CULTURE OF GLOBALIZATION AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Introduction: Increasing time pressures in the workplace and always being connected are eroding the boundary between work and personal life and many individuals in post-industrial economies struggle to balance the two. Is this effort to maintain work-family balance a unique issue in the context of North America and Europe, or is it a global phenomenon? One possible reason for variations in life balance in all countries is differences in family structure and functioning. Some research suggests that countries with strong differences in the expectations of men and women have different levels and types of work-life conflict. Other research suggests that life balance will be different in an individualistic country like the United States than in a country that is more collectivist in its orientation. In individualistic countries, employers can expect more sacrifice from their employees in terms of their family life, while collectivist countries where the family has a higher priority will have fewer problems reconciling. On the contrary, valuing the family higher in collectivists can mean that it feels more conflicted if there are competitive demands in the workplace and at home. There are other reasons to suspect that research based on the US context will not be generalized to other countries. Data from a study by researchers at McGill University and Harvard University found that policies of reconciliation such as paid maternity, paternity and paid time off in the United States are far less generous than in other wealthy nations. The study's lead author, Jody Heymann, notes, "Other countries are providing the labor protections that millions of Americans can only dream of." Research's interest in life balance may be at least partially a reflection of an unusually strong conflict between work and family life in the United States. At the same time, many of the same problems that contribute to work and personal life imbalance are present in other countries. Globally, the rise of the dual-income couple has meant that both partners now have family responsibilities that must be fulfilled. The permanent connection technology that blurs the line between personal time and work has become standard for managers in all parts of the world. The institution of the "siesta," or a midday break, used to be much more common in pre-Hispanic cultures than it is today when the globalized workplace places greater demands on workers. Concerns about overwork have also become very prevalent in east Asia's growing economic sphere. The Japanese still have a term, "karoshi," in reference to death from overwork. Research to date suggests that work and life concerns are present in other cultures. For example, most studies find that feelings of conflict between work and personal life are related to lower levels of satisfaction and higher levels of psychological stress. The magnitude of these relationships varies from country to country, but it seems that the concern that work interferes with the family is present throughout the world. There is also evidence that US surveys of translated work and personal life conflicts are equally good measures of work-life conflict in Europe and Asia. Even with the growth of international research, most studies to date have been designed and conducted entirely within the United States and many others have been conducted in cultures with marked similarities to the United States, such as Canada and Great Britain. As the number of international studies continues to increase, we will develop a better understanding of how different cultures relate to life's work challenges.

Perform an internet search on the topic "Work-life balance. Find at least 5 different sources. Write a short essay of the results. (Not less than 5 pages). List at least 10 examples, conclusions or recommendations on the subject.