Abstract
The aim of this investigation was to examine the work restructuring levels of managers in the South African automotive industry and how these levels are affected by the global economic recession. Work restructuring was investigated from the perspective of the managers’ work and family involvement levels. Data was gathered using a questionnaire that was e-mailed to automotive industry managers throughout South Africa. Results showed that no significant gender differences occur for work involvement, family involvement or work restructuring. A practically significant, positive relationship exists between family involvement and work restructuring. Furthermore, family involvement levels were shown not to have decreased due to the economic recession. Recommendations for organisations include implementing a gender-neutral work-family policy to assist managers in restructuring their work to accommodate family responsibilities.
Highlights
According to Gambles, Lewis and Rapoport (2006:4), paid work is becoming increasingly invasive and demanding in the lives of individuals, diverting time and energy from other parts of people’s lives that are of equal value to them
In order to understand these issues in relation to the global recession, this study aims to investigate the work restructuring levels, as well as the work and family involvement levels, of managers in the South African (SA) automotive industry
Regardless, the fact that male and female managers are involved in their family domains is a positive result, as this suggests that traditional gender stereotypes and social norms, whereby females are more involved in the area of family responsibilities, is changing
Summary
According to Gambles, Lewis and Rapoport (2006:4), paid work is becoming increasingly invasive and demanding in the lives of individuals, diverting time and energy from other parts of people’s lives that are of equal value to them. Working intensely may yield favourable outcomes, such as high earnings, prestige, satisfaction and promotional opportunities, this may occur only at the expense of minimising non-work obligations in order to have sufficient chance to recover from work efforts (Taris et al, 2006). Various trends, such as having to care for the children of parents who have died from HIV/AIDS, further result in it being difficult for individuals in diverse situations to conform to ‘ideal’ worker assumptions, while simultaneously caring for family members (Gambles, Lewis & Rapoport, 2006:61). Working families that come from developing countries such as South Africa face similar dilemmas to those from industrialised nations in terms of harmonising paid work with other areas of their lives (Heymann, Earle &Hanchate, 2004), but their problems are multiplied by significantly higher care-giving burdens as well as fewer resources
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