Suzan Lewis – författare

But what about the impact this has on men and women’s well being, or the long-term sustainability of people, families, society or even the economy? Drawing from interviews and group meetings in seven diverse countries – India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the UK and USA – this book explores the multiple difficulties in combining paid work with other parts of life and the frustrations people experience in diverse settings. There is a myth that ‘work-life balance’ can be achieved through quick fixes rather than challenging the place of paid work in people’s lives and the way work actually gets done. As well as exploring contemporary problems, this book attempts to seed hope and new ways of thinking about one of the key challenges of our time.

The volume argues that real progress requires moving the focus from specific policies and practices towards more systemic organizational change. It examines the contexts and opportunities - global, international, national, sociopolitical, legal and economic - for this change. The book concludes that positive solutions are attainable but will require a rethinking of employment, with constructive partnerships at many different levels, and with work and family as a core strategic business issue.

The volume argues that real progress requires moving the focus from specific policies and practices towards more systemic organizational change. It examines the contexts and opportunities - global, international, national, sociopolitical, legal and economic - for this change. The book concludes that positive solutions are attainable but will require a rethinking of employment, with constructive partnerships at many different levels, and with work and family as a core strategic business issue.

The growing use of illicit drugs among women has become a major concern for health professionals and social services. The reluctance of drug-using women to seek help from drug agencies and to disclose their use of drugs to ante-natal, midwifery and social services is now officially recognised by government agencies. However, devising an appropriate strategy that will overcome these fears will not be easy without a better understanding of their causes and effects.

Drug Misuse and Motherhood gives drug-using mothers a voice. Based on longitudinal research and in-depth interviews it provides new insights and much-needed information in five key areas:

* family life* pregnancy* motherhood* service delivery and development* implications for policy.

The user-perspective of this book is balanced by the professional viewpoint on the same issues. It offers a unique source of data for researchers and fresh inspiration for practitioners working in the field.

The growing use of illicit drugs among women has become a major concern for health professionals and social services. The reluctance of drug-using women to seek help from drug agencies and to disclose their use of drugs to ante-natal, midwifery and social services is now officially recognised by government agencies. However, devising an appropriate strategy that will overcome these fears will not be easy without a better understanding of their causes and effects.

Drug Misuse and Motherhood gives drug-using mothers a voice. Based on longitudinal research and in-depth interviews it provides new insights and much-needed information in five key areas:

* family life* pregnancy* motherhood* service delivery and development* implications for policy.

The user-perspective of this book is balanced by the professional viewpoint on the same issues. It offers a unique source of data for researchers and fresh inspiration for practitioners working in the field.

This book reflects the enormous interest in work-life balance and current pressing concerns about the impacts of austerity more broadly. It draws on contemporary research and practitioner experiences to explore how work-life balance and related workplace and social policy fare in turbulent economic times and the implications for employees, employers and wider societies. Authors consider workplace trends, practices and employment relations and the impacts on work, care and well-being of diverse workers. A guiding theme throughout the book is a triple agenda of supporting employee work-life balance, workplace effectiveness and social justice. The final chapters present case studies of innovative processes and organizational practices for addressing the triple agenda, note the important role of social policy context and discuss the challenge of extending debates on work-life balance to include a social justice dimension.

This book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students of organisational psychology, sociology, human resource management, management and business studies, law and social policy, as well as employers, managers, HR managers, trade unions, and policy makers.

Across Europe the importance of reconciling paid work and family life is increasingly recognised by a range of diverse government regulations and organisational initiatives. At the same time, employing organisations and the nature of work are undergoing massive and rapid changes, in the context of global competition, efficiency drives, as well as social and economic transformations in emerging economies. 

"Work, families and organisations in transition" illustrates how workplace practices and policies impact on employees'' experiences of "work-life balance" in contemporary shifting contexts. Based upon cross-national case studies of public and private sector workplaces carried out in Bulgaria, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK, this innovative book demonstrates the challenges that parents face as they seek to negotiate work and family boundaries. The case studies demonstrate that employed parents'' needs and experiences depend on many layers of context - global, European, national, workplace and family.

This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students of organisational psychology, sociology, management and business studies, human resource management, social policy, as well as employers, managers, trade unions and policy makers.