Abstract:

Family-Friendly Work Practices (FFWPs) have become a core feature of the suite of HR-related benefits offered to some employee groups. Extant research has shown these practices to be associated with positive employee and organisational outcomes, such as lower employer turnover, higher job satisfaction, and improved retention after maternity leave. However, this literature focuses predominantly on the consequences of FFWPs and does not adequately address the antecedents of their adoption. This oversight means that the mechanisms through which these practices come to be adopted are not fully understood. Using a sample of 9,000 Indian firms drawn from the World Bank Enterprise Survey, we examine the association between enterprises’ provision of training and the adoption of FFWPs and how contextual factors (financial constraints, informal competition, and state support) moderate this relationship is influenced by. Combining the behavioural theory of the firm with the ‘institutional voids’ to form our theoretical framework, we find that firm-level training significantly increases childcare adoption and high-performing family-friendly status. However, these effects are neutralised by financial constraints and informal competition, underscoring the necessity of state support.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Human Resource Management

Keywords: International HRM;Training and development

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Prof Matthew Allen