Work-life Balance Perceptions Research Articles

Work Life Balance of Working Parents: A study of IT Industry

Managing the competing demands of work, family and social life is an issue that affects almost every organization. Work life balance is a challenging issue for IT professionals whether male or female as increasing working hours and monitoring the hours worked are far more rigorous than ever before. This paper explores the gender wise perception of work life balance among working parents of I.T. Industry and also examines the impact of work life balance on working parents’ personal and professional life. The Data was thus collected from 200 working parents of IT industry through questionnaire by adopting random sampling technique. The statistical techniques used were ttest, Correlation and Regression Analysis. Findings depicted no significance differences in the perception of male and female towards work life balance. It also revealed high degree of positive correlation of 0.909 and 0.742 between work life balance and working parent’s personal and professional life respectively. And high impact of work life balance on working parent’s personal and professional life.

A Contemporary Analysis of Accounting Professionals' Work-Life Balance

SYNOPSIS In recent years, work-life balance surpassed compensation as the most important job satisfaction factor among AICPA members (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA] 2004). Despite the continued importance of this issue in the accounting profession (AICPA 2011), prior research has not examined work-life balance perceptions across different segments of the profession. We survey 1,063 practicing CPAs in order to assess the comparative work-life balance perceptions across (1) Big 4 versus smaller public accounting firms, (2) audit versus tax functions, and (3) public accounting versus industry work contexts. Consistent with predictions based on institutional logics theory, we find that work-family conflict and job burnout perceptions (our proxies for work-life balance) are highest in the Big 4. We are the first study to measure both support-for and viability-of traditional alternative work arrangements (AWAs), and we report an important distinction between these two constructs. Specifically, while CPAs across all public accounting firms (i.e., Big 4, national, regional, and local firms) report similar levels of organizational support-for AWAs, Big 4 professionals report significantly lower perceived viability-of AWAs (i.e., the ability to use AWAs and remain effective at one's job) compared to accounting professionals at smaller public accounting firms. Further, we find no differences between audit and tax professionals' perceptions across any of our work-life balance measures. We also document nuanced differences regarding work-life balance perceptions in public accounting versus industry. For example, contrary to conventional wisdom, work-life balance is not uniformly “better” in industry (e.g., burnout is actually lower in smaller public accounting firms compared to industry). Finally, we use open-ended responses from a follow-up survey to provide several recommendations for firms to improve their work-life balance efforts.

The generation game

Purpose – Explores the limited value of concepts such as Baby-Boomer, Generation X (Gen X) and Generation Y (Gen Y) and advances the view that life course is more valuable. Design/methodology/approach – Examines how young adults in Britain, born between 1975 and 1982, conceptualized the notion of work-life balance as they were about to leave university and enter full-time paid employment. Findings – Reveals that the notion of individual choice strongly underpins young adults’ conceptualization of work-life balance and expectations of work-life balance support; while young British and Asian adults largely considered it to be a matter of individual choice, there were variations in their preferences for how to prioritize their impending employment and personal lives; and four emerging patterns of work-life balance orientation preferences were found – balancer, careerist, career-sacrificer and integrator. Practical implications – Provides support for the argument that the work-life balance perceptions of young adults who would belong to the so-called Gen Y cannot be generalized and simplified as being either work-centric or life-centric. The picture is a lot more complex given the diversity within this group of young adults. Social implications – Highlights how, instead of looking for generational differences (or age-related differences) which can be divisive, it is more useful to look at the issue of multi-generations in a broader way. Originality/value – By using a life-course approach instead of a generational approach, is able to take into account how past transitions have shaped the way work-life balance was discussed by the young adults and how anticipated future transitions were expected by the young adults to change their needs and therefore expectations of employer and government support.

