IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bushor/v62y2019i5p603-613.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Forget about ‘the ideal worker’: A theoretical contribution to the debate on flexible workplace designs, work/life conflict, and opportunities for gender equality

Author

Listed:
  • Peters, Pascale
  • Blomme, Robert Jan

Abstract

This study integrates insights from Self-Determination Theory and Boundary Theory to present scenarios on how flexible workplace designs can trigger multiple motivational processes underlying gendered work/nonwork integration behaviors, and how these affect work/life conflict. We disentangle processes underlying work engagement and work/life conflict, explaining the paradoxical outcomes found with regard to gender inequality in terms of work/life performance, satisfaction, and health. Policy makers and organizations need an increased understanding and a reconceptualization of these issues, realizing that the ideal worker does not exist. Instead, a long-term perspective is needed in order to truly realize the potential benefits of flexible workplace designs for all stakeholders. Organizations need to take responsibility for preventing individual workers’ depletion and stimulating the regeneration of workers’ resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Peters, Pascale & Blomme, Robert Jan, 2019. "Forget about ‘the ideal worker’: A theoretical contribution to the debate on flexible workplace designs, work/life conflict, and opportunities for gender equality," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(5), pages 603-613.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:62:y:2019:i:5:p:603-613
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2019.04.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681319300643
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.04.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hyo-Sun Jung & Hye-Hyun Yoon, 2021. "Generational Effects of Workplace Flexibility on Work Engagement, Satisfaction, and Commitment in South Korean Deluxe Hotels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Filiz Tabak & Aharon Tziner & Or Shkoler & Edna Rabenu, 2021. "The Complexity of Heavy Work Investment (HWI): A Conceptual Integration and Review of Antecedents, Dimensions, and Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Sonja Sperber, 2021. "Invisible women: Exposing data bias in a world designed for men," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 1985-1989, September.
    4. Yusuf Lukman & Sanjay Balkaran & Nonzwakazi Beauty Makiwane, 2022. "Aligning Theories with Conflict Management in Higher Institutions of Learning: Averting Looming Crises to Ensure Success and Stability," International Journal of Higher Education, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(7), pages 1-55, September.
    5. Regina Ding & Amiram Gafni & Allison Williams, 2022. "Cost Implications from an Employer Perspective of a Workplace Intervention for Carer-Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Stela Zhivkova, 2022. "Sustainability in the Companies Practices," European Journal of Marketing and Economics Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 5, January -.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:62:y:2019:i:5:p:603-613. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/bushor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.