This chapter gives the aims of the research as well as the background to and motivation for the study. Definition of key terms, the statement of the problem, the significance of the research, and the research questions are presented. Finally, the limitations of the research are indicated.
Background of the Study
Over the past few years, employees have been faced with increasing demands in the workplace and the impact of this on their private lives. This has been caused by globalization, technological advances, as well as workplace, generational and demographic changes (Beauregard & Henry, 2009; De Kort, 2016; Gregory & Milner, 2009; Kinnunen, Rantanen, Mauno, & Peeters, 2014; Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM], 2008). Attitudes to work have changed and people want a balance between their work and their private lives.
Work-life balance is defined as an employee's perception that the various areas of their life, personal time, family commitments and work, are supported and integrated with minimal conflict between the roles (Clark, 2000). To achieve harmony in all areas of life and the resultant physical and mental health, those who find it difficult to balance work and their family and social responsibilities need new working models (Brough, O'Driscoll, & Kalliath, 2005).
If the three areas are not in balance (leading to the perception of work-life conflict), the employee will experience tension (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), increased stress, a lack of commitment, and feelings of dissatisfaction with work and life in general. Because employees’ well-being is a vital factor in human resource management, practitioners and academics need to pay serious attention to the policies in place for work-life balance (Kim &
Ryu, 2017). These policies are designed to help employees reconcile their work and personal
lives and decrease role conflict in both areas (Fels, 2004; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). Lapierre et al. (2008) showed that the employees in an organization that has a culture of encouraging work-life balance and policies in place to support this, will have lower levels of work-life conflict. Such policies are positively correlated with multiple facets of satisfaction with work, family and life in general among employees. Some research has attempted to distinguish work-life-balance policies from “family-friendly” policies and link work and family issues to broader management approaches to managing employees’ quality of life (Still & Strang, 2003). With the awareness of the importance of work-life balance, policymakers and employers should investigate and apply various policies and strategies to alleviate employees’ role conflicts and help them achieve a balance between their work and private lives (Soo, Park, & Zippay, 2011).
Research into this area has offered several types of programs that can be executed effectively, such as flexible working and leave arrangements and child/dependent care support (Beauregard & Henry, 2009; Estes & Michael, 2005). Flexible working arrangements (FWA) can offer employers more options to adjust the size and structure of their staff (Draca & Green, 2004) and provide employees with more flexibility in their work and personal schedules, a win-win solution for both employees and organizations.
In most European countries, more than half of the companies use flexible working hours, while in Western companies in general, FWA has become an accepted familiar and formal working option for employees with. Currently, more than 80% of companies offering employ flexible working hours. In most European countries, more than half of companies also use flexible working hours (Central News Agency [CNA], 2004). It is noted that in the last five years, about 40% more companies in the U.S. have started offering flexible work options than five years ago. With the changes in technological and work patterns changes, FWAs are no longer merely a trend, but are a vital consideration issue for companies.
As the generation of employees known as “baby boomers” begin retiring and Generation
Y employees (also known as millennials) become the main labor force (Lim, 2014), organizations will need to adjust their management style according to the demands and needs of the different generations. Compared to the baby boomers, organizations are reportedly finding that with the younger generation there is a lower work commitment, a higher turnover of staff and demands for more work autonomy and flexibility (Choo, Desa, & Asaari, 2016;
Gratoon, 2013; Lim, 2014; Lyons, 2011).
Several studies have noted a positive correlation between FWA and advantages for the organization, including employees’ job satisfaction and occupational commitment.
Organizations that permit FWA are likely to see an increase in employees’ engagement, commitment and loyalty and a decrease in absenteeism and turnover intention. Employees who work in an organization with FWA are likely to have increased job satisfaction and a decrease in work-life conflicts and job stress (Anell & Hatmann, 2007; Behson, 2005; McNamara, Pitt-Catsouphes, Brown, & Matz-Costa, 2012; Walters, 2016). Consequently, more and more organizations have adopted FWA as an essential strategy to attract and retain a high-quality, dedicated, and efficient workforce (Carlson, Grzywacz, & Kacmar, 2010).
Problem Statement
The concept of FWA has neither been widely accepted and applied in Asia nor are there many studies on FWA in Asia compared with Western countries (Chow & Chew, 2006). Until Taiwan's economy boom, the issue of work and life was not taken seriously because Taiwanese workers were presumed to be more susceptible to stress than their Western counterparts. In Taiwan, long working days are normal and Taiwanese people work for longer hours on average than those in Western countries or Japan. This may well have a negative impact on job performance, role satisfaction and the work-life interface (Lu, 2011).
In Asia, the number of dual-earner families has been increasing with concomitant requests
for flexible working hours; those experiencing work-life conflicts are unable to work as effectively as they could. Researchers have indicated that women are more likely to be stressed by work-life imbalances than men (Jang, Park, & Zippay, 2011) because they are expected to take responsibility for the housework and taking care of children (This applies particularly in Chinese communities) (Cheung & Wong, 2013). The fertility rate in Asia has been declining over the years and Taiwan is experiencing one of the steepest drops in its fertility rates. This is leading to a rapid and ongoing demographic shift with more and more women entering the workplace and the population aging. With the transformation of social and family structures, employees’ difficulties in balancing work and family is bound to increase significantly; this applies particularly to women who have greater family commitments (Chen, Brown, Bowers,
& Chang, 2015).
