WorldWideScience

Sample records for pqs balances life

  1. RpoN Modulates Carbapenem Tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa through Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal and PqsE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Keiji; Amoh, Takashi; Ono, Tsuneko; Miyake, Yoichiro

    2016-01-01

    The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to rapidly modulate its response to antibiotic stress and persist in the presence of antibiotics is closely associated with the process of cell-to-cell signaling. The alternative sigma factor RpoN (σ54) is involved in the regulation of quorum sensing (QS) and plays an important role in the survival of stationary-phase cells in the presence of carbapenems. Here, we demonstrate that a ΔrpoN mutant grown in nutrient-rich medium has increased expression of pqsA, pqsH, and pqsR throughout growth, resulting in the increased production of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). The link between pqsA and its role in carbapenem tolerance was studied using a ΔrpoN ΔpqsA mutant, in which the carbapenem-tolerant phenotype of the ΔrpoN mutant was abolished. In addition, we demonstrate that another mechanism leading to carbapenem tolerance in the ΔrpoN mutant is mediated through pqsE. Exogenously supplied PQS abolished the biapenem-sensitive phenotype of the ΔrpoN ΔpqsA mutant, and overexpression of pqsE failed to alter the susceptibility of the ΔrpoN ΔpqsA mutant to biapenem. The mutations in the ΔrpoN ΔrhlR mutant and the ΔrpoN ΔpqsH mutant led to susceptibility to biapenem. Comparison of the changes in the expression of the genes involved in QS in wild-type PAO1 with their expression in the ΔrpoN mutant and the ΔrpoN mutant-derived strains demonstrated the regulatory effect of RpoN on the transcript levels of rhlR, vqsR, and rpoS. The findings of this study demonstrate that RpoN negatively regulates the expression of PQS in nutrient-rich medium and provide evidence that RpoN interacts with pqsA, pqsE, pqsH, and rhlR in response to antibiotic stress. PMID:27431228

  2. Stigmatellin Y - An anti-biofilm compound from Bacillus subtilis BR4 possibly interferes in PQS-PqsR mediated quorum sensing system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boopathi, Seenivasan; Vashisth, Rajesh; Manoharan, Prabu; Kandasamy, Ruckmani; Sivakumar, Natesan

    2017-05-15

    Hitherto this is the first report pertaining to production of biofilm inhibitory compound(s) (BIC) from Bacillus subtilis BR4 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) coupled with production optimization. In order to achieve this, combinations of media components were formulated by employing statistical tools such as Plackett-Burman analysis and central composite rotatable design (CCRD). It was evident that at 35mlL -1 glycerol and 3.8gL -1 casamino acid, anti-biofilm activity and production of extracellular protein significantly increased by 1.5-fold and 1.2-fold, respectively. These results corroborate that the combination of glycerol and casamino acid plays a key role in the production of BIC. Further, metabolic profiling of BIC was carried out using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based on m/z value. The presence of Stigmatellin Y was predicted with monoisotopic neutral mass of 484.2825Da. In support of optimization study, higher production of BIC was confirmed in the optimized-media-grown BR4 (OPT-BR4) than in the ideal-media-grown BR4 (ID-BR4) by LC-MS/MS analysis. PqsR in P. aeruginosa is a potential target for anti-virulent therapy. Molecular docking study has revealed that Stigmatellin Y interacts with PqsR in the similar orientation like a cognate signal (PQS) and synthetic inhibitor. In addition, Stigmatellin Y was found to exhibit interaction with four more amino acid residues of PqsR to establish strong affinity. Stigmatellin Y thus might play a role of competitor for PQS to distract PQS-PqsR mediated communication in P. aeruginosa. The present investigation thus paves new avenues to develop anti-Pseudomonas virulent therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Crystallization and preliminary crystal structure analysis of the ligand-binding domain of PqsR (MvfR), the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) responsive quorum-sensing transcription factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Ningna; Yu, Shen; Moniot, Sébastien; Weyand, Michael; Blankenfeldt, Wulf

    2012-01-01

    The ligand-binding domain of the transcription factor PqsR from P. aeruginosa has been crystallized and initial phases have been obtained using SAD data from seleno-l-methionine-labelled crystals. The opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa employs three transcriptional regulators, LasR, RhlR and PqsR, to control the transcription of a large subset of its genes in a cell-density-dependent process known as quorum sensing. Here, the recombinant production, crystallization and structure solution of the ligand-binding domain of PqsR (MvfR), the LysR-type transcription factor that responds to the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), a quinolone-based quorum-sensing signal that is unique to P. aeruginosa and possibly a small number of other bacteria, is reported. PqsR regulates the expression of many virulence genes and may therefore be an interesting drug target. The ligand-binding domain (residues 91–319) was produced as a fusion with SUMO, and hexagonal-shaped crystals of purified PqsR-91–319 were obtained using the vapour-diffusion method. Crystallization in the presence of a PQS precursor allowed data collection to 3.25 Å resolution on a synchrotron beamline, and initial phases have been obtained using single-wavelength anomalous diffraction data from seleno-l-methionine-labelled crystals, revealing the space group to be P6 5 22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 116–120, c = 115–117 Å

  4. Discovery and biophysical characterization of 2-amino-oxadiazoles as novel antagonists of PqsR, an important regulator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zender, Michael; Klein, Tobias; Henn, Claudia; Kirsch, Benjamin; Maurer, Christine K; Kail, Dagmar; Ritter, Christiane; Dolezal, Olan; Steinbach, Anke; Hartmann, Rolf W

    2013-09-12

    The human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa employs alkyl quinolones for cell-to-cell communication. The Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) regulates various virulence factors via interaction with the transcriptional regulator PqsR. Therefore, we consider the development of PqsR antagonists a novel strategy to limit the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa. A fragment identification approach using surface plasmon resonance screening led to the discovery of chemically diverse PqsR ligands. The optimization of the most promising hit (5) resulted in the oxadiazole-2-amine 37 showing pure antagonistic activity in Escherichia coli (EC50 = 7.5 μM) and P. aeruginosa (EC50 = 38.5 μM) reporter gene assays. 37 was able to diminish the production of the PQS precursor HHQ in a PqsH-deficient P. aeruginosa mutant. The level of the major virulence factor pyocyanin was significantly reduced in wild-type P. aeruginosa. In addition, site-directed mutagenesis in combination with isothermal titration calorimetry and NMR INPHARMA experiments revealed that the identified ligands bind to the same site of PqsR by adopting different binding modes. These findings will be utilized in a future fragment-growing approach aiming at novel therapeutic options for the treatment of P. aeruginosa infections.

  5. Work-Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Kvasničková, Katarína

    2011-01-01

    The subject of this thesis is Work-Life Balance - the reconciliation of professional and personal lives. The primary objective of this work is to analyze employee satisfaction in achieving a balance between the professional and personal life and to develop recommendations for employer on that basis. The theoretical portion of this work defines the issues surrounding Work-Life Balance and tools that employees can use to harmonize the two with an analysis of applications in the Czech Republic a...

  6. Leadership and Work-Life Balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattock, Sarah L

    2015-01-01

    Simply stated, work-life balance is something that is both difficult to define and difficult to achieve. Leaders, throughout the continuum of trauma care, need to have a sound understanding of what work-life balance means and set an example of a healthy work-life balance for those they lead. This article offers strategies for enhancing work-life balance and challenges individuals to use self-reflection as a means to furthering their personal and professional growth.

  7. 50 CFR 680.42 - Limitations on use of QS, PQS, IFQ, and IPQ.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... PQS derived from the transfer of legal processing history after June 10, 2002. (ii) Use IPQ in excess... of Alaska; (B) Kodiak: IPQ may not be used outside of the boundaries of the Kodiak Island Borough as...° W. long. (2) CVC or CPC IFQ used on a vessel will not be included in determining whether a vessel...

  8. Sandia National Laboratories: Careers: Work-Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    ; Culture Work-Life Balance Special Programs Students and Postdocs Benefits and Perks Hiring Process Life at -Life Balance Careers Work-Life Balance People in park Your life is not just work We understand your healthy, multidimensional lifestyle and achieve a personal balance between home, work, and community life

  9. Enzyme-mediated quenching of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS promotes biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by increasing iron availability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatrix Tettmann

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The 2-alkyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H-quinolone 2,4-dioxygenase HodC was previously described to cleave the Pseudomonas quinolone signal, PQS, which is exclusively used in the complex quorum sensing (QS system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen employing QS to regulate virulence and biofilm development. Degradation of PQS by exogenous addition of HodC to planktonic cells of P. aeruginosa attenuated production of virulence factors, and reduced virulence in planta. However, proteolytic cleavage reduced the efficacy of HodC. Here, we identified the secreted protease LasB of P. aeruginosa to be responsible for HodC degradation. In static biofilms of the P. aeruginosa PA14 lasB::Tn mutant, the catalytic activity of HodC led to an increase in viable biomass in newly formed but also in established biofilms, and reduced the expression of genes involved in iron metabolism and siderophore production, such as pvdS, pvdL, pvdA and pvdQ. This is likely due to an increase in the levels of bioavailable iron by degradation of PQS, which is able to sequester iron from the surrounding environment. Thus, HodC, despite its ability to quench the production of virulence factors, is contraindicated for combating P. aeruginosa biofilms.

