scholarly journals The Efficacy of Wellness Programmes as Work-Life Balance Strategies in the South African Public Service

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (6(J)) ◽  
pp. 52-67
Author(s):  
Ethel N. Abe ◽  
Ziska Fields ◽  
Isaac I. Abe
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
The South ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work And Life

Abstract: This paper aimed to evaluate the wellness programs adopted by the South African Public Service to ascertain their efficacy at addressing work-family challenges and aiding employees to achieve work-life balance. Understanding the effectiveness of wellness programmes as work-life balance strategies is necessary especially when the cost of implementing such strategies is considered exorbitant. Many institutions have put in place work-life balance strategies, but discrepancies concerning definitions, formulation and implementation could make it impossible for them to fully reduce work-family challenges and assist employees in achieving the envisaged work-life balance. A sequential transformative mixed-methods study design was adopted. Data was collected using self-report questionnaire administered to 307 individual managers. Additionally, 11 top management members were interviewed. The major findings are as follows; (a) significant relationship exists between the wellness programmes and work-life balance strategies (b) wellness programmes qualified to be addressed only as life strategies because they did not address work challenges faced by employees. (c) work-life balance strategies predicted only 7.1% of the variations in wellness programmes in the South African Public Service. The peculiarity and value of this article lies in the discovery that work and life balance strategies adopted by organisations may not address employee work and life challenges and assist them in achieving work-life balance. Summarily, wellness programmes are not work-life balance strategies, and the South African Public Service should endeavour to adopt strategies that could assist employees in balancing work and family needs.Keywords: Wellness Programmes, Work-Life Balance Strategies, Work-family challenges, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)

scholarly journals Influence of sense of coherence on work-life balance at the South African public service

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abe N. Ethel ◽  
Ziska Fields ◽  
Atiku O. Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
The South ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Life Balance

The inability of workers to achieve balance between work and family responsibilities has led to heightened incidence of illnesses associated with stress. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the role of Sense of Coherence (SOC) on the achievement of work life balance by focusing on individual managers at a municipality in the South African public service. These individual managers often struggle with work-life balance (WLB) challenges like HIV/AIDS, relational tension, single parenthood, child and elder care, alcohol and substance abuse, debt and financial issues, absence of job autonomy, function vagueness/role conflict and job stress. A sequential transformative mixed methods research design is adopted. Data were collected using self-report questionnaire administered to 364 individual managers; additional eleven members of top management were interviewed. Quantitative data gathered are analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 to test the reliability and validity of the instrument as well as the bivariate association between the variables. NVIVO is used in organizing qualitative data for ease of content analysis. The findings indicate that SOC should be considered when designing strategies to address employee work-life needs. Furthermore, it confirmed that the presence of strong SOC does not lead to achievement of WLB

scholarly journals Dimension of Work Life Balance in Software Companies

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deivasigamani J. ◽  
Dr. Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
The Media ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Significant Attention ◽  
Work And Life

Work-Life balance is a concept with several connotations and varied consequences within and among different stakeholders. Over the past two decades the issue work-family and work-life balance have received significant attention from employers, workers, politicians, academics and the media. Concerns about work-life balance have become salient for number of reasons. Demographic and social changes have resulted in more women entering the workforce, working mothers becoming the norm rather than the exception. In this view, the researcher has done a study to understand the employees work life balance with reference to software companies in Chennai.This study was conducted based on the objectives to know the work life balance of the employees in the software companies. There were 110 sample of respondents were chosen based on convenience sampling. Questionnaire was administered to collect the responses which have been formulated in such a way to meet the objectives of the study.The results of the study brought out various interesting findings. However, this study also had thrown few suggestions for managing the work and life in software companies.

scholarly journals Meeting the challenge of the work-life balance in the South African workplace

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
GF Mageni ◽  
AD Slabbert
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
South African ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
The South ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Insight Into

The work-life balance (WLB) construct as a business imperative has been of growing concern in organisations outside South Africa for the past two decades, particularly given the pressure to create a sustainable global competitive advantage through human capital. Within the last decade this aspect has been prominent in various forums. However, no studies as yet provide insight into the applicability of WLB models to the South African workplace. The present article therefore explores the composition of a WLB system, and analyses constraints on its application under the conditions of the South African labour market.

