Work Family Balance

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Work-family Conflict Overtime women participation in the workplace has increased which has led to work-family conflict (WFC) (Baird, 2011). The dual role of paid work and motherhood has created this WFC (Wattis, Standing &Yerkes, 2013). WFC can be defined as a “specific form of interrole conflict in which pressures from work are incompatible with pressures from family (work) role” (Allen et al., 2013, p.2). Work can interfere with family (WIF) and family can interfere with work (FIW) (Allen et al., 2013 & Porter & Ayman, 2010). WFC issue in HRM practices as it can affect organisational effectiveness (Brunetto, Wharton, Ramsay & Shacklock, 2010). Government and the Social Contract Recently there has been an emergent of labour market shortage as a result of ageing population and decrease in fertility rates in Australia (Baird 2011). The Australian Government has impacted working families by introducing new employment legislation and overturning Work Place Choices (Baird 2011; Waterhouse). Work place choices focused on decreasing government intervention and left negotiations including family policies up to the employer and employee (Baird 2011). This employment legislation has impacted the social contract of work and inturn has affected human resources. (Baird 2011) Social contract defined by Krochan (1999), as, “the mutual expectation and obligations that employees and society at large has for work and employment relationships” (cited in Baird 2011). This social contract impacts the psychological contract of the employee with employer (Baird 2011). Workplace Flexibility Recently the Australian Government has introduced provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009 as part of national employment standards (NES). The provisions are the ‘right to request’ (RTR) for workplace flexibility or unpaid parental leave (Fair Work Act 2009). RTR for work flexibility involves

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