TY - JOUR
T1 - The fallacy of integration
T2 - work and non-work in professional services
AU - Wilson, Simon
AU - Butler, Michael
AU - James, Kim
AU - Partington, David
AU - Singh, Val
AU - Vinnicombe, Susan
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Many organisations are encouraging their staff to integrate work and non-work, but a qualitative study of young professionals found that many crave greater segregation rather than more integration. Most wished to build boundaries to separate the two and simplify a complex world. Where working practices render traditional boundaries of time and space ineffective, this population seems to create new idiosyncratic boundaries to segregate work from non-work. These idiosyncratic boundaries
depended on age, culture and life-stage though for most of this population there was no appreciable gender difference in attitudes to segregating work and non-work. Gender differences only became noticeable for parents. A matrix defining the dimensions to these boundaries is proposed that may advance understanding of how individuals separate their work and personal lives. In turn, this may facilitate the development of policies and practices to integrate work and non-work that meet individual as well as organisational needs.
AB - Many organisations are encouraging their staff to integrate work and non-work, but a qualitative study of young professionals found that many crave greater segregation rather than more integration. Most wished to build boundaries to separate the two and simplify a complex world. Where working practices render traditional boundaries of time and space ineffective, this population seems to create new idiosyncratic boundaries to segregate work from non-work. These idiosyncratic boundaries
depended on age, culture and life-stage though for most of this population there was no appreciable gender difference in attitudes to segregating work and non-work. Gender differences only became noticeable for parents. A matrix defining the dimensions to these boundaries is proposed that may advance understanding of how individuals separate their work and personal lives. In turn, this may facilitate the development of policies and practices to integrate work and non-work that meet individual as well as organisational needs.
KW - professional services
KW - lifestyles
KW - family life
KW - gender
UR - http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1412300&show=abstract
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992996743&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/09649420410541254
DO - 10.1108/09649420410541254
M3 - Article
SN - 0964-9425
VL - 19
SP - 186
EP - 195
JO - Women in Management Review
JF - Women in Management Review
IS - 4
ER -