Bachelor Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Personnel and Organisation, grade: 1,3, Ashcroft International Business School Cambridge (International Management), course: Undergraduate Major Project, language: English, abstract: Table of ContentsAbstract iiiList of Tables ivList of Figures v1. Introduction 11.1. ...

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Leadership and Human Resource Management - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,3, Ashcroft International Business School Cambridge (International Management), course: Undergraduate Major Project, language: English, abstract: Table of ContentsAbstract iiiList of Tables ivList of Figures v1. Introduction 11.1. Background to the study 11.2. Objectives of the study 41.3. Layout of the study 51.4. Usefulness of the study 52. Literature Review 62.1. Introduction 62.2. History of the term Work-life balance 62.3. Defining the term Work-life balance 72.4. The complexity of Work-life balance 102.5. Reasons for the increasing popularity of Work-life balance 112.6. Cultural Research on Work-life balance 133. Research Methodology 163.1. Introduction 163.2. Research Objectives 163.3. Research Design 173.5. Reliability and Validity 213.6. Data Analysis 224. Findings and Results 234.1. Introduction 234.2. The results of the U.S. questionnaire 234.3. German pilot study 255. Analysis 285.1. Introduction 285.2. Change of society 285.3. Demographic changes 315.4. Business pressures 335.5. Intercultural Work-life balance differences between Germany and the U.S. 336. Conclusions and Recommendations 376.1. Introduction 376.2. Reasons for the popularity 376.3. Cultural Differences 386.4. Limitations of the study 396.5. Future Research and Recommendations 397. References vi8. Appendices ixThe term “Work-life balance” has become very popular over the past decades due to several reasons. For example, the demographic changeand business pressure to be the “employer of choice” in order to attract a decreasing numberof skilled workforce cause companies all around the world to offer Work-life balance policiesthat aim at supporting their employees in creating a healthy and productive balance betweentheir working and private life.Moreover, certain differences between cultures in terms of the employees’ Work-life balancesand the employers’ approaches to it can be noticed. As this dissertation concentrated on thedifferences between the U.S. and German culture, it compared a questionnaire filled out by anAmerican employee working for an American company to a pilotstudy of German companies. Differences were discovered in the attitude towards the Worklifebalance of the leadership within a company. Also, the offerings of sport- and leisurefacilities differed as well as family-friendly policies.Finally, the dissertation came to the conclusion that Work-life balance policies have to becustomised to the respective culture of the employees in order to be really efficient.