Work

Introduction The society has undergone a significant transformation during the 21st century. These changes have affected different spheres of individual’s life. One of these spheres relates to work. Work demand is one of the major reasons for the increased need of work-life demands. Approximately 50% of the total workforce is comprised of women while 50% of all household adults are working (Chick, 2004, p.2).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Work-Life Balance And Its Influences On Employee Development And Career Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Findings of ‘The 2002 National Study on the Changing Workforce’ revealed that approximately 66% of all American families were dual earners by 1977. This means that these couples were salaried employees. However, the proportion grew to 78% by the end of 2002. Not only are the couples working but they are also required to work for long hour s (Chick, 2004, p. 2). In most cases individuals working for long hours experience health problems. In addition to work demands, the demands of life are also influencing individuals to have a balance in their life. For example, the adults are required to take care of their children and elderly parents. From the study, 50% of the respondents interviewed said they do not have sufficient time for themselves while 63% said they do not have enough time to spend with their spouses. On the other hand, 67% of all the respondents interviewed said that they do not have sufficient time to spend with their kids. As a result of increased participation in their work, there is need for individuals to establish a balance. In addition to family life, there is an increase in the number of adults who are attending school in an effort to improve their life. This arises from the fact that workers are aimed at developing their career. Considering these challenges, workers are increasingly being concerned with ensuring that there is flexibility within their workplace in order to attain a balance (Romer, 2011, p.1). As a result, human resource managers are increasingly being concerned with work-life-balance as one of the human resource management concepts. This arises from the fact that the profitability of the firm is dependent on its effectiveness in retaining employees (Clutterbuck, 2003, p.34).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Clayton (2004, p.146), the success of organizational leadership is dependent on the effectiveness with which harmony between the organizational goals and employees’ priorities is established. Considering the changes in the society, the researcher appreciated the importance of analyzing the concept of work-life-balance and its influences on employee development and career management. Literature review According to Armstrong (2 006, p.152), work-life balance entails establishing a balance between ones life and his or her work. In their human resource management practices, organizations are increasingly considering adopting strategies that enable their workforce to have a certain degree of flexibility in their duties. Armstrong (2006, p.152) further asserts that the objective of work-life balance is to provide the employees with an opportunity of balancing their work with other personal responsibilities. According to Armstrong (2006, p.152) one of the employees’ needs that organizations are required to take into account is employee development. In order to attain this most organizations have incorporated an employee development policy. The policy is aimed at ensuring that employees continuously develop their skills and abilities. Factors that have contributed to increased demand of work-life balance Financial security The 21st century has been characterized by numerous economic challenges. For exampl e, the recent economic crisis had adverse effects on individuals’ purchasing power. This arises from the fact that some organizations lost their jobs as organizations undertook downsizing. Coupled with the rise in the cost of living, these changes have stimulated the need to attain financial security. As a result, men and women are increasingly being involved in more than one job. Additionally, there has been a change in the perception of work. A significant proportion of individuals are considering work as a source of personal satisfaction and not a component of one’s survival. Currently, individuals are working in order to succeed in their career.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Work-Life Balance And Its Influences On Employee Development And Career Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Demographic changes and diversity in organizations The high rate of diversity within organizations i s one of the reasons why human resource managers are faced with numerous challenges. This has further stimulated the need for work-life balance. According to Metusin, and Ooi (2006, p.77), one of the most valuable competences that human resource managers should possess entails understanding and harmonizing the existing differences between the employees. Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77) further assert that understanding diversity in addition to the growing need for a balanced life amongst the employees has become a prerequisite for a firm attaining sustained performance. Demographic changes such as aging are contributing towards an increment in the amount of responsibilities facing workers. According to Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77), it is estimated that there will be an increment in the number of workers who are charged with the responsibility of caring for their family members. Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77) assert that there has been a decline in fertility amongst individuals on one hand while on the other there is increment in longevity. The resultant effect is that is emergence of an aging population. Ceiri, Holmes, Abbott and Pettit (2002, p.2) asserts that if the rate of fertility is constant at 1.6 children for every adult lady, the result will be an increment in the proportion of the aging population from 13.9% during the 1990s to 28% by 2030 within the OECD countries. This arises from the fact that the employees have to take care of their loved ones. Additionally, the high rate at which women are being integrated in the workforce is creating pressure to human resource managers with regard to work-life balance and diversity management. Ceiri, Holmes, Abbott and Pettit (2002, p.2) are of the opinion that the current demographic changes means that human resource managers have to formulate and implement human resource policies and strategies that take into account the employees’ work-life needs and also takes into account the diver se workforce.