TY - JOUR

T1 - The fallacy of integration: 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

U2 - 10.1108/09649420410541254

DO - 10.1108/09649420410541254

M3 - Article

VL - 19

SP - 186

EP - 195

JO - Women in Management Review

JF - Women in Management Review

SN - 0964-9425

IS - 4

ER -