Work-Life Balance for All
How individuals and organisations manage and support a positive work and non-work interface, also commonly known as work-life balance, has been object of investigation for the last decades. Yet, caveats, gaps, and questions remain. For example, is work-nonwork interface experienced and supported equally in organisations and businesses across all the demographic groups? Is there any discrepancy of formal and informal support for individuals differentiated by parenthood and relationships status? (e.g., parents vs childfree individuals?).
These are some of the questions the VIP project ‘A balanced work-nonwork interface for all?’ aims to explore, and address.
This project is looking for project members who are passionate about workplace issues and dynamics, and especially about how work and life outside work (e.g., leisure, recreation, childcare, family life) intersect, are experienced, and managed at individual and organisational levels.
This project is intentionally broad in scope, at least in its initial phases, and welcomes students’ ideas and contributions, from conceptual to empirical research.
The starting research questions, which we will refine as we discuss our interests, are:
- How is work-nonwork interface shaped by parenthood and relationships status? (This aims to investigate whether there are differential mechanisms and challenges according to, for instance, having or not a partner/spouse, and/or children)
- Are there any differences between men and women in how the work-nonwork interface is experienced, and managed? What are the consequences for employment and career opportunities?
This project has an initial proposed focus on family businesses, which given their presence in our surrounding community, offer the scope of primary data collection. This focus will be discussed and refined with the team members of this project.
Expected outputs:
- Greater and granular understanding of current state-of-the-art of the literature on the topic, emerging trends (also linked to socio-economic trends), and potential gaps and caveats (terminological, conceptual, and empirical).
- Understanding of research in terms of qualitative and quantitative methods, and what we can derive from both, what are strengths and weaknesses of methods, and how they inform our considerations.
- Refinement of research questions, and formulation of new research questions.
- Potential formulation of a larger research project.
- Potential impact-related outcomes: production of a report, to be shared internally, especially on differences across demographic groups. Show-case research from VIPs. Potential reports for businesses.
Candidate eligibility
We encourage students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to apply. The project is currently only accepting to 2000, 3000 and 4000 level students.
The project might be particularly attractive to students from Management, Psychology, Economics, Anthropology, Philosophy, IR, and other Social Sciences.
Please ensure you check eligibility for your school on the advising into VIP modules webpage.
Eligibility
- Single and Joint Honours Management Students
Management Students (Single and Joint Honours) in the Department of Management in Year 2, 3 or 4 MUST take this VIP for 20 credits only (not for 10 or 15 or 30).
Management Students (Single and Joint Honours) in the Department of Management (Honours: Years 3 and 4) CAN ONLY take this VIP module IF they have NOT already substituted 20 MN coded Honours level module credits (at 3000 level or 4000 level) with another VIP, or ID module or Module in another School.
In other words: If an Honours: 3rd or 4th year Management Student (Single and Joint Honours) has already substituted a 20 MN coded Honours module credits for a VIP, ID module or for a module in another school, then they CANNOT take this VIP.
- Triple Honours Management Students
These students CANNOT take any VIP in Honours: 3rd and 4th year.
- Students in other disciplines and departments/schools outside the Business School
These Students can take this VIP, subjected to the conditions of their degree and department/school.
A VIP Module Coordinator’s role is to assess the motivations letters from the students. Eligibility needs to be checked in any case with Honours Adviser(s). The onus is on the student to contact their Honours Adviser(s).
Apply now!
Application for Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) modules for 2026-2027
Questions? Write to [email protected]