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Influences of work-life balance on employee development and career management Work-life balance plays a vital role in the development of the employees. Employee development entails the various activities are associated with the employee training and development. Employee training is an important component of ensuring that a firm attains competitive advantage. Needle (2010, p.482) asserts that the skills gained through the training act as an organization’s source of competitive advantage. Work-life balance enables an organization employee development program to be effective. This arises from the fact that the fact that the employees become committed to the program. Additionally, work-life balance enables employees to be effective in their career management. From an individual point of view, career management entails the various developmental practices that are undertaken in order to enable the employees execute their job. On the other hand, organizations consider career manage ment to include the various practices and policies that are implemented with the objective of attaining the needs of a suitable proportion of employees who are well trained. Career management is critical in ensuring that an organization has effective staff. On the other hand work-life balance enhances firms in their career management in that it contributes towards a high level of employee retention. On the other hand, work-life balance enables a firm to be effective in their development hence attaining their career objectives. Benefits of work-life balance Currently, a large number of workers are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits associated with an organization having flexible human resource strategies. This has arisen from realization of the fact that it is impossible to separate work and the various life commitments. However, employees are faced with a challenge in their quest to attain work-life balance. This arises from the fact that their workload is increasing as org anizations shift to flat and more participative structures. The resultant effect is that it is becoming difficult for employee’s to establish a balance between their career and life. According to Coussey (2000, p.1), there is a high probability of an individual succeeding in he or she establishes a balance between his or her life and work. Coussey (2000, p.1) is of the opinion that work-life balance entails developing working practices that are beneficial to both the organization and the employees. From an employee’s point of view, work-life balance entails establishing and maintaining a balance between one’s responsibilities at home and work. Considering the competitive nature of the labor market, it has become paramount for business organizations to recruit and retain motivated employees. According to Torun (2007, p.4), employee turnover can be costly to an organization. However, implementation of work-life balance programs can contribute towards a firm improv ing its employee retention rate. A study conducted in Hoechst Celanese which is a Japanese firm revealed that 60% of the employees interviewed said that the firm’s ability to ensure that there is a balance between the employees’ work and their life was a key determinant in their decision to continue working with the firm (Torun, 2007, p.4). Additionally, work-life balance programmes within organizations act as marketing tools that organizations use to attract employees. The need to retain the employees has become a motivating factor why organizations are increasingly incorporating work-life balance in their human resource management practices and policies. Coussey (2000, p.1) asserts that the profitability of businesses is dependent on the level of employee motivation. If an organization does not incorporate work-life balance, there is a high probability of the employees’ attitude being affected negatively. The result is that their morale is diminished. Lockwood (2003, p. 7) opines that incorporation of work-life balance contributes towards an organization minimizing absenteeism amongst its employees. This arises from the fact that the level of stress which is depicted by increased health problems amongst the employees and absences are minimal (Lockwood, 2003, p.7). In the long term, work-life balance contributes towards a decline in the employees health care cost. Findings of a study conducted by the American Institute on Stress revealed that approximately one million workers do not attend work daily as a result of stress complications (Lockwood, 2003, p.7). The resultant effect is that the employees’ productivity is enhanced culminating into an improvement in the probability of the organization attaining its goals. Not only is work-life balance being advocated by human resource managers but also by researchers and governments. During the 21st century, work-life balance is being considered as a strategic human resource management i ssue. As a result, human resource managers are integrating the concept of work-life balance in their employee retention strategies (Martin, 2010, p.35). In order to survive in the long term as going concern entities, organizations should appreciate the changes in employees needs. This will play a vital role in formulating flexible work-life balance strategies. Problem – Work-life conflicts According to Bird (2006, p.3) asserts that the changes within the society have presented both workers and organizations with a challenge. The challenge emanates from existence of a conflict between the workers personal life and their work. The employees’ personal responsibilities and their work may be mutually incompatible to some degree. Needle (2010, p.482) asserts that employees’ personal responsibilities usually conflict with the needs of the organization. This has made management teams of firms in different economic sectors to shift their focus to employees as their core concern. The shift towards the employees arises from the fact that organizations recognize the fact that they can lose the employees. Additionally, organization can also be sued if they fail to address the employee’s needs. Discussion Human resource management strategies to enhance work-life balance There are a wide range of strategies that human resources managers can integrate their management practices in order eliminate work-life conflict. Integration of work-life balance will give the employees a high degree of flexibility. The following are some of the strategies that organizations can integrate in order to attain work-life balance. Part-time work This strategy entails a permanent form of employment whereby individuals are required to work for fewer hours per week. The employee is required to fulfill the responsibilities assigned within a specific duration. This strategy is more appealing to workers who prefer to have more leisure time and parents who need to be with th eir children. By incorporating part-time work, an organization can enable its employees to achieve work-life balance. Job sharing According to Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295), job sharing entails an employment arrangement in which tow employees share a single full-time job. Job sharing is attained by dividing the number of hours that each party works. For example, one of the job-sharer may be required to work from 8.00 am to 12 noon while the other party works from 1 to 5 p.m. alternatively, the employees may decide to alternate the days that each one works. By incorporating the concept of job sharing, an organization is able to attract highly