TOPIC: Work life balance

Code system

Code name Code Definition

Well-being assessment
Code Definition
This code contains answers to the interview question: "How
would you describe your well-being regarding the previous year
on average? Please indicate on a scale from 1 (very unhappy) to
5 (very happy)."

Work-life balance Code definition

This code contains sub-codes related to what the respondents
are spending their time on.
Education
Friends & Family
Work/Life Separation
Domestic work
Childcare
Typical workday Code Definition
Interviewee's description of a typical workday. Answers the
question: "How would you describe a typical workday in your
life?"

Example
"So a typical working day looks like this: I get up at about 5:30
am, I get ready, take a shower, get dressed, prepare breakfast
together with my wife. Then we also prepare sandwiches for our
daughter, who is already going to school.(...) (Interviews\Selim:
3 - 3)

Coding comment
Only contains the description of a typical workday, not wishes or
suggestions.

Free time, self-care Code Definintion

Statements regarding free time, self-care, or leisure activities, or
the lack thereof.

Example
"Of course I spend a lot of time with my child and my husband. I
often feel bad that I work so much, and I only get to see my
daughter so rarely. So at least for the time when I am at home,
spending time with her is really important to me. And then I have
almost no time for myself or alone with my husband."
(Interviews\Interview Linh: 11 - 11)

Work situation

From MAXQDA Example projects: Work Life Balance

 Amount of hours Code definition
Amount of hours interviewees actually work, including overtime.

Example
"I would say 45 quite often, not always, sometimes it's 50,
sometimes it's 40, but 45 on average, that's pretty a good
estimate." (Interviews\Linh: 9 - 9)

Workplace & Career

Home office
Salary & Budgeting Code definition
Statements regarding salary.

Example
"Because if it were only for the money nobody would work in a
day-care." (Interviews\Tatjana: 13 - 13)

Comment
There was no specific interview question regarding salary.
Anytime salary was mentioned, it was coded here.

Flexibility
Wishes for the future Code definition

Respondents' wishes as to how they would change their current

schedule and daily life. Answers the question: "Imagine that you
have achieved an ideal work-life balance. How would a typical
day look like for you?"

Better use of free time

More free time
Stricter separation in schedule
Schedule/location flexibiliy
Less/no overtime

From MAXQDA Example projects: Work Life Balance

Text segment to code

Interview Intervewee 1

Q: Thank you very much for participating in our interview.

R: You're welcome.
Q: In our study, we are particularly interested in your work-life balance and well-being. In
the following, I would like to pose some questions regarding your daily routines. First, I
would like to ask you to describe a typical workday in your life.
R: Okay. So I wake up at about 6:00 am and then I go out for jogging, two rounds around
the block and I come back at about 6:40 am, and then I get ready for work. I am ready at
about 7, 7:15 am. And then I eat breakfast. Sometimes, when I wake up half an hour later, I
don't eat breakfast at home and I just kind of like buy something on the way to the office.
So, and then I start working at about 8 to 8:30 am and get off work at about 5:00 pm, but
then I go home.
Q: How does your regular routine differ if your son is with you?
R: Well, when my son is with me when I wake up, I get ready myself and then prepare
breakfast and then wait for my son to wake up. When he wakes up, we eat together, I dress
him, and then I bring him to kindergarten. And then after work, I go straight to the
kindergarten to pick him up. And then I cook while he's playing. And when dinner is ready,
we eat together and then take a shower or take a bath. And then he watches a little bit of
cartoon. During this time, I clean and prepare myself for bed and then I prepare him. And
then we do our nighttime routine with reading, playing a little bit together, and then we go to
bed together. Yeah.
Q: How flexible is your schedule?
R: Actually it is flexible enough. Which means that I currently wake up at around the same
time, but it doesn't have to be the exact time. It can be like fifteen minutes or half an hour
difference. And then sometimes if I'm too lazy to cook, I eat out, but the set of routines
stays. So I'm working very hard to keep the important part of the day the same, like every
morning and go for a run and then eat breakfast because that's just me maintaining my
health. And I think it's a good start for the morning. Yeah, and meditating before bed is a
way for me to calm down and sleep well. And when my son is there, I think routine is very
important for him so he can know what is happening next. And so, he doesn't feel stressed.
Like this, it's much easier to talk to him. I can tell him that "Okay. That’s all. You can’t watch
TV anymore, now it’s time for this" and "Okay. You have to eat first, before you can do that."

From MAXQDA Example projects: Work Life Balance

 So, he already has a routine to follow and he doesn't fight for playing longer or watching TV
longer. So, it's helped him a lot.

Q: Yeah. And are you satisfied with the current separation of work and free time? Would
you like to introduce some kind of change to your routines?

R: I would say I am not fully satisfied. I feel that right now, I'm not really using my free time
efficiently. I would wish to use my free time more for my hobbies and to take better care of
myself. Right now, with my free time, I'm a little lazy, so I watch Korean drama, or I just go
to my neighbor's and then have a chat and drink tea, which is also nice, it’s relaxing. But if I
could plan my free time better, then I think I could. I would like to put some more self-care
into my free time.

Q: Are you satisfied with the amount of time you can spend with your family or friends?

R: I was not... so I've actually been working on this for a while because I wasn't satisfied
with the time I got to spend with my friends. I felt like I spent too much time with friends. And
I somehow, I didn't feel it was enough, even though I spent too much time already and did
not feel that that was enough.

Q: I understand. And how would you describe your wellbeing during the previous year on
average? Could you indicate it on a scale from one, very unhappy, to five, very happy?

R: Very good. Now, I would say about four.

Q: Could you explain to me why?

R: Because I would like to improve, like I mentioned earlier, my free time. Yeah. In my free
time, I would like to use the time more efficiently. And I feel that because of that I'm not truly
satisfied yet with my balance after work. So that's why I left one point out.

Q: Thank you very much for your answers and your time for this interview. (Thanh, Pos. 30)

From MAXQDA Example projects: Work Life Balance