Strategies for closing the gender pay gap Case of California, Luxembourg and the Philippines.

• Thesis title in Czech: Strategie odstranění rozdílů v odměňování žen a mužů. Případ Kalifornie, Lucemburska a Filipín.
• Thesis title in English: Strategies for closing the gender pay gap Case of California, Luxembourg and the Philippines.
• Key words: Work-life balance policies, working women.
• English key words: Work-life balance policies, working women.
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2021/2022
• Thesis type: diploma thesis
• Thesis language: angličtina
• Department: Department of Public and Social Policy (23-KVSP)
• Supervisor: Mgr. Ing. Olga Angelovská, Ph.D.
• Author: hidden - assigned by the advisor
• Date of registration: 28.06.2022
• Date of assignment: 28.06.2022
• Date and time of defence: 11.09.2023 09:00
• Venue of defence: Jinonice - U Kříže 8, Praha 5
• Date of electronic submission: 01.08.2023
• Date of proceeded defence: 11.09.2023
• Opponents: Mirna Jusić, M.A., Ph.D.

References

Greenwood, K. (2022, March 18). Support Women’s Mental Health at Work. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2022/03/how-organizations-can-support-womens-mental-health-at-work
Raja, S., & Stein, S. (2014, June 27). Work–Life Balance: History, Costs, and Budgeting for Balance . Retrieved from National Library of Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079063/
Mamta, K. (2021, June 5). The Importance of Work Life Balance to Employees and Employers. Retrieved from ijariie.com: http://ijariie.com/AdminUploadPdf/The_Importance_of_Work_Life_Balance_to_Employees_and_Employers_ijariie13604.pdf
Bulger, C. (2014). Work-Life Balance. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 1.
Begum, G. T., & Osmany, M. (2019). Work-life balance and mental health of women managers. Indian Association of Health, Research and Welfar, 77.
Manwell, L., Barbic, S., Roberts, K., Durisko, Z., Lee, C., Ware, E., & McKenzie, K. (2015). What is mental health? Evidence towards a new definition from a mixed methods multidisciplinary international survey. National Library of Medicine, 10.
Coca-Cola. (2022, June 8). Human Roghts Overview 2022. Retrieved from Coca Cola.com: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/policies-and-practices
Ashforth, B., Kreiner, G., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a Day'S Work: Boundaries and Micro Role Transitions . Academy of Management Review, 6.
Miller, K. (2019, September 2). What are Mental Health Theories? (Incl. List). Retrieved from Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/mental-health-theories/#theories
Delorme, P., & Chatelain, O. (2011). The Role and Use of Performance Measurement Indicators . Aid Delivery Methods Programme, 8.
World Health Organization. (2022, May 7). Mental Health and Substance Use. Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/promotion-prevention/mental-health-in-the-workplace
Jang, S. J., Park, R., & Zippay, A. (2011). The interaction effects of scheduling control and work–life balance programs on job satisfaction and mental health. International Journal of Social Welfare, 10.
UNISON National. (2022, June 30). Working environment. Retrieved from UNISON National; public service union: https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/knowledge/health-and-safety/working-environment/
Teasdale, N. (2012, February 13). Fragmented Sisters? The Implications of Flexible Working Policies for Professional Women's Workplace Relationships. Retrieved from Wiley Online Library : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2012.00590.x?casa_token=gSsPGKH7KmQAAAAA%3AK4jeHT1K99-zXd6OyZ3GORvccmuNleCCWlGRjQlQC_b66i7Os2HyYAU08Gz9gbqqFkGwjh6Hoy485tg