skilled employees. For example, some professionals may not be available fulltime. Job sharing gives an organization an opportunity to have a strong work-force. However, this strategy is only applicable to some jobs. Telecommuting The 21st century has been characterized by a growth in the rate of technological innovation. Organizations a re increasingly incorporating technology in their human resource management practices. According to Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295), telecommuting entails allowing employees to work at home either full time or for a number of hours every week. Some of the technologies that facilitate telecommuting include modems, personal computers, cellular phones, fax machines, and voice mails. Additionally, the emergence of overnight couriers is also enhancing the growth in telecommunication. Telecommuting presents a high degree of flexibility to the employees. This arises from the fact that the employees have the discretion of determining the most appropriate time to work. This means that they can have more time to spend with their families. Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295) assert that organizations that have incorporated telecommuting experience minimal employee turnover and absenteeism. Another benefit relate to increased work-life balance. Flextime strategy In this strategy, huma n resource managers give the employees an opportunity to determine the number of hours that they prefer to be working. However, the hours have to be within certain limits that are predetermined by the employer. In this strategy, the human resource manager sets two main time bands. These include the flextime and core time. The flextime relates to the time when the employees may prefer to be working. On the other hand, the core time entails the specific hours within which the employees must be at work. For example, the core hours may range from 8 am to 11 am. This strategy gives the employees an opportunity to work for a certain number of hours and then have the discretion to attend to their personal responsibilities (Pride, Hughes Kapoor, 2010, p.295). This means that employees can be able to attain work-life balance. However, this strategy is guided by a condition that stipulates that employees must work for a predetermined number of hours. Compressed schedules According to Kaiser (2011, p.212), compressed schedules entails a working arrangement whereby employees are required to work for a predetermined number of hours weekly. However, instead of the working hours being distributed evenly throughout the week, the employees have the discretion on how to distribute the working hours throughout the week. Through this strategy, employees can work for more hours on a particular day in order have take an off on a particular day. Holidays, leaves and career breaks Human resource managers should also consider incorporating company-paid holidays annually. Other strategies which human resource management should consider include integration of leaves. There are a wide range of leaves that human resource managers should consider in their human resource management practices. One example of such leaves include leave without pay. Additionally, human resource managers can also consider implementing an extra leave in which the employees receive a proportionate compensation du ring the leave period. According to Raddon (2005, p.50), integration of career breaks would also play a vital role in enhancing work-life balance. Career breaks are an important component of ensuring that employees develop their skills. Career break give employees an opportunity to address their economic needs. The resultant effect is that the employees remain competitive within the work environment. During the career breaks, an employee is able to address other family commitments. Conclusion The study has illustrated the importance of incorporating work-life balance as one of the human resource management practices. Currently, the society is characterized by numerous changes which are affecting workers in executing their duties. Some of these changes relate to increased responsibilities amongst the employees. The workforce has also experienced a significant transformation as a result of increment in the number of women who are employed. These women have to take care of their famili es. Other changes relate to demographic characteristics of the society. For example, there has been an increment in the proportion of the aging population which has to be taken care of. Additionally, employees are faced with a rise in the cost of living and hence the need to attain financial security. As a result, most employees including women are working for long hours. The study has also illustrated that diversity within the workforce is stimulating organizations to consider incorporating work-life balance. The increment in the amount of responsibilities that employees are facing has stimulated the need for work-life balance. This arises from the fact that employees are increasingly experiencing work-life conflicts. Integration of work-life balance as a human resource management strategy is beneficial to both the employees and the organizations. Some of the benefits associated with work-life balance include increased employee retention, increased productivity, and improvement in the employee well being and reduced labor costs. In the long run, an organization’s profitability is improved. On the other hand, work-life balance contributes towards the employee developing their career. This arises from the fact that organizations are forced to incorporate employee development and career management strategies. Additionally, the employees have sufficient time to develop their careers through various means such as going back to school. The study has illustrated that there are a wide range of human resource management strategies that organizations can adopt in order to ensure flexibility. Some of these strategiesinclude part-time works, job sharing and telecommuting. Alternatively, human resource managers can also consider developing compressed schedules, flextime, holidays, leaves and career breaks. Through these strategies, there is a high probability of an organization being successful incorporating work-life balance. The resultant effect is that the organ ization is able to eliminate work-life balance. