Work–life balance: One size fits all? An exploratory analysis of the differential effects of career stage

Abstract

Summary This paper explores the antecedents of work-life balance for employees as they progress through different career stages denoted by age. To date, research has failed to adequately explore how work-life balance issues develop over the course of an employeeÕs working life. As a consequence, much of the work-life balance policy and practice research examines WLB issues from a relatively static and unchanging perspective resulting in praxis which is undifferentiated. Such a Ôone size fits allÕ approach to the design and development of work-life balance initiatives is not only costly but likely to be ineffective in terms of meeting the real needs of different categories of employees. This paper challenges the static approaches and instead seeks to examine if and how WLB is affected and shaped by different antecedents as they impact on differing career stages as defined by distinct age categorisations.The research was carried out among a sample of 729 employees in 15 organisations (10 private sector and 5 public sector organisations) in the Republic of Ireland. Four career stages are considered with regard to both men and women irrespective of their parenting status. The findings suggest that factors which impact upon work-life balance differ marginally across various career stages thereby indicating that WLB is a concern for employees at all career stages and not the preserve of parents with young children only. These findings shed new light on our understanding of the antecedents of work-life balance and have particular implications for organisations who wish to foster a culture which values work-life balance across all career stages for all their employees.

Influence of sense of coherence on work-life balance at the South African public service

“…Moreover, this paper examined WLB in the context of satisfaction with work and family situations (Grzywacz & Carlson, 2007;Lyness & Judiesch, 2008), but most employees viewed WLB as: enjoyment, effectiveness (Greenhaus & Allen, 2011), stability (Crooker et al, 2002), time (Parasuraman & Greenhaus, 1999) and subjectivity (Darcy et al, 2012;Goodman, 2012). Other employees wished they could reclaim balance, while others indicated their intention to leave the organization and suggested that only then could balance be achieved.…”

Relating Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Commitment through Moderated Mediation of Psychological Well-being and Work-life Balance: A Study on Teachers of NGOs

“…Work-life balance is achieved when employees experience being engaged and satisfied in caring out the manifold functions with which they recognize them self. Work-life balance is an initiative that assists employees to bring a sense of balance and experiencing accomplishment and fulfilment in work and persons' individual domains (Darcy et al, 2012). Quality of life and work-life balance are found to be highly correlated when participants balance their time in family than work (Greenhaus et al, 2003).…”

“…Further, literature suggests that a struggle to achieve work life balance is being experienced by employees in all types of professions worldwide (Darcy et al, 2012). It seems to be difficult to bring balance between job, family and personal life for the employees who devote longer hours at the work place (Hochschild, 1997).…”

Determinants of Employee Commitment and Continuous Improvement in Animal Feed Companies

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