves:

• los pactos relativos a vida personal y laboral
• los altos directivos
• investigación cualitativa
• cambios
• la crisis económica

Notes on contributors

Wike Myriam Been is a Ph.D. student at the department of Sociology of the University of Utrecht. Her research focuses on top managers and work-life arrangements.

Laura den Dulk is an Associate Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Public Administration, The Netherlands. Her main area of expertise is cross-national research regarding work-life policies in organizations. Current research interests include the role of managers, work-life balance support in the public sector, and the social quality in European workplaces.

Tanja van der Lippe is Professor of Sociology of Households and Employment Relations at the Department of Sociology and Research School (ICS) of Utrecht University, Head of the Department of Sociology, and Research Director ICS Utrecht. Her research interests are in the area of work–family linkages in Dutch and other societies, for which she received a number of large-scale grants from Dutch and European Science Foundation. She has published extensively on the division of labor between spouses, time use and time pressure in a comparative way, and labor market positions of men and women in Western and Eastern European countries.

Notes

1. Wet Arbeid en Zorg [Work and Care Act] §BWBR0013008 (The Netherlands, 2001).

2. The ‘new world of work’ (Gates, 2005) is a closely related management concept.

3. Wet Aanpassing Arbeidsduur [Dutch Working Hours (Adjustment) Act] § BWBR0011173 (The Netherlands, 2005).

4. Quotes are translated from Dutch. Original data and quotes available on request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research [grant number 461-04-780].