Work to live, live to balance ~ “Women Workers”

 

 There is a greater need for everyone to strike a balance between work and family life as a result of demographic changes such as the rise in the number of women in the workforce,dual-career families,single-parent households, an ageing population and etc.    

Women’s work-life balance has become an essential topic since the time when males earned the family living in today's society, where both men and women equally bear the obligation of making for the benefit of their family life. Working women's roles has changed over time in response to economic trends and societal necessities. As a result, working women face enormous pressure to establish a career as substantial as their male counterparts while maintaining active engagement in their personal life. When working women marry, they take on more duties. When they become mothers, they are responsible for the primary attention of their children and extended family putting them under greater pressure to stay on their career path.

What is Work-Lifee Balance” (WLB)?

 

                                    Source: (Environ, 2019)

 Munn (2009) revealed that work-life balance is defined as prioritising work, family, individual, and community responsibilities. Work-life balance practices in organizations and persons may experience productivity improvement, fewer sicknesses and absenteeism, a happier, less stressed workforce, staff feeling valued and that their personal and/or family life is essential, improvements in employee mental health and well-being, and more engaged staff.

 

Factors affecting work-life imbalance in working women.

 ·         Multiple social roles arising from marriage, childbirth, pregnancy

 ·         Poor daycare and crèche facilities in the office

 ·       Frequent extended work schedule

 ·         Unrealistic deadlines

 ·         Role overload

 ·         Long and odd working hours

 ·         Non-supportive attitude of superiors

 ·         Inadequate leave facilities

 ·         Lack of job security

 ·         Lack of gender-sensitive WLB policy

 

Work-life imbalance, on the other hand, frequently resulted in absenteeism, employee turnover, dissatisfaction with the job, absence of organizational commitment and lifestyle diseases like stress, hypertension, obesity and stroke in some cases. It can result in poor coping skills, irritability, insecurity, exhaustion and difficulty in concentration.  (Jayarathnam, 2017, 26)

 How can improve women's WLB in the workplace?

Work environment -: Workplace environment can be measured using construct aspects such as transparent and open communication, flexible working conditions, and a well-functioning work process. (Poh, 2018).

Leadership Style -: Leader's style of behaviour that best fits the employee and work environment to achieve a goal. Leaders have an impact on the stress levels and work-life balance of those they lead, which can be positive or detrimental depending on the leadership style. Autocratic leadership tends to generate fear and insecurity. Even moderate autocracy might leave people feeling unmotivated and unsatisfied.( Malalage and Fernando, 2018, 17-20)

Flexible working options -: Providing employees with more flexible work arrangements can lead to lower staff turnover, higher staff retention, and lower absenteeism. Part-time work, job sharing, and working from home have all been found to boost job satisfaction, productivity, and motivation.

Adopt family-friendly policies -: Initiatives such as generous parental leave policies, subsidized childcare, and return-to-work programs help working parents, particularly those with young children, balance home and work lives. Implementing policies that recognize the value of family time can go a long way toward enhancing employee work-life balance and performance. 

Put work-life balance on the table for discussion -: At one-on-one meetings, take employees’ ideas above how they feel they're balancing their workloads and other commitments, and what organizations can do to help them achieve a healthier work-life balance if necessary(MichaelPage,2019).

 

 

 Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tRTivyMSM

 

 List of references:

Environ J.,2019 Work-Life Balance in Great Companies and Pending Issues for Engaging New Generations at Work, Workplace Health and Wellbeing,16 24.

Jayarathnam.M, (2017) Factors Influencing Work-Life-Balance of Women Professionals in It Industry-A Study in Tamil Nadu, India. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 6 26.

Malalage, G. S and Fernando, W. R. P. K. (2018) Factors AffectingWork-Lifee Balance of Women Employees in Sri Lanka; With Special Reference to Data Entry Operators in Selected IT Companies, Journal of Business Technology, 12 17-20.

MichaelPage, 2019 The state of work-life balance in Australia. [Online] Australia: MichaelPage. Available from https://www.michaelpage.com.au/advice/career-advice/work-life-balance/state-work-life-balance-australia  [Accessed on 18 March 2023].

Munn, T. (2009). Rural Social Work: Moving Forward. Rural Society, 13(1), 2234. doi: 10.5172/rsj.351.13.1.22

Poh, M. (2018, September 24). 5 Characteristics of a Positive Work Environment - Hongkiat. Retrieved from https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/positiveworking-environment