Influence of Work-Life Balance on Employee Work Performance Among Middle Level Management Public Servants in Public Service in Kenya

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish the influence of work-life balance on employee work performance among middle level management public servants in public service in Kenya. The study adopted a survey and multiple linear regression research design. Descriptive statistics provided meaningful comparisons between groups or datasets (Sudha, 2017). While multiple linear regression demonstrated the importance of the independent variables' influence on the dependent variables. It was also efficient to investigate and visualize data using descriptive statistics, as well as to develop a prediction model. Pie charts are the graphic representations that provided visual insights into variable distribution, shape, and linkages. The study's population was the Kenya School of Government SMC 409/2012 class with 112 trainees. A purposive sampling was preferred as the SMC 409/2023 class was already in place following nomination by their respective institutions, a representation of various agencies of the Kenyan government. The class was already a controlled group in the sense that they met the minimum criteria being in mid-level management in public service and being a representation of different government agencies as well as a representation in terms of length of service in public service, age and gender. Data collection was done using a shared google link questionnaire that was sent to all participants with the intention of obtaining data from at least 74 respondents. From the results above it was clear that the respondents stated that work-life balance had a positive influence on their productivity at work. The results from the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed a significant statistical relationship between the overall performance at work, and work-life balance considered in the model. This is indicated by an F-value of 5.573 and a p-value of 0.002, at a 95% confidence level. The findings underscored the importance of work-life balance in enhancing employee performance in the public service. The researchers recommended that public service should adopt policies aimed at aiding employees with the attainment of work-life balance. This could mean extended working hours for reporting to work and leaving work, working from home, flex-times as well as discouraging employees from carrying work home and ensuring all employees go on leave.