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2006. A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page. Bird, J., 2006. Work-life balance doing it right and avoiding pitfalls. New York: Wiley Incorporation. Chick, E., 2004. Fundamentals of work-life balance; career development. Alexandria, V.A: ASTD Press. Cieri, H., Holmes, B. Abbott, J. Pettit, T., 2002. Work-life balance strategies:  progress and problems in Australian organizations. Sydney: Monash University. Clutterbuck, D., 2003. Managing work-life balance: a guide for HR in achieving  organizational and individual change. London: Chartered Institute of Professional Development. Coussey, M., 2000. Getting the right work-life balance; implementing family-friendly  practices. London: Chartered Institute of Professional Development. Clayton, D., 2004. Leadershift; the work life balance program. Camberwell Vic: ACER Press. Ghani, A., Metusin, A. Ooi, K., 2006. HRD for devel oping states and companies:  proceedings of the 2005 Brunei. Singapore: ISEAS. Kaiser, S., 2011. Creating balance? International perspectives on the work life  integration of professionals. New York: Springer. Lockwood, N., 2003. Work-life balance; challenges and solutions. New York: Society for Human Resource Management. Martin, J., 2010. Key concepts in human resource management. Los Angeles: Sage. Needle, D., 2010. Business in context; an introduction to business and its  environment. Andover: South-Western Cengage Learning. Raddon, R., 2005. Your career, your life; career management for the information  professional. Aldershot: Burlington. Romer, C., 2011. Work-life balnce and the economics of workplace flexibility. New York: Diane Publishing. Torun, F., 2007. Work-life balance- any improve for business? Berlin: Munchen Grin Verlag. This assessment on Work-Life Balance And Its Influences On Employee Development And Career Management was written and submitted by user Damion Rivera to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Work Table of Contents Introduction Career Satisfaction Factor Minority Issues Employee Perception Employer Perception Conclusion Reference List Introduction Work-life conflict is experienced when people or employees feel that their expectations of one domain of their life (work or family responsibilities) overwhelm the other or are totally incompatible. Research has identified two aspects of work-family conflict and they include; the situation where the activities or demands associated with work conflict with the family responsibilities and when family issues interfere with a person job performance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-Family Conflict and Career Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The role theory explains that the expected relationship between work-family conflict and the feeling of job satisfaction should be in such a way that when there is so much work-family conflict, then the person going through this will experience very low job satisfaction. Career Satisfaction Factor Researchers purport that career satisfaction is just an attitude that is associated with the level to which people feel they can balance their work demands and family responsibilities. This is what makes them like or hate their jobs and in most cases, the dislike of one’s job translates into negative attitude at work and therefore this culminates into such behaviours like absenteeism, low job performance, and external turnover (Taylor, 2001, p. 63; Pitt-Catsouphes et al, 2006, p. 78). Considering the negative impact career dissatisfaction can have on the work performance, employers and managers have developed a keen interest in the factors that determining the level of job satisfaction (Clark, 2001, p. 351). These factors can be assessed and recommendations for improvements made so that the negative behaviour can be mitigated. There are several factors that have been found to cause a lot of uproar in the workplace not only because of job dissatisfaction but also due to increased prevalence of work-family issues (Ford et al, 2007, p. 63). This factor has drawn substantial interest than other factors like religion. Work-family conflict is becoming very prevalent in many organisations and employers have realised that this is a very undesirable situation because of the devastating negative impact it can have on their organisational performance (Premeaux et al, 2007, p. 707).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides job dissatisfaction, work-life conflict results in poor health and decreased performance (Clutterbuck, 2003, p, 67). In extreme cases, it can be the cause of broken families, and generally poor marriage or family relationships. The causes of work-family conflicts include factors from the job and also from home especially time management problems (Kafe tsios, 2007, p. 23). For instance, the work shifts could be very irregular hence affecting individual family duties, sudden job transfers can separate individual from their families abruptly, frequent need to work overtime could consume time that could otherwise have been used to handle family matters and change of working hour can affect the normal routines at home hence increasing the possibility of conflicts (Boyar et al, 2003, p. 176). It is the responsibility of both the organisations or employers and the employees to ensure that there is a well balanced life where the possible causes of conflict are eliminated (Fiona, 2006, p. 105).There is growing evidence to support the claim that people who have high emotional intelligence are able to manage themselves well and have minimal work-life conflicts while the reverse is also true (Clutterbuck, 2003, p, 67). The reason why work-family conflict is characterised by increased interference of works demands into family issues is that e mployers are often stringent and failure to adhere means punishment and these demands are inevitable (Premeaux et al, 2007, p. 709). It is therefore pertinent that employers are made aware of such practises and then action taken to reduce their influence in their employee family matters by executing job tasks (Fiona, 2006, p. 105; Taylor, 2001, p. 69). Minority Issues Over the previous years, there has been a widely shared work-family model that was developed from the conservative patriarchal community roles where workplaces were rigidly concerned with work and not family matters (Carlson Kacmar, 2000, p. 1043). This tends to draw lines between gender roles whereby the role of men was strictly to work and the women were to strictly stay at home to take care of the family (Kinnunen et al, 2004, p. 9). This saw male domination of workplaces and women were the minority group but today, workplaces have and are undergoing sea change of demographics (Kinnunen et al, 2004, p. 11). Many wo men are joining the workforce and there is even more acceptance of the people with disabilities, students, the elderly and single fathers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-Family Conflict and Career Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This transformation has not reached its peak and in many organisations, women are still the minorities in those places in terms of gender (Noor, 2004, p. 392). Even though there are several minority groups at workplaces like elderly and people with disability, this paper takes a selected look at women as minorities because when it comes to work and family issues, it’s the women who are in most cases caught up in the middle. Traditionally, workplaces were designed to split work from family but this has been challenged as causing inefficiency among employees who are in reality workers and family men and women at the same time (Boyar et al, 2003, p. 178). As emplo yment shifts from the male dominated places to demographically diverse, such beliefs have to change, so as to lessen the negative processes that affect people who are different from the majority like the women who are mothers. Women basically were judged unfairly