Work–life programs and performance in Australian organisations: the role of organisation size and industry type.

Organisations are increasingly using work–life programs to strategically manage their workforce in a competitive labour market. Extant research has investigated various outcomes of work–life programs but has lacked focus on organisational financial performance and context. Drawing on strategic human resource management theory, this study proposes and tests a work–life programs–performance relationship. It also investigates the moderating effects of organisation size and industry on the work–life programs–performance relationship. We used a time‐lagged design and data from multiple sources to link work–life programs with firm performance in 117 organisations in Australia. The findings support the hypothesis that work–life programs are positively associated with financial performance. This study also provides pioneering evidence for the moderating effects of organisation size and industry type on the work–life programs–organisational performance relationship. Key points: Across industries and organisations of various size, there is a positive relationship between work–life programs and organisational financial performance.Large organisations with many work–life programs show high net income.Manufacturing organisations with many work–life programs experience high operating revenue and net income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]