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.

scholarly journals Highly Skilled South Asian Migrant Women in Australia: Hidden Economic Assets

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Najia Syed ◽  
Cathy Banwell ◽  
Tehzeeb Zulfiqar
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Migrant Women ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Economic Assets

Finding a balance between work and family life is challenging for many women, particularly migrant women living in Australia without family support. This study provides insights into their dilemmas, difficulties and strengths in terms of household responsibilities and employment pressures. Design: Qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten South Asian skilled mothers living in Canberra, Australia. Findings: Participants were positive about contributing to their family’s income and gaining financial independence. However, as skilled migrant women, they struggled to use their work skills due to increased demands of domestic responsibilities. They often negotiated work and family life by seeking low-prospect careers. Conclusion: The socio-cultural factors faced by South Asian migrant women have a significant impact on their work-life balance. Deskilling, increased work pressures and lack of support may negatively impact their career aspirations and well-being. Flexible policies can help mitigate these barriers to help migrant women maintain a work-life balance.

DETERMINANTS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR WORKING MOTHERS

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vibhuti Tripathi ◽  
Sakshi Misra Shukla ◽  
Kadambari Randev
Keyword(s):  
Working Mothers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Working Mother ◽  
Main Research

Despite the growing prominence in the work force, working mothers are still found to be juggling hard between work and family responsibilities with their increasing share of dilemmas and disparities. The paper studies the determinants of work life balance of working mothers and the potential sources of stress specific to working mothers and their consequences. The study addresses the main research objective which was to find out solutions to ease the dilemma that a working mother encounters while dividing her energy and capabilities between parenting, work, relationships and self. The survey was conducted in the city of Allahabad and 100 working mothers were surveyed on a structured questionnaire. SPSS software was used to analyze the data with the help of statistical tools like frequency, cross tabulation, chi square and Z test. The major findings of the survey highlighted that working mothers are mostly stressed with their primary responsibility of motherhood to the extent of forgetting one’s own well-being and physical health. The study recommends significant ways to balance work and family and achieve the most desired contentment of a working mother. The study reassures working mothers by reinventing, evolving and transitioning positively through the trials of working motherhood with knowledge, practice, strength and fulfillment. The modern work environment needs to reconsider the special needs of this working population, changing its orientation from male dominance to gender neutrality and parenting friendly behavior. Last but not the least, the family as a whole, needs to adjust accordingly, to the needs of the working mother so as to allow a healthier family to develop and grow consistently.

scholarly journals Self-efficacy and work engagement: test of a chain model

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Wen Chan ◽  
Thomas Kalliath ◽  
Paula Brough ◽  
Michael O’Driscoll ◽  
Oi-Ling Siu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Demands

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating roles of work and family demands and work-life balance on the relationship between self-efficacy (to regulate work and life) and work engagement. Specifically, it seeks to explain how self-efficacy influences employees’ thought patterns and emotional reactions, which in turn enable them to cope with work and family demands, and ultimately achieve work-life balance and work engagement. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling (SEM) of survey data obtained from a heterogeneous sample of 1,010 Australian employees is used to test the hypothesised chain mediation model. Findings The SEM results support the hypothesised model. Self-efficacy was significantly and negatively related to work and family demands, which in turn were negatively associated with work-life balance. Work-life balance, in turn, enabled employees to be engaged in their work. Research limitations/implications The findings support the key tenets of social cognitive theory and conservation of resources (COR) theory and demonstrate how self-efficacy can lead to work-life balance and engagement despite the presence of role demands. Study limitations (e.g. cross-sectional research design) and future research directions are discussed. Originality/value This study incorporates COR theory with social cognitive theory to improve understanding of how self-efficacy enhances work-life balance and work engagement through a self-fulfilling cycle in which employees achieve what they believe they can accomplish, and in the process, build other skills and personal resources to manage work and family challenges.