and could not rise easily to management positions because of the association with more family responsibilities (Carlson Kacmar, 2000, p. 1046; Ford et al, 2007, p. 63). Such issues are still important though and workplace performance and division of roles is still based on traditional concepts of gender responsibilities that require men to sacrifice more family responsibilities leaving them to women. As more women got to the job market, the notion that working was for men disappeared. This societal change blurred the traditions of division of gender roles that had defined who was to handle family issues and who was to deal with work almost exclusively (Noor, 2004, p. 392). Both men and women in the working environment are now required to handle the issues of family responsibilities and also breadwinning at the same time. These sometimes result in people being worried about family matters when they are supposed to be working. They also worry too much about work when they are attending family roles. The issues of work-family conflict is of a major concern in many developing nations like the US and UK as more women are getting into the job market than ever before (Fine-Davis et al, 2004, p. 78). In the US, it’s estimated that over 60% of the working class are married and have at least one child who is below 18 years hence need their support all the time (Ilies et al, 2007, p. 1369).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, the family norms have changed dramatically with more dual bread winner families being common than in the previous years (De Luis et al, 2004, p. 472). This fact together with the increasing single parent families implies that managing the work-family demands could be more difficult than it ever was. Time restrictions and role performance makes employees to juggle their work and family duties hence making this a crucial organisational problem in the modern society (Boyar et al, 2003, p. 178). And there is need for more research to assess the situation and seek to promote knowledge and encourage research in gender concerns and work life balance by identifying policies that need to be investigated, facilitate sharing of information and findings (De Luis et al, 2004, p. 472); Foster chances to enrich women professional lives and allow them to achieve their full capacity as workers or practitioners and enhance their increased participation in professional service (Carlson K acmar, 2000, p. 1046; De Luis et al, 2004, p. 472); To offer forum where workers can have a discussion on the impact that increased involvement of women in professional practise has had on work-life balance and to enhance equitable treatments of workers in workplace and offer knowledge and sensitivity to gender and work-life balance concerns (Bruck et al, 2002, p. 343). The goals will go a long way in increasing the knowledge of the policies that help professionals to effectively combine career demand and family responsibilities into a concept of common interest, work-family balance (Kossek Ozeki, 1998, p. 142). Employee Perception Workers expect that their employers will appreciate that they have other responsibilities besides the job and that they can have sufficient extra time to attend to these issues. A critical factor to this is the perceived organisational support which is a factor that defines the degree to which workers think their employer’s support their wellbeing including family support (Lapierre et al, 2008, p. 93). The perceived employer support is a major factor in determining the worker commitment to the job hence performance and career satisfaction (Casper et al, 2002, p. 102). Studies show that a positive perception of worker support is directly correlated to quality of work and satisfaction. To counter work-family conflict, employees need to have an understanding of the employers who will offer them a working environment that upholds their family welfare. Workers expect that their employers would offer them flexible working hours (Houston Waumsley, 2003, p. 121), encourage like sharing job tasks, offers room to work from home, and compressed working hours so that the employers can better balance their work and family roles hence develop satisfying careers. This is the concept of Work-life balance and its basis is that being paid to work and seeking to attend to personal life should not be seen as competing priorities but rather com plementary aspects of real life. Many researchers are seeking to ensure employers are actively involved in developing this concept in workplaces (Anderson et al, 2002, p. 788; Kossek Ozeki 1998, p. 142). The workers are hence demonstrating the benefits of the concept on worker performance. Employees seek to ensure that the employers institute policies that support work-life balance as a way of mitigating the negative outcomes of conflict of the two domains. Some nations for instance the US, Canada and UK introduced some fair policies for people with families to have limited working hours or demand that employers offer benefits to assist employers to attend their family responsibilities (Fine-Davis et al, 2004, p. 79). This comes when there is increasing demographic shift as many baby boomers retire and workplaces get filled with younger workforce of both gender together with pressure from international forces to recruit and retain knowledgeable workers. Employees expect that their employers will take the government initiatives seriously and work on the practises that will allow work-family balance (Anderson et al, 2002, p. 788); these initiatives include; Reducing working hours by job-sharing or part-time jobs Change working hours as in flexitime and compressed working hours weeks Changing place of work like working from home on the clock. Employer supported childcare programs (Houston Waumsley, 2003, p. 121) Offering leaves like study leave, mothering leave and career breaks (Cromptom, 2005, p. 347). Employer Perception It is widely accepted that negative perception of the workplace critically impacts on job satisfaction. This therefore has greatly called for change of work-family policies so as to minimise the conflict that exist between work and private lives of employees (Duncan Pfau-Effinger, 2000, p. 132). These policies are anticipated to go a long way in changing attitudes of employees and there are some measures that employers are required to tak e in order to ensure that this happens (Grandey et al, 2005, p. 312). However, the reaction to these changes by employers is a setback to workplace transformation. Due to the need to make more profits and the increasing global competition, there is need to be more productive and introduce changes at workplace to encourage hard work (Duncan Pfau-Effinger, 2000, p. 134). As a result, employers are setting up more working hours and paid overtime. Even though on one hand workers are bound to earn more by working more hours, they use most of their time on job demands that the lack time to attend to family roles (Scandura A., Lankau, 1997, p. 382). Traditionally, employers have been advocating for more working hours, multiple shift working programs, and limited off and leaves so that production is