Consuelo León Llorente, Phd

Sociology Department

Faculty of Comunication

International University of Catalonia

Barcelona

Spain

cleonllorente@gmail.com

Abstract: Despite the many laws that have been passed to help people reconcile work, family and personal lives, many organizations still refuse to treat it as a priority. In this context the key question: What factors are decisive in the flexible culture of Spanish companies in order to improve work family conflict?

Given the complexity of the research issue in question, the author tried to approach this phenomenon from different viewpoints,  that is applying both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The wealth of a database of 4,781 companies (3,285 PYMES – Small and Medium-sized Companies – and 1,496 large companies) that replied to the survey during a time of prosperity in Spain (2003 – 2007) and the profusion of information collected from detailed surveys and interviews carried out on three companies allow us to arrive at solid conclusions about the research issue in question.

Key words: work-family, flexibility, innovation.

IV. Research results and conclusions.

A. Quantitative study

• In general terms, large businesses, the Service sector and a greater number of women employees favor the existence of reconciliation policies.
• However, despite the fact that size is usually associated with a specific budget for getting such programs off the ground; difficulties in their implementation arise due to the fact that in its turn, leadership is weakened with an increase in the number of employees, branches and company locations. In these situations, new difficulties also arise in internal communication management.
• In the majority of cases, flexible working hours in the Service sector are essential to carrying out the activities proper to such businesses. The reality, however, is that within this sector flexibility plays against the reconciliation culture.
• Program development depends on internal factors within companies such as Leadership, Strategy, Communication and Responsibility, or the responsible implementation of a program - that is why we have called them “facilitators” in this study. Despite the close relationship between leadership and strategy, the relationship between cause and effect occupies fourth place in the structural model. In other words, in Spain, General Management does not provide a great impulse for these programs through specific strategies or budgets.
• Women employees are an important factor in the introduction of flexibility, but above all where services are provided for employees and in the cultural change towards continuous work schedules. Furthermore, more women employees, particularly in PYMES, coincide with stronger leadership. In addition, a high percentage of women employees leads to human resources departments taking personal and family situations into account as criteria in drawing up career paths and in geographical mobility policies as well as in changes or adaption in posts.
• Reconciliation policies attract talent within the job market, particularly feminine talent. In fact, faced with inflexibility, women tend to leave conventional companies and create their own businesses.