Challenges and Benefits of ‘Work from Home’ for employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 269-279
Author(s):  
Vijayalaxmi Moovala
Keyword(s):  
Family Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Commute Time ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
General Preference ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Gen X

COVID-19 ushered in a range of strategic, structural, and operational changes in organisations. Significant among these changes being the work from home (WFH) arrangement. The main aim of this study was to identify the challenges and benefits that the WFH arrangement brought in its wake, for employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The similarities and differences in the challenges faced, and benefits reaped by different demographic segments of respondents, namely; male and female, managers and non-managers, and the four generations [Baby-boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z] were examined.  The study revealed that the major challenges faced by respondents of these segments were receiving work requests from managers and colleagues after scheduled work hours and/or at their convenience, keeping a regular schedule, keeping family members away from workspace- especially during virtual meetings, not having access to the tools or information needed for the job, not having workspace/workstation at home, and communication with colleagues being hard.  The major benefits listed were saving commute time, flexible working, work life balance, personal and family care, and more focus. The general preference of majority of the respondents was to continue with WFH arrangement - half the time in the future. The findings of this study threw light on the need for organisations to formulate policies for overcoming the challenges faced by respondents during WFH. This would result in better productivity and contribute to the employees’ well-being.

scholarly journals Caregiving in a Pandemic: COVID-19 and the Well-Being of Family Caregivers 55+ in the United States

2022 ◽  
pp. 107755872110624
Author(s):  
Yulya Truskinovsky ◽  
Jessica M. Finlay ◽  
Lindsay C. Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Family Caregiving ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
More Care ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Little is known about the effects of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on older family caregivers. Using data from a national sample of 2,485 U.S. adults aged ≥55, we aimed to describe the magnitude of disruptions to family care arrangements during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associations between these disruptions and the mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-rated health) and employment outcomes (job loss or furlough, hours or wages reduced, transition to work-from-home) of family caregivers. We found that COVID-19 disrupted over half of family caregiving arrangements, and that care disruptions were associated with increased depression, anxiety, and loneliness among caregivers, compared with both noncaregivers and caregivers who did not experience disruptions. Family caregivers who experienced pandemic-related employment disruptions were providing more care than caregivers who did not experience disruptions. These findings highlight the impact of the pandemic on an essential and vulnerable health care workforce.

scholarly journals Learning from work-from-home issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: Balance speaks louder than words

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261969
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Y. Chu ◽  
Thomas W. C. Chan ◽  
Mike K. P. So
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home

During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many employees have switched to working from home. Despite the findings of previous research that working from home can improve productivity, the scale, nature, and purpose of those studies are not the same as in the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects that three stress relievers of the work-from-home environment–company support, supervisor’s trust in the subordinate, and work-life balance–had on employees’ psychological well-being (stress and happiness), which in turn influenced productivity and engagement in non-work-related activities during working hours. In order to collect honest responses on sensitive questions or negative forms of behavior including stress and non-work-related activities, we adopted the randomized response technique in the survey design to minimize response bias. We collected a total of 500 valid responses and analyzed the results with structural equation modelling. We found that among the three stress relievers, work-life balance was the only significant construct that affected psychological well-being. Stress when working from home promoted non-work-related activities during working hours, whereas happiness improved productivity. Interestingly, non-work-related activities had no significant effect on productivity. The research findings provide evidence that management’s maintenance of a healthy work-life balance for colleagues when they are working from home is important for supporting their psychosocial well-being and in turn upholding their work productivity.

scholarly journals Work from home: a boon in the phase of pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 3197-3202
Author(s):  
Anand.N. Et.al
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Work Culture ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Organizational Work ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Work And Health

In this phase of pandemic and lockdown, where people are trying to cope up with stress along with their personal and professional responsibilities; do work from home acts as a boon to them? Flexible working arrangement enables the employees to avoid daily commutes and work according to their convenience but in this pandemic situation where people are bound to isolate themselves with their family, is flexible working helping them? Previously, there was a mindset that an efficient workforce can be developed through a proper work environment and team work but after this pandemic, a new mode of working has replaced the traditional one. At present, ‘work smart’ has replaced ‘work hard’ by accepting and incorporating employees’ multiple demands related to work and health, family and responsibilities , time and place. Work from home is one of the Flexible working arrangements provided by the employers to employees; also emerged as the “new normal strategy” after this pandemic. The IOT (Internet of Things) became essential for organizations to pace up the work. However, with digital platforms and up gradation of technology, the firms and organizations stay connected with their employees. This study is descriptive in nature and it focuses on both the pros and cons of flexible working along with its effect on the employees’ well-being and overall organizational work culture and productivity.

