Work-life Balance Decision-making of Norwegian Students: Implications for Human Resources Management

Abstract

Objective: The paper aims at identifying and assessing the significance of work-life balance determinants between the Youth of highly developed societies and its implications for human resources management on the example of Norway.

Research Design & Methods: The research target group consists of 236 respondents recruited among Norwegian tertiary education students. It employed literature analysis, two-stage exploratory research: direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a self-administered, web-based questionnaire with single-answer, limited choice qualitative & quantitative, as well as explanatory research (informal moderated group discussions).

Findings: The research on perceptions of determinants of quality of life and attractiveness of life strategies shows that in a country with relatively high socio-economic development level, such as Norway, differences in rankings do exist. They can be observed in relevance to both material and non-material QoL determinants.

Implications & Recommendations: The study revealed a need for deeper research on individually driven early decision-making of future employees and entrepreneurs. This will result in closer modelling of socio-economic phenomena, including more accurate adaptation to trends on the labour market and creation of new business models

Contribution & Value Added: Research value added comes from the comparison of perceptions of quality of life determinants between countries at various stages of socio-economic development and its implications for human resource management.

Keywords

determinants of quality of life, work-life balance, qualitative-quantitative research, human resources, decision-making,

Author Biography

Remigiusz Gawlik

Associate Professor at Cracow University of Economics (Poland), Faculty of Economics and International Relations, International Economics Department. PhD in Economics at Cracow University of Economics (Poland). Alumnus of the College of Europe (Belgium & Poland). Certified Gestalt Counsellor and consultant in business communication. His scientific interests include modelling of decision-making processes in various fields of management.

Gorm Jacobsen

Associate Professor at the University of Agder (Norway), Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Department of Working Life and Innovation. Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Lund (Sweden), Master Economics from the University of Oslo (Norway). His scientific interests include transformation from centrally planned economy to market economy and its implications.

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