  10. Recession and Work-Life Balance Initiatives

    OpenAIRE

    Pranav Naithani

    2010-01-01

    Over the last six decades work-life balance emerged as an important human resource management aspect for employers. Globally, a wide gamut of work-life balance facilities is being provided by a large number of organisations. The recent economic downturn has witnessed a sudden interruption in the spread and growth of work-life balance facilities at the organisational level. This paper presents the key recessionary reasons which have negatively influenced employee work-life balance. Further, im...

  11. A 'Balanced' Life: Work-Life Balance and Sickness Absence in Four Nordic Countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antai, D; Oke, A; Braithwaite, P; Anthony, D S

    2015-10-01

    Little attention has been given to the relationship between work-life balance and sickness absence. To investigate the association between poor work-life balance and sickness absence in 4 Nordic welfare states. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on pooled cross-sectional data of workers aged 15-65 years from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway (n=4186) obtained from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). Poor work-life balance was defined based on the fit between working hours and family or social commitments outside work. Self-reported sickness absence was measured as absence for ≥7 days from work for health reasons. Poor work-life balance was associated with elevated odds (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.80) of self-reported sickness absence and more health problems in the 4 Nordic countries, even after adjusting for several important confounding factors. Work-related characteristics, ie, no determination over schedule (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.53), and job insecurity (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.02) increased the likelihood of sickness absence, and household characteristics, ie, cohabitation status (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96) reduced this likelihood. The associations were non-significant when performed separately for women and men. Sickness absence is predicted by poor work-life balance. Findings suggest the need for implementation of measures that prevent employee difficulties in combining work and family life.

  12. Work-life balance and welfare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Lois; Young, Greg

    2017-04-01

    An online survey and focus groups were conducted, providing qualitative information on the work-life balance of psychiatrists and trainees in Australasia. An invitation to participate in an anonymous online welfare survey was emailed to all the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists trainees, Fellows, and Affiliates. Following this, nine focus groups were held across Australia and New Zealand. Responses received were thematically analysed. The emergent patterns are presented in this report. Our research suggests that work-life balance can be subjectively and objectively measured. There are phases of good and bad work-life balance, depending on stage of career and other commitments. Work-life balance may be an indicator of the health of individuals and organisations. Due to its complexity, with intrinsic and extrinsic factors involved, solutions are unlikely to be simple. Further studies are needed to substantiate our findings.

  13. Work - life balance u studentů

    OpenAIRE

    Fesslová, Tereza Anežka

    2017-01-01

    This bachelor thesis is focused on the importance of work-life balance, which means balance between work and life. The aim of this thesis is to find out current status of satisfaction with work-life balance for students of universities. In the theoretical part is explained the concept of work-life balance and another concepts related to this topic. The focus is drawn on four individual parts of human life, where people must be able to allocate their time. The practical part is devoted to char...

  14. Work-life balance: history, costs, and budgeting for balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raja, Siva; Stein, Sharon L

    2014-06-01

    The concept and difficulties of work-life balance are not unique to surgeons, but professional responsibilities make maintaining a work-life balance difficult. Consequences of being exclusively career focused include burn out, physical, and mental ailments. In addition, physician burn out may hinder optimal patient care and incur significant costs on health care in general. Assessing current uses of time, allocating goals catered to an individual surgeon, and continual self-assessment may help balance time, and ideally will help prevent burn out.

  15. A delicate balance? : a study of work-life conflicts, work-life enrichment, and worklife balance among management consultants in Norway

    OpenAIRE

    Nabong, Tristán; Trønnes, Hannah

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship among work-life balance, work-life enrichment, and work-life conflict by looking into the status, condition, and experiences of management consultants in Norway. The need to develop methods to achieve an optimal balance between employees’ productivity, work habits and personal life has sparked numerous studies investigating work-life balance in recent years. Because very few previous studies have dealt with work-life balance in the man...

  16. Reframing our pursuit of life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuentes, David G; Ogden, Rachel R; Ryan-Haddad, Ann; Strang, Aimee F

    2015-04-25

    During our time in the 2013 Academic Leadership Fellows Program, we explored what it takes to achieve life balance through a framework presented in a Harvard Business Review article. In this Statement, we describe 5 different areas from the article that provide infrastructure for reflecting on how we have learned to approach life balance in academia. We also provide brief messages based on this reading and others to help academics' pursuit of life balance.

  17. Reframing Our Pursuit of Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Fuentes, David G.; Ogden, Rachel R.; Ryan-Haddad, Ann; Strang, Aimee F.

    2015-01-01

    During our time in the 2013 Academic Leadership Fellows Program, we explored what it takes to achieve life balance through a framework presented in a Harvard Business Review article. In this Statement, we describe 5 different areas from the article that provide infrastructure for reflecting on how we have learned to approach life balance in academia. We also provide brief messages based on this reading and others to help academics’ pursuit of life balance.

  18. 50 CFR 680.40 - Crab Quota Share (QS), Processor QS (PQS), Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and Individual...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) SHELLFISH FISHERIES OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF ALASKA Quota... the Internet or requested from the Regional Administrator. (ii) An application for crab QS or PQS may... be notified by an IAD, that the applicant did not meet the burden of proof to change the information...

  19. Work-Life-Balance in der Unternehmenspraxis

    OpenAIRE

    Beile, Judith; Jahnz, Sebastian

    2007-01-01

    Um die Frage zu beantworten, welche Maßnahmen einer Work-Life-Balance von Unternehmen im einzelnen umgesetzt werden, berichten die Autoren aus einschlägigen Studien der Hertie-Stiftung, des Instituts der deutschen Wirtschaft und einer eigenen Unternehmensbefragung. Sie skizzieren zunächst die Ziele, Chancen und Risiken von Work-Life-Balance als Personal- und Führungskonzept sowie als Wettbewerbsstrategie. Sie erörtern ferner die Frage, ob durch die Implementation von Work-Life-Balance bestehe...

  20. WORK / LIFE BALANCE REFLECTIONS ON EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selvarani

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between employee satisfaction andwork/life balance. The construct used for this research consists of career opportunity, recognition,work tasks, payments, benefits, superior subordinate relationship, employee satisfaction, andwork/life balance. The study was conducted on a total of 210 respondents working in IT organization.This study makes a contribution to join two distinct research streams, namely employee satisfaction,and work/life balance. Findings suggest that high correlation exists between work task and employeesatisfaction with a mediator variable namely work-life balance.

  1. Student Life Balance: Myth or Reality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doble, Niharika; Supriya, M. V.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Student life stress, student family conflict and student life balance are issues that are scarcely researched. This paper aims to develop a scale for assessing the concept of student life balance. Design/methodology/approach: The study evaluated a 54-item scale for assessing the construct. The data are obtained from 612 Indian students.…

  2. A balancing act? Work-life balance, health and well-being in European welfare states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunau, Thorsten; Bambra, Clare; Eikemo, Terje A; van der Wel, Kjetil A; Dragano, Nico

    2014-06-01

    Recent analyses have shown that adverse psychosocial working conditions, such as job strain and effort-reward imbalance, vary by country and welfare state regimes. Another work-related factor with potential impact on health is a poor work-life balance. The aims of this study are to determine the association between a poor work-life balance and poor health across a variety of European countries and to explore the variation of work-life balance between European countries. Data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey were used with 24,096 employees in 27 European countries. Work-life balance is measured with a question on the fit between working hours and family or social commitments. The WHO-5 well-being index and self-rated general health are used as health indicators. Logistic multilevel models were calculated to assess the association between work-life balance and health indicators and to explore the between-country variation of a poor work-life balance. Employees reporting a poor work-life balance reported more health problems (Poor well-being: OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.83-2.31; Poor self-rated health: OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.84-2.17). The associations were very similar for men and women. A considerable part of the between-country variation of work-life balance is explained by working hours, working time regulations and welfare state regimes. The best overall work-life balance is reported by Scandinavian men and women. This study provides some evidence on the public health impact of a poor work-life balance and that working time regulations and welfare state characteristics can influence the work-life balance of employees. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

  3. Work–Life Balance: History, Costs, and Budgeting for Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Raja, Siva; Stein, Sharon L.

    2014-01-01

    The concept and difficulties of work–life balance are not unique to surgeons, but professional responsibilities make maintaining a work–life balance difficult. Consequences of being exclusively career focused include burn out, physical, and mental ailments. In addition, physician burn out may hinder optimal patient care and incur significant costs on health care in general. Assessing current uses of time, allocating goals catered to an individual surgeon, and continual self-assessment may hel...

  4. Work-Life Balance in a Low-Income Neighbourhood

    OpenAIRE

    Alice Coulter; Hartley Dean

    2006-01-01

    'Work-life balance' generally refers to how people may combine paid employment with family responsibilities. The UK government's attempts to promote work-life balance are connected to wider concerns to maximise labour-force participation and include policies on tax credits, child care and employment rights. Employers favour work-life balance if it promotes the flexibility of labour supply and enables them to retain valued staff. There are concerns about the extent to which work-life balance p...

  5. Work-Life Balance Among Humanitarian Aid Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, Miranda; Mills, Melinda; Heyse, Liesbet; Wittek, Rafael; Bollettino, Vincenzo

    2016-01-01

    A limited body of research has examined satisfaction with work-life balance of expatriate workers who live abroad, residing outside the typical family or life domain. This study aims to demonstrate how and under which organizational circumstances job autonomy can increase work-life balance

  6. Information system quality in work-life balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharmini Gopinathan

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to look for the role information systems quality may play in work-life balance among Malaysian ICT employees. The results of this study will be useful in the development of new tools and technologies that are focused on ISQ dimensions primarily information system quality which can be helpful to devise suggestions to the ICT sector on matters pertaining to sustainable development/policy formulation with reference to achieving a good work-life balance. A total of 79 respondents’ views were analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS to obtain the final results. The results showed that information quality and system quality has strong effect on work-life balance as compared to service quality which showed no relation to work-life balance.