scholarly journals Flexible Working Arrangements in Malaysia and the Participation of Women in the Labour Force

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Geetha Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Flexible Working

<p>The aim of this thesis is to shed light on possible reasons for the stagnation in the participation rate of women in the Malaysian workforce by focusing on the phenomenon of flexible working arrangements. This is researched in the context of the possibility of flexible working arrangements helping women achieve work-life balance and how such work affects their well-being. Using a mixed method approach, the study addresses three main questions:- are Malaysian women interested in flexible working arrangements? would flexible working arrangements be useful in bringing more women into the labour force? and what impacts do flexible working arrangements have on their well-being? The study was conducted in the Klang Valley, which has a total population of over seven million people and is the heartland of Malaysia's industry and commerce. It employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative approach, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to women employees working in seven organisations which have flexible working arrangements and seven organisations with fixed working arrangements. A random sample of 415 female employees from 14 selected organisations in the services sector were identified. To complement the statistical data, 30 women were interviewed. Findings from the logistic regression analysis revealed that flexible working arrangements at the workplace are preferred by women who are more educated, earning a higher income and are at the higher end of the occupational status. It further revealed that flexible working arrangements will encourage more women to work in paid labour since they have a better work-life balance and more empowerment. The information gathered from the qualitative interviews concerned women’s wellbeing in terms of work-life balance, empowerment and lifestyles. While most of the women experienced work-life balance barriers, some common threads and themes revealed that flexible working arrangements will be a good option towards achieving work-life balance and had a positive effect on women’s well-being in terms of work-life balance and household empowerment. The qualitative interviews showed that workplace flexibility can improve the working women’s work-life balance, especially among married women with young children and hence, encourage women to participate in paid labour. In adopting a combination of theoretical approaches, it is argued that there is a greater tendency for Malaysian married women to exit the labour force after having children compared to most other countries and this is primarily due to their caring responsibilities, lack of an enabling environment and the cultural and social factors particular to Malaysia. The study found that flexible working arrangements are very varied in type and cannot be treated as a single, comprehensive package which might be suitable for all women. Further, the implementation of flexible working arrangements at the workplace would not be alone sufficient to bring in more women into the labour force.</p>

scholarly journals Flexible Working Arrangements in Malaysia and the Participation of Women in the Labour Force

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Geetha Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Flexible Working

<p>The aim of this thesis is to shed light on possible reasons for the stagnation in the participation rate of women in the Malaysian workforce by focusing on the phenomenon of flexible working arrangements. This is researched in the context of the possibility of flexible working arrangements helping women achieve work-life balance and how such work affects their well-being. Using a mixed method approach, the study addresses three main questions:- are Malaysian women interested in flexible working arrangements? would flexible working arrangements be useful in bringing more women into the labour force? and what impacts do flexible working arrangements have on their well-being? The study was conducted in the Klang Valley, which has a total population of over seven million people and is the heartland of Malaysia's industry and commerce. It employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative approach, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to women employees working in seven organisations which have flexible working arrangements and seven organisations with fixed working arrangements. A random sample of 415 female employees from 14 selected organisations in the services sector were identified. To complement the statistical data, 30 women were interviewed. Findings from the logistic regression analysis revealed that flexible working arrangements at the workplace are preferred by women who are more educated, earning a higher income and are at the higher end of the occupational status. It further revealed that flexible working arrangements will encourage more women to work in paid labour since they have a better work-life balance and more empowerment. The information gathered from the qualitative interviews concerned women’s wellbeing in terms of work-life balance, empowerment and lifestyles. While most of the women experienced work-life balance barriers, some common threads and themes revealed that flexible working arrangements will be a good option towards achieving work-life balance and had a positive effect on women’s well-being in terms of work-life balance and household empowerment. The qualitative interviews showed that workplace flexibility can improve the working women’s work-life balance, especially among married women with young children and hence, encourage women to participate in paid labour. In adopting a combination of theoretical approaches, it is argued that there is a greater tendency for Malaysian married women to exit the labour force after having children compared to most other countries and this is primarily due to their caring responsibilities, lack of an enabling environment and the cultural and social factors particular to Malaysia. The study found that flexible working arrangements are very varied in type and cannot be treated as a single, comprehensive package which might be suitable for all women. Further, the implementation of flexible working arrangements at the workplace would not be alone sufficient to bring in more women into the labour force.</p>

scholarly journals Strengthening of work-life balance while working remotely in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Živilė Stankevičiūtė ◽  
Svetlana Kunskaja
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Manager Support ◽  
Family Demands

