3 Review(s)

With the rapid growth of Asian economies and growing work, family and personal life demands, this book addresses a critical topic. The well-being of societies, families and workers is of increasing social and economic importance. The book will be a valuable addition for anyone who wants to understand the similarities and differences in how work-life dynamics are unfolding across Asia.' - Ellen Ernst Kossek, Purdue University, Krannert School of Management, US 'Through its focus on work-life balance in Asian societies this much needed collection, edited by Luo Lu and Cary L. Cooper, addresses a significant omission in the field. Since the 1980s, research on the balance between employment and family commitments has grown massively. Yet most studies are based on Euro-American samples. The Handbook of Research on Work-Life Balance in Asia shifts this emphasis on Europe and the USA, mapping how work-life balance is negotiated within Asian societies such as China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. It offers state-of-the-art views on how work-life balance in Asia is experienced from a range of angles: individual, organizational and societal. In so doing, it contributes important new perspectives to the work-life balance field.' - Caroline Gatrell, Lancaster University Management School, UK In Asian societies, work and family issues are only recently beginning to gain attention. The pressure of rapid social change and increasing global competition is compounded by the long hours work culture, especially in the Pan-Confucian societies such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. Furthermore, with the rising female labor participation, more and more Asian employees are now caught between the demands of work and family life. The aim of this Handbook is, thus, to shed new light on work life balance in Asia by adopting a distinct Asian perspective in theory, research and practice. It provides a state-of-the-art collection of evidence from studies, and empirical research, to explain why and how work and family interference arises and affects well-being for Asian adults; and further address the topics through both a mono-cultural and cross-cultural analysis, with the help of expert contributors in the field. Students and scholars will find the comprehensive and updated review of empirical evidence useful in their research. The book also provides a thoughtful reflection on governmental and organizational family-friendly practices in major Asian societies, which will be of interest to practitioners in the field of management, business and investing. Contributors: P. Brough, D.E. Caughlin, C.-L. Chang, F.M. Cheung, E. Cho, C.L. Cooper, T. Kalliath, C.-W. Koh, Y. Li, H. Liu, C.-q. Lu, J. Lu, L. Lu, N.D. Mohd Mahudin, N.M. Noor, M. O'Driscoll, A. Shimazu, O.-L. Siu, J. Sun, H.-L.S. Tien, C. Timms, J.F. Uen, Y.-C. Wang, J.-M. Woo, T. Wu, X.-m. Xu