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-Life Balance of Women Entrepreneurs (Wlbwe): a Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2005-2011
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Happy Life ◽  
Family Demands ◽  
Small Medium Enterprises ◽  
Capital Development ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Today’s women are contributing to family and nation’s economy. This study proposed a new conceptual framework that incorporates the importance of the worklife balance and implication on health for women entrepreneurs in Small Medium Enterprises (SMESs). Survey questionnaire was used to gather information on variables that are pertinent to the development of the model. The survey questionnaires were analyzed using multiple regression. The samples for this study consisted of 278 women entrepreneurs. The findings revealed that work-life balance women entrepreneurs model (WLBWE model) is suitable for women entrepreneurs to enhance their life well – being and gain profit in their business. Finally, the alert of health affected only significant in the contribution between work demands and family demands to enhance profit in organization and maintain with happy life with family and doesn’t give a direct impact to personal and annual turnover performance. The study is beneficial for policy makers and Human Capital Development units in organizations to embed essential concepts in their organizations’ strategic planning.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF ROLE OVERLOAD AND WORKING HOURS ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN SERVICE INDUSTRY

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayma Zia ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Service Industry ◽  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Role Overload ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Correlation And Regression Analysis ◽  
Family Demands

Purpose: Main purpose of this study is to determine the hindrances found in work-life balance among genders in Service Industry. Methodology/Sampling: Data is comprised of 250 samples out of which 10 were discarded due to provided wrong information however rest of 240 were used for the analysis out of which 120 are males and the rest 120 are females. To test the reliability of constructs SPSS Software version 21.0 is used and calculated through Cronbach Alpha. Frequency test, Cross-tabulation, Graphical representation, Correlation and Regression analysis were used for data analysis. Findings: Findings shows that the organizations used in the study did not give any support to work life balance idea. These organizations promote overtime and extended working hour culture. Even male employees are unable to meet their family demands due to late sittings and found carrying stress related diseases most commonly headaches. In contrast, female employees were found in better conditions regarding fulfilling their family commitments because they are not pressurized by their employers for late sittings. Practical Implications: This study is useful for the organizations that if they implement flexible hours' policy to maintain work and family life. It will be more beneficial to the employees and employers for the better results.

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 Work-Life Balance In Hospitality: Experiences From A Geneva-Based Hotel

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Human Resource Policy ◽  
Stress Study ◽  
Study Results

This study, carried out on 30 employees in a Geneva-based hotel, argues that employee work-life balance issues are affected by human resource policy.  Questionnaires, containing attitude scales and open-ended questions, revealed that employees remained in their jobs because of work-life programmes.  Variables identified in this study which positively affected employee well-being included increased schedule flexibility and mutually beneficial relationships with line managers.  Negative ones included long working hours, the sacrifice of private life, invasive working hours, decreased social and family life in addition to increased fatigue and stress.  Study results also revealed that work-life balance issues perceived by employees can be mitigated through organisational support and the recognition of informal feedback.

scholarly journals Work-life balance in Higher Education: a systematic review of the impact on the well-being of teachers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciane Silva Franco ◽  
Claudia Tania Picinin ◽  
Luiz Alberto Pilatti ◽  
Antonio Carlos Franco
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Systematic Review Methodology ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The work-life balance needs to be exercised by individuals who perform functions in the fields of work and family, including Higher Education teachers. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the work-life balance in Higher Education and the impact on the well-being of teachers. Based on a systematic review of 53 articles retrieved from the ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science from 2005 to 2020, this article has a rigorous systematic review methodology using the Mendeley and EndNote software tools. The VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel software tools were also used in the following techniques: citation analysis and co-ocurrence of terms/words. In addition, main topics discussed about the work-life balance among Higher Education teachers, research areas, field of activity and SWOT analysis (opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses) were identified in the literature. Findings suggest that gender inequality, stress level at work and the absence of a healthy workplace impact on the work-life balance and consequently on the well-being of Higher Education teachers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document