The Mediating Role of Chinese Values in the Satisfaction of Work-Life Balance among Chinese Bank Employees: A Case Study

Abstract

The topic of Work-Life Balance has become a widely discussed issue in Western contexts due to the rising stress levels in both work and personal life. Only recently has the topic become popular in Asian countries, including Malaysia. While studies have explored the Work-Life Balance in the banking sector, there remains a scarcity of research examining the cultural aspect of the Work-Life Balance of Chinese ethnicity outside Mainland China. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the mediating role of Chinese Values on the relationship between antecedents of Work-Life Balance (including work involvement, work overload, work support, family involvement, family overload, and family support) and Work-Life Balance satisfaction among Chinese bank employees in Sarawak, Malaysia. A quantitative method was employed to gather data from 52 Chinese bank employees, which was then analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0, Pearson Correlation Analysis, and the PROCESS for mediation. The results of this study demonstrate that Chinese Values play a significant mediating role in the relationship between some of the antecedents of Work-Life Balance (work involvement, work overload, work support and family support) and satisfaction with Work-Life Balance. Based on these findings, it is recommended that some cultural aspects of Chinese values, which are usually accepted by other ethnicities, be considered when developing and implementing Work-Life Balance programs in the banking sector. The study highlights the importance of considering cultural differences in the design of workplace programs to improve Work-Life Balance satisfaction among employees.