scholarly journals Work–Life Balance: Weighing the Importance of Work–Family and Work–Health Balance

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gragnano ◽  
Silvia Simbula ◽  
Massimo Miglioretti
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Parental Status ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Health ◽  
Work Family

To date, research directed at the work–life balance (WLB) has focused mainly on the work and family domains. However, the current labor force is heterogeneous, and workers may also value other nonworking domains besides the family. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of other nonworking domains in the WLB with a particular focus on health. Moreover, the importance of the effects of the work–family balance (WFB) and the work–health balance (WHB) on job satisfaction was investigated. Finally, we explored how the effects of the WFB and the WHB on job satisfaction change according to worker characteristics (age, gender, parental status, and work ability). This study involved 318 workers who completed an online questionnaire. The importance of the nonworking domains was compared with a t-test. The effect of the WFB and the WHB on job satisfaction was investigated with multiple and moderated regression analyses. The results show that workers considered health as important as family in the WLB. The WHB explained more of the variance in job satisfaction than the WFB. Age, gender and parental status moderated the effect of the WFB on job satisfaction, and work ability moderated the effect of the WHB on job satisfaction. This study highlights the importance of the health domain in the WLB and stresses that it is crucial to consider the specificity of different groups of workers when considering the WLB.

Australian Muslim men balancing work, family and religion:a positive look at a negative issue

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adem Sav ◽  
Neil Harris ◽  
Bernadette Sebar
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Muslim Men ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Life Conflict

Purpose – This study explores how Australian Muslim men cope with potential conflict and achieve feelings of balance between their work, family and religious roles. Design/methodology/approach – The study is guided by the interpretive paradigm and is qualitative. Data is collected from participants via semi-structured in-depth interviews (n=20) and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings – Personal coping strategies (e.g. making permanent changes and time management) seem more effective in coping with immediate conflict and achieving work-life balance as opposed to external ones (e.g. supervisor support). Although some of the strategies mirror existing research, their extent of use and reasons for usage by Muslim men are different. Muslim men use these strategies in a preventive manner to actively achieve work-life balance rather than just cope with episodic work-life conflict. Research limitations/implications – The study is conducted with a small sample and the findings may not be generalizable to non-practising Australian Muslim men. To date, research has not clearly articulated how people who do not experience work-life conflict, make decisions to achieve balance. This study has a positive look at a negative issue by indicating that workers can go beyond coping with conflict and explore avenues to achieve work-life balance. The findings underscore the importance of preventive coping in achieving work-life balance and caution researchers about investigating how people cope with immediate work-life conflict only. Originality/value – In addition to work and family roles, this study focuses on religious commitments, with religion being a largely overlooked concept within the work-family coping literature.

Work/Life Balance

Sociology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misun Lim ◽  
Joya Misra
Keyword(s):  
Poor Quality ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Worker Turnover ◽  
Work Family

There are many different ways to define work–life balance. Some scholars emphasize that work–life balance requires balancing demands of both paid work and family responsibilities or maximizing satisfaction by minimizing conflict between paid work and family responsibilities. Others view work–life balance as encompassing the way that boundaries blur between work, family, and leisure time. In attempting to address work–life balance, workers are generally trying to preserve both quality of life, and potential for career advancements, while employers are trying to preserve high productivity and reduce worker turnover. Although the term “work–life balance” is widely used, alternative terms are also employed, such as work–family balance, work–life integration, work–life harmonization, or work–life articulation. Research on attempts to manage paid work along with family and other parts of life has been carried out for decades. Yet this scholarship has exploded in the last two decades, particularly as middle-class women have increased their workforce participation, but also work is being carried out during nonstandard hours, technology is creating more permeability between work and home, and union protections have been weakened. Work–life balance efforts may lead to poor-quality jobs in terms of earnings, job security, working time and promotion opportunities, rather than long-term quality employment over the life course that allows for leisure and family time. Research on work–life balance should take structural, rather than individual approaches, to consider workplace cultures, including by occupation and gender inequality, and recognize the different assumptions underlying policies aimed at addressing work–life balance.

