In today’s hectic world to maintain work and life balance is the main concern. To keep up the relationship between the work-life balance arrangement with organizational performance is a growing worrisome factor! Work-life balance problems are there but we have to find out the solutions also. It gives an immense benefit if we can skillfully manage the work-life balance.
Now, when we are talking about organizational performance, it is
measured based on six perspectives, including:
- Career motivation
- Employee attendance
- Employee recruitment
- Employee retention
- Organisational commitment and
- Productivity
It is presumed that of the six perspectives --- only career motivation, employee attendance, employee recruitment, and employee retention are significantly associated with the work-life balance arrangement.
We cannot ignore the work-life balance because a healthy work-life balance not only tremendously affects the physical and mental development of an individual but also the sustainability of organisations. Therefore, a work-life balance arrangement (WLBA) should be implemented to safeguard the well-being and improve the performance of workers/employees. WLBA solely depend on policies or practices that assist workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
We should comprehend that WLBA can be distinguished in different types including:
- Family-friendly policies
- flexible work hours or schedules
- Incentive programs
- Workplace health programs, and
- Work-life balance programs
Family-Friendly Policies
Family-friendly policies are a series of complementary benefits, including childcare, maternity leave, and parental leave. These policies aim to retain talented workers by resolving their conflict between work and their personal life. Studies have found that family-friendly policies have a positive impact on organizational performance.
Flexible Working Hours
Flexible working hours allow workers to adjust their work schedules to meet personal and work needs. Several studies have suggested that flexible working hours improve organizational performance.
An incentive program, either monetary or nonmonetary, recognises workers who achieve organizational goals. Several studies have found that workers with a high level of autonomy perform better.
Workplace Health
Program
A workplace health program is a comprehensive set of health promotion and protection strategies that are linked to communities for safeguarding the safety and health of workers. The measures used by the program include health insurance for both workers and their dependents, discounted fitness programs, and mental health services. Some studies have indicated that workplace health programs have a positive impact on organizational performance.
Work-Life Balance
Program
A work-life balance program is the combination of several work-life balance initiatives. It has been observed that implementing work-life balance programs for working mothers can improve organizational performance. Mainly this program has been explored in the United States, Japan, and Australia, which shows a good result of organizational performance.
Career motivation is an important aspect to achieve career goals. Some studies have found that career motivation is boosted by WLBA.
Employee Attendance
Employee attendance refers to employees being present for work. It has been revealed that the employee attendance of service industries in Singapore is ameliorated by WLBA and also in the United States.
Employee Recruitment
Employee recruitment refers to the process of seeking potential and qualified people for organisations. Some studies have revealed that an organisation with a work-life balance initiative increases its competitiveness in recruitment.
Employee Retention
Employee retention means that organisations provide a supportive
working environment to retain their workers.
Some studies have suggested that WLBA increases employee retention.
Additionally, employee retention has positive effects on companies, such as a decrease in financial costs, a reduction in accident rates, and an increase in the quality of work.
Organisational Commitment
Organisational commitment is the acceptance of the organisational values, willingness to make an effort, and the desire to continue employment in companies. Organisational performance can be enhanced by the engagement of employees.
Productivity
Productivity refers to the capability of producing good service. The higher the productivity of employees is, the better the organizational performance will be. A considerable amount of research has indicated that WLBA increases productivity.
Relationship between WLBA and Organisational Performance
The relationship between WLBA and Organisational Performance can be described based on the social exchange theory, which implies an evaluation of cost and rewards. It has been claimed that incentives can be offered to employees in return for devotion to an organisation. The employers formulate favourable policies and provide support to motivate employees to contribute more, which results in improved productivity, attendance, and retention.
The nexus between WLBA and organizational performance, showing that the provision of WLBA allows more resources for employees who are inclined to perform better. Hence, employees have better management in each role and are likely to contribute more to work.
Recent studies have identified the salutary effects of WLBA on organizational performance, including enhancing retention, increasing profit, alleviating attendance, sustaining commitment, and stimulating.
It is to be noted that employees are allowed to work under a flexible work schedule to compensate for the time used for dealing with family matters or other sudden personal affairs during working hours. This workplace flexibility can improve the attendance of the employees, which boost a positive relationship between an appropriate WLBA and early attendance.
Providing training programs and flexible working hours are two of the strategies of WLBA. Workers can acquire new skills and knowledge through training programs, and the employees can perceive potential career growth within the organisations.
Flexible working hours can increase the flexibility for employees to cope with nonwork affairs during working hours. Thus, employees have a high tendency to work in the company if the organisation provides favourable work-life balance policies for employees.
In a nutshell, WLBA aims to mitigate the conflict between work and nonwork roles that the well-being of employees can be maintained. Employees with good physical and mental health have better work performances.
WLBA creates mutual benefits between employees and organisations. Importantly, tailoring work-life balance practices to meet the needs of employees is an ideal approach. An appropriate and safe workplace design might enhance the performance of employees. Furthermore, the regulatory environment and corporate governance mechanisms might considerably influence sustainability and corporate social performance.
Perceptibly, gender has a significant role in organizational performance. Both males and females have different work attitudes and capabilities. However, both male and female workers have the same goal, which is to resolve problems and enhance business efficiency.
Moreover, the study revealed that gender, sector, and employee hierarchy have significant effects on the association between WLBA and organizational performance.
Assisting employees to achieve work-life balance is one of the important duties of companies. The employers may introduce some flexible work initiatives, such as teleworking, home-working, and e-working, to help employees achieve a balance between work and personal life.
In addition, organisations should provide training programs for managing and dealing with the needs of employees. Thus, a work-life balance culture can be cultivated in the organisations through management. Several researchers have stated that a high level of job autonomy, the provision of additional resources, and psychological rewards are associated with a healthier work-life balance.
Most importantly, manpower is regarded as a competitive advantage to any company. Hence, employers should regularly communicate with employees to understand their circumstances and try to accommodate the needs of employees in work-and life-related aspects, which can enhance the loyalty and productivity of employees.
As the work-life balance is a highly worldwide issue. Thus, it is crucial that employee-driven work-life balance policies should be established to effectively reap the profits generated by labour, which would be beneficial to organisations in the long run.
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