Perceptions of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Female Athletic Trainers on Motherhood and Work-Life Balance: Individual- and Sociocultural-Level Factors

A multilevel model of work-life balance (WLB) has been established in the sports management literature to explain interactions among organizational/structural, individual, and sociocultural factors and their effects on individual responses and attitudes toward WLB. These factors influence experiences and outcomes related to WLB. To examine individual and sociocultural factors that may influence perceptions of female athletic trainers (ATs) employed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting, particularly any sex-specific influences. Qualitative study. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. A total of 27 women (14 single with no children, 6 married with no children, 7 married with children) currently employed as full-time ATs in the Division I setting participated. Participants responded to a series of open-ended questions via reflective journaling. Data were examined using a general inductive approach. Trustworthiness was established by multiple-analyst triangulation, member interpretive review, and peer review. Participants recognized that their sex played a role in assessing WLB and a long-term career as an AT. In addition, they identified various individual- and sociocultural-level factors that affected their perceptions of WLB and attitudes toward a career goal. Our data suggested that female ATs may hold traditional sex ideologies of parenting and family roles, which may influence their potential for career longevity.

'Success Is Satisfaction with What You Have'? Biographical Work–Life Balance of Older Female Employees in Public Administration

This paper analyses the situation of older female employees in the public service sector in Germany, comparing women with middle‐level qualifications to highly‐qualified women in order to explore the intersection of age, qualification and work–life trajectories. The paper theorizes on the notion of work–life balance as experienced across the life course, supporting a holistic and long‐term focus. In particular two questions are emphasized: What does a 'work–life balance' mean in the biography of older female employees; and how do they balance the different areas of their lives? To explore these further, the concept of 'biographical work–life balance' is introduced. This concept embraces a holistic perspective, which is particularly important for the wellbeing of older workers. The paper aims to show the effect of different social discourses, working biographies and policies on perceived work–life balance over the entire life course based on data from narrative biographical interviews with older female employees in the public service sector in Germany.

Work-life balance of nursing faculty in research- and practice-focused doctoral programs

ObjectivesThe growing shortage of nursing faculty and the need for faculty to teach doctoral students to address the shortage call for examination of factors that may contribute to the shortage, including those that are potentially modifiable, including work-life balance.This descriptive study examined work-life balance of a national sample of nursing faculty teaching in research-focused and practice-focused doctoral programs. MethodsData were collected through an online survey of 554 doctoral program faculty members to identify their perceptions of work-life balance and predictors of work-life balance. ResultsWork-life balance scores indicated better work-life balance than expected. Factors associated with good work-life balance included higher academic rank, having tenure, older age, years in education, current faculty position, and no involvement in clinical practice. Current faculty position was the best predictor of work-life balance. ConclusionsAlthough work-life balance was viewed positively by study participants, efforts are needed to strengthen factors related to positive work/life in view of the increasing workload of doctoral faculty as the numbers of doctoral students increase and the number of seasoned faculty decrease with anticipated waves of retirements.

Perceptions of gender equality in work-life balance, salary, promotion, and harassment: results of the NASPGHAN task force survey.

Gender equality in the workplace has not been described in pediatric gastroenterology. An electronic survey that explored perceptions of career parity, work-life balance, and workplace harassment was sent to all members of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Reponses were anonymous. Of the 303 respondents (21%), there was an even distribution across geographic region, age, and gender (54% men). Gender affected perception of salary and promotion; 46% of men but only 9% of women feel that "women earn the same as men" (P < 0.001). Similarly, 48% of men but only 12% of women feel that "women rise at the same rate as men" (P < 0.001). Both genders of academic practice respondents, compared with other practice models, perceived men were promoted more quickly than women (P = 0.008). Women had higher dissatisfaction with mentoring than men (29% vs 13%, P = 0.03). Significantly more men than women reported spouses with "flexible jobs" (35% vs 14%, P < 0.001). Having a spouse with "flexible job" or having children (preschool or school age), however, did not affect satisfaction with work-life balance for either gender. Overall, women are more likely to be dissatisfied with work-life balance than men (P = 0.046). Satisfaction with work-life balance is lower among women versus men pediatric gastroenterologists, but does not correlate with flexibility of spouse's job or caring for young children. Gender-divergent perception of promotion, parity of compensation, and mentoring requires further investigation.

Busy yet socially engaged: volunteering, work-life balance, and health in the working population.

To understand the relationship between volunteering and health in the overlooked yet highly engaged working population, adopting a contextualizing balance approach. We hypothesize that volunteering may function as a psychosocial resource, contributing to work-life balance and, ultimately, health. A total of 746 Swiss workers participated in an online survey; 35% (N = 264) were additionally volunteers in a nonprofit organization. We assessed volunteering, work-life balance perceptions, paid job demands, and resources and health outcomes. After controlling for job characteristics, volunteering was associated with less work-life conflict, burnout and stress, and better positive mental health. Results further revealed that balance perceptions partly explained the relationship between volunteering and health. Volunteering, albeit energy and time-consuming, may contribute to a greater sense of balance for people in the workforce, which might, in turn, positively influence health.

Manager Behaviour, Generation, and Influence on Work-Life Balance: An Empirical Investigation

IntroductionWork-life balance is growing topic of interest in the field of management. As the employee landscape changes with the addition of more women in the workplace accompanied by three different generations of employees, management will be forced to pay more to the work-life balance needs of employees. The increasing amount of focus on work-life balance and the introduction of more family friendly policies, such as flexible work arrangements, have made managers' responses to work-life balance issues more critical (Cennamo & Gardner, 2008).Baby Boomers (born between the years of 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between the years of 1965 and 1979) and Millennials (born between the years of 1980-2000) are the three largest generations found in the current workforce, with 54-year age gap between the oldest baby boomer and the youngest millennial. The Millennials and the Baby Boomers have the biggest presence among the three (Glass, 2007). With number of Baby Boomers planning to work beyond retirement, this age gap will continue to grow as younger Millennials enter the workforce (Toosi, 2006).The current literature reveals no significant difference in the need or desire for work-life balance based on an employee's age. However, difference does exist when employee age is combined with the manager affects work-life balance for the individual employee (Darcy, McCarthy, Hill, & Grady, 2012). Consequently, managers must be aware of the types of work-life balance options available and they personally contribute to their employees' experience of work-life balance.Despite the recent proliferation of research on work-life balance, gaps in the literature exist relative to managerial demographics and their influence on promotion of work-life balance within organizations. Specifically, current literature fails to address the relationship between manager's age and corresponding generation relative to an individual employee's experience level of work-life balance. The challenges resulting from the age differences between managers and employees pose the potential for work-life conflict if and when multiple generations lack understanding of each other's wants and needs. The absence of research in this area presents an opportunity to explore managers of different ages promote work-life balance via their personal behaviors, skills, and characteristics. Identification of trait differences may lead to greater awareness of the impact of managerial actions on employees' perceptions, and concurrently enhance managers' ability to increase work-life balance. The purpose of this paper is to answer two questions: Does the age of the manager affect employee perceptions of work-life balance within the organization? What behavioral characteristics of managers contribute to employee perceptions of work-life balance?Theoretical BackgroundWork-life balance has been defined in numerous ways. Recent definitions include, how individuals choose to prioritize their work, family, individual, and community responsibilities (Munn, Rocco, Bowman,& van Loo, 2011, p. 1),the absence of unacceptable levels of conflict between work and non-work demands (Ross & Vasantha, 2014, p. 62), or as a state where the needs and requirements of work are weighed together to create an equitable share of time that allows for work to be completed and professional's private to get attention (Heckerson & Laser, 2006, p. 27).Munn (2013) later suggested that his definition of work-life balance supports the notion that work-life balance is individualistic, meaning that each individual may achieve it differently by doing what is meaningful and works best in all aspects of his or her life (p. 407). This statement points to the complexity of the work-life balance issue and the difficulty for managers who are challenged to respond to each employee's need for work-life balance. …

Stressed at work? But we love the game: Experiences of Australian Football League coaches

Background: Chronic job stress has been associated with a range of physical, psychological, social and behavioural health problems. The prevalence of occupational stress and burnout within the sporting domain has substantially increased over time among athletes and coaches at community, sub elite and elite levels of sport. Sports’ coaching is one workplace environment which has attracted interest and attention due to its stressful nature. For coaches who operate within elite sport, the pressures typically intensify in a results-orientated culture that requires considerable investment of time and resources in the search for the competitive edge. Nevertheless, research had yet to examine occupation stress with Australian Football League (AFL) coaches. Given the highly profiled nature of this workplace environment, it was important to investigate the experiences and perceptions of occupational stress, general health and work-life balance of senior and assistant coaches involved in the AFL. This will enhance the health, well-being and performance of these coaches and also inform important risk management policies and programs for AFL coaches.

Factors that influence perceptions of work-life balance in owners of copreneurial firms

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence perceptions of work-life balance among owners of copreneurial firms. Research on work-life balance in the context of family firms has focussed on the effects that perceptions of balance can have on the emotional well-being of business owners and performance of the firm. Less attention has been given to understanding the factors affecting an owner's perceptions of work-life balance. This paper not only explores the antecedents of perceptions of work-life balance but does so with copreneurs, or couples who own and manage a firm.Design/methodology/approach– Data for this study were collected using surveys. In all, 210 copreneurs with businesses in nearly 20 industries answered questions about their perceptions of work-life balance, work-life conflict (WLC), life-work conflict, communication practices, characteristics of their jobs, and spousal support.Findings– WLC was negatively related to perceptions of work-life balance. Job involvement, flexibility at work, and permeability of communication were significantly related to perceptions of WLC. Interestingly spousal support did not affect individual perceptions of life-work balance, but had a direct influence on perceptions of work-life balance.Research limitations/implications– The sample was not randomly selected, and participants were surveyed at only one point in time. Notwithstanding these limitations, the findings have implications for advancing research and theory in the areas of family business, work-life issues, and communication. While the paper focus on copreneurial firms, the findings may have implications for family firms and co-founded ventures.Practical implications– The potential benefits of copreneurs’ increased awareness of these findings (from readings or through coaching) are important given prior research demonstrating that family to work conflict and work to family conflict affect the emotional well-being of family business owners, their satisfaction with work, and firm performance.Originality/value– This project offers two important contributions to research in family firms. First, it focusses on copreneurial firms as a unique type of family firm which has the potential to shed light on the differences between family firms. Second, results from this study provide a picture of the predictors of work-life balance for couples who are firm owners.

An Analysis of Auditing and Accounting Professionalss Work-Life Balance in the Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Era

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 fundamentally changed the accounting profession and dramatically increased the workload of accounting professionals, resulting in lower work-life balance for a large segment of the accounting profession (Gullapalli 2005). At the same time, work-life balance has surpassed compensation and benefits as the most important factor in employee job satisfaction for accounting professionals (AICPA 2004). Yet, despite the importance of work-life balance issues in the accounting profession (AICPA 2011), prior research has not examined work-life balance perceptions across different segments of the accounting profession. In this study, we survey 1,063 accounting professionals from a wide range of organizational contexts to (1) empirically compare accounting professionals’ perceptions of work-life balance issues (i.e., work-family conflict, burnout, and AWAs) across large and small public accounting firms; (2) to compare audit professionals’ perceptions of work-life balance issues to the perceptions of tax professionals; and (3) to compare public accounting professionals’ perceptions of work-life balance issues to private accounting professionals’ perceptions. We find that accounting professionals at larger firms perceive higher levels of work-family conflict and job burnout compared to accounting professionals at smaller firms. Furthermore, although accounting professionals across all firm types (i.e., Big 4, mid-sized, and local firms) generally perceive similar levels of organizational support for AWAs, Big 4 accounting professionals perceive significantly lower levels of viability regarding the use of AWAs (i.e., Big 4 accounting professionals are less likely to believe that they could remain effective employees while using AWAs). We also find some evidence of within-firm workload stability given that we observe no significant differences between the perceptions of audit and tax professionals across our work-life balance measures. Finally, using open-ended participant responses, we offer several recommendations for firms to improve their work-life balance efforts.

Tu1073 Work-Life Balance of Gastroenterology Trainees: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey

Purpose: Work-life balance is increasingly being recognized as an important factor for the productivity, punctuality, commitment, performance and well-being of employees in the workplace. Without work-life balance, there may be deleterious effects on health, interpersonal and sexual relations and increased stress. Gastroenterology is one of the most competitive and demanding medical specialties, but issues of work-life balance in gastroenterology trainees have not been studied. Method: A 20-item survey was created based on the Profession-Family-Career model, which is a validated work-life balance assessment tool. The survey was sent to gastroenterology program director/coordinators across the country, identified using the online AGA directory, to be forwarded to their respective fellows. We then calculated odds ratios for demographic factors and prior exposures on perceived worklife balance and satisfaction both at work and with one's personal life. Results: There were 139 respondents (12.2% response rate), with a mean age of 33 years (range 25-44 years). Most respondents were males (70%), with 82.5% in a clinical track, and 56% having received some formal education/counseling regarding work-life balance during their training. There were 89% who were in a relationship, and 50% reported having children. While 84% of fellows felt appreciated by colleagues, only 70% felt appreciated by their program directors. Less than one-third of fellows were satisfied with salary. An overwhelming majority felt they were neglecting their social life (98.5%), hobbies (98.0%) and family (91.5%) because of work. Female fellows felt less appreciated by colleagues (OR 0.35, CI 0.13-0.93) and less satisfied with personal life (OR 0.52, CI 0.29-0.91) compared to male counterparts. Fellows who had received prior work-life balance education were more satisfied with their worklife balance (OR 3.87, CI 1.85-8.12) and felt more appreciated at work (OR 15.7, CI 6.534.7). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the work-life balance issues of gastroenterology fellows. We discovered a higher perception of work-life imbalance among female fellows as compared to their male counterparts and receiving any work-life balance education was associated with improved satisfaction with work-life balance. Further studies are needed to explore this phenomenon, and appropriate measures implemented in order to bring work-life balance education and awareness to gastroenterology fellows.

PTH-164 What Issues need to be addressed Regarding Workforce Planning in Relation to the Changing Demographics of Doctors within the field of Gastroenterology?

IntroductionMany challenges lay ahead in the future development of the NHS including the changing workforce demographic, tighter funding and the prospect of increasing demands on services. Currently in the specialty...

Work–Life Balance Culture, Work–Home Interaction, and Emotional Exhaustion

To examine the relationships among employees' emotional exhaustion, positive and negative work-home interaction, and perceived work-life balance culture in companies. Data for this study were collected through online surveys of employees from companies in the micro- and nanotechnology sectors (N = 509). A structural equation modeling analysis was performed. A company culture perceived by employees as supportive of their work-life balance was found to have both a direct negative effect on emotional exhaustion and an indirect negative effect meditated by negative work-home interaction. In addition, whereas negative work-home interaction associated positively with emotional exhaustion, positive work-home interaction had no significant effect. The direct and indirect relationship between work-life balance culture and emotional exhaustion has practical implications for health promotion in companies.

REALITIES OF WORK LIFE BALANCE IN NIGERIA: PERCEPTIONS OF ROLE CONFLICT AND COPING BELIEFS

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Work-Life Balance (WLB) practices in a developing nation of Nigeria. Evidently, on the threshold of widened globalization propensities, work-life research is beginning to spread outside the western context. Thus, a qualitative approach was employed by conducting 61 in-depth interviews with Nigerian employees (41 women and 20 men) working in frontline employments in the banking, telecommunications and insurance sectors about their perceptions of WLB. The findings showed that though conflict situations existed more than work-family enrichment, but under different circumstances due to the long legacy of national challenges facing Nigeria. The apparent role conflicts have generated various coping strategies adapted by participants of study to moderate their perceived work-life conflict and this paper seeks to add to the compendium of WLB discourse on a global scale by examining key barriers detected to hinder its workable practices in Nigeria.

