Keeping it up to the level - How professionals deal with work and life demands

Abstract

Work-Life-Balance, a matter of growing significance within modern business management that has been argued to be more important than ever, is a complex matter to manage for both managers and employees. Previous research in this field calls for more attention to the process of how the idea of Work-Life-Balance is understood in practice within an organizational context and which factors might influence the individual’s understanding of the idea of Work-Life-Balance. In order to respond to this call, this article is based on a case study at Solver AG, a German consultancy company. This study mitigates the shortcomings by elaborating how the process of translating the idea of Work-Life-Balance within an organization is taking place and thus depicts what different meanings and consequences this process entails. Moreover, the study brings to light several discrepancies between intentions and reality leading to paradoxes and also emphasizes the ambiguity surrounding this field. The results indicate that more attention needs to be paid to the diversity of meaning and interests that evolves owing to changes in work and non-work environment. Furthermore, a significant impact of the organizational context on the topic of Work-Life-Balance could be identified, urging a finer understanding of the individual’s context when it comes to the idea of Work-Life-Balance.