  7. Work-life balance, time and money: identifying the work-life balance priorities of working class workers

    OpenAIRE

    Warren, Tracey

    2017-01-01

    This chapter provides an overview of the relative roles played by time and money in debates around work-life balance. It shows how time trumps money in dominant understandings of what ‘work-life’ means and in what parts of our lives are presumed to be in need of balance. Working ‘too many’ hours is seen to be the major challenge for achieving a work-life balance. This is an incomplete account. It is largely about the work-lives of the middle classes and it neglects the priorities of working c...

  8. [Striking the work-life balance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumas, Marc

    2014-11-01

    Solutions for finding a satisfactory balance between home life and work lie in the organisation of work and the work environment. Line managers in particular have a key role to play in helping their staff maintain this balance.

  9. Why work-life balance now?

    OpenAIRE

    Fleetwood, Steve

    2006-01-01

    In the vast literature on work-life balance one question remains seriously under-elaborated: Why now? The paper opens by recognising that flexible working practices can be employee friendly or employer friendly, and that current employer friendly practices tend to constrain, rather than enable, possibilities for work-life balance. Part two introduces neoliberalism, interpreting it as a new class strategy: the iron fist of a renewed ruling class offensive is wrapped in the velvet glove of free...

  10. Work-life balance of Eastern European migrants in Portugal

    OpenAIRE

    Flenova, Vera

    2017-01-01

    his study is devoted to the balance between work and life the Eastern European migrants manage to obtain. Work and life balance is considered as one of the core factors for the quality of life of the individual. Processes of migration and integration of migrants make the attainment of the work-life balance even more complicated and involve more resources. In this work the work and personal life balance of migrants is being analysed from the following perspectives: occupation, f...

  11. Work Life Balance in Indian IT & BPO Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Pallvi Vedehra; Dr. S. C. Chitkara

    2012-01-01

    Work–Life Balance (WLB) is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between “works†on the one hand and “life†on the other. Related, though broader terms, include a “lifestyle balance†and “life balance†. The purpose of this paper is to study the styles that have been used for balancing work and family by the professionals working in Indian IT and BPO sectors and the kind of support they are getting from their organizations. Professionals may face many problems in balanci...

  12. [Favouring the work-life balance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masurelle, Franck

    2015-01-01

    Saint-Amand-les-Eaux general hospital, in the north of France, actively promotes quality of life at work for its staff. In 2014, during National Quality of Life at Work week, the hospital put in place a programme of activities encouraging a better work-life balance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. WORK / LIFE BALANCE REFLECTIONS ON EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

    OpenAIRE

    Selvarani; Kamalanabhan; Sakthivel Rani

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between employee satisfaction andwork/life balance. The construct used for this research consists of career opportunity, recognition,work tasks, payments, benefits, superior subordinate relationship, employee satisfaction, andwork/life balance. The study was conducted on a total of 210 respondents working in IT organization.This study makes a contribution to join two distinct research streams, namely employee satisfaction,and work/life b...

  14. Work-Life Balance and Work Satisfaction in Workplace

    OpenAIRE

    Soo, Chin Hock

    2014-01-01

    This study aims to investigate whether the workplace environment in an ICT organizations are conducive for the employees to use work-life balance and secondary investigation will involving whether the ability to have work-life balance will increase the happiness and this job satisfaction and leads to higher productivity. A questionnaire which consisted of all the work-life balance activities in the ICT organization were sent out and a total of 94 respondents whom worked in ICT organizations h...

  15. A balancing act? Work-life balance, health and well-being in European welfare states

    OpenAIRE

    Lunau, Thorsten; Bambra, Clare; Eikemo, Terje Andreas; van Der Wel, Kjetil A.; Dragano, Nico

    2014-01-01

    Background: Recent analyses have shown that adverse psychosocial working conditions, such as job strain and effort–reward imbalance, vary by country and welfare state regimes. Another work-related factor with potential impact on health is a poor work–life balance. The aims of this study are to determine the association between a poor work–life balance and poor health across a variety of European countries and to explore the variation of work–life balance between European countries. Methods: D...

  16. Work-Life Balance and the Canadian Teaching Profession

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froese-Germain, Bernie

    2014-01-01

    Over the past few decades Canada has experienced sweeping demographic, social, economic and technological changes. These changes have had, and continue to have, a major impact on the work-life balance of Canadians--that is, on their ability to balance work and personal demands. Some of these factors also impact the work-life balance of the…

  17. Pengaruh Persepsi Dukungan Organisasi Terhadap Work-Life Balance (The Influence of Perceived Organizational Support toward Work-Life Balance)

    OpenAIRE

    Sianturi, Elisabet Damayanti

    2017-01-01

    121301107 Work-life balance merupakan suatu keadaan dimana individu merasa terikat dan puas terhadap kehidupan pekerjaan dan kehidupan keluarganya. Salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi work-life balance adalah organizational support (dukungan organisasi). Dalam hal ini, dukungan organisasi sangat penting karena ketersediaan dukungan terhadap karyawan dalam menjalankan perannya di tempat kerja dan keluarga akan membuat karyawan merasa bahwa organisasi memperhatikan kesejaht...

  18. Psychometric Analysis of the Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smeltzer, Suzanne C; Cantrell, Mary Ann; Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C; Heverly, Mary Ann; Jenkinson, Amanda; Nthenge, Serah

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment scale among nurse faculty involved in doctoral education. A national random sample of 554 respondents completed the Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment scale, which addresses 3 factors: work interference with personal life (WIPL), personal life interference with work (PLIW), and work/personal life enhancement (WPLE). A principal components analysis with varimax rotation revealed 3 internally consistent aspects of work-life balance, explaining 40.5% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for reliability of the scale were .88 for the total scale and for the subscales, .93 (WIPL), .85 (PLIW), and .69 (WPLE). The Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to examine work-life balance among nurse faculty.

  19. The influence of work-life balance on employees' commitment ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The influence of work-life balance on employees' commitment among bankers in Accra, ... balanced their work and family roles better than their married counterparts. ... There was a weak positive relationship between work-life balance and ...

  20. Evaluating Work-Life Balance in the Department of Defense

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-18

    Evaluating Work - Life Balance in the Department of Defense Erin A. Moeser Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) Kizzy M. Parks...for service members’ family lives may increase satisfaction with work - life balance . Examples of family-friendly organizational policies include...1,500 active duty military personnel were surveyed on the value of work / life balance initiates. More specifically, this study assessed respondents

  1. Balancing Life Roles to Achieve Career Happiness and Life Satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peronne, Kristin Marie

    2000-01-01

    A study guided by Super's Life Span, Life Space approach included a survey of 119 women and 66 men about sacrifices made in life and work roles to achieve balance and satisfaction. Differences in sacrifices and satisfaction were related to the combination of life roles they occupied. (SK)

  2. The representations of work-life balance in Canadian newspapers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reece, Katherine T; Davis, Jane A; Polatajko, Helene J

    2009-01-01

    Work-life balance has become a topic of increasing interest in the media as well as a concern among working Canadians. Since print media discourse can both reflect and shape societal values, cultural norms and ideals of workers in this country, it is important to understand this representation and its potential influence on the occupational engagement and life transitions of Canadian workers. Articles from four major Canadian newspapers published between 2003 and 2005 were used as data sources to examine the media construction of "work-life balance". Thematic analysis of 100 articles was performed using a modified affinity diagramming process. Representations within the Canadian print media conveyed both themes pertaining to the perceived experiences of imbalance and balance, as well as, a process of life balance. Obtaining balance was portrayed as an ongoing process during which an individual negotiates and sacrifices in an attempt to achieve his or her ideal level of balance. Environmental expectations and individual practices and perceptions were conveyed as reasons for the success or derailment of balance. The representations of work-life balance found in the Canadian print media were predominantly of professionals, focused on the demands of work and family, and did not appear to be a broad representation of the multiple realities that all Canadians face.

  3. Work-Life Balance, Management Practices and Productivity

    OpenAIRE

    Nick Bloom; Tobias Kretschmer; John Van Reenen

    2006-01-01

    Do “Anglo-Saxon” management practices generate higher productivity only at the expense of lousy work-life balance (WLB) for workers? Many critics of “neo-libéralisme sauvage” have argued that increased competition from globalisation is damaging employees’ quality of life. Others have argued the opposite that improving work-life balance is actually a competitive tool that companies can use to raise productivity. We try to shed some empirical light on these issues using an innovative survey too...

  4. Life Work Balance in the Context of the Navy

    OpenAIRE

    Aten, Kathryn; DiRenzo, Marco; Eitelberg, Mark; Smith, Michael; Emanuelsen, Kirk; Lee, Jon

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study is to compare male and female Sailors' understandings, definitions and desires regarding life-work balance and recommend policies and practices to support the balance of work and life roles in the context of Naval careers in order to improve the retention of female Sailors, in particular. In short, this study will explore, "How do Sailors define life-work balance in the context of their Naval careers?" and “What policies and practices are likely to support life- wo...

