Talking the talk and walking the walk: How managers can influence the quality of work‐life balance in a construction project
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
ISSN: 1753-8378
Article publication date: 14 September 2010
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry in Australia is characterised by a long work‐hours culture, with conditions that make it difficult for staff to balance their work and non‐work lives. The objective of this paper is to measure the success of a work‐place intervention designed to improve work‐life balance (WLB) in an alliance project in the construction industry, and the role the project manager plays in this success.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on an alliance case study. Interviews were conducted at two points in time, several months apart, after the interventions were implemented.
Findings
Results showed that staff on the whole were more satisfied with their work experience after the interventions, and indicated the important role that managers' attitudes and behaviours played.
Originality/value
Managerial support for work‐life initiatives is a critical element in achieving WLB and satisfaction with working arrangements. The fact that the manager “talked the talk and walked the walk” was a major contributing success factor, which has not previously been demonstrated.
Keywords
Citation
Bradley, L., Brown, K., Lingard, H., Townsend, K. and Bailey, C. (2010), "Talking the talk and walking the walk: How managers can influence the quality of work‐life balance in a construction project", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 589-603. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538371011076064
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited