Work–life balance

About: Work–life balance is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2252 publications have been published within this topic receiving 36240 citations. The topic is also known as: Work Life balance & work-life balance.

Pengaruh Work From Home Terhadap Work Life Balance Pada Perempuan Bekerja Di Kota Mataram Di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

Abstract: This study aims to analyze the effect of work from home on work life balance for women working in Mataram City during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paradigm used in this research is the positivist paradigm with quantitative methods as the right design to achieve the research objectives. Through this approach, the researcher distributed a structured questionnaire aimed at obtaining data to be analyzed to 84 female respondents who worked with the criteria of being married, living with a partner, having at least 1 child and having done WFH. The data were analyzed using simple linear regression. The results showed that work from home had an effect on the work life balance of working women in the city of Mataram

ESPN Thematic Report on work-life balance measures for persons of working age with dependent relatives. France

Abstract: This Synthesis Report is concerned with some of the key questions that arise regarding (a) the work-life balance of working-age people – mainly women – who care for disabled and chronically ill dependent relatives, (b) reconciling work and care obligations and (c) maintaining the well-being of the carers and their families. The analysis focuses on carers of working age, whether or not they are actually working. The Synthesis Report draws on the national contributions prepared by the 35 European Social Policy Network (ESPN) Country Teams. It demonstrates that the work-life balance of the carer – mostly a working age woman – is a problematic issue which is rarely recognised as such. In the majority of countries, LTC policies are geared to the dependent person and overlook the carer’s situation. Only a few countries – namely those with universal and comprehensive LTC systems – make the necessary arrangements to enable carers to remain in employment and preserve their work-life balance. Nevertheless, even in these favourable contexts, some recent policy reforms and political discourses accentuate deinstitutionalisation and the extension of community care without, however, promoting the development of public in-home services.

Sole Mothers, Work/Life Balance and Wellbeing: Understanding Constraints and Finding Pathways to Empowerment

Abstract: Researchers have been increasingly interested in the tensions between paid work and unpaid work since the 1960s. Recently, the term ‘work/life balance’ has gained attention and even political interest, with the Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, announcing it to be a “barbecue stopper” discussion item in 2003. Research has found that work/life conflict impacts upon businesses, families, individuals and communities in terms of lost production, increased health care demands and diminished quality of life. Despite the complexities of work/life balance being intensely interesting to researchers, few have considered the experiences of one of the most time-pressured and socially disadvantaged sub-cultural groups in society in regards to work/life balance: sole mothers. Sole mothers are often constrained by ‘multiple barriers’ and are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, social isolation and a decreased ability to cope with day-to-day pressures and stressors. Such issues affect an increasing number in Australian society as sole mothers have nearly trebled since 1971 and, it is estimated, are set to increase by a further 30% to 60% by the year 2021. This study aims to examine key life domains in the lives of a group of sole mothers to investigate whether the term work/life balance is a useful construct in understanding their lives and wellbeing. Study aims were achieved through utilising a research design aimed at producing grounded theory, enabling the challenging of currently held perceptions regarding work/life balance. At a theoretical level this study adopts social constructivism and feminism as base frameworks, supporting a four-phase data collection strategy which combines in-depth interviews and reflexive ethnography. The domains of paid work and unpaid work have typically featured strongly in regards to work/life balance and recent theorists propose that models should be extended to include health, financial resources, friendships and leisure as key factors. Findings in this study support this assertion, but go further in challenging and extending the debate on work/life balance in society. The findings of this study highlight the many constraints facing sole mothers, the complex nature of ‘balance’ in their lives and the strategies they employ to cope and juggle their many responsibilities. The external life domains suggested by work/life balance theorists all featured in the mothers’ balancing, each offering up constraints and/or opportunities for agency and empowerment. Additional themes of control, choice, sleep and life expectations also emerged strongly in relation to balance and wellbeing. These new themes highlight a view of balance which could be about either ‘juggling’ life domains or experiencing a subjective feeling, giving rise to the identification of two kinds of balance: outer and inner. This thesis proposes that outer balance is reliant upon external domains such as paid work and unpaid work as well as key relationships, financial resources, health and leisure. A sense of inner balance, reliant upon a subjective assessment of the attainment of outer balance in terms of one’s life expectations, was also a key aspect of these mothers’ experience. Inner balance is connected to the experience and attainment of choice and control. Leisure time provides opportunities for reflexivity, assisting in creating and maintaining a sense of self and guiding life decisions, offering opportunities for the attainment of both inner and outer balances. This holistic representation of balance challenges and broadens our understanding of the work/life balance debate by combining external and internal factors and by proposing that balance should not be an end unto itself but, instead, a means to an end: the attainment of a life worth living.

Overtime reduction, work-life balance, and psychological well-being for research and development engineers in Japan

Abstract: Due to the recent intensification of work hour regulation by Japanese employers, a large number of engineers in research and development are increasingly unable to put in satisfactory amount of time in work, and the incidences of experiencing non-accomplishment in work are growing. This study investigates whether and how the overtime reduction affects engineers' sense of fulfillment in work and personal life, and examines how they influence engineers' depression and perceived health. Results show that overtime reduction has both positive and negative sides, and while on one hand it enhances the time adequacy for engineers' private life, on the other hand it significantly reduces their sense of fulfillment in work. Furthermore, unbalance such as “non-achievement in work” and “fulfillment in private life” is likely to deteriorate their psychological well-being. Findings suggest that in order to realize engineers' work-life balance it is not sufficient to just enhance the time in private life, but it is also necessary to ensure simultaneously a sufficient time in work.