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Case Study:
Abstract
Work-Life Balance
Introduction
Most professional women step off the career fast
track at some point with children to raise, elderly parents to
care for and other pulls on their time, these women are
confronted with one off-ramp after another. When they feel
pushed at the same time by long hours and unsatisfying work,
the decision to leave becomes even easier. Many women take
an off-ramp at some point on their career highway. Sylvia and
Carolyn25 state that nearly four in ten highly qualified women
(37 percent) report that they have left work voluntarily at
some point in their careers. Among women who have
children, that statistic rises to 43 percent. Factors other than
having children that pull women away from their jobs include
the demands of caring for elderly parents or other family
members (reported by 24 percent) and personal health issues
(9 percent). Not surprisingly, the pull of elder care
responsibilities is particularly strong for women in the 41 to
55 age group-often called the sandwich generation,
positioned as it is between growing children and aging
parents.
(35)
Advances In Management
Work-life issues
In most organizations, employees rarely feel
comfortable discussing their personal priorities. They worry
that admitting a passion for singing with the local opera
company, for instance, will be seen as a lack of passion for
work. Such fear is not misguided. Most managers believe-or
at least hope-that work is at the top of an employees list of
life priorities. Work life issues or concerns refer to those
aspects of an employees work or family life that may have an
influence on one another. Initial interest in work-life issues
was the result of two developments that occurred during the
1970s. These developments included an increase in number of
women entering the workforce and the growth of dual-career
families where both the spouses were working. This trend
resulted in organization being urged to acknowledge
employees family and other personal commitments.
(36)
Advances In Management
Work-Family Conflict
The demands and pressures of work and family may
give rise to work-family conflict in an individual. An
employee may be faced with work-family conflict, when
he/she has to attend the parent-teacher meeting in the childs
school or when he/she has a doctors appointment for an
ageing parent. The demands and pressures of work make it
difficult for the employee to stretch time for such activities.
(37)
Advances In Management
Literature Review
The demands and pressures of work and family may
give rise to work-life balance issues to an individual.
Freedman and Greenhaus14 reveal that women in workforce
have increased considerably, however women face a lot of
issues and challenges. They are still seen as the primary
caretakers of the home and family, even if they work just as
much as men. Work role is often seen as secondary to family
roles. Not just men but women also hold themselves and other
women to the homemaker standard. Women spend more time
on housework, child care and family responsibilities. Women
used to spend almost 24 percent of their time on housework in
1966 to 30 percent of housework in 2005. However women
miss more work for child care. 20 percent of women take care
of both children and elders.
(38)
Advances In Management
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated:
Methodology
Data sources: The study is empirical in nature and relied on
survey method. It is based on both primary and secondary
sources of data. Primary data were collected with the help of
structured questionnaires. Secondary data were collected from
books, journals and websites with HR managers interviews.
(39)
Advances In Management
choosing sample.
Table A
Different Phases of Work-Life Balances issues
The machine age
Work-life issues
Home issues
Support
none
(40)
Advances In Management
ratings, the alpha coefficients (Cronbachs Alpha; N=43) is
.950.
Table 1
Demographic profile of sample N=63
Characteristic
frequency
percent
23-30
7.9
31-37
10
15.9
38-45
30
47.9
46-63
13
20.6
54-60
7.9
Age
Educational qualification
Graduates
45
71.4
Post graduates
18
28.6
V.P, D.S,
1.6
22
34.9
ASO/AAO/Junior Executive
40
63.5
Designation
54
85.7
5-10
14.3
57
90.5
7.9
10
1.6
married
61
96.8
unmarried
3.2
Nuclear family
61
82.5
Joint family
11
17.5
Under 18 years
31
50.8
Above 18 years
30
49.2
Work hours
Marital status
Type of family
Children status
Inconvenience in transport
Implications
The research study has highlighted factors
affecting role efficacy and emotional intelligence. The
implications would benefit organization for better
understanding about nuances emerging from work-life. The
quality of work life provided by an organization to a large
(41)
3.2
Long distance
1.6
traffic
16
25.4
No difficult
44
69.8
Advances In Management
Table 2
Demographic effect on Emotional Intelligence Impact of work experience on Emotional Intelligence
ANOVA
Emotional Intellignece
Sum of Squares
Df
Mean Square
Sig.
