Journal of Strategic Human Resource Management

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Challenges Associated with Work-Life Balance: A Meta-Analysis


Affiliations
1 Research Scholar, Institute of Management Studies and Research (IMSAR), Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
2 Assistant Professor, Institute of Management Studies and Research (IMSAR), Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The paper explains the hardships women employees face in their professional and personal lives. The territories of work and life are completely entangled due to cellular phones, laptops, and tablets. High-connectivity networks and easy availability of broadband are major contributors to the disturbing balance between personal and professional lives. Availability of secondary data enables in analysing the impact of lack of work-life balance on women’s careers, personal well-being, job performance, turnover intentions, organisational culture, and family life. A recent statistic highlighted that 60% of Indians ranked their quality of work-life balance from awful to average. Most of them have a medical condition resulting from work stress; 17% were insomniacs, 16% were fighting depression, 9% were struggling against anger issues and anxiety, while 4.5% had hypertension. Non-existence of a proper balance derails women’s careers, affects their job performance, intrudes into family space, and degrades mental and physical health, resulting in high turnover rates. Moreover, long working hours, the corporate culture, and inefficient organisational policies has worsened the situation for them.

Keywords

Working Women, Job Performance, Well-Being, Career Hindrances
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Ahmad, A. (2008). Direct and indirect effects of work-family conflict on job performance. The Journal of International Management Studies, 3(2), 176-180.

  • Clarke, M. C., Koch, L. C., & Hill, E. J. (2004). The work‐family interface: Differentiating balance and fit. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 33(2), 121-140.

  • Drew, E., & Murtagh, E. M. (2005). Work/life balance: Senior management champions or laggards? Women in Management Review, 20(4), 262-278.

  • Fan, J., & Smith, A. P. (2018). The mediating effect of fatigue on work-life balance and positive well-being in railway staff. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 6(6), 1.

  • Frone, M. R. (2003). Work-family balance. Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology, 7, 143-162.

  • Gali Cinamon, R., Weisel, A., & Tzuk, K. (2007). Workfamily conflict within the family: Crossover effects, perceived parent-child interaction quality, parental selfefficacy, and life role attributions. Journal of Career Development, 34(1), 79-100.

  • Goode, W. J. (1960). A theory of role strain. American Sociological Review, 483-496.

  • Greenhaus, J. H., & Powell, G. N. (2006). When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment. Academy of Management Review, 31(1), 72-92.

  • Greenhaus, J. H., Collins, K. M., & Shaw, J. D. (2003). The relation between work-family balance and quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 510-531.

  • Guillaume, C., & Pochic, S. (2009). What would you sacrifice? Access to top management and the work-life balance. Gender, Work & Organization, 16(1), 14-36.

  • Huffman, A. H., Casper, W. J., & Payne, S. C. (2014). How does spouse career support relate to employee turnover? Work interfering with family and job satisfaction as mediators. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(2), 194-212.

  • Kant, S. (2018). Factors affecting job satisfaction in educational institutions vis à vis its managerial implication. Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, 15(6), 112-116.

  • Lallukka, T., Rahkonen, O., Lahelma, E., & Arber, S. (2010). Sleep complaints in middle‐aged women and men: The contribution of working conditions and work-family conflicts. Journal of Sleep Research, 19(3), 466-477.

  • Lilly, J. D., Duffy, J. A., & Virick, M. (2006). A gendersensitive study of McClelland’s needs, stress, and turnover intent with work-family conflict. Women in Management Review, 21(8), 662-680.

  • Mainiero, L. A., & Sullivan, S. E. (2006). The opt out revolt: When people are leaving companies to create kaleidoscope careers. Davies-Black Publishing.

  • Murtorinne-Lahtinen, M., Moilanen, S., Tammelin, M., Rönkä, A., & Laakso, M. L. (2016). Mothers’ non-standard working schedules and family time: Enhancing regularity and togetherness. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 36(1/2), 119-135.

  • Peus, C., & Traut-Mattausch, E. (2008). Manager and mommy? A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(5), 558-575.

  • Randstand Survey. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.randstad.in/employer-brand-research/rebr-countryreportindia-2019.pdf

  • Rao, T. S., & Indla, V. (2010). Work, family or personal life: Why not all three? Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 52(4), 295.

  • Rasheed, M., Iqbal, S., & Mustafa, F. (2018). Work-family conflict and female employees’ turnover intentions. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 33(8), 636-653.

  • Rothbard, N. P. (2001). Enriching or depleting? The dynamics of engagement in work and family roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(4), 655-684.

  • Shakil Ahmad, M., Fakhr, Z., & Ahmed, J. (2011). Working women work-life conflict. Business Strategy Series, 12(6), 289-302.

  • Suchet, M., & Barling, J. (1986). Employed mothers: Inter role conflict, spouse support and marital functioning. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 7(3), 167-178.

  • Thomas, L. T., & Ganster, D. C. (1995). Impact of family supportive work variables on work-family conflict and strain: A control perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(1), 6-15.

  • Wajcman, J. (1999). Women and men in corporate management. Allen & Unwin, Cambridge.

  • Wheatley, D. (2012). Work-life balance, travel-to-work, and the dual career household. Personnel Review, 41(6), 813-831.


Abstract Views: 262




  • Challenges Associated with Work-Life Balance: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract Views: 262  | 

Authors

Sakshi Budhiraja
Research Scholar, Institute of Management Studies and Research (IMSAR), Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
Saurabh Kant
Assistant Professor, Institute of Management Studies and Research (IMSAR), Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India

Abstract


The paper explains the hardships women employees face in their professional and personal lives. The territories of work and life are completely entangled due to cellular phones, laptops, and tablets. High-connectivity networks and easy availability of broadband are major contributors to the disturbing balance between personal and professional lives. Availability of secondary data enables in analysing the impact of lack of work-life balance on women’s careers, personal well-being, job performance, turnover intentions, organisational culture, and family life. A recent statistic highlighted that 60% of Indians ranked their quality of work-life balance from awful to average. Most of them have a medical condition resulting from work stress; 17% were insomniacs, 16% were fighting depression, 9% were struggling against anger issues and anxiety, while 4.5% had hypertension. Non-existence of a proper balance derails women’s careers, affects their job performance, intrudes into family space, and degrades mental and physical health, resulting in high turnover rates. Moreover, long working hours, the corporate culture, and inefficient organisational policies has worsened the situation for them.

Keywords


Working Women, Job Performance, Well-Being, Career Hindrances

References