BACKGROUND: Recently, quite a number of employees have been asked to choose remote work or even have been forced into it as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the benefits suggested by remote working, e.g. saving on commuting time and expenses working from home generates numerous challenges for employees, including the blurred line between the roles of working and private life. While, previous studies have demonstrated that work-life balance, which refers to the ability of every individual to coordinate work and family obligations successfully, has a significant impact on employee well-being and organisational performance, ways for maintaining the balance under crisis remain underexplored. OBJECTIVE: Trying to narrow the gap, the paper aims at revealing the antecedents of work-life balance while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A quantitative survey has been conducted in Lithuania (pilot study). The data have been collected from the employees working only remotely. RESULTS: The results provided evidence that employees struggled with work-home balance while working remotely. In line with the results, work and family demands served as detrimental factors for work-home balance, while manager support, co-workers support, job autonomy, and job control increased work-home balance. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the research results expand the knowledge on the antecedents of work-life balance in a crisis situation. Moreover, the findings have significant implications for employers demonstrating that organisations need to carefully plan and implement new strategies and practices for work-home balance improvement for the employees who work from home.

Qualitative study of burnout, career satisfaction, and well-being among US neurologists in 2016

Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (16) ◽  
pp. 1730-1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janis M. Miyasaki ◽  
Carol Rheaume ◽  
Lisa Gulya ◽  
Aviva Ellenstein ◽  
Heidi B. Schwarz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Insurance Mandates ◽  
Mitigating Factors ◽  
Government Mandates

Objective:To understand the experience and identify drivers and mitigating factors of burnout and well-being among US neurologists.Methods:Inductive data analysis was applied to free text comments (n = 676) from the 2016 American Academy of Neurology survey of burnout, career satisfaction, and well-being.Results:Respondents providing comments were significantly more likely to be older, owners/partners of their practice, solo practitioners, and compensated by production than those not commenting. The 4 identified themes were (1) policies and people affecting neurologists (government and insurance mandates, remuneration, recertification, leadership); (2) workload and work–life balance (workload, electronic health record [EHR], work–life balance); (3) engagement, professionalism, work domains specific to neurology; and (4) solutions (systemic and individual), advocacy, other. Neurologists mentioned workload > professional identity > time spent on insurance and government mandates when describing burnout. Neurologists' patient and clerical workload increased work hours or work brought home, resulting in poor work–life balance. EHR and expectations of high patient volumes by administrators impeded quality of patient care. As a result, many neurologists reduced work hours and call provision and considered early retirement.Conclusions:Our results further characterize burnout among US neurologists through respondents' own voices. They clarify the meaning respondents attributed to ambiguous survey questions and highlight the barriers neurologists must overcome to practice their chosen specialty, including multiple regulatory hassles and increased work hours. Erosion of professionalism by external factors was a common issue. Our findings can provide strategic direction for advocacy and programs to prevent and mitigate neurologist burnout and promote well-being and engagement.

Work Life Balance and Job Satisfaction - A Structural Equation Modeling

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
Dr. D. Shoba ◽  
Dr. G. Suganthi
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Study Results

Work-Life balance has its importance from ancient days and the concept is very old, from the day the world has been created. There was a drastic change that has occurred in the market of teachers and their personal profiles. There are tremendous changes in various families which have bartered from the ‘breadwinner’ role of traditional men to single parent families and dual earning couples. This study furnishes an insight into work life balance and job satisfaction of teachers working in School of Villupuram District. The sample comprises of 75 school teachers from Government and private schools in Villupuram District. The Study results that there is increasing mediating evidence in Work-life balance as well as Job satisfaction of teachers are not affected by the type of school in which they are working. Job satisfaction or Pleasure of life will be affected as a whole by Work life balance of an individual which is the main which can be calculated by construct of subjective well being.

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