  5. Work-life balancing: challenges and strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chittenden, Eva H; Ritchie, Christine S

    2011-07-01

    Balancing the personal and the professional is an ongoing struggle for most professionals, and palliative care clinicians are no exception. A sustained lack of balance can lead to feelings of frustration, inadequacy, and guilt. Palliative care physicians may find this balance particularly difficult due to the nature of their work: caring for patients and families who are often suffering and in crisis. In this article, we describe challenges to work-life balancing and strategies that may promote balance, including "timeshifting," goal setting, cognitive reframing, and self-care. We argue that the search for balance is a lifelong endeavor that entails self-reflection and continuing examination of one's values and goals.

  6. Care for the case manager: balancing your wheel of life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowell, D M

    1998-01-01

    The case manager's role in our complex health care system is demanding and draining without some self-reflective attention. The Wheel of Life is a key tool for individuals to assess how well they are leading a fully balanced life. The eight aspects of a balanced life--values, self-care, work, relationships, leisure, relaxation, exercise, and centering--are explained and discussed. A self-reflective activity is presented that encourages readers to assess their current life balance. This focused clarification of personal and professional life will facilitate a more fully balanced life with rewards for case managers as individuals, and for their family, clients, and the health care organization.

  7. Predictors of physician career satisfaction, work-life balance, and burnout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeton, Kristie; Fenner, Dee E; Johnson, Timothy R B; Hayward, Rodney A

    2007-04-01

    To explore factors associated with physician career satisfaction, work-life balance, and burnout focusing on differences across age, gender, and specialty. A cross-sectional, mailed, self-administered survey was sent to a national sample of 2,000 randomly-selected physicians, stratified by specialty, age, and gender (response rate 48%). Main outcome measures included career satisfaction, burnout, and work-life balance. Scales ranged from 1 to 100. Both women and men report being highly satisfied with their careers (79% compared with 76%, Pwork-life balance (48% compared with 49%, P=.24), and having moderate levels of emotional resilience (51% compared with 53%, P=.09). Measures of burnout strongly predicted career satisfaction (standardized beta 0.36-0.60, Pwork-life balance and burnout was having some control over schedule and hours worked (standardized beta 0.28, Pwork-life balance, or burnout. This national physician survey suggests that physicians can struggle with work-life balance yet remain highly satisfied with their career. Burnout is an important predictor of career satisfaction, and control over schedule and work hours are the most important predictors of work-life balance and burnout. II.

  8. Salutogenic resources in relation to teachers' work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, Marie; Blomqvist, Kerstin; Andersson, Ingemar

    2017-01-01

    Experiencing work-life balance is considered a health promoting resource. To counter-balance the negative development of teachers' work situation, salutogenic resources need to be examined among teachers. To examine resources related to teachers' experience of their work-life balance. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was distributed to 455 teachers in compulsory schools in a Swedish community. A total of 338 teachers participated (74%). A multiple linear regression method was used for the analysis. Four variables in the regression model significantly explained work-life balance and were thereby possible resources: time experience at work; satisfaction with everyday life; self-rated health; and recovery. The strongest association with work-life balance was time experience at work. Except time experience at work, all were individual-related. This study highlights the importance of school management's support in reducing teachers' time pressure. It also emphasizes the need to address teachers' individual resources in relation to work-life balance. In order to support teachers' work-life balance, promote their well-being, and preventing teachers' attrition, we suggest that the school management would benefit from creating a work environment with strengthened resources.

  9. Gender Differences in the Perception of Work-Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Niharika Doble; M.V. Supriya

    2010-01-01

    This paper addresses work-life balance across genders. Both men and women reported experiencing work life imbalance. Organisational efforts at providing a supportive work environment are appreciated as they goes a long way towards enhancing worklife balance. In the post liberalisation context, Indian organisations are trying to enable work life balance through initiatives including flex times, part time work, provision of child care facilities. These initiatives are quite similar to those tha...

  10. Flexicurity from the Individual's Work/Life Balance Perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Trine Pernille

    forms of numerical flexibility, income support and active labour market and educational policy. Indeed, flexicurity studies often neglect other forms of flexibility and security, which appears crucial for individual employees, mainly women's, work/life balance, although Wilthagen and colleagues stress......., 2008:14). This paper calls for a more nuanced concept of flexicurity, which takes the individual's work/life balance perspective into consideration. It will argue that the constraints employees' face in their daily lives due to caring responsibilities have significant implications for their flexibility...... balance literature, this paper argues that inadequate workplace policies and in particular insufficient child- and elder care services often account for employees' work/life balance problems and in some instances force them to reduce their weekly working hours, seek new employment or prevent them from...

  11. Work-Life-Balance und Frauenbiographien

    OpenAIRE

    Macha, Hildegard

    2006-01-01

    Work-Life-Balance und Frauenbiographien. - In: Bildungs- und Karrierewege von Frauen / Anne Schlüter (Hrsg.). - Opladen : Budrich, 2006. - S. 17-32. - (Reihe: Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung in der Erziehungswissenschaft ; 2)

  12. British pharmacists' work-life balance - is it a problem?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seston, Elizabeth; Hassell, Karen

    2014-04-01

    Using a validated tool, the study aimed to explore pharmacists' experiences of maintaining work/life balance in a large, nationally representative sample of pharmacists in Great Britain (GB). A two-page postal questionnaire was sent in 2008 to all GB-domiciled pharmacists who were registered with the regulatory body for pharmacy in GB (just over 44 000 pharmacists). Demographic information, work patterns and other employment data were collected and analysed using regression techniques to explore the link between these characteristics and a validated measure of work/life balance. The response rate to the census was 69.6% (n = 30 517). Eighty-three per cent (n = 25 243) of respondents were working as a pharmacist and were therefore eligible to complete the work/life balance statements. The results reported here relate to 12 364 individuals who had full data for the work/life balance scale and the demographic and work variables. Findings indicate that age, ethnicity, having caring responsibilities, sector of practice, hours of work and type of job are significant predictors of work/life balance problems. Pharmacy employers and government should recognise the changing demographic characteristics of the profession and consider what support might be available to the workforce to help alleviate work/life balance problems being experienced by certain groups of pharmacists. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  13. Work-Life Balance: Beyond the Rhetoric. IES Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodz, J.; Harper, H.; Dench, S.

    The current status of British policy and practice related to work-life balance was examined through case studies of six organizations identified as having well-developed work-life balance and flexible working practices. Interviews were conducted with human resource (HR) managers at all six organizations, and interviews and focus group discussions…

  14. Work-life balance, job satisfaction and turnover intention amongst ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Work-life balance, job satisfaction and turnover intention amongst ... Employee turnover has signifi cant costs and negative consequences for ... However, no interaction effect was observed between overall work-life balance and job ...

  15. Surveys on Work-life balance and productivity (in Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    Ryo Yamada; Miyuki Yoshida

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, developed countries are increasing their focus on policies that improve the balance between work and life. Japan established a "work-life balance" charter at the end of 2007; the Japanese government, workers, and employers have agreed to collaborate in the belief that creating a society that balances work and life for all generations is desirable. Behind the trend is the fact that long working hours are a big reason for Japan's falling birthrate, which has threatened the sust...

  16. Work-life balance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roche, Pat

    2011-03-15

    Gay Renouf has opted for a work/life balance; with a chemistry degree she joined the Saskatchewan Research Council out of graduate school in 1986. She first worked on understanding surfactants in emulsions and then dealt more with petroleum engineering issues like pipeline specifications. She is looking at waterfloods in heavy and medium gravity pools and has discovered factors helping to produce heavy oil waterfloods. But all Renouf's life is not devoted to her work: she has been working part-time, spending her free time being a parent, training for marathons and being a running coach. Renouf believes that her passion for running is consistent with her work as a scientist.

  17. Managing work-life balance of working mothers

    OpenAIRE

    2014-01-01

    M.Comm. (Business Management) Changes in the corporate landscape and an increase in female participation rates in corporate workforces necessitate a better understanding of female career paths and how organisations can accommodate them better. The purpose of this study is to identify the most appropriate work-life balance benefits organisations can offer to female employees to assist them in achieving greater work-life balance. The study further aims to identify learning and development op...

  18. Gender Differences in the Perception of Work-Life Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niharika Doble

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses work-life balance across genders. Both menand women reported experiencing work life imbalance. Organisationalefforts at providing a supportive work environment areappreciated as they goes a long way towards enhancing worklifebalance. In the post liberalisation context, Indian organisationsare trying to enable work life balance through initiatives includingflex times, part time work, provision of child care facilities.These initiatives are quite similar to those that are providedin other countries. No doubt, this is a promising trend. Yet, therespondents in this sample have reported their inability to balancework and home. In the light of this observation, the papersuggests the need to improve work life balance practices to enableemployees to balance their lives. This will ensure a congenialwork place for employees and make work more meaningfulto them.

  19. Employee Work-Life Balance as an HR Imperative | Igbinomwanhia ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Employee Work-Life Balance as an HR Imperative. ... With the growing diversity of family structures represented in today‟s workforce, ... of managing an employee's work-life balance have increased markedly over the past 20 years.

