Exploring the relationship between culture and family-friendly programs (FFPs) in the Republic of Korea

• Both national and organizational cultures have played key roles in determining the effectiveness of FFPs in Korea.
• Traditional aspects of national/organizational culture strongly affect employees’ ability to use FFPs across sectors.
• When FFPs did not sufficiently convey intended policy and managerial values, employees were not able to use these programs.

SummaryAs the percentage of females in the workforce and dual-income families has increased, there has been a parallel increase in scholars’ attempts to shed light on the effects of implementing family-friendly programs such as flexible time arrangements and child care programs in organizations. This empirical study examines the relationship between organizational and societal level culture in both public and private sectors organizations in the Republic of Korea and the utilization of family-friendly programs. Analyzing data from 30 in-depth interviews with public and private sector employees, our findings indicate that, despite national efforts to promote FFPs, these programs are not widely used in either sector. We proposed that a key reason for the lack of utilization is the lack of congruity between societal and organizational cultural values and the managerial values that undergird these programs.