Abstract

Work-life studies address an individual's need to reconcile work and non-work aspects of life. With the increasing demands in both spheres, organizations have responded by developing policies and programs aimed at alleviating conflict and providing support for workers. However, the concepts of work-life balance and work-life conflict were constructed within a particular time and place and thus may be culture and context-specific. Despite an increasing trend in cross-cultural work-life studies, most research has focused on developed countries and a key issue remains examining whether theories, models and findings are valid in a less comparable setting. The present research contributes to this understanding by examining the work-life interface from the perspective of human resource professionals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Findings suggest that there is little organizational support beyond what is mandated by the government and the prevalence of informal arrangements. In addition, there is a remarkable difference in terms of work-life provisions between Brazilian and multinational firms.