Work-life Balance in HRM


                                                         Work-life Balance

Every organization has a goal to achieve and in order to achieve the goal, the organizations have different working environments and cultures. Work-life balance is a concept that is very common and this practice keeps the employees personal and professional life in a balance way.


What is Work-Life Balance.

Work life balance is a method which helps employees of an organization to balance their personal and professional lives. Work-life balance encourages employees to divide their time on the basis on priorities and maintain a balance by devoting time to family, health, vacations etc. (mbaskool.com, undated).

Work-life balance is typically defined as the amount of time you spend doing your job versus the amount of time you spend with loved ones or pursuing personal interests and hobbies. (Coursera, 2023).

Definition of Work Life balance

There’s no cohesive, agreed-upon definition of work–life balance in the literature (Kalliath & Brough, 2008). However, the common understanding is that there are (at least) two domains in life: work and personal. Both domains require attention and investment, but not at the sacrifice of each other.

Kalliath and Brough (2008) provide the following set of statements that synthesize the various definitions of WLB provided in the literature (Nortje, 2021).

 

1.        People perform different roles in their life, including a work role and a personal life role, and the demands of one role can carry over to the demands of another.

 

2.        People should be able to commit equal amounts of time and energy to all roles.

 

3.        People should feel satisfied with their own performance in various life domains and should function optimally in these domains. Their performance and function across life domains should not clash

 

4.        The roles that people perform in their life and the importance they assign to these roles change. Therefore, satisfaction with WLB depends on which roles people have prioritized now and whether their expectations are met.

 

5.        Work-life balance is achieved when there is little conflict between individuals’ work and personal roles.

 

6.        Work-life balance is considered to be the degree of autonomy that people have over the demands of various roles and their ability to meet these demands.

                                                                                                                             (Nortje, 2021)

Why work-life balance important?


Helping your employees achieve a better work-life balance is beneficial for your company. It can make your employees less stressed and more productive.

·         Reduces Stress:  When people are overly stressed, it can put a strain on their mental health and negatively impact their work.

·         Increases productivity:  When employees have the free time to manage their personal lives, they can be much more present at work and creatively solve their assignments.


What Causes poor Work-life balance

Many variables that are both within and outside of an employee’s control contribute to a poor work-life balance. However, there are a few things employers do that directly contribute:

  • Insufficient salaries and wages: 
  • Increased responsibilities: 
  • Long working hours: 

(Rencher, B,. 2023)


Conclusion.

Even though the work life balance practices are good for the employees and for the organization, Poor Work-life balance practices can cause huge concern on achieving organizational goals. 

 

References

Rencher, B., 2023. Work-Life Balance. [Online]
Available at: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/hr-glossary/work-life-balance
[Accessed 12 08 2023].

Jahan, S., 2023. A Simple Guide to a Work/Life Balance. [Online]
Available at: http://hrmpractice.com/a-simple-guide-to-a-worklife-balance/
[Accessed 12 08 2023].

Nortje, A., 2021. What Is Work–Life Balance?. [Online]
Available at: https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-work-life-balance/
[Accessed 12 08 2023].

 Coursera, (2023). Work-Life Balance: What It Is and 5 Ways to Improve Yours. [online]. Available from https://www.coursera.org/articles/work-life-balance. [Accessed on 12th August 2023].

mbaskool.com, (undated). Work Life Balance - Meaning, Importance, Steps & Example: What is Work Life Balance?. [online]. Available from https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/human-resources-hr-terms/7045-work-life-balance.html. [Accessed on 12th August 2023].

Comments

  1. Lakshani N UlladupitiyeAugust 17, 2023 at 8:27 AM

    A poor balance between an employee’s work commitments and their other responsibilities can lead to stress, high absence and low productivity.Employees who have a better work-life balance often have a greater sense of responsibility, ownership and control of their working life. If an employer helps an employee to balance their work and home life this can be rewarded by increased loyalty and commitment. They may also feel more able to focus on their work and to develop their career.This is good post

    ReplyDelete
  2. I U K YaddehigeAugust 17, 2023 at 4:55 PM

    If the work balance is not managed carefully, the employee's personal life and work life are full of problems. As the article points out, it is the responsibility of smart HRM to help manage it properly. Productivity is high, absenteeism is low, physical and mental health is improved with high commitment and motivation to work. Personal relationships can also benefit from achieving this balance through this practice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dinesh Chamira WijesinghaAugust 18, 2023 at 10:48 PM

    Creating a culture that supports employees’ sense of work-life balance is crucial to long-term business success. Companies that prioritise their employees’ wellbeing, stress management, and lives outside of work will benefit from a happier, healthier, more loyal, and more productive workforce.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Prabath MudaligeAugust 19, 2023 at 7:59 AM

    The identification of factors contributing to poor work-life balance, including insufficient salaries, increased responsibilities, and long working hours, is insightful and gives readers a clear understanding of the challenges employees may face.However, the blog post could be enhanced by providing more specific examples or case studies that illustrate the impact of work-life balance practices on both employees and organizations. Real-life scenarios would add depth to the content and make it more relatable to readers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mohamed MuaazAugust 19, 2023 at 10:43 AM

    To promote work-life balance, work from home concept is a best practice. Past one year I manage to work from home. It is really enjoyable, but as I can see most of the employees are misusing it up to great extent. Hence, they are not able to meet the project deadlines. Hence the organization is forced to implement an expensive tool to monitor them. Once it is implemented the same group of employees say that the organization is not trusting them. These are not manual workers, well-educated highly paid employees.

    ReplyDelete

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