Expanding the work–life balance discourse to LGBT employees: Proposed research framework and organizational responses

Abstract

Relying on a gender neutrality rhetoric, the work–life balance (WLB) discourse has challenged gendered roles, but has failed to expand “gender neutrality” to aspects of gender identity and sexual orientation. In turn, WLB research has systematically excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees. We build on stakeholder theory and the resource-based view of the firm to propose extending the WLB discourse and associated policies and practices to LGBT employees as key internal stakeholders who can possibly contribute to organizational performance, either directly or indirectly. We further combine these perspectives with institutional theory in an integrative research framework that relies on the critical realist structured ontology and denotes the institutional embeddedness of organizations. Adopting this institutional perspective, we propose that explanations regarding the adoption of LGBT WLB policies in organizations go beyond the organizational level to include higher level institutional characteristics. Similarly, we posit that the relationship between LGBT WLB policies and organizational performance outcomes is influenced by such characteristics. Drawing from this framework, we put forth a typology of organizational responses that postulates the possible outcomes for organizations given their re(actions) to institutional pressures and their attitude toward LGBT employees as stakeholders.