  20. Life cycle versus balanced funds: An emerging market perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elbie Louw

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Inadequate retirement savings is an international challenge. Additionally, individuals are not cognisant of how asset allocation choices ultimately impact retirement savings. Life cycle and balanced funds are popular asset allocation strategies to save towards retirement. However, recent research is questioning the efficacy of life cycle funds that switch to lower risk asset classes as retirement approaches. Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of life cycle funds with balanced funds to determine whether either dominates the other. The study compares balanced and life cycle funds with similar starting asset allocations as well as those where the starting asset allocations differ. Setting: The study has a South African focus and constructs funds using historical data for the main local asset classes; that is, equity, fixed income and cash, as well as a proxy for foreign equity covering the period 1986–2013. Method: The study makes use of Monte Carlo simulations and bootstrap with replacement, and compares the simulated outcomes using stochastic dominance as decision-making criteria. Results: The results indicate that life cycle funds fail to dominate balanced funds by first-order or almost stochastic dominance when funds have a similar starting asset allocation. It is noteworthy that there are instances where the opposite is true, that is, balanced funds dominate life cycle funds. These results highlight that while the life cycle funds provide more downside protection, they significantly suppress the upside potential compared to balanced funds. When the starting asset allocations of the balanced and life cycle funds differ, the stochastic dominance results are inconsistent as to the efficacy of the life cycle fund strategies considered. Conclusion: The study shows that whether one fund is likely to dominate the other is strongly dependent on the underlying asset allocation strategies of the funds

  1. Does work/life balance depend on where and how you work?

    OpenAIRE

    Kinman, G; McDowall, A

    2009-01-01

    This article reports on a symposium presented in EAWOP, 2009 that examined work-life balance issues in different occupational contexts. During a global recession where developing work-life balance policies may not be considered organizational priorities; we argue that the need for systematic research into work-life balance has never been greater. The findings of the four papers included in the symposium suggest that work-life balance initiatives that are firmly grounded in workplace context a...

  2. Work-life balance: Does age matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richert-Kaźmierska, Anita; Stankiewicz, Katarzyna

    2016-11-22

    Work-life balance is a priority of EU policies but at the same time demographic change affects the labour market. Employers have to deal with the ageing of their employees and adjust human resource management to maintain their competitiveness. The purpose of the article is to answer research questions: whether the age of workers determines their assessment of the work-life balance, and whether there is a relationship between the worker's age and their assessment of the activities undertaken by their employer to provide them with work-life balance. The article is based on the results of surveys conducted among 500 employees of the SME sector from Finland, Lithuania and Sweden. The results identified a statistically significant difference: employees representing older age groups are more likely to indicate the maintenance of WLB; older workers more frequently do not agree that all workers have equal opportunities to benefit from flexible solutions aimed at ensuring the maintenance of WLB. The results can be the inspiration for the decisions and actions of employers in the field of personnel management and for creating workplace conditions encouraging senior workers to continue working, even upon becoming entitled to old-age pension.

  3. Work-Life Balance, Burnout, and Satisfaction of Early Career Pediatricians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starmer, Amy J; Frintner, Mary Pat; Freed, Gary L

    2016-04-01

    Data describing factors associated with work-life balance, burnout, and career and life satisfaction for early career pediatricians are limited. We sought to identify personal and work factors related to these outcomes. We analyzed 2013 survey data of pediatricians who graduated residency between 2002 and 2004. Dependent variables included: (1) balance between personal and professional commitments, (2) current burnout in work, (3) career satisfaction, and (4) life satisfaction. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations of personal and work characteristics with each of the 4 dependent variables. A total of 93% of participants completed the survey (n = 840). A majority reported career (83%) and life (71%) satisfaction. Fewer reported current appropriate work-life balance (43%) or burnout (30%). In multivariable modeling, excellent/very good health, having support from physician colleagues, and adequate resources for patient care were all found to be associated with a lower prevalence of burnout and a higher likelihood of work-life balance and career and life satisfaction. Having children, race, and clinical specialty were not found to be significantly associated with any of the 4 outcome measures. Female gender was associated with a lower likelihood of balance and career satisfaction but did not have an association with burnout or life satisfaction. Burnout and struggles with work-life balance are common; dissatisfaction with life and career are a concern for some early career pediatricians. Efforts to minimize these outcomes should focus on encouragement of modifiable factors, including health supervision, peer support, and ensuring sufficient patient care resources. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Work-Life Balance in the BPO Sector

    OpenAIRE

    P, Vanishree

    2012-01-01

    The success of any organization is highly dependent on its workforce. Especially the ITeS BPO industry needs to be flexible enough to develop commitment and talent in their workforce. They need to adopt a strategy to improve the employees 'Work-life balance' to satisfy both the organizational objectives and employee needs. The data pertaining to the study has been collected from professionals working in BPO companies in Hyderabad to analyze the Work-life balance. This paper aims to investigat...

  5. Information system quality in work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Sharmini Gopinathan; Murali Raman

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to look for the role information systems quality may play in work-life balance among Malaysian ICT employees. The results of this study will be useful in the development of new tools and technologies that are focused on ISQ dimensions primarily information system quality which can be helpful to devise suggestions to the ICT sector on matters pertaining to sustainable development/policy formulation with reference to achieving a good work-life balance. A total of 79 respondents’...

  6. Staff relations and work-life balance: course outline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, A; Durrance, D; Couger, G

    2001-01-01

    Changes in the American workforce have intensified the need for veterinary medical education regarding staff relations and work-life balance. A 20-hour, one-week elective course was offered to junior veterinary students in order to provide a forum for lecture and discussion covering topics such as team building, conflict resolution, stress management, and work-life balance. Instructors are master's level counselors.

  7. Work-life balance in an industrial setting. Focus on advocacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dow-Clarke, R Anne

    2002-02-01

    1. Employers have a role in assisting workers to manage conflicting priorities of work and family. 2. Management support and sensitivity to family and home life responsibilities and flexible application of policies are believed to be key factors in promoting work-life balance in the workplace. 3. Occupational health nurses have a role in advocating for revised company policies to assist employees to achieve and maintain a work-life balance. The information provided in this article can be used to guide future evaluation for the reduction of barriers to employee work-life balance.

  8. Effective work-life balance support for various household structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brummelhuis, L.L. ten; Lippe, T. van der

    2010-01-01

    Today’s workforce encompasses a wide variety of employees with specifi c needs and resources when it comes to balancing work and life roles. Our study explores whether various types of work-life balance support measures improve employee helping behavior and performance among single employees,

  9. Methods for monitoring work-life balance in a digital world

    OpenAIRE

    Chong, Ming Ki; Whittle, Jon; Rashid, Umar; Ang, Chee Siang; Whiting, Rebecca; Roby, Helen; Chamakiotis, Petros; Symon, Gillian

    2014-01-01

    Digital technologies - smart phones, email, social networking, etc. - are fundamentally changing our relationship with work. Digital technologies enable us to be always connected. However, the question remains as to how digital technologies affect our work-life balance. In this position paper, we report on some methods we are using to study how to continuously monitor and observe work-life balance, and discuss the advantages/disadvantages of these methods. Work-life balance is a relatively un...

  10. Flexible working and work-life balance: Midwives’ experiences and views

    OpenAIRE

    Prowse, Julie; Prowse, Peter

    2015-01-01

    This article presents midwives’ views and experiences of flexible working and work–life balance. Both flexible working and work–life balance are important contemporary agendas within midwifery and can have both positive and negative consequences for midwives. Full-time midwives and those without caring commitments feel disadvantaged by flexible working and work–life balance policies as they have to fit when they work around part-time midwives and are increasingly expected to cover extra work....

  11. Work-Life Balance: A Study In The Petroleum Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Judy De Villiers; Elize Kotze

    2003-01-01

    A qualitative study was completed to discover how employees of a company in the petroleum industry define and experience the phenomenon of work-life balance, to identify the workplace determinants of work-life imbalance and to elicit some solutions for the problem. It was found that work-life balance is a personal issue that varies across time and situations and the underlying conflict experienced pertains to role overload and role interference. The most significant work-life conflict arises ...

  12. Balance across contexts: importance of balanced need satisfaction across various life domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milyavskaya, Marina; Gingras, Isabelle; Mageau, Geneviève A; Koestner, Richard; Gagnon, Hugo; Fang, Jianqun; Boiché, Julie

    2009-08-01

    Self-determination theory posits that satisfaction of three basic psychological needs-autonomy, competence, and relatedness-are required for psychological well-being, and a recent study showed that the balance in the satisfaction of these three needs independently affects well-being. The present investigation builds on these findings by examining the balance of adolescents' need satisfaction across distinct life contexts. The results of three studies show that adolescents who experience a balance of need satisfaction across important life contexts, including at school, at home, with friends, and in part-time jobs, reported higher well-being and better school adjustment. This finding emerged consistently across four countries and across multiple measures of school adjustment, including teacher reports. Together, these results support previous research that highlights the importance of consistency for psychological functioning.