Between Groups
235.630
33.6661
.859
.544
Within Groups
2154.688
55
39.176
Total
2390.317
62
Between Groups
12320.375
1760.054
3.371
.005
Within Groups
28713.276
55
522.060
Total
41033.651
62
Table 3
References
Mean
Std. Deviation
Capability to express
14.49
2.552
Purposeful
4.22
0.812
Self reliance
18.78
2.997
Identifying emotions
28.33
4.385
Support building
7.63
1.649
Empathy
12.17
2.311
Logical analysis
16.32
3.073
Initiative
3.68
0.93
Ability to cope
11.4
2.083
Anger management
3.25
0.967
Happiness orientation
12.08
2.611
Confidence
16.06
2.758
Assertiveness
3.76
0.911
Decisive
4.54
6.153
Civic sum/accountability
4.38
0.923
Adaptability
3.43
1.174
Patience
3.16
1.322
Emotional intelligence
167.7
25.732
Centrality
2.1
0.995
Integration
3.16
1.334
Pro-activity
2.02
1.039
Creativity
2.7
1.444
Inter-role linkage
2.97
1.47
Helping relationship
3.3
1.352
Super ordination
1.63
1.579
Influence
2.05
1.25
Growth
2.33
1.107
Confrontation
3.53
0.97
Role efficacy
25.73
6.274
(42)
Advances In Management
Table 4
Integration
Proactivity
Creativity
Inter-role
linkage
Helping
relationship
Influence
Growth
Confrontation
Role
efficacy
0.178
-0.16
0.24
0.16
-0.24
0.064 0.04
0.07
-0.07
.326(**)
0.108
-0.027
-0
0.05
0.06
0.03
-0.08
-0.1
0.16
0.2
0.209
0.11
0.007
-0.08
0.15
0.19
-0.2
0.12
0.15 .408(**)
0.09
.393(**)
0.235
Identifying emotions
0.004
-0.12
0.18
0.21
-0.13
0.17
.443(**)
0.228
Support building
0.041
-0.09
0.21
0.04
0.04
-0.12
0.02
0.2
-0.05
0.217
0.095
Empathy
-0.127 -.260(*)
0.08
-0.1
-0.06
.267(*)
-0
.293(*)
0.1
.443(**)
0.11
Logical analysis
0.027
-0.08
0.2
0.08
-0.01
0.24
0.13
.253(*)
0.174
Initiative
-0.089
-0.18
.256(*)
0.1
-0.08
0.04
-0.02
0.122
0.032
Ability to cope
0.168
-0.02
0.22
.260(*)
0.01
0.18
Anger management
0.125
0.24
0.22
0.11
0.01
0.113 0.15
0.18
0.07
-0.04
.251(*)
Happiness orientation
0.171
-0.04
.261(*)
0.12
0.089 0.11
0.25
0.13
.296(*)
.271(*)
Confidence
0.115
0.06
0.21
0.14
0.01
0.008
0.2
.280(*)
0.11
.273(*)
.279(*)
Assertiveness
-0.028
-0.08
0.07
.251(*)
-0.24
-0.01
0.13
0.11
0.1
.359(**)
0.135
Decisiveness
0.002
-0.12
0.16
0.01
-.264(*)
0.05
0.09
0.14
-0.02
0.125
0.021
Civic sum/accountability
-0.145
-0.19
0.06
0.09
-0.09
-0
0.01
0.17
0.1
0.24
0.038
Adaptability
0.144
0.07
0.13
.353(**)
-0.13
0.08
0.16
0.12
0.04
0.217
0.226
Patience
0.074
-0.01
0.03
0.19
-0.15
0.117 0.18
-0.1
-.257(*)
-0.05
0.029
Emotional intelligence
0.062
-0.12
.252(*)
0.18
-0.16
0.09
.402(**)
0.236
Correlations
Capability to express
Purposeful
Self reliance
Superordination
Centrality
Correlation coefficients of Role Efficacy with Emotional Intelligence for Career women (N= 63)
0.046 0.07
-0.1
0.09
.453(**) .340(**)
**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
14. Friedman S.D. and Greenhaus J.H., Work and Family: Allies
or Enemies? New York, Oxford University Press (2000)
24. Stewart D. et al, Work and Life: The End of the Zero-Sum
Game, Harvard Business Review on Women Business, Library of
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (2005)
25. Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce, Off-Ramps and
On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success,
Harvard Business Review on Women Business, Library of
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (2005)
28. Waite L. and Gallagher M., The case for marriage: why
married people are happier, healthier and better off financially,
New York, Double day (2000)
(43)