Work-life balance under challenging financial and economic conditions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse perceptions of institutional pressures on employers to improve the work-life balance in challenging environments with difficult financial and economic conditions and to classify organisations according to these perceptions. Design/methodology/approach – Using survey data from 146 Spanish private firms in different industries, the cluster analysis was conducted. Findings – The analysis clearly shows the existence of three different groups of companies according to their perception of coercive, mimetic and normative pressures, and the different characteristics of the groups. The perceptions of institutional pressures determine the stance of the company with regard to work-life balance. Research limitations/implications – Despite the changing economic context, it seems important to analyse the existence of environmental pressures to encourage work-life balance. Social implications – Spain still has a long way to go in the diffusion of work-life practices. Originality/value – This paper explores the institutional pressures on employers to improve work-life balance in a crisis context, and in a non-Anglo-Saxon country, showing that companies pay attention to the dynamics of the environment in which the company operates, and do not only consider economic reasons.