An Exploratory Study of Managers' Perspective of Work‐Life Balance in Nigeria: A Case Analysis of the Nigerian Banking Sector

AbstractThis study describes an exploratory research of managers' perspective of the concept of work‐life balance (WLB) policies and practices in Nigeria. This is done through in‐depth case studies of 20 banks in the banking sector. The data set is comprised of responses from 102 middle line managers in the Nigerian banking institutions. A review of the extant literature on WLB initiatives in the banking sector revealed that there is a dearth of knowledge on WLB policies and practices in an African context. In an attempt to fill the gap in the literature, this study examines the range and scope of WLB practices, managers' perception of WLB, and the forces helping or constraining to shape the choices of work life balance practices and policies. The findings reveal that there is diversity in terms of how middle‐line managers understand and experience WLB initiatives in Nigeria. Another finding highlights the practice of favoritism in most banks using WLB initiatives. In addition, the study shows that cultural sensitivity affects how WLB is appreciated and utilized. The study suggests some policy implications in the form of support for WLB policies in this context. © 2013 Crown copyright.

Parenting Responsibility Expectations of Senior Australian Dental Students: Do the Next Generations' Family Responsibilities Impact Workforce Planning?

Over the past twenty-five years, there has been a substantial increase in work-based demands, thought to be due to an intensifying, competitive work environment. However, more recently, the question of work-life balance is increasingly attracting attention. The purpose of this study was to discover the attitudes of the next generation of dentists in Australia to parenting responsibility and work-life balance perceptions. Questionnaires on work-life balance were distributed to all fourth-year students at three dental schools in Australia. A total of 137 (76 percent) surveys were completed and returned. Most respondents indicated that they would take time off to focus on childcare, and just over half thought childcare should be shared by both parents. Thirty-seven percent felt that a child would have a considerable effect on their careers. Differences were seen in responses when compared by gender. The application of sensitivity analysis to workforce calculations based around changing societal work-life expectations can have substantial effects on predicting workforce data a decade into the future. It is not just the demographic change to a more feminized workforce in Australia that can have substantial effect, but also the change in social expectations of males in regards to parenting.

Gender perceptions of work-life balance: management implications for full-time employees in Australia

This study reports on gender perceptions of work–life balance based upon a qualitative study carried out among 437 full-time working men ( N=245) and women ( N=192) in the Australian workforce in 2008. The participants were randomly selected from a wide range of occupations, and their perceptions of: (a) non-work issues; (b) work–life conflicts; (c) organisational support for WLB; (d) desired WLB options; and (e) management treatment were investigated. Findings indicate significant gender differences in all areas studied. As this research provides a holistic view of the different gender perceptions of WLB, the findings have important implications for mobilising workplace support for men and women.

The Effects of the Perception of Work-life Balance on Acceptance of Work Arrangement Requests

Although social support provided by supervisors has been recognized as one of the key factors that help employees utilize work-life balance (WLB) programs in their organization and maintain balance between their work and life, the factors that influence supervisors’ willingness to support their subordinates have not yet been sufficiently examined. This article investigated whether supervisors’ positive or negative perceptions of WLB policy and their subordinate’s past performance influenced supervisors’ willingness to accept their subordinates’ work arrangement requests, using data collected from 2,230 Japanese workers. The results showed that when supervisors had a positive perception of WLB policy, it positively influenced their acceptance of their subordinates’ requests, while negative perceptions had a negative impact on acceptance. Further, regardless of what was requested, high performance subordinates received more favorable treatment from their supervisors than low performance counterparts did.