maximal (Cromptom, 2005, p. 347). This clearly shows that the employers perceive the changes to ensure work-family balance as a setback to their fast paced developments. Working is hence made hectic and exhausting as well hence leading to development of health problems among the employee (Dixon Sagas, 2007, p. 239). In order to compete aggressively in the modern liberal works, employers are required to employ and retain esteemed employees in the highly competitive job market etas a gesture of strong motivation and increased organisation awareness (Lapierre et al, 2008, p. 93; Rhoades Eisenberger, 2002, p. 703). They are also to act with consideration of the human resource policy and traditions that deal with work – life balance. Employers are looking for workers who have real commitment to their job and very productive and they always evaluate this by looking at the number of hours worked, number days an employee takes off duty, cases of absenteeism, and high possibility of time flexibility to work (Poelmans, 2001, p. 231). However, it seems that employers have failed to assess how their effort to increase production like working long hours, overtime and not tak ing time off to be with family impact on their general performance of their employees (Boles et al, 2003,. P. 106). Employers have been very reluctant in introducing Flexible working hours or programs working from home because this requires of high-level of self-discipline, something that employers do not want to leave to chance (Poelmans, 2001, p. 233). It takes a lot of commitment for one to be able to work from home and be able to meet their job objectives and deadlines without falling being adversely affected by family needs and destructions. Conclusion Employers are beginning to accept the changes required at workplaces for work-family balance. Employers are now openly discussing their workers’ personal and family demands in order to be able to be able to come up with solutions that would enhance worker and organisational performance (Fu Shaffer, 2001, p. 504; Rhoades Eisenberger, 2002, p. 703). There are many initiatives that are supported by the governments and which employees expect that their employers will offer them. Although initially it was greatly opposed by employers, global competition and dynamic corporate policies have been pushing these changes progressively. Reference List Anderson, S.E., Coffey, B., Byerly, R.T (2002). Formal Organisational Initiatives and informal Workplace Practises: Links To Work-Family Conflict And Job-Related Outcomes, Journal of Management, 20 (6), 787-810 Boles, J.S., Wood, J.A., Johnson, J. (2003). Interrelationships of Role Conflict, Role Ambiguity, and Work-Family Conflict with Different Facets of Job Satisfaction and the Moderating Effects of Gender, JPSSM, 2, 99-113. Boyar, S.L., Maertz, C.P., Pearson, A.W., Keough, S. (2003). Work-Family Conflict: A Model Of Linkage Betweeen Work And Family Domain Variable And Turnover Intentions, Journal Of Managerial Issues, 15, 175-190 Bruck, C.S., Allen, T.D., Spector, P.E. (2002). The Relation between Work- Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction A Finer-Grained Analysis, J. Vocat. Behav, 60, 336-353 Carlson, D.S., Kacmar, K.M (2000). Work-Family Conflict In The Organization: Do Life Role Values Make A Difference, J. Manage, 26, 1031-1054. Casper, W. J., Martin, J. A., Buffardi, L. C., Erdwins, C. J. (2002). Work-Family Conflict, Perceived Organizational Support, And Organizational Commitment among Employed Mothers, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7, 99,108 Clark, S.C. (2001). Work Cultures and Work/Family Balance, Journal Of Vocational Behaviour, 58, 349 – 65. Clutterbuck, D. (2003). Managing Work–Life Balance: A Guide For HR In Achieving Organisational And Individual Change. London: CIPD Publishing Cromptom, R. (2005). Vocation and Work Flexibility: The Working Class and the Families, Occupational Behaviour Journal, 58(3), 347 – 364 De Luis M.P., Martà ­nez, A., Pà ©rez, M., Vela, M.J. (2004). Work-Family Conflict in a Southern European Country: The Influence of Job-Related and Non-Related Factors, J. Manage. Psychol, 19, 466-489. Dixon, M. Sagas, M. (2007). The Relationship between Organizational Support, Work- Family Conflict, and the Job-Life Satisfaction of University Coaches, Research Quarterly For Exercise and Sport, 78, 236-247. Duncan, S., Pfau-Effinger, B. (2000). Gender, Economy, and Culture in the European Union. London: Routledge. Fine-Davis, M. et al., (2004). Father and Mother Dilemma of the Work-Life Balance: A Relationship Investigation in European Nations. London: Kluwer Academic Fiona, J, Burke, R. J, Westman, M. (2006). Work-Life Balance: A Psychological Perspective. New York: Psychology Press Ford, M.T., Heinem, F.B., Langkamer, K.L. (2007). Work and Family Satisfaction and Conflict: A Meta-Analysis of Cross-Domain Relations, J. Appl. Psych, 92, 57-80. Fu, C.K., Shaffer, M.A. (2001). The Tug Of Work And Family: Direct And Indirect Domain-Specific Determinants Of Work-Family Conflict, Personnel Review, 30, 502-522 Grandey, A., Cordeiro, B.L., Crofter, A. C (2005). A Longitudinal and Multi- Source Test of the Work-Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction Relationship, J. Occup. Organ. Psychol, 78: 305-323 Houston, D. M., Waumsley, J. A. (2003). Attitudes of Flexible Work Hours And Family Lives. Family Work Series. Bristol: The Policy Press Ilies, R., Schwind, M., Wagner, D. T., Johnson, M., Derue, D.S., Ilgen, D.R. (2007). When Can Employees Have A Family Life? The Effects of Daily Workload and Affect on Work-Family Conflict and Social Behaviours At Home. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1368-1379. Kafetsios, K. (2007). Work-Family Conflict And Its Relationship With Job Satisfaction And Psychological Distress: The Role Of Affect At Work And Gender, Hellenic. J. Psychol, 4, 15-35. Kinnunen, U., Geurts, S., Mauno, S. (2004). Work-To-Family Conflict And Its Relationship With Satisfaction And Well Being: A One Year Longitudinal Study On Gender Differences, Work And Stress, 18, 1 – 22. Kossek, E.E., Ozeki, C. (1998). Work-Family Conflict, Policies And The Job-Life Satisfaction Relationship: A Review and Direction for Organizations’ Behaviour-Human Resources Research, Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 139 – 49. Lapierre, L.M., et al. (2008). Family-Supportive Organization Perceptions, Multiple Dimensions of Work-Family Conflict, And Employee Satisfaction: A Test Of Model Across Five Samples, J. Vocat. Behav, 73, 92-106. Noor, N. M. (2004). Work-Family Conflict, Work – and Family Role Saliente, And Women’s Well-Being, J. Soc. Psychol, 144, 389-405 Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Kossek, E. Sweet, S. (2006). The Work-Family Handbook: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives, Methods, and Approaches. Mahwah, N.J.: LEA Press Poelmans, S. (2001). Individual and Organizational Issues In Work-Family Conflict. Research Paper, No 445, Barcelona: IESE. Premeaux, S.F., Adkins, C. L., Mossholder, K.W. (2007). Balancing Work and Family: A Field Study Of Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Role Work-Family Conflict, Jour nal of Organizational Behaviour, 28, 705-727. Rhoades, L., Eisenberger, R. (2002). Perceived Organizational Support: A Review of the Literature, Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 698-714. Scandura, T. A., Lankau, M. J. (1997). Relationships of Gender, Family Responsibility, and Flexible Work Hours to Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 18, 377-391. Taylor, R. 2001. The Future of Work-Life Balance, Swindon: Economic Social Research Council This essay on Work-Family Conflict and Career Satisfaction was written and submitted by user Brooklynn K. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Work Introduction Choosing the best kind of a job to take is perhaps the most challenging task facing contemporary professionals. Many people have therefore found themselves being victims of wrong decision making as far as job-choice is concerned. This is because professionals are usually attracted by monetary benefits in such a way that they fail to consider other important aspects of jobs like non-monetary benefits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-life balance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These non-monetary benefits include the number of hours that a person is expected to commit to the job and other benefits given by the employer to the employee. The latter could be things like leaves and days off while the former determines the work-life balance characteristic of the job. This paper examines the importance of work-life balance and gives some suggestions of how the same can be achieved. Importance of work-l ife balance Work-life balance can be defined as arrangements made by employers to enable their employees to live full lives. This implies that as much as they will be giving their best to the job, the employees will be having a chance to do other things in their lives. Work-life balance is a very important aspect of any working environment. Among its advantages is the fact that employees are more motivated to perform their duties since they do not get overworked. This is advantageous to both the employers and the employees. The employees benefit in that they develop healthy relationships with their employers and at the same time they get time to build non-professional aspects of their lives. This way, they are able to develop their careers positively and engage in productive activities as they build their careers. On the other hand, employers are able to achieve greater productivity of their firms since employees are greatly motivated to work. Employees give their best to the job du e to the motivation and thus quality and greater volume of production is guaranteed (Clayton, 2005, p. 27). The employers also benefit in other ways since the benefits they give to their employees enable them to gain good publicity that attracts more productive workers and more customers if the firm is in the hospitality industry. From the above discussion, it is apparent that work-life balance is of utmost importance in organizations. Firms should therefore know how to appropriately establish appropriate measures in order to enable their employees live a full life. On the other hand, employees should strive to live a balanced life even in conditions that are seemingly unfavourable. The following paragraphs explore how employees and employers can achieve work-life balance. Strategies for attaining work-life balance Even though the relationship between a person’s professional life and his/her personal life is indubitably rich, it may prove to be tricky to attain and keep a hea lthy work-life balance. The following are some of the strategies that employees can use to live a full life. First of all, it is of utmost importance for an employee or employer to keep calm in challenging situations.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, if a person is experiencing personal problems like problems of marriage, he/she should ensure that the same does not affect his/her professional life. If the person is an employer, he/she should not, for instance, fire an employee due to his/her personal problems. On the other hand, an employee should ensure that he/she does not let his/her personal life affect his/her professional performance. For instance, if the employee is experiencing family problems, he/she should maintain the same level of performance as when he/she does not have such problems (Gordon, 2003, p. 1). Likewise, stress in the workplace should not aff ect the personal lives of the employees. An employee should ensure that they live their personal lives to the fullest while ignoring any problems that may have occurred in the working environment. An employee should also ensure that he/she engages in important bodily activities in order to live a well balanced life. He/she should thus engage in physical activities and ensure that he/she sleeps and eats well. It is thus apparent that any job that gives an employee time to engage in the aforementioned activities can be considered to be offering work-life balance. It is also important for the employee to set boundaries for both professional and personal activities. This will ensure that both lives do not clash (Clutterbuck, 2003, p. 112). This way, the employee will be able to achieve enviably in both realms of life. Conclusion As evidenced in the discussion above, work-life balance is a very important determinant of professional performance. It is thus of essence for employers to ensu re that they give their employees adequate time to engage in personal activities. On the other hand, employees should ensure that they use the free time they are given by their employers wisely. They should ensure that they engage in productive personal activities and at the same time avoid taking their professional problems home. It is thus of essence that people evaluate prospective employers keenly to make wise choices as they choose between jobs. This will ensure that they do not take jobs and regret later. Reference List Clayton, D. (2005). The Work-life Balance Program. University of California.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-life balance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Clutterbuck, D. (2003). Managing the Work-Life Balance. Journal of Management, pp. 101-120. Gordon, M. (2003). 