Work and Non-work Balance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Work and Non-work Balance - Essay Example This work has some special features that are different in nature. Though various people see it from contrasting perspectives the basic background of work is similar to that of others. In work there must be one or more activities in exchange for which the workers who perform the completion of the work deserve monetary compensation. This is easily explained from the economic background. It goes without saying that a person has to take into account his or her valuable time and effort in performing work to serve others’ interest. Non work issues can be explained from different perspectives and among them the social context is the most popular. The social perspective focuses on the leisure activities the workers do or like to do, which are beyond the scope of interest of the business or other obligations (Beauregard, 2006). Thus the work and non-work issues continue to attract strong debate. In order to understand the situation between the work and non-work issues one has to have a good grasp of the issues separately. Work comes in various kinds and dimensions. Williams’s (2007) Typology of Work describes work as paid or unpaid and obligatory or voluntary involvement of person for the economic well-being of society; other writers have put emphasis on the declared work and formal employment (Review Eby et al., 2005). However, the concept of work has greatly evolved over the past few years. People are now viewed as more than a corporate resource. But the present issue which has adversely affected not only individuals but whole communities is the work-life balance and its effect upon every aspect of life. This underscores the urgency of identifying the non-work issues (Arnold et al, 1995). Non-work issues are multifaceted, complex and dispersed, but they are simplistically identified as the concerns external to the direct business activity. Parker (2004) describes the non-work issues as the outer part of the actual work life which is very much connected w ith personal life. The leisure period has been stressed on by some writers, while others have described the various leisure-related dimensions outside the scope of work. Relationship between the work and non-work issues are conventional and quite obtrusive in nature. These two issues frequently overlap each other (Kossel, and Colquittand, 2001). There are various relationships between the work and non-work issues and some of them are easily understood. A recent study shows the spillover cost and benefit, neutrality, opposition and compensation benefits denote some of the specific relationships that may be examined by academic researchers. Several non-work issues that have implications on work-related effects include absenteeism, social expectation, frequent or lengthy travel between the home and the workplace (Parker, 1982). An important non-work issue is the family and personal life complexity as a result of or exacerbated by the stress of the work issues. Concluded spill over is a consistent outcome of work in the contemporary economy. Different employees are coping with strategies driven by contrasting labour processes and labour market positions. More family friendly policies involving long hours and a more permeable work life boundary are promoting the work-life balance. Though the work and non-work issues are different in nature they constantly impact upon each other mutually and drastically (Rain et al, 1991). But work environment enables the workers to learn new skills and to know the unknown which helps them to develop their self identity. Simultaneously, the emotional well-being, work satisfaction, leisure period, and the leeway to choose –

Communication and Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Communication and Conflict - Essay Example There was a time when I had placed my homework on my classroom desk, but when I turned around it was gone. My seatmate said the class bully pilfered it when I was not looking, but I was too scared to confront him. I suffered a â€Å"no homework† mark on that day, but I would rather have had that grade than confront the bully. I avoided conflict as much as possible, but most especially with him. There was not much criteria that went into that decision; it was purely fear and a desire for self preservation. I felt that confronting him would only make me a more appealing target for him, so I maintained a low profile, thinking that we won’t be classmates forever anyway. I was glad when the classes were reshuffled and we had different classmates the following year. â€Å"HE SAID, SHE SAID† A Case Study 1. Overview of the case The case deals with a family whose members are currently experiencing conflicts of relationships. The causes of conflict are typical for most fa milies: a teen-ager who tests his parent’s limits, a mother who tends to be lenient towards her son, and a father-figure who has difficulty asserting his authority partly because of his informal role in the family (i.e., as the mother’s fiance). 2. Presentation of the key facts Marie, an adult college student and mother of fifteen-year-old son Lenny, gives him a scolding when he comes home too late without calling. She attempts to impose a 10 p.m. curfew on her son for the next four weekends. Marie resents her fiance Mike’s intervention when he breaks off the scolding and puts off the discussion for the next day. She points out that he has no authority in the discipline of her son. The following day, Marie ignores Mike’s approach at reconciliation, but quickly forgives and forgets her son’s transgression of the previous night. Mike and Lenny leave, both of them forgetting to greet Marie on her birthday. 3. Source of conflict Marie: There are two ru nning conflicts involving Marie, one with Lenny and the other with Mike. The conflict with Lenny has to do with his seeming disregard for her as a person of authority. Lenny coming home late without calling, and getting away with irresponsible acts. At first, Marie was aggressive-assertive in nagging Lenny. Marie used threat of punishment in an attempt, or maybe a guise, to discipline, but even the relatively light penalty of coming home before 10 on Saturdays seemed a tentative punishment, which Marie did not appear to seriously have the resolve to carry out. The following day, she employed avoidance by denying there was a conflict. Marie rationalized her son’s actions by telling herself that he was a good boy and did not do anything really wrong. The second conflict involving Marie is her perception of Mike’s interference in and disapproval of the way she disciplines her son. When Lenny arrived home late, she initially addressed this conflict by competition with Mike . The following day, she used avoidance by being noncommittal when Mike approached to kiss her. Mike: Mike’s source of conflict is Marie’s failure to discipline her son. Uses avoidance, at least when the conflict is still heated and confrontation is high. While he is non confrontational, however, Mike seeks to engage the issues when he perceives that temperatures have gone down. Mike may try to assert himself, but in this situation, being only a boyfriend to Lenny’s mother. Strictly speaking, it is not his place to discipline his girlfriend’