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Vrije Universiteit Brussel Juggling three life spheres in local politics in Belgium Emery, Laura; Meier, Petra; Mortelmans, Dimitri Published in: The Work-Life Balance Bulletin Publication date: 2019 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Emery, L., Meier, P., & Mortelmans, D. (2019). Juggling three life spheres in local politics in Belgium. The Work- Life Balance Bulletin, 3(1), 14-17. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 03. Oct. 2021 The Work-Life Balance Bulletin A DOP Publication Vol. 3, No. 1, Summer 2019 Message from the Co-chairs Almuth McDowall & Gail Kinman Almuth McDowall Gail Kinman Work-life balance: European insights and no one stays after hours, and short HIS EDITORIAL was written as one working weeks are common. In practice, this of us (Almuth McDowall) enjoyed means that academics don’t always find it Ta visiting professorship for a month at easy to request equipment, get support with the University of Aix-Marseille in Provence, other tasks and so on, increasing workloads. in the laboratory of Social Psychology. This Naturally, I was also keen to hear more provided rich and fertile ground not only about experiences in the private sector. for academic and theoretical exchange, Again, anecdotal evidence was similar – but also to discuss working practices more having a law does not equate changes in widely – with a particular focus of course on policy or practice, even where organisations academia! had gone as far as to draw up a charter, there It’s now three years ago that France seemed little evidence that this was taken up passed a law to allow employees to discon- in practice. nect from email, and have time off as It was noticeable though, for someone organisations above a certain size need who is used to wolfing down a salad whilst to draw up a charter in consultation with sitting at her desk, that French colleagues their employees. Naturally, one of my first allowed far more time for lunch together questions to my colleagues was ‘So, has and informal gatherings and also greeting this worked?’ ‘Mais non’, was the emphatic each other in the corridor each day. This answer, as our academic colleagues are makes for a more relaxed, welcoming and working just as hard as we do in the United informal atmosphere. There has been much Kingdom (UK), particularly in early career talk this week about the UK universities roles. Weekend and evening work is routine, becoming stressful and ‘unkind’ places with and emails from students are abundant and little room for interaction and checking in never ending. One of the reasons for this on people. My visit to France brought home is that French universities are reluctant to how important these regular informal check embrace technology, so online learning points are, and that we should make more environments are not common in public time to connect with each other. Social universities. This means that questions support is crucial for good work-life balance are direct and unfiltered, as there are for (Kossek et al., 2011), but we need to find instance no discussion forums, meaning ways of strengthening and legitimising such a lot of queries are duplicated. So in theory, support. colleagues would like to disconnect more, in Other aspects which we discussed was practice this is difficult to achieve. However, the ‘gig economy’, not least as permanent the influence of the unions is much stronger lectureships are hard to come by in France in France. Indeed, administrative staff in now. Many early career researchers take on the university work a very routine schedule posts with little job security and work extra – long lunch breaks from 12 to 2 are sacred hard in the hope of being able to hold on The Work-Life Balance Bulletin: A DOP Publication, Volume 3, No. 1, Summer 2019 1 Almuth McDowall & Gail Kinman to their current positions. Of course, we event during National Work-Life Week at the have seen similar trends in the UK, across British Psychological Society on 14 October different sectors. Our recent work with 2019, save the date! Dr Marina Burakova Parents in the Performing Arts indicates that from the University of Aix-Marseille has been self-employment is rife in this industry, as invited as our keynote to present data from 58 per cent of the people surveyed work French academics on work-life balance; an freelance, compared to 15 per cent in the interview with her will feature in our next general population. Not surprisingly, partici- edition. pants reported lower work-life balance, higher job insecurity, low employability A bientôt! yet also high engagement, indicative of a ‘precarious’ profession where people feel Professor Almuth McDowall very passionate about what they do, yet make [email protected] sacrifices. Professor Gail Kinman We will debate such current issues at an [email protected] References Kossek, E.E., Pichler, S., Bodner, T. & Hammer, L.B. (2011). Workplace social support and work– family conflict: A meta-analysis clarifying the influence of general and work–family-specific supervisor and organizational support. Personnel Psychology, 64(2), 289–313. doi:10.1111/j.1744- 6570.2011.01211.x To download the PiPA report, please go to: http://www.pipacampaign.com/balancing-act- survey/ Celebrating ten years of the DOP’s Work-Life Balance Working Group An event for National Work Life Week Date: 14 October 12:15pm–5:00pm Location: Tabernacle Street Join us for a thought-provoking afternoon celebrating ten years of the Work-Life Balance Working Group and setting the agenda for the next ten years. During the afternoon a range of high-profile speakers will provide an overview of current and emergent issues in work-life balance; and participants will be invited to help us shape our future agenda. We are delighted that Dr Marina Burakova from the University of Aix Marseille will be joining us as keynote speaker. Marina will be sharing her research into the work-life balance challenges faced by French academics. Other speakers will focus on work-life balance in relation to precarious work, multi-cultural organisations and supporting organisations through change We only have space for a limited number of delegates and will shortly be disseminating more information and a link to book your place. 2 The Work-Life Balance Bulletin: A DOP Publication, Volume 3, No. 1, Summer 2019 Message from the Editor Roxane L. Gervais Roxane Gervais WRITE THIS message having just returned message is brief as the focus is on work-life from the European Association of Work balance and politicians. I and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) Of course, this edition has a few of the congress in Torino, Italy. The Division of ‘normal’ features, such as the international Occupational Psychology (DOP) was well piece, in which Fang Lee Cooke provides represented with members presenting us with an overview of work-life balance in symposia on return to work, the political China. It provides us with an interesting sphere, work engagement, and assessment. insight into a country of 1.4 billion people The Division had an exhibitor’s stand also that covers close to 20 per cent of the to promote the 2021 congress which will world’s population. As Fang notes, China has be held in Glasgow and organised by the the largest global industrial workforce, so is BPS/DOP. This is very exciting and a good one for which we would want to understand opportunity to have the largest gathering of how it addresses those work and life issues occupational/work/organisational/indus- that arise. I found the article fascinating and trial psychologists on our home turf. I hope you do also. With a congress of just over 1900 dele- In another segment, John Hackston gates it was challenging to attend all of the covers those work-life balance issues that arise papers that I wanted to attend. However, among those who work in the gig economy. I managed to attend a few, and there will be As limited research exists at present on the an overview of the work-life material from the gig economy, this article offers context about congress in the next edition of the bulletin. a group of workers on which much more This edition of the bulletin has a political research is required to understand their slant, with Dr Ashley Weinberg, in his guest work/life needs. editor role, providing an edition that looks So enjoy, and we will catch up in the at work-life balance in the political sphere. winter edition. This is timely given the visibility of politics across the globe, and perhaps allows us to Dr Roxane L. Gervais realise that politicians are people too. My [email protected] The Work-Life Balance Bulletin: A DOP Publication, Volume 3, No. 1, Summer 2019 3 Welcome to this issue (Guest Editor) Ashley Weinberg Ashley Weinberg AY IS A busy month, but none quite issue isn’t designed to initiate self-loathing so busy in politics as the month just or indeed other-loathing, rather to invite Mpast, with two elections taking place you to consider the lives of one occupational and with May giving way to what follows in group traditionally ignored by researchers every sense.
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