  13. Examining the nomological network of satisfaction with work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grawitch, Matthew J; Maloney, Patrick W; Barber, Larissa K; Mooshegian, Stephanie E

    2013-07-01

    This study expands on past work-life research by examining the nomological network of satisfaction with work-life balance-the overall appraisal or global assessment of how one manages time and energy across work and nonwork domains. Analyses using 456 employees at a midsized organization indicated expected relationships with bidirectional conflict, bidirectional facilitation, and satisfaction with work and nonwork life. Structural equation modeling supported the utility of satisfaction with balance as a unique component of work-life interface perceptions. Results also indicated that satisfaction with balance mediated the relationship between some conflict/facilitation and life satisfaction outcomes, though conflict and facilitation maintained unique predictive validity on domain specific outcomes (i.e., work-to-life conflict and facilitation with work life satisfaction; life-to-work conflict and facilitation with nonwork life satisfaction). PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  14. Work-life balance policies: challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime

    OpenAIRE

    Downes, Caroline; Koekemoer, Frieda Eileen

    2011-01-01

    Orientation: Helping employees to balance their work and family lives is a business imperative. Work–life balance policies (like flexitime) aim to support employees to do so. However, implementing these policies is problematic. Research purpose: The aim of this article is to report on the challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime as a work–life balance policy. Motivation for the study: Organisations must develop and implement work–life balance policies. This r...

  15. Work-life balance of nursing faculty in research- and practice-focused doctoral programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smeltzer, Suzanne C; Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C; Cantrell, Mary Ann; Heverly, Mary Ann; Jenkinson, Amanda; Nthenge, Serah

    2015-01-01

    The growing shortage of nursing faculty and the need for faculty to teach doctoral students to address the shortage call for examination of factors that may contribute to the shortage, including those that are potentially modifiable, including work-life balance.This descriptive study examined work-life balance of a national sample of nursing faculty teaching in research-focused and practice-focused doctoral programs. Data were collected through an online survey of 554 doctoral program faculty members to identify their perceptions of work-life balance and predictors of work-life balance. Work-life balance scores indicated better work-life balance than expected. Factors associated with good work-life balance included higher academic rank, having tenure, older age, years in education, current faculty position, and no involvement in clinical practice. Current faculty position was the best predictor of work-life balance. Although work-life balance was viewed positively by study participants, efforts are needed to strengthen factors related to positive work/life in view of the increasing workload of doctoral faculty as the numbers of doctoral students increase and the number of seasoned faculty decrease with anticipated waves of retirements. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Work Life Balance Among Nurse Educators Towards Quality Life: A Mixed Method Study

    OpenAIRE

    Eddieson Astodello Pasay-an; Petelyne Pacio Pangket; Juanita Yudong Nialla; Lynn B Laban

    2014-01-01

    Work-Life balance is completely an imminent problem that needs to be addressed across all organizations. The nursing field, especially nurses in the Academe is not excused due to multiple roles they are facing. This study was intended to determine and explore the work life balance among nurse educators towards quality life. The respondents of the study were the nurse educators of the Schools of Nursing in the city Baguio and the province of Benguet, Philippines. The research utilized Mixed Me...

  17. The Relation between Work-Family Balance and Quality of Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenhaus, Jeffrey H.; Collins, Karen M.; Shaw, Jason D.

    2003-01-01

    The relationship between work-family balance and quality of life was assessed for 353 accounting professionals. Those who spent more time on family than work experienced higher quality of life than balanced individuals, who experienced higher quality than those who spent more time on work. Findings were similar for level of involvement balance and…

  18. Editorial: Role of knowledge and learning systems in fostering work-life balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murali Raman

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The ability of employees to effectively recognize, practice, and apply knowledge management (KM and learning system principles accessible to them is a vital issue in improving work-life balance and providing strategies to enhance it. This issue has become obvious in efforts to apply information technology in the development of work-life balance policies through various learning systems. The victory and letdown of KM and work-life balance initiatives certainly depend on the deliberation of how these elements can be effectively designed and deployed to the general public in various industries. Work-life balance has become an imperative area of research that analyzes how these elements can be understood and applied to improve the aspects involved in one’s work and life. Such concept has also significantly emerged in recent years. In this special issue, several papers that focus on the budding concept of KM and work-life balance are presented. These articles particularly look into the theoretical and methodological approaches for studying work-life balance. A special focus of the issue is how these notions are practiced and can be personalized to improve work-life balance through KM and learning systems.

  19. Working part-time: achieving a successful 'work-life' balance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren, Tracey

    2004-03-01

    The role of part-time employment in the balancing of women's employment and family lives has generated an immense literature. Using data on women working part-time and full-time in different level occupations in the British Household Panel Survey, this paper argues that it is now vital to move these balancing debates on from their location within work-family rhetoric and to re-position the study of women's working time in broader work-life discussions. Work-family debates tend to neglect a number of key domains that women balance in their lives, in addition to family and employment, including their financial security and their leisure. The paper shows that examining the financial situations and the leisure lives of female part-timers in lower level jobs reveals a less positive picture of their 'life balancing' than is portrayed in much work-family literature. Instead, they emerged as the least financially secure employees and, linked to this, less satisfied with their social lives too. It is concluded that since the work-life system is multi- and not just two-dimensional, it is important to examine how all life domains interrelate with each other. In this way, we would be in a better position to begin to assess all the benefits and disadvantages associated with working part-time and with other work-life balancing strategies.

  20. Tipping the balance: the problematic nature of work–life balance in a low-income neighbourhood

    OpenAIRE

    Hartley Dean

    2007-01-01

    The article attempts to locate the contested notion of work–life balance within the context of global trends and recent policy developments. It describes a small-scale qualitative study of work–life balance as it is experienced within a low-income neighbourhood in the UK. The study findings are used to inform reflections on the powerlessness experienced by many working parents seeking to accommodate family life with paid employment; and on the nature of the calculative responsibilities that a...

  1. A STUDY ON EMPLOYEE WORK LIFE BALANCE IN PRECISION INFOMATIC PVT LTD

    OpenAIRE

    B. Arul Jenifer; S. Vengatesh

    2018-01-01

    The main goal of this paper is to understand the relationship between work life balance & Employee Engagement. Further this paper highlights contextual factors affecting Employee Engagement and Work Life Balance. This paper is built on relevant literature and recent studies on Work Life Balance Also, the results of the study show inverse relationship between pleasure & work. There has been an increased focus on balancing multiple life roles and managing the boundary between work and family. T...

  2. A RESEARCH ABOUT EMPLOYEES' WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND PRESENTEEISM TENDENCY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Halit YILDIRIM

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This study is designed in order to deal with the impacts of presenteeism tendencyon work-life balance. The work-life balance indicates the consistency between thetime spent at work and in private life. Conflicts between these two dimensionshave become a major problem for businesses as wellas employees. Presenteeismrefers to the circumstances in which employees keepon working in spite of thefact that they are unable to work owing to their own unhealthy situations. So,excessive workload and sense of responsibility of the employees, who feel as ifthey are required to be at work not mentally but physically, cause presenteeismand this tendency is described as a big problem interms of the work-life balancefor the organizations. Organizations, by taking control of work-life balance,contribute to not only employees’ health and performance but also organizationalproductivity and efficiency in general terms. For the purpose of the study,relationship between presenteeism and work-life balance is analyzed and impactof presenteeism is stated. The data have been collected from Aksaray province byusing the survey technique and the data are analyzed via SPSS.

  3. A ‘Balanced’ Life: Work-Life Balance and Sickness Absence in Four Nordic Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D Antai

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Little attention has been given to the relationship between work-life balance and sickness absence. Objective: To investigate the association between poor work-life balance and sickness absence in 4 Nordic welfare states. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on pooled cross-sectional data of workers aged 15–65 years from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway (n=4186 obtained from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS. Poor work-life balance was defined based on the fit between working hours and family or social commitments outside work. Self-reported sickness absence was measured as absence for ≥7 days from work for health reasons. Results: Poor work-life balance was associated with elevated odds (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.80 of self-reported sickness absence and more health problems in the 4 Nordic countries, even after adjusting for several important confounding factors. Work-related characteristics, ie, no determination over schedule (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.53, and job insecurity (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.02 increased the likelihood of sickness absence, and household characteristics, ie, cohabitation status (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96 reduced this likelihood. The associations were non-significant when performed separately for women and men. Conclusion: Sickness absence is predicted by poor work-life balance. Findings suggest the need for implementation of measures that prevent employee difficulties in combining work and family life.

  4. An empirical study of work and family life spheres and emergence of work-life balance initiatives under uncertain economic scenario.

    OpenAIRE

    Naithani, Pranav

    2009-01-01

    In the last six decades, work life and family life spheres of employees have undergone various changes. This paper presents an empirical study of major factors which have influenced employee work-life balance and popular work-life balance tools initiated at organisational level to help an employee balance different life segments such as work, family, personal finances, career and health. Current work-life balance approach, tools and programmes at organisational level primarily address those i...

  5. An empirical study of work and family life spheres and emergence of work-life balance initiatives under uncertain economic scenario

    OpenAIRE

    Naithani, Pranav; Jha, A.N.

    2009-01-01

    In the last six decades, work life and family life spheres of employees have undergone various changes. This paper presents an empirical study of major factors which have influenced employee work-life balance and popular work-life balance tools initiated at organisational level to help an employee balance different life segments such as work, family, personal finances, career and health. Current work-life balance approach, tools and programmes at organisational level primarily address those i...

  6. Tautologies of work life balance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eijnatten, van F.M.; Vos, J.P.; Eijnatten, van F.M.