De werk-privé balans van gescheiden ouders : De rol van werkeisen, privé-eisen en hun combinatie

2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-90
Author(s):  
Arda van den Berg ◽  
Anne-Rigt Poortman
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Demands ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Family Demands ◽  
Work Family ◽  
High Work

Abstract The work-family balance of divorced parents: The role of work demands, family demands and their interplayAfter a divorce, parents may face difficulties in combining work with the care for children. Few studies have examined the work-life balance of this particular group. Using data from 1.577 employed divorced fathers and 2.059 employed divorced mothers, we examined how work demands (long work hours, commuting times) and family demands (number and age of children, postdivorce residence arrangements) affected the work-family balance of divorced parents. High work demands lowered the work-life balance among both fathers and mothers. Greater family demands had a smaller impact than work demands and led to a worse work-life balance only for mothers. Family demands, however, became more important for fathers’ work-family balance when combined with high work demands. Such an interplay of work and family demands was also found for mothers: work demands had stronger effects in case of high family demands and vice versa.

scholarly journals Generation-Y Employees and Their Perceptions of Work-Life Balance

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-41
Author(s):  
Bahrain Mos ◽  
Nur Fatihah abdullah Bandar ◽  
Surena Sabil ◽  
Farida Abdul Halim ◽  
Agatha Lamentan Muda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Gen Y ◽  
Work Family ◽  
And Coping

The objective of this study is to identify the perceptions of Generation Y employees regarding work-life balance practices. As increasing numbers of Generation Y enter the workforce, questions regarding how they perceive work, family and self-related issues, challenges and coping strategies in balancing personal and professional commitments became issues of interests for employers. This study uses interviews to collect data from six informants in Generation Y and the data were analyzed through content analysis. The results indicate that Generation Y employees do indeed have issues and challenges with balancing work and family. However, unlike the older generation of employees, Generation Y employees perceive managing work-life balance only through segmentation or separation strategies. This particular finding indicates that if organizations want to attract and retain these employees they should adapt a strategy specifically designed to target this employee group.  Keywords: Gen Y; work-life balance; issues and challenges; coping strategies; segmentation

scholarly journals Measuring the effectiveness of work–life balance strategies in the manufacturing sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idris O. Ganiyu ◽  
Evelyn Derera ◽  
Sulaiman O. Atiku ◽  
Ziska Fields
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Stressors ◽  
Work Family

Orientation: The development of an appropriate framework to measure the effectiveness of work–life balance strategies (WLBS) among manufacturing firms in Nigeria is still a major challenge.Research purpose: The main purpose of this article is to measure the effectiveness of WLBS in the manufacturing sector, drawing insights gathered from two selected manufacturing firms in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria.Motivation for the study: Despite the global explosion of research on work–life balance, there is a dearth of studies measuring the effectiveness of WLBS adopted by manufacturing firms in Nigeria.Research approach/design and method: A structured questionnaire was adopted to gather data among 312 employees of the two selected manufacturing firms in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria. Structural Equation Modelling was valuable in establishing the mediating influences of WLBS and work-family satisfaction on the interplay between work-family stressors and the selected manufacturing firms’ performance.Main findings: The study findings revealed that WLBS and work–family satisfaction mediate the interplay between work–family stressors and the selected manufacturing firms’ performance.Practical/managerial implications: To enhance continuous performance, human resource managers of the manufacturing firms should ensure the improved implementation and adoption of relevant WLBS that could help the employees cushion the effect of work and family stressors thereby achieving satisfaction with work and family life.Contribution/value-add: This study develops and validates a framework to measure the effectiveness of WLBS in selected manufacturing firms, Lagos Metropolis. The developed framework could serve as a template which could be replicated in other sectors of the Nigeria’s economy.

Achieving work–life balance: Current theoretical and practice issues

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven AY Poelmans ◽  
Thomas Kalliath ◽  
Paula Brough
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Balance Theory ◽  
International Expert ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Family

AbstractProfessor Steven Poelmans is a leading international expert on the frontiers of work–family research contributing to theoretical and practice advancements. He is the Academic Director of the International Centre of Work and Family (ICWF) at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, which has worked for more than a decade with numerous organisations in Spain, Latin-America, and various countries around the globe to create a family-responsible environment. In this conversation, Steven Poelmans responds to questions from Thomas Kalliath and Paula Brough (Guest Editors) on a range of theoretical and practice issues currently facing the field including measurement of work–life balance, work–life balance theory, engagement with industry, the role of organisational culture and strategic management in influencing work–life balance.

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