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.

Impacts of Companies’ Promotion of Work–Life Balance and the Restrictive Regular Employment System on Gender Wage Gap

Abstract: This chapter examines whether certain firm policies regarding work–life balance and flexible work places increase women’s wages, thereby decreasing the gender wage gap. In particular, this chapter focuses on the influence of (1) firms’ personnel policies that “encourage employees to fulfill their potential regardless of gender,” which hereinafter is referred to as the Gender Equality of Opportunity (GEO) policy, (2) whether firms have systematic work–life balance (WLB) promotion policies in place, and (3) whether firms have work–location-restricted regular employment systems. The linked survey data between Japanese firms and their employees taken from the 2009 International Comparative Survey on Work–Life Balance conducted by the Research Institute of Economy Trade and Industry are used in the analysis. A selection bias occurs because companies’ policies and measures are not randomly assigned. In this chapter, the selection bias caused by firm and employee characteristics is eliminated through the use of propensity-score weighting. Furthermore, the analysis takes into account unobserved heterogeneity in company characteristics and interprets the causal relationship of the analytical results accordingly. The analytical results are as follows. (1) Compared with situations in which the GEO policy is not in place, women’s wages increase and the gender wage gap decreases in cases in which it is in place. (2) The effects of the presence of both the WLB promotion policy and work-location-restricted regular employment systems depend on the presence of the GEO policy. When the GEO policy is in place, the effects of both increase women’s wages and decrease the gender wage gap over and beyond the effects of the GEO policy. (3) When the GEO policy is not in place, the presence of work-location-restricted regular employment systems has no significant effect on the gender wage gap, whereas the presence of the WLB promotion policy actually increases the gender wage gap.

The influence of work-life balance policies on organizational performance

Abstract: In response to shifts in the labour market and the changing nature of work, work-life balance is now at the top of the agenda for public sector. The general objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of work-life balance policies on organizational performance. The study used descriptive design. The study targeted a population of 500 employees from the public sector. The random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of hundred (100) respondents. The research instrument was a questionnaire. Both primary and secondary data were collected. A Multiple regression analysis was done to show the level of the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable. The study established that employees recommended that the organizations in the sector should seek to ensure that there is a consistent allocation of reasonable workload to workers. The study further established that compressed work week improved the balance between family life and work which ultimately resulted to creation of a happier workforce with an improved team spirit and with lesser chances of interpersonal conflicts at the workplace thus promoting organizational performance. In addition respondents noted that balanced work – family priorities lead to a motivated workforce and high employee morale. The study recommended that for high organizational performance, workload on employees must be according to their abilities and potential to cope with the stress and leaders within the organizations must create a culture in the organization, where optimum workload-productivity correlation exists.

An Empirical Study Of Work-life-balance W ith Special Reference T o Government & Private Teachers In India

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to elucidate the necessity of embracing Work-Life Balance strategies for every class of employees. The paper examines elements of Work-Life Balance essentiality with special reference to Government and Private Teachers and proposes empirical evidence which enunciates the essentiality. The data has been collected from about 100 teachers working for Government and Private Schools, Colleges, Universities and Professional Courses. The findings of the study indicate that, there is an acute need of designing the policies and programs to implement at National level to enable the teaching community to balance their work and life needs. Through this empirical study an attempt is made to identify the kinds of personal motives and its priority among different Genders, Ages, Levels of Position and Number of Dependents and then ideated the policies to balance Work and Life of Teachers working for both Government and Private Institutions.

Making Work Count: The Journey Toward Meaning in Academia

Abstract: In this day and age of intense academic competition, there is increased pressure to publish or perish to survive in academia. What counts in university work may be different from what counts as important work for women academics. In this chapter, the author reflects on the importance of meaningful work in academia, tracing her journey as an academic and teacher educator at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. She discusses negotiating university expectations, keeping her passion and managing work–life balance in the journey toward meaningful work.