08.The Importance of Work Life Balance

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Introduction

The reality of working life today is that employees are constantly trying to juggle their work and personal lives. In their struggle to balance both, it is often the influence or the interference of one on the other that leads to positive or negative ‘spillover’. Mauno et al.(2006, p. 210)

Posit that “work- family conflict is unavoidable in modern Western life”. One possible explanation for increasing work-life problems for employees and organizations around the world is ever increasing job stress. Many organizations today are facing the pressure of market-driven globalization and an unwavering demand for growth and efficiency (Mauno, et al., 2006).

Job stress has been widely linked with adverse effects on employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing in many occupations, including academics (Kinman & Jones, 2003). Job stress therefore represents a large emotional cost to employee wellbeing and puts a considerable financial burden on organizational performance (Blackburn, Horowitz, Edington, & Klos, 1986; Skakon, et al., 2010).

 Work-Life Balance and Work-Life Conflict

Often work-life balance is defined as the absence of conflict between work and family or personal roles (e.g., Frone, 2003; Quick, et al., 2004).

Balance and conflict are separate constructs which coexist, whereby an individual can experience high levels of both concurrently (Balmforth & Gardner, 2006; Hanson,Hammer, & Colton, 2006; Wayne, Musisca, & Fleeson,2004).

Work-life balance is the degree to which an individual can simultaneously balance the emotional, behavioral and time emends of both paid work, family and personal duties (Hill, et al., 2001).

Important of Work-life Balance


When you want to succeed at work, you put forth the effort and set aside time for other aspects of your life, such as your family, your hobbies, and your happiness. A healthy work ethic is essential for mental and physical health. Otherwise, you will lose productivity at work and a connection to your personal life. Even science has shown that the more depressed you are, the more likely you are to suffer from heart failure and stroke (Stahl, 2018).

A healthy lifestyle is promoted in the workplace by promoting a healthy culture and cultivating a happy work environment. When employees are happy in their jobs, the workplace becomes their second home, and they will work for more than just earning (Kohll, 2018).


Activities to be followed to achieve work-life balance

According to Thornthwaite (2002).Here are some ways employees can avoid stress and burnout, and keep a good work-life balance.

 01.Take advantage of their paid time off

02.Take breaks at work

03.Get a little bit of exercise / mobility each day

04.Take holidays

05.Spend time with friends and family

06.Leave work at work

07.Healthy eating and sleep routines

08.Pursuing hobbies

Conclusion

Work Life Balancing increase the employee’s mental satisfaction, increase their motivation and creates a successful work environment. On the other hand work life balance help to the employer to enhance overall performance of the company.

References

i. Caproni, P.J., 2004. Work/life balance: You can’t get there from here. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40(2), pp.208-218.

ii. Kohll, A.,( 2018). The Evolving Definition Of Work-Life Balance. [Online]

iii. Lockwood, N.R., 2003. Work/life balance. Challenges and Solutions, SHRM Research, USA, pp.2-10.

iv. Stahl, A., 2018. The Importance Of Work-Life Balance -- And How To Achieve It. [Online

v. Thornthwaite D L, (2002). Work-family balance: international research on employee preferences. Sydney , acirrt.


Comments

  1. Usama IqbalMay 7, 2022 at 12:30 AM

    Useful topic for all the people, In one word, It helps to maintain mental health and it can also improve your employee’s productivity (Joe Wedgwood, 2019)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dhanushka Aruna BandaraMay 14, 2022 at 4:28 AM

      Yes Usama, And how work-life balance affects productivity has been examined in a number of studies. Bloom, Kretschmer, and Van Reenen (2006) study whether higher product-market competition and ‘‘Anglo-Saxon’’ management practices stimulate improvements in productivity to the detriment of employees’ work-life balance

      Delete
  2. Don upulMay 12, 2022 at 10:32 PM

    Dear Danushka,( WLB ) is very important for the productivity of the employee and the performance of the Organization. According to Meenakshi, (2013) Work-life balance is thought to occur when there is adequate functioning at work and at home with little role conflict. As a result, incompatibility between work and non-work needs causes friction, and as a result, people suffer a lack of WLB.
    References
    Meenakshi, S.P. (2013). ‘The Importance of Work-Life-Balance’. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, [online] 14(3), pp.31–35. doi:10.9790/487x-1433135.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dhanushka Aruna BandaraMay 14, 2022 at 4:34 AM

      Yes Upul agree with you, A myriad of issues are interwoven in work-life balance; it is a complex matter because people are complex. Consequently, problems associated with work-life balance are complex and there are no simple solutions. Prior research on work-life balance investigates work-life balance issues such as spending high quality time with family members; being able to relax in free time; emotional well-being and health of family members; high quality communication and support; high quality child care and education; satisfaction with work and work load at home (Karakas & Lee,2004).

      Delete
  3. Employee Motivation ChathurikaMay 13, 2022 at 8:19 PM

    I agreed to the point, Work-life balance is the degree to which an individual can simultaneously balance the emotional, behavioral and time emends of both paid work, family and personal duties (Hill, et al., 2001). Without creating a work-life balance a person isn’t able to take time to enjoy the life they have worked
    so hard to create. They aren’t available for friends and family members, and often take their stress out on the
    ones they love. They can also suffer from illness and physical disorders that stem from prolonged stress such as
    heart disease, alcoholism, and even diabetes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dhanushka Aruna BandaraMay 14, 2022 at 4:39 AM

      Yes Chathurika, Research on work-life balance often includes analysis of gender differences. Anxo et al. (2007) study gender differences in the allocation of time between market work, domestic work and leisure over the life cycle. Their research distinguishes between nine key cross-country comparable life stages according to age and family structure such as exiting parental home, union formation, parenthood, and retiring from work. Using regression methodology (Tobit with selection, Tobit, and OLS), they find large discrepancies in the gender division of labor in France, Italy, Sweden, and United States.

      Delete
  4. SadeepaliyanageMay 15, 2022 at 4:03 AM

    Very interesting topic. When we consider about work life balance and employees' performance, If individual reports balance in work life and life beyond work it will be associated with better performance at work as well as feeling of satisfaction, better general health and well-being. Any change in conflict and facilitation will subsequently bring changes in the perceptions of work-life
    balance (Grzywacz& Carlson, 2007).

    ReplyDelete

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