    2002-01-01

    This conceptual contribution resembles the central theme of the 2002 SUSTAIN meeting and is about tautologies of Work Life Balance. It will be argued, that in Open-Systems Thinking the tautological character of work and non-work is obscured because the system and its environment are defined in an

  7. Life Balance and Stress in Adults With Medical Conditions or Obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matuska, Kathleen; Bass, Julie

    2016-04-01

    This cross-sectional research examined differences in life balance and perceived stress by body mass index (BMI) levels and self-reported medical conditions that limited physical activity. The sample consisted of 2,338 participants between the ages of 18 and 49 years who took the Life Balance Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and provided demographic information including height and weight. Findings showed that individuals who were obese (BMI > 30.0) reported significantly lower life balance scores and higher stress scores than participants without obesity (p life balance and more stress than individuals without medical conditions (p < .001). These findings highlight the importance of addressing activity participation as a means to promote health and wellness. © The Author(s) 2016.

  8. Telework and daily life: Its pros and cons for work-life balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Pérez Sánchez

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available In this article we discuss whether telework constitutes a useful work-life balance strategy for women teleworkers with dependants. From our analysis we show that the discourse of the women interviewed about telework is not homogeneous, compact or linear, but includes plenty of contradictions, paradoxes and tensions. This fact reinforces telework’s enormous polysemy: it liberates and enslaves, it is a trap and an opportunity, it fulfills and can mean self-sacrifice. But, despite this rich complexity, our women informants agree on one particular matter: telework’s risks and possibly pernicious effects cannot hide either its advantages for work-life balance or the benefits it brings, at least in some cases, to one's personal life.

  9. A qualitative study of work-life balance amongst specialist orthodontists in the United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bateman, Lindsey E; Collins, Joanne M; Cunningham, Susan J

    2016-12-01

    To identify factors affecting work-life balance amongst male and female orthodontists in the UK. A qualitative interview-based study with a cross-sectional design. Specialist orthodontists working in specialist practice and the hospital service in the UK were selected by purposive sampling. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 orthodontic specialists. Interview transcripts were analyzed using Framework Analysis. Four main themes pertaining to work-life balance in orthodontics were identified: work factors affecting work-life balance, life factors affecting work-life balance, perception and effects of work-life balance and suggestions for managing work-life balance within the profession. There was substantial variation in the work-life balance of the orthodontists interviewed in this study; however the majority reported high levels of career satisfaction despite difficulties maintaining a good work-life balance. Whilst there were some clear distinctions in the factors affecting work-life balance between the hospital environment and specialist practice (including additional professional commitments and teaching/training-related issues), there were also a number of similarities. These included, the lack of flexibility in the working day, managing patient expectations, taking time off work at short notice and the ability to work part-time.

  10. Continuity and change in work-life balance choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charles, Nickie; Harris, Chris

    2007-06-01

    This paper explores the ways in which the work-life balance choices made by heterosexual couples differ in different generations, how such choices are gendered, and the extent to which 'individualization' provides an adequate conceptualization of the effects of social change on heterosexual couples. It argues that processes of individualization need to be seen in the context of changing social institutions, and that it is the de-institutionalization of 'the family' and the life course that is leading to a de-gendering of work-life balance choices. The paper draws on findings from a restudy of the family and social change and a study of the gender dimensions of job insecurity both of which were carried out in the same geographical location. The studies provide evidence of generational change in work-life balance choices and increasing occupational differentiation between heterosexual partners. This leads to a situation where increasingly choices are made which blur gendered boundaries and which has been made possible by a process of de-institutionalization of the male breadwinner family. Our findings support the contention that processes of individualization are more apparent amongst younger than older generations and that, because of changes external to the family, there is more negotiation and pragmatism amongst younger generations about work-life choices.

  11. Plastic surgeons' satisfaction with work-life balance: results from a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Streu, Rachel; McGrath, Mary H; Gay, Ashley; Salem, Barbara; Abrahamse, Paul; Alderman, Amy K

    2011-04-01

    Plastic surgery demographics are transforming, with a greater proportion of women and younger physicians who desire balance between their career and personal lives compared with previous generations. The authors' purpose was to describe the patterns and correlates of satisfaction with work-life balance among U.S. plastic surgeons. A self-administered survey was mailed to a random sample of American Society of Plastic Surgeons members (n = 708; 71 percent response rate). The primary outcome was satisfaction with work-life balance. Independent variables consisted of surgeon sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Logistic regression was used to evaluate correlates of satisfaction with work-life balance. Overall, over three-fourths of respondents were satisfied with their career; however, only half were satisfied with their time management between career and personal responsibilities. Factors independently associated with diminished satisfaction with work-life balance were being female (odds ratio = 0.63; 95 percent CI, 0.42 to 0.95), working more than 60 hours per week (versus work-life balance.

  12. Effects of Work-Life Balance on Job and Life Satisfaction, Stress and Anxiety across Cultures

    OpenAIRE

    Haar, Jarrod M.; Suñé Torrents, Albert; Russo, Marcello; Ollier-Malaterre, Ariane

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates work-life balance and its outcomes across collectivistic (Malaysia, China, and New Zealand Maori) and individualistic (Spain, France, Italy and New Zealand European) cultures. Using a sample of 1416 employees, SEM analysis showed that work-life balance was positively related to job and life satisfaction and negatively related to anxiety and depression across collectivistic and individualistic cultures. Respondents from collectivistic cultures reported lower levels of s...

  13. Work and Life Balance: Community College Occupational Deans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Jean M.

    2008-01-01

    This article focuses on work and life balance from a community college occupational dean perspective. It addresses definitions and concepts of work life and the nature of the role of occupational dean. The themes from this study include the use of time both at work and away from work, work/life crossover, perception of work/life, and work/life…

  14. Women and Work-Life Balance: A Narrative Inquiry of Working Single Mothers Balancing Family and Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephens, Casheena A.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore working single mothers' work-life balance in order to better understand how employers can assist them. Role theory, role conflict theory, and spillover theory were utilized to examine how working single mothers experience work-life balance and how they perceive it. In this study, the researcher sought to…

  15. A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND LIFE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleftheria Charitou

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to investigate the balancing of professional and personal life and its importance for a company’s profitability. Α qualitative research was taken up. The research findings revealed another that the hierarchical level to which an employee belongs differentiates the degree of balancing between professional and personal life. Furthermore it was found that an imbalance between work and life leads mainly to stress, anger and reduced job satisfaction and other negative results. Last but not least, the research results indicate that the balance between work and life can be affected by job insecurity and lifestyle. Businesses must pay more attention to their employees in order to reduce a possible imbalance between their works and lives.

  16. Work-Life Balance: the Links with Management Practices and Productivity

    OpenAIRE

    Nick Bloom; Tobias Kretschmer; John Van Reenen

    2006-01-01

    Does good management and higher productivity come at the expense of work-life balance? Or is good work-life balance an important component of the management of successful firms? New research by Nick Bloom, Tobias Kretschmer and John Van Reenen finds evidence for a hybrid view between these two polar extremes.

  17. Measuring work-life balance using time diary data

    OpenAIRE

    Kimberly Fisher; Richard Layte

    2004-01-01

    This paper examines how time diaries facilitate the study of work-life balance. We first compare aggregate time spent in paid work, unpaid work, attending to personal needs, and free time across seven countries using the Multinational Time Use Study. We then measure the overlap of work with other activities in two ways. First, we map the timing of episodes of work over the day, and overlay these maps onto maps of leisure time. A social group can be said to have a work-life balance if their pe...

  18. Work-Life Balance among academic staff of the University of Lagos ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Work-Life Balance among academic staff of the University of Lagos. ... Abstract. Work-life balance is associated with the maintenance of stability in both one's professional and personal life. It is key to the welfare and, subsequently, job satisfaction and productivity of employees. It is against this understanding that this study ...

  19. Positive well-being and work-life balance among UK railway staff

    OpenAIRE

    Fan, Jialin; Smith, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Failure to manage the well-being and work-life balance of railway workers\\ud may result in an increased risk to train safety and employees’ health. This article\\ud reports the findings of a study that measured positive well-being and\\ud work-life balance, and identified the factors affecting these among UK railway\\ud staff. On the whole, staff who perceived high levels of control and support had\\ud a better work-life balance and an increased sense of well-being. A positive\\ud personality was ...

  20. A RESEARCH ABOUT EMPLOYEES' WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND PRESENTEEISM TENDENCY

    OpenAIRE

    M. Halit YILDIRIM; Muhammet SAYGIN; Sevil YILDIRIM

    2013-01-01

    This study is designed in order to deal with the impacts of presenteeism tendencyon work-life balance. The work-life balance indicates the consistency between thetime spent at work and in private life. Conflicts between these two dimensionshave become a major problem for businesses as wellas employees. Presenteeismrefers to the circumstances in which employees keepon working in spite of thefact that they are unable to work owing to their own unhealthy situa...

  1. Equity and career-life balance in marine mammal science?

    OpenAIRE

    Hooker, Sascha K.; Simmons, Samantha E.; Stimpert, Alison K.; McDonald, Birgitte I.

    2017-01-01

    It is widely acknowledged that family and care-giving responsibilities are driving women away from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Marine mammal science often incurs heavy fieldwork and travel obligations, which make it a challenging career in which to find work-life balance. This opinion piece explores gender equality, equity (the principles of fairness that lead to equality), and work-life balance in science generally and in this field in particular. We aim ...

  2. Working time, satisfaction and work life balance: A European perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Humpert, Stephan

    2014-01-01

    This paper analyses gender-specific differences in working time mismatches by using three different measures for representing satisfaction and work life balance. Results show that, while male satisfaction with life or work is in general not affected by working for more or less hours, over-time is found to significantly lower male work life balance. Women are more sensitive to the amount of working hours as they prefer part-time employment and they are dissatisfied with changes ...