Preliminary scope of work

Work-life balance is a complex topic for all women, as it impacts practically every part of their lives, including their careers, families, and mental health. The proposed project aims to examine the prevailing case of increased mental health challenges among working women by analysing the role of organizational policies in regulating work-life balance. Although men and women have comparable rates of mental health issues overall, women have hurdles in the workplace regarding mental health. The variety of challenges that women face is wide. For one thing, specific diagnoses are more common in women. They are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Greenwood, 2022).
While there is no universally accepted definition of work-life balance, according to some reports, Job-life balance is the ability to achieve satisfaction in all aspects of one's life, including work and personal life. Other definitions of "balance" refer to equal participation in and contentment with professional and personal life roles (Bulger, 2014).
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, Mental health refers to our ability to feel, think, and act in ways that improve our ability to enjoy life while also dealing with the obstacles we confront. A positive emotional and spiritual sense of well-being values culture, equity, social justice, linkages, and personal dignity (Manwell, et al., 2015).
Work-life balance is not a concept that is exclusive to this generation. Limiting one's work time stems from late-nineteenth-century manufacturing rules that limited women's and children's working hours. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set a 44-hour work week, even though professionals such as doctors were believed to be "on-call" (Raja & Stein, 2014). The term "work-life balance" was coined in the 1980s in the United Kingdom as a Women's Liberation Movement pillar. The movement championed women's rights to flexible schedules and maternity leave.
On the other hand, working women were expected to operate and maintain household and family rearing responsibilities. At the same time, males were socially unconstrained to pursue their career ambitions without bothering about housekeeping and family rearing. In the 1980s, a common theme emphasized the clear work-life imbalance, posing the question of whether women in the office could genuinely "have it all." (Mamta, 2021).
(Begum & Osmany, 2019) highlight in the case of women managers that another onerous duty for women antecedents and repercussions of work-family conflict is maintaining excellent mental health. They note that In Finland, the conflict between job and personal life leads many unemployed men and women. Data was gathered from stress and trauma, which hurt the mental health of 501 employees from various organizations. As a result, female managers building a work environment where people are happy is essential. The effects of work-family conflict on well-being were investigated using MANOVA to see if they are mentally healthy and contribute substantially. According to the findings, work-family conflict organizational goals have become a top priority for businesses.
(Mamta, 2021) notes that Contributors to an individual's workplace and working conditions, such as the flexibility and quantity of hours worked, are sick. Holiday leave provisions and support structures within the workplace (e.g., childcare facilities, breastfeeding facilities) affect an individual's ability to balance work and life. Government policies on the employer and employee responsibility have an impact as well. For example, government funding or subsidizing childcare or parental leave may make it simpler for parents to work while maintaining their work-life balance.
This research proposes to identify the performance indicators for existing Organizational Work-Life Balance created by employers, for example, working hours for women, Paid Time OFF (PTO)- Maternal and parental leave, among others. These indicators would access instruments put in place by organizations for work-life balance. They would also be used as the primary indicators for this research.
With the prevalence of mental health challenges among working women, it has become essential to analyze the performance indicators for these policies. According to (Delorme & Chatelain, 2011), when it comes to assessing the impact of a particular policy, streamlining the decision-making process, or making parliaments, civil society, and the public aware of the effects of the reforms being implemented, the outcome indicators linked to reform objectives have become indispensable.
The work-life organizational policies of Coca-Cola, a multi-national organization, will be examined as a case study. As an organization, the work-life balance policy of Coca-Cola is hinged on the idea that “In addition to legal violations, excessive overtime in the workplace can lead to serious operational consequences and disrupt employee work-life balance. Reducing overtime may significantly increase employee morale, decrease quality incidents, and reduce overtime labor costs, thereby improving business” (Coca-Cola, 2022).

The research objective includes:
• Main goal: To compare the work-life balance indicators given by the World Health Organization to existing policies of work-life balance in Nigeria and Great Britain.
• Subgoal: To compare the work-life balance policies standard in Nigeria and Great Britain.
• Subgoal: To suggest policy changes in organizational Work-Life Balance policies for working women to employers.

The research questions include:
• Main question: What are policies put in place by these companies in Nigeria and Britain to create a work-life standard?
• Sub question: What are the differences between the Work-Life balance policies at the local level (Nigeria) and the international level (Great Britain)?
• Sub question: How can changes be made in organizational Work-Life Balance policies for working women?
Theoretical Concept:
This study aims to analyze organizational work-life balance policies for women. Regardless of the situation, most studies on work-life balance policies focus on frameworks for coping with stress. However, no specialized framework for dealing with stress connected to working women's work-life balance exists. This research aims to base its theoretical analysis on the concepts of Mental Health by the World Health Organization. Mental health theories explain human development's behavioral, psychological, and social aspects. For so many years, experts focused their efforts on reducing pain or suffering. The focus was on determining what was wrong with a person and how to correct it. There was no expectation that a person could improve their health (Miller, 2019). According to WHO, the risks of mental health within an organization include inadequate health and safety policies; poor communication and management practices; limited participation in decision-making or low control over one’s area of work; low levels of support for employees; inflexible working hours; and unclear tasks or organizational objectives. Risks may also be connected to the nature of the employment, such as duties that are inappropriate for the worker's skills or a hefty workload. This may affect their mental health and be a factor in developing mental illness symptoms.
Also, bullying, and psychological harassment, frequently referred to as "mobbing," are frequent sources of work-related stress that put employees at risk for developing health problems. They have both psychological and physical health issues. Due to these health implications, employers may incur costs due to decreased productivity and higher workforce turnover. They may also be detrimental to social and familial interactions (World Health Organization, 2022).
Health and safety, security, and working hours all impact the workplace. A hazardous workplace can harm employees' health and jeopardize their safety. Although it is the employer's legal duty to provide a safe workplace, the employee must also work safely (UNISON National, 2022). Along with these policy changes, enterprises have increased their use of flexible working schedules, including part-time work, job sharing, compressed hours (like the 9-day fortnight), homework, term-time work, and decreased hours (Teasdale, 2012). These concepts will be analyzed regarding the issue of Work-Life Balance policies in organizations.

Research Plan:
The research will primarily use secondary online resources, including the Coca-Cola company website. Primary research will be conducted by engaging a Human Resource Specialist at Coca-Cola related to organizational information and policies specific to work-life balance for female employees. Information gathered will include qualitative data. An interview will be with five female staff across two branches of Coca-Cola in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The feedback will be analyzed to contribute to the findings. Most interviews will be conducted virtually via zoom.