Indigenous perspectives on work-life enrichment and conflict in Canada

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine Indigenous perspectives of work-life enrichment and conflict and provides insights to better support Indigenous employees. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with 56 Indigenous people from six Canadian provinces. In total, 33 of the respondents were female and 23 were male. The interview responses were transcribed and entered in NVivo10. Thematic analysis was used. Findings The authors’ respondents struggled with feeling marginalized and felt frustrated that they could not engage in their cultural and family practices. The respondents spoke of putting family needs ahead of work and that many respondents paid a price for doing so. Research limitations/implications The results are not generalizable to all Indigenous peoples, however these results do fill a void in the literature. Practical implications Employers must consider revising policies including providing more supervisor support in the form of educating supervisors on various Indigenous cultural practices and examine ways of providing more flexibility with respect to cultural and family practices. Social implications Indigenous peoples have been marginalized since the advent of colonialism. This research addresses a gap in the literature by presenting how a group of Indigenous respondents frames work-life enrichment and conflict. Originality/value Very few studies have examined Indigenous perspectives on work-life enrichment and conflict using a qualitative research design. It also aligns with one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action.

The Meaning of Work Life Enrichment and its impact on Turnover Intention

“…Furthermore, time orientation (multitasking) is connected with work life enrichment [29]. In addition, according to Julien et al, organizations must go beyond paying for services for enriching work and life and begin to focus on helping frontline supervisors to make enriching work and life a key strategic goal [92]. Further, Jiang & Shen, in their research results, it is determined that trust and enrichment of work-life are important mediators between the supportive work environment and the rotation intentions of public relations professionals, which indicates that the internal public relations of the project must go beyond simply dealing with the quality of the perception relationship is the ultimate goal [58].…”

“…Gender, age, number of children, parental support, and spouse's income status were investigated to see if demographic factors such as gender, age, number of children, parental support, and spouse's income status would contribute to family work enrichment andsturnoversintention [59]. As a result, this family foundation serves as a resource for learning about indigenous perspectives on work-life balance and conflict [92].…”

“…According to Julien, et al [92], which reveals fostering inclusion and diversity, As a result, organizations should reconsider the role of flexibility and related organization policies [92]. Organizations might examine the role genuine flexibility may play for all employees if they understand how Indigenous respondents regard work life enrichment.…”

When Work Conflicts With Personal Projects: The Association of Work-Life Conflict With Worker Wellbeing and the Mediating Role of Mindfulness

“…For example, LGBTQ+ and newcomers may have different experiences and these are not necessarily represented in the current research ( Ali et al, 2017 ; Kelliher et al, 2019 ). A recent Canadian study suggests a lack of knowledge of Indigenous perspectives on work-family conflict ( Julien et al, 2017 ). More research with marginalized groups is needed.…”

Spoken and Unspoken between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous: Trust at the Heart of Intercultural Professional Collaborations

“…In general, non-Native workers know little and are less interested in the culture and traditions of Native communities [35]. Then, the lack of knowledge and respect for elements of indigenous cultures, in addition to their negative impact on confidence, is at the origin of the dissatisfaction of indigenous workers and can undermine the integration and retention efforts of the Indigenous workforce in non-Native organizations [36][37][38][39].…”