TENSIONS FOR HR: WHO TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR WORK-LIFE MANAGEMENT IN MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS?

their research assistance. 2 Balancing demands for global co-ordination with the need for responsiveness to local conditions presents challenges in many areas of international business. Managing work-life issues is emerging as a substantial concern for HR managers in many multinational corporations (MNCs). While work-life management issues are recognized as important strategic matters, it is well recognized that tensions exist between the parties involved in implementation of work-life policies and practices. Our study of 13 MNCs utilizes interviews with 28 HR managers, including both corporate HQ and local perspectives, to explore the management of work-life issues. In this paper, we apply a tension-centered approach to understand work-life management. We identify the responsibilities and strategies for work-life management in MNCs. Our research shows that there are numerous emerging challenges for researchers and practitioners related to global work-life management