However, it is not just women who would like flexible working hours; young people also value flexibility and in their choice of career, they prefer companies that offer a high degree of work autonomy. In recent years there have been numerous studies exploring the different generations’ perspectives on the perceived value of their work and their attitude to work. In view of previous research in Taiwan’s workplace (showing that Generation Y employees value a balance between work and personal life and work flexibility (Yeh & Liu, 2014), FWA can be an effective strategy for attracting and retaining young workers. Organizational support can promote and implement FWA smoothly, and FWA will produce positive outcomes such as commitment to the organization and job satisfaction. FWA is an essential resource that supports employees in their work. The “Job Demand Resource model” indicates that the availability of job resources can help employees meet the demands of their job and improve their performance.
Accordingly, FWA is a feasible and practical way for Taiwanese employees to produce positive performances.
Based on the above, the researcher was interested in determining whether FWA would
have positive organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction and occupational commitment among Taiwanese employees and whether there are differences between males and females.
Most studies on work-life balance issues or FWA have been based on Western samples;
relatively little research has been done in Asia and especially Taiwan. This study focuses on Taiwanese workers’ experiences and perception of FWA, using a database from a nationwide survey: the 2015 Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS). The purpose of this survey, which is conducted regularly, is to detect changes in Taiwanese society and their real value lies in the fact that substantial analysis of social change in Taiwan can be made. The theme of “Work Orientation”, which includes related aspects of Taiwan’s workplace, was conducted in 2005 and 2015. To understand workplace trends in Taiwan, this researcher will refer to the research of Lu (2008) and compare the results of the 2005 TSCS database and will explore and analyze differences between the data of 2005 and 2015. Lu (2008) examined the relationship between work flexibility, work-family conflict and organizational outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) by using the 2005 TSCS database. In the first stage of the research, the existence of the relationship among variables was established and it was shown that the theoretical framework offered by Western work/family research can be used in the Chinese context. It was also established that work flexibility could provide continuing protection for organizational outcomes. Hence, the present research extends the previous academic research to examine the differences in workplace trends over the decades.
Purposes of the Study
1. To examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements and dependent variables (job satisfaction and occupational commitment).
2. To examine the differences between males and females in the relationship between flexible work arrangements and dependent variables (job satisfaction and occupational commitment).
3. To examine the differences of data between 2015 and 2005 in the relationships of flexible work arrangements with job satisfaction and occupational commitment.
Research Questions
Based on the research purpose, the questions were aroused as below:
1. Do flexible work arrangements make a significant positive effect on job satisfaction?
2. Do flexible work arrangements make a significant positive effect on occupational commitment?
3. Does gender have a significant moderating effect for relationship between flexible work arrangements and job satisfaction?
4. Does gender have a significant moderating effect for the relationship between flexible work arrangements and occupational commitment?
5. Are there any significant differences in workplaces trend between data between 2015 and 2005 in the relationship of flexibility work arrangements with job satisfaction and occupational commitment?
Significance of the Study
To date, it has been difficult to find studies on FWA in Taiwan, and few studies have systematically examined the effects of FWA on job satisfaction and occupational commitment among Taiwanese employees. In the future, FWA must be mainstreamed in the workplace to maximize labor-force participation. By exploring the relationship between FWA and job satisfaction and the relationship between FWA and occupational commitment in Taiwan’s workplace, this study will examine employees’ perceptions of organizational resource for FWA from a nationwide sample.
This study contributes to the literature by enhancing the understanding of the relationship between FWA and organizational outcomes, as well as the moderating role of gender in the relationships in context of Eastern culture. Further, this study can contribute to the literature by providing the result of the differences in workplace trends through longitudinal observation and comparison of nationwide surveys. Finally, it is hoped that this study can provide relevant information in the field of human resources or organizations and provide support for future flexible work arrangements or policies.
Definition of Key Terms
In this study, the researcher used data from a national survey in Taiwan were used. All of questions are selected from the Questionnaire II “Work Orientation” in the 2015 Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS), Round 7, Year 1.
Flexible Work Arrangements
In the present study, flexible work arrangement refers to “any policy, practice, whether formal or informal, which allow employees to vary when, where, and how they work”
(Maxwell, Rankine, Bell, & MacVicar, 2007, p. 138). The researcher measured flexible work arrangements as an independent variable by using questions from the section- Job and Worker
Flexibility in TSCS Questionnaire II “Work Orientation”. There was a total of 3 dimensions selected in this section: flexible workhours, flexible schedule and allowance for personal leave.
Job Satisfaction
In the present study, job satisfaction refers to the degree to which people assessed how much they like (satisfaction) or dislike (dissatisfaction) their jobs from different facets (Spector, 1997). There are various facets that affect an individual’s satisfaction, including appreciation, communication, coworkers, fringe benefits, job conditions, nature of the work, organization, personal growth, policies and procedures, promotion opportunities, recognition, security, and supervision (Spector, 1997). In this study, the researcher measured job satisfaction as a dependent variable by using questions from the section- Job Satisfaction in TSCS Questionnaire II “Work Orientation”. There was a total of 3 dimensions selected in this section:
relations, main job and organization.
Occupational Commitment
The concept of occupational commitment is defined by Blau (1985) and is one of the components of work commitment. Occupational commitment is defined as an individual’s desire to remain in occupation after an assessment of viable alternatives. The researcher measured occupational commitment as a moderator through using questions from the section- Occupational Commitment in TSCS Questionnaire II “Work Orientation”. There was a total of 3 dimension selected in this section: job change difficulty, job change possibility and job security.