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Managers’ roles in WLB can centre on involvement in policy development and, critically, on policy implementation, as indicated earlier (Renwick, 2003; MacNeil, 2003). Tombari and Spinks (1999) identify from their research that management support is crucial to WLB initiatives. Similarly Kropf (1999) comments that poor supervisor skills and behaviours can inhibit WLB in practice. Where there is resistance from managers on WLB, Watkins (1995) proposes ways of overcoming defensive reasoning on WLB, emphasising the role of organisational culture in supporting WLB. Several researchers comment on the significance of organisational culture in WLB (Kramar, 1997; Gonyea and Googins 1992; Tombari and Spinks, 1999; Kropf, 1999; Shabi, 2002). Glynn et al. (2002, p. 8) highlight the significance of managers in this respect:“…whether an individual feels able to discuss issues outside of work, request different ways of working and believe that the organisation genuinely enables balance will depend considerably on the skills of the manager in creating an open communication culture of trust and respect”.MaxwellThese negative outcomes reflect an underlying paradigm in which the norm or mainstream mode ofwork continued to be full-time (only 15 per cent of men worked on a part-time basis as at August200822) and an unwritten workplace culture that expected employees to work beyond full-time hours(the Australia Institute estimated that in 2009 full-time employees worked an additional 70 minutes 1. What is the impetus for flexible work practices and work redesign?Prior to the GED the burning platform for flexible work practices could be conceptualised ascomprising three elements – all of them employee-centred. The first element focussed on attractingand retaining women as a critical source of labour, the second on the quality of family life arisingfrom work/family conflict, and the third on the unmet need for flexibility in relation to employeegroups beyond women with children.Firstly, in relation to the attraction and retention of women it was argued that flexible work practicesenabled women to integrate their work and caring responsibilities, and in particular that part-timeTop of my list is how workplace flexibility went from something that was employee initiated (and begrudgingly accommodated) to something that was employer initiated and perceived as a win-win. And this is related to a second revelation, human talent is precious.work enabled mothers to care for young children and continue paid work. The force of thisargument is reflected in the significant drop in full-time labour force participation rates for womenaged 25-34 years, corresponding to the years of early child-rearing, and an increase in part-timework18. However as a result of women accessing part-time work in increasing numbers (as atNovember 2008, 45 per cent of employed women worked on a part-time basis19), it became clearthat there were hidden disadvantages. These disadvantages included a lack of quality part-timework20 and limited access to managerial roles on a part-time basis21.
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