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The Work-Family Challenge
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The Work-Family Challenge
Rethinking Employment

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September 1996 | 192 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
In The Work-Family Challenge contributors from the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States explore the possibilities of challenging traditional employment structures to take account of contemporary work and family realities. They take a critical look at the notion of `family-friendly' employment, and explore ways in which the rapidly changing needs of both organizations and the workforce can be met.

The volume argues that real progress requires moving the focus from specific policies and practices towards more systemic organizational change. It examines the contexts and opportunities - global, international, national, sociopolitical, legal and economic - for this change. The book concludes that positive solutions are attainable but will require a rethinking of employment, with constructive partnerships at many different levels, and with work and family as a core strategic business issue.

Cherie Booth
Foreword
 
PART ONE: THE CONTEXT FOR CHANGE
Suzan Lewis
Rethinking Employment
An Organizational Change Framework

 
Peter Moss
Reconciling Employment and Family Responsibilities
A European Perspective

 
Jeremy Lewis
Work/Family Reconciliation and the Law
Intrusion or Empowerment?

 
 
PART TWO: POLICY AND PRACTICE
Lisa Harker
The `Family Friendly' Employer in Europe
Judith Gonyea and Bradley Googins
The Restructuring of Work and Family in the United States
A New Challenge for American Corporations

 
Helle Holt and Ivan Thaulow
Formal and Informal Flexibility in the Workplace
Cary L Cooper
Corporate Relocation Policies
Suzan Lewis with Anne Watts and Christine Camp
Developing and Implementing Policies
The Midland Bank Experience

 
 
PART THREE: BARRIERS TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES FOR MOVING BEYOND POLICIES TO CULTURE CHANGE
Suzan Lewis and Karen Taylor
Evaluating the Impact of `Family Friendly' Employment Policies
A Case Study

 
Phyllis Hutton Raabe
Constructing Pluralistic Work and Career Arrangements
Joyce K Fletcher and Rhona Rapoport
Work Family Issues as a Catalyst for Organizational Change
 
CONCLUSION
Suzan Lewis and Jeremy Lewis
Rethinking Employment
A Partnership Approach

 

`This book is a treasure trove of evidence and debate and is essential reading for anyone interested in human resource management and, indeed, in the relationships between work, employment and society' - British Journal of Industrial Relations

`This collection of papers provides a coherent and compelling argument for rethinking employment policies and work processes in order to make space for family life.... Overall, this book is an excellent collection of papers that presents much new material and, by bringing together a range of different perspectives, goes a long way to setting out the issues, the context in which they need to be resolved and the options available. It is particularly valuable in providing the perspective of both employer and employee, and also some examples of positive outcomes from action research' - Social Policy

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