9 Strategies For Regaining Your Work Life Balance. Web. This essay on Work-life balance was written and submitted by user Hamza Fowler to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Work Introduction The research problem. The problem that should be approached in the current proposed study concerns the work-life balance and the correlation between the productivity rates and the employees’ stress due to their work-life conflicts as addressed in many current studies (Bardoel, 2006; Yasbek, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-Life Conflict and Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Importance of the research. The importance of the proposed study consists in the possibility of improving the working conditions of employees that suffer from the work-life conflict in case of successful outcomes of the research. Many firms introduce work-life balance programs that help to make the working conditions for employees less stressful and hence shift the conflicts and increase productivity. Literature Review It is possible that the tax system can be one of the reasons for constant absenteeis m of employees and the factor encouraging such behavior. Besides, people can tend to stay at home even if they simply have some family affairs to cope with; â€Å"†¦tax system financing public sick pay, may paradoxically also affect workers’ sickness behavior. The reason is that the tax system affects workers’ return on effort, and thus may be considered to provide negative financial incentives† (Dale-Olsen, 2009, p.2). The same problem is regarded in the study by Pfeifer (2009). Bloom et al. (2006) suggest that more effective implementation of management strategies can decrease the work-life conflict and increase the productivity. Moreover, the generational differences can be the reason for decreased productivity as well regarding the work-life conflict and work-life attitudes with employees of different generations (Parker, 2007). On the contrary, the study by Burgess and Connell (2006) addresses the current situation and certain perspectives that can be used to evaluate the situation in Australia taking into consideration the proportion of full-time employed male breadwinners compared to female ones. Another important aspect is the influence of the work-life balance programs on female employees as suggested in the study by Kodama (2007). Hypothesis Some shift in the work-life conflict can be reached through work-life balance programs aimed at coping with employees’ stress and its resulting in reduced productivity. In this respect, it is necessary to study whether the impact of the work-balance programs is positive or negative and try to compare and contrast the companies that adopted the programs and enjoy their results in the form of healthy work-life employees’ balance and increased productivity.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Dependent variable. The dependent variable in this case is the result of the work -life conflict. The main observable results of it are employees’ poor performance and poor organizational productivity. Both aspects can be approached with the help of manipulations aimed at affecting the work-life balance. Certain programs can be used to improve the employees’ health and their attitude to job duties (McLaughlin Young Group, 2010). Independent variable. The independent variable is the work-life conflict which appears due to the increased number of roles at work and in personal life. As suggested in the study by Bloom et al. (2006), â€Å"good management and higher productivity come at the expense of work-life balance† (p.2). Thus, the main target to manipulate is the balance. Any shift can influence the career, more hours spent at work, and hence higher productivity; at the same time this will move the family values aside. To set a priority should not mean to refuse a successful career or a happy family. This dilemma makes most employees distres sed and unproductive in terms of their work duties, thus influencing the productivity rates. Methodology Participants. The participants should be taken from at least two businesses engaged into similar production sector. Males and females of different age groups and different positions should be surveyed in order to collect objective information on the production rates and the employment rates. Besides, full-time and part-time employees should indicate their employment rate. In this respect, some information should provide some background information about the employees, whereas other data will help to shape the outlook of the productivity and some measures that can influence it. The time of being employed has to be no less than a year with unbroken record of service. Materials/apparatus. An abovementioned questionnaire is aimed at providing the researcher with the background information about the employees and the productivity as well as helping to assess the stress of employees in different positions and compare the condition of the employees from the business that implements the work-life balance programs and the one that does not. Procedure. The procedure should include a survey to collect important information about the productivity of the company and the employees appointed to different positions. A similar survey was used for the study by Mortazavi (2008). The study should take place in the informal environment to avoid excessive stress. Results and Implications As the current issue has been recently widely approach by different researchers, it is necessary to conclude that the positive results of the proposed study can be used as a well-grounded proposal for implementation of work-life balance programs in different business sectors regardless of the generation to which the employees belong, the gender, the age, and position, and the record of service. References Bardoel, E. A. (2006). A review of organizational work/life performance measurement. Pp. 69 -82. In White, G. (Ed). (2006). Proceedings from 14th International employment Relations Association Conference: Family-friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspective on Work Life Balance. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist University.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work-Life Conflict and Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bloom, N., Kretschmer, T., Reenen, J. V. (2006). Work-life balance, management practices and productivity. Retrieved from Google Scholar Database. Burgess, J., Connell, J. (2006). Work and family programs in australia: what are the implications for work-life balance? Pp. 90-101. In White, G. (Ed). (2006). Proceedings from 14th International employment Relations Association Conference: Family-friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspective on Work Life Balance. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist University. Dale-Olsen, H. (2009). Absenteeism, efficien cy wages and economic incentives. Retrieved from Google Scholar Database. Kodama, N. (2007). Effects of work-life balance programs on female employment. Japan Labor Review, 4(4), 97-119. McLaughlin Young Group. (2010). Supporting healthy and productive employees. Web. Mortazavi, S. (2008). Employee involvement, productivity, and profitability of the firm. School of Business Humboldt State University. Web. Parker, C. C. (2007). Generational differences in work life balance attitudes. (Master thesis, State University of New York at New Paltz, 2007). Retrieved from Google Scholar Database.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pfeifer, C. (2009). Effective working hours and wages: the case of downward adjustment via paid absenteeism. Working Paper Series in Economics, 152. University of Là ¼neburg. Yasbek, P. (2004). The business case for firm-level work-life balance policies: a review of the literature. Wellington: Labour Market Policy Group. Web. This essay on Work-Life Conflict and Performance was written and submitted by user Bright Hen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Work Work