A Study on Middle Managers Behaviors that Support Their Team Member in Balancing Work and Childcare

Abstract

This study focused on the supportive behavior of middle managers who support team members who balance work and child-rearing, and explored what sustainable support looks like. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 pairs of middle managers and their team members, and a comparison of successful and problematic cases suggested that "empathy" and "understanding" are the keys to "altruism (altruistic behavior)" that supports work-life balance, and that it is essential for middle managers to not become exhausted in order to support work-life balance. This study presents the guidelines and behavior of middle managers when supporting work-life balance that is tailored to the workplace in Japanese companies.