Nowadays, for many employees, successfully combining work and non-work has
become a major challenge that sometimes creates problems or conflicts. The
process whereby work demands negatively affect one’s functioning in the
home domain is defined as ‘work–home interference’. This situation is
assumed to be associated with health complaints since prolonged mental and/or
physical preoccupation with work during non-work time limits the
opportunities to recover from the effort expended at work. A sustained lack
of recovery will eventually manifest itself in health complaints. The reverse
process – that is, health complaints leading to work–home interference
– may also emerge, because it is possible that employees suffering from
health complaints are more susceptible to experiencing a negative influence
of work on their private life.
EurWORK European Observatory of Working Life
Country updates
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In June 2004, the National Statistical Institute (NSI [1]) carried out an ad
hoc labour market survey as part of the harmonised EU programme for business
and consumer surveys. The survey was conducted in the industry, retail trade
and services sectors. Employers in 3,131 enterprises were interviewed about
the employment structure in their company, the present situation and
attitudes towards increasing internal flexibility through changes in the
company’s organisation of working time.[1] http://www.nsi.bg/Index_e.htm
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On 19 July 2006, the Department of Safety, Health and Environment and the
Working Women’s Department of the Cyprus Workers’ Confederation
(Συνομοσπονδία Εργαζομένων Κύπρου, SΕΚ [1])
published a nationally representative study entitled /Safety and health in
the workplace: Reconciliation of family and work/. The study’s conclusions
were based on personal interviews in the workplace, conducted on a random
sample of 600 working women aged 18–65 years who are employed as sales
workers, cashiers and clerks. The research examined issues of safety, health
and work–life balance [2].[1] http://www.sek.org.cy/index.php?lang=2&l1=0
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/worklife-balance-0 -
The nationwide research programme ‘Increasing the attractiveness of working
life’, conducted as part of the VETO programme (in Finnish) [1] under the
auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health [2] (Sosiaali- ja
terveysministeriö), has financed projects which focus on employees who are
ageing or who have families. One such study, /Mothers and fathers in the
labour market 1989-2002/2003/, carried out in 2005 by Anita Haataja of the
Government Institute for Economic Research (Valtion taloudellinen
tutkimuskeskus, VATT [3]), provides background information on the position of
parents in the labour market. As the data from 2003 were flawed, some of the
results are given only up to 2002 – the timescale is specified in the text
where it includes 2003. The main research objective was to examine trends in
the employment of women and men, and to identify the extent to which
work–life balance [4] policies influence the situation of parents and of
those without children.[1] https://rtstm.teamware.com/Resource.phx/veto/index.htx
[2] http://www.stm.fi/Resource.phx/eng/index.htx
[3] http://en.vatt.fi/
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/worklife-balance-0 -
Towards the end of 2006, the Spanish Social and Economic Council (Consejo
Económico y Social, CES [1]) presented in its quarterly bulletin an analysis
on the issue of reconciling work and family life in Spain. This study is
based on a special module (in Spanish) [2] within the Labour Force Survey (in
Spanish) [3] carried out by the National Statistical Office (Instituto
Nacional de Estadística, INE [4]) and supported by Eurostat [5].[1] http://www.ces.es/index.jsp
[2] http://www.ine.es/inebase/cgi/um?M=/t22/e308/meto_05/modulo/2005/&O=pcaxis&N=&L=0
[3] http://www.ine.es/inebase/cgi/um?M=/t22/e308_mnu&O=inebase&N=&L=
[4] http://www.ine.es/
[5] http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/ -
In March 2005, the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC [1]) published
the findings of a research project entitled ‘An enabling framework for
telework’ (425Kb PDF) [2]. The study provides details of the current local
situation with regard to telework [3] and identifies the developmental
changes that are occurring in the labour market, most of which are due to
technological advances in the information technology (IT) sector. As no
comprehensive legal framework covering telework exists yet in Malta, this
form of work is being used on an informal or ad hoc basis.[1] http://www.etc.gov.mt
[2] http://etc.gov.mt/docs/An Enabling Framework for Telework.pdf
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/telework -
Interrupting one’s career to take parental leave has been an option in the
Czech Republic, in comparison with other European countries, for a relatively
long period of time. Until a child reaches the age of three years, employees
with children are guaranteed the possibility of returning to their original
job following a period of parental leave. However, employers do not have to
adhere to this obligation if they decide to restructure the workforce or
change the production programme. In some professions, a three-year absence is
considered too long a time to maintain the required qualifications to
continue the job without knowledge of developments in the profession or
ongoing practice. -
The National Thematic Network on reconciliation of family and working life
was set up in 2003 for the purpose of highlighting good practice developed
after completion of national projects financed under the European
Commission’s EQUAL Initiative [1]. The network aimed to further disseminate
these practices to international organisations and agencies, and relate them
directly to European developments.[1] http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/equal/index_en.cfm
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To combine work and family life represents a highly complex task for families
with young children, in particular for working parents with children below
school age. Working parents face challenges in relation to their work, such
as forced part-time work [1], shift and weekend work, as well as in relation
to the cost of childcare [2]. In addition, opening hours of childcare
facilities for young children also influence the type of childcare chosen by
working parents.[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/part-time-work
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/childcare
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