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Item Permanent part-time work : the perspectives of managers in two New Zealand government departments : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 1994) Thomas, Heather GailThis study explores the experiences of managers within two New Zealand government departments with permanent part-time work. The research strategy incorporates an extensive literature review and an exploratory, qualitative empirical study. The literature review identifies labour demand and supply factors which influence the use of part-time work; examines theoretical perspectives on reasons for its structure as permanent or casual work; and identifies organisational context factors, personal factors, and operating and cost factors which influence managers' decisions on use. Existing studies consistently report strong operating and cost advantages arising from the use of permanent part-time work. In spite of this, and in spite of the reported needs of a growing proportion of the workforce, relatively few organisations have institutionalised permanent part-time work options. Much of the literature thus focuses on documenting the relatively poor conditions of part-time workers, or on prescribing a widening of permanent part-time work opportunities. Very little research has considered permanent part-time work from the manager's perspective. The present study therefore sets out to build on the handful of studies which have done so. The empirical part of this study involved in-depth interviews with 24 managers in the Department of Social Welfare and the Inland Revenue Department, and a nominee for the State Services Commissioner. Managers at each level of the hierarchy in the two departments, and in both line and staff positions, were included. Factors influencing the managers' use and experience of permanent part-time work were identified and explored. Models of the organisational use of permanent part-time work and of the managerial decision process were generated. In contrast to the major reported management studies, where permanent part-time work was usually initiated by managers to address specific operating or cost needs of organisations, in this study, use was usually initiated by staff requests for reduced hours of work. The staff-driven process of use arose because of permanent part-time work policy and related policies on Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO). In fact, due to staff reductions and to past institutional rigidities, managers had been largely constrained from initiating permanent part-time positions to address operating needs. Where they had used permanent part-time staff, managers reported them to be highly productive, and stated that their use had almost always contributed positively to organisational objectives. In those instances where it had not, the difficulty could be traced to teething problems in implementing a form of work which was not as yet well understood, rather than to any intrinsic characteristic of permanent part-time work. These observations suggest that the potential of permanent part-time work to enhance organisational efficiency has been largely unexplored in the organisations studied. They may also suggest that managers can simultaneously pursue goals of operating and cost efficiency, and goals of "good employer" practice in relation to permanent part-time work. Further, they may indicate that even in the absence of pressing operating needs, permanent part-time work can be introduced successfully through policy changes.Item An in-depth study into how organisational wellness programmes impact the work-life balance of CPIT's female part-time employees : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Business Studies in Human Resources Management at Massey University, Extramural, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Miles, Laura ElizabethThe purpose of this research was to gain an in- depth understanding of the organisational wellness programmes that contribute to and impact on the work- life balance of current female, part- time employee’s at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT). The literature review has shown that although there has been extensive research conducted in the areas of work- life balance, organisational wellness programmes, flexible working arrangements and part- time employees, these topics have not been widely researched specifically looking at the impact of these factors on part- time employees. Some of the main literature findings include the idea that an employee’s wellbeing is holistic and because employees spend a lot of time in the workplace, it is important that the organisation recognises this and develops a workplace that contributes to their employee’s wellbeing and happiness. Unfortunately for some employees many organisations do not see employee wellness as a crucial workplace priority but rather as something that is nice to have. It is significant that this study focused on part- time employees, as working part- time has become an international phenomenon, with a substantial increase in the numbers of part-time workers occurring over the last twenty-five years. The methodology that was used for this research was a single organisation case study, which included semi- structured interviews, an analysis on policies and guidelines, and data from previous research. The main findings show that the interviewees use a wide range of organisational wellness programmes and benefits, and these make a positive contribution to their lives, work and their ability to achieve and maintain a work- life balance. They have many different motivations to voluntarily work part- time hours but the most common was the ability to be able to spend time with their families and children. Working part- time allows them to achieve a work- life balance and to spend more time doing things that they enjoy such as hobbies which helps to maintain that balance. This research contributes to the gap in the part- time employee literature and encourages other researchers to pursue further research in this area. It would be beneficial to conduct follow up research with the same group of employees to measure any change in attitude and perception towards their workplace, as it was apparent conducting the interviews that they were starting to realise just how much they value and enjoy their workplace, the benefits, wellness programmes and the ability to work flexibly.