Is Work life balance an unrealistic dream or something that Essay

Is Work life balance an unrealistic dream or something that organisations should pay attention to - Essay Example A work life balance is important because work life and life systems, although very different, are intertwined together in a firm manner. It has been proven through current theories that emotional spillovers from one side can affect the other. Such that, a disappointment at the job may translate in to a disappointment at the family level, and vice versa. One of the theories that are used to explain the relationship between the balance of work and life is the Work/family border theory. Border Theory The border theory divests upon the interactions between the life and work of an individual and how he may attempt to balance them (Poelmans 2005). According to the theory, as Clark (2000) relates, the primary connection between the work and family systems is not emotional but it is human. So ‘people’ in the theory are regarded as daily border-crossers who have to make daily transitions between the two worlds- the world of work and the world of family. People are important here because they are considered responsible for shaping the worlds, for defining the borders between the two worlds and for determining their relation to each of the worlds. Although people are the primary agents at work here, to change the environments, they can themselves be affected in turn, giving rise to a work-family spillover (Hislop 2008). It is this concept that makes keeping a balance between the two worlds the most challenging thing. The border theory seeks to explain the complex interaction between the border crossers and their work and family systems and henceforth, attempts to attain a certain degree of balance between life and work. Psychological contract The psychological contract is also an important concept when it comes to the study of work/life studies and refers to the exchange occurring between the employee and the employer (Andrae 2008). Through the psychological contract, one can attempt to understand what employees and employers expect from a job and work enviro nment. According to Smithson & Lewis (2000), these expectations may not just be confined to tenures or promotions, but, may also include other things like a sense of entitlement to work/ life benefits and flexible working hours. It has been argued recently that a better integration of the worlds of ‘work’ and ‘life’ lead to a positive psychological contract. The psychological contract explains that meeting or breaking of promises has a greater influence than practices and policies (Cooper, Quick & Schabracq 2009). According to Roehling, Roehling and Moen (2001), work/life policies, such as the flexible working hours and informal support, are directly linked to employee satisfaction and loyalty which get translated in the form of a positive psychological contract. The met and unmet expectations have a significant impact on the attitudes and behaviours of the employees (Naswall, Hellgren & Sverke 2008). Recent research in UK also shows that employees tend to look for the awards that their psychological contract promises to deliver and to consider it their right to have an entitlement of flexible working hours, the lack of which is believed to be a violation of the psychological contract (Leat 2007). The psychological contract is an important tool because it considers the individual expectations of employees and employers. The approach is also important to shift the focus from policies and instead concentrate on the different settings of work and life systems for both the employees and emp

Final Exam Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Exam Paper - Essay Example There are several pharmaceutical companies in Kuwait that may offer Support to Genentech in terms of buying their drugs and selling them to people. For example, the Kuwait Saudi Pharmaceutical s industries that are a leading company in the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs. For success, Genentech has to have to be linked to such companies. However, there are no supporting pharmaceuticals clusters in Kuwait that would facilitate the buying and marketing of the drugs. The Kuwait Government has to offer support for Genentech for the company to establish itself successfully. This is possible since the government has been supporting research in different areas notably agriculture and economic improvement. This support is mainly given to home industries therefore, it will problematic for Genentech to get support since it is a foreign company Laws that protect intellectual property in Kuwait are found in law No. 4 of (1962). Companies are allowed to register patents and intellectual property in Kuwait provided they are inhabitants of countries that give Kuwait reciprocity. After the company registers its patent with the patents Office, it gains the rights to use that patent. The right is valid for 15 years and may be renewed for an extra five years If Genentech opens up businesses in Kuwait, it will not have a problem of markets. This market would be provided by its powerful neighbors. Proximity to markets can therefore be a factor for Genentech to consider for successful establishment of a company in Kuwait. However since, Kuwait is quite Isolated, challenges of market are inevitable Kuwait being a country with the majority of its population Muslim, genetic testing is not well addressed in the regulations and has to take into consideration bioethical issues. Kuwait has no regulations on genetic testing but it respects the recommendations of the Islamic Organization for Medical