  3. A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND LIFE

    OpenAIRE

    Eleftheria Charitou; Evgeniia Kolobova; Tryfon Ziatas; Miltiadis Chalikias; Michalis Skordoulis

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to investigate the balancing of professional and personal life and its importance for a company’s profitability. Α qualitative research was taken up. The research findings revealed another that the hierarchical level to which an employee belongs differentiates the degree of balancing between professional and personal life. Furthermore it was found that an imbalance between work and life leads mainly to stress, anger and reduced job satisfaction and other negati...

  4. Resilience and work-life balance in first-line nurse manager.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Miyoung; Windsor, Carol

    2015-03-01

    The aim of this study was to explore how first-line nurse managers constructed the meaning of resilience and its relationship to work-life balance for nurses in Korea. Participants were 20 first-line nurse managers working in six university hospitals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from December 2011 to August 2012, and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory method. Analysis revealed that participants perceived work-life balance and resilience to be shaped by dynamic, reflective processes. The features consisting resilience included "positive thinking", "flexibility", "assuming responsibility", and "separating work and life". This perception of resilience has the potential to facilitate a shift in focus from negative to positive experiences, from rigidity to flexibility, from task-centered to person-centered thinking, and from the organization to life. Recognizing the importance of work-life balance in producing and sustaining resilience in first-line nurse managers could increase retention in the Korean nursing workforce. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. A ‘Balanced’ Life: Work-Life Balance and Sickness Absence in Four Nordic Countries

    OpenAIRE

    D Antai; A Oke; P Braithwaite; DS Anthony

    2015-01-01

    Background: Little attention has been given to the relationship between work-life balance and sickness absence. Objective: To investigate the association between poor work-life balance and sickness absence in 4 Nordic welfare states. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on pooled cross-sectional data of workers aged 15–65 years from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway (n=4186) obtained from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). Poor work-lif...

  6. Work-life balance across the lifecourse

    OpenAIRE

    Jamieson, Lynn; Morton, Sarah

    2005-01-01

    In Summer 2004, CRFR held an international conference to explore work-life balance across the lifecourse. This briefing outlines some of the main issues from the conference, explores what we might learn from international comparisons, and makes recommendations for policy and for further research.

  7. Pengaruh Work-life Balance dan Burnout terhadap Kepuasan Kerja

    OpenAIRE

    Livi Pangemanan, Friane; Johnly Pio, Riane; Tumbel, Tinneke M

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of work-life balance and burnout on job satisfaction of the employees in PT. Jasa Raharja (Persero) Branch of Sulawesi Utara. Data were collected from questionnaires completed by 32 participants and analysed using multiple regression analysis. The findings reveal that work-life balance had a positive and significant impact to job satisfaction. Further, burnout had a negative impact to job satisfaction but the result was insignificant. Thi...

  8. Effective work-life balance support for various household structures

    OpenAIRE

    Brummelhuis, L.L. ten; Lippe, T. van der

    2010-01-01

    Today’s workforce encompasses a wide variety of employees with specifi c needs and resources when it comes to balancing work and life roles. Our study explores whether various types of work-life balance support measures improve employee helping behavior and performance among single employees, employees with a partner, and employees with a partner and children. Using a sample of 482 employees at 24 organizations, the results showed that the organization’s work-family culture improved work perf...

  9. A RESEARCH ABOUT EMPLOYEES' WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND PRESENTEEISM TENDENCY

    OpenAIRE

    Yıldırım, M. Halit; Saygın, Muhammet; Yıldırım, Sevil

    2013-01-01

    This study is designed in order to deal with the impacts of presenteeism tendency on work-life balance. The work-life balance indicates the consistency between the time spent at work and in private life. Conflicts between these two dimensions have become a major problem for businesses as well as employees. Presenteeism refers to the circumstances in which employees keep on working in spite of the fact that they are unable to work owing to their own unhealthy situations. So, excessive workload...

  10. Influence of job demands and job control on work-life balance among Taiwanese nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Lee-Peng; Chen, I-Chi; Ng, Hui-Fuang; Lin, Bo-Yen; Kuar, Lok-Sin

    2017-09-01

    This study investigated the extent to which the job demands and job control of nurses were related to their work-life balance. The inability to achieve work-life balance is one of the major reasons for the declining retention rate among nurses. Job demands and job control are two major work domain factors that can have a significant influence on the work-life balance of nurses. The study measured the job demands, job control and work-life balance of 2040 nurses in eight private hospitals in Taiwan in 2013. Job demands and job control significantly predicted all the dimensions of work-life balance. Job demands increased the level of work-life imbalance among nurses. While job control showed positive effects on work/personal life enhancement, it was found to increase both work interference with personal life and personal life interference with work. Reducing the level of job demands (particularly for psychological demands) between family and career development and maintaining a proper level of job control are essential to the work-life balance of nurses. Flexible work practices and team-based management could be considered by nursing management to lessen job demand pressure and to facilitate job engagement and participation among nurses, thus promoting a better balance between work and personal life. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Editorial: Role of knowledge and learning systems in fostering work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Murali Raman; Sharmini Gopinathan

    2016-01-01

    The ability of employees to effectively recognize, practice, and apply knowledge management (KM) and learning system principles accessible to them is a vital issue in improving work-life balance and providing strategies to enhance it. This issue has become obvious in efforts to apply information technology in the development of work-life balance policies through various learning systems. The victory and letdown of KM and work-life balance initiatives certainly depend on the deliberation of ho...

  12. Validation of the Work-Life Balance Culture Scale (WLBCS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nitzsche, Anika; Jung, Julia; Kowalski, Christoph; Pfaff, Holger

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe the theoretical development and initial validation of the newly developed Work-Life Balance Culture Scale (WLBCS), an instrument for measuring an organizational culture that promotes the work-life balance of employees. In Study 1 (N=498), the scale was developed and its factorial validity tested through exploratory factor analyses. In Study 2 (N=513), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine model fit and retest the dimensional structure of the instrument. To assess construct validity, a priori hypotheses were formulated and subsequently tested using correlation analyses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a one-factor model. Results of the bivariate correlation analyses may be interpreted as preliminary evidence of the scale's construct validity. The five-item WLBCS is a new and efficient instrument with good overall quality. Its conciseness makes it particularly suitable for use in employee surveys to gain initial insight into a company's perceived work-life balance culture.

  13. The role of work-family enrichment in work-life balance & career success

    OpenAIRE

    Shah, Shalaka Sharad

    2014-01-01

    The issue of work-life balance is becoming increasingly important for employers and employees globally. The clearer becomes our understanding about this issue; the better it will be for an effective and positive integration of these dynamic domains of our lives. Work-family enrichment is a positive way of integrating work and family and it helps to achieve work-life balance. In this Indo-German study, work-life balance, work-family enrichment, work-family culture and career success are analys...

  14. Comparative analysis of work-life balance in FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

    OpenAIRE

    Golubović, Nataša; Golubović, Srđan

    2015-01-01

    Reconciling work and family life is one of the key elements of the quality of work and employment. The concept of work-life balance refers to the creation and maintenance of such work environment that allows employees to achieve a balance between work and personal commitments, which create the basis for increase of employee loyalty and productivity growth. Exploring the ways in which an individual functions in the spheres of work and private life, as well as mechanisms of achieving balance be...

  15. Correlates of Work-Life Balance for Faculty across Racial/Ethnic Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denson, Nida; Szelényi, Katalin; Bresonis, Kate

    2018-01-01

    Very few studies have examined issues of work-life balance among faculty of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Utilizing data from Harvard University's Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education project, this study examined predictors of work-life balance for 2953 faculty members from 69 institutions. The final sample consisted of…

  16. The work-life balance and job satisfaction: results of Netherlands monitoring data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smulders, P.

    2006-01-01

    The seminar was divided into three parts: a conceptual discussion; an examination of job satisfaction and work organisation; and an examination of job satisfaction and work–life balance. Session three: job satisfaction and work-life balance

  17. How Does Work-Life Balance Influence Expatriates’ Working Performance? : The Case of Malaysia

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmad Zahar, Nur Yuha Zulaikha

    2011-01-01

    This research examines the important factors that play significant parts in the life of expatriates as they attempt to gain work-life balance. If reaching work-life balance is important for an employee, it is even far more important for expatriates as they face a lot of challenges living thousands of miles away from their family members and friends whom they always seek support from. Understanding the true meaning of work-life balance is essential as it mirrors how the expatriate’s performanc...

  18. Model Peranan Work Life Balance, Stres Kerja dan Kepuasan Kerja pada Karyawan

    OpenAIRE

    Nurendra, Annisaa Miranty; Saraswati, Mega Putri

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to measure the empirical model of work life balance, job stress and job satisfaction. Participants in this study were 119 employees who work on some hotels in Yogyakarta. Job satisfaction was measured using job satisfaction scale that was developed based on Luthans, b) work life balance was measured using work life balance scale that was developed based on Hudson and 3) job stress scale based on Beehr andNewman was used to measure job stress. Simple mediation anal...

  19. Work Life Balance and Job Satisfaction among Faculty at Iowa State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhtar, Farah

    2012-01-01

    This study utilized the existing database from the Iowa State University 2009-2010 COACHE Tenure-Track Job Satisfaction Survey Report to explore faculty work life balance and job satisfaction among academic disciplines at Iowa State University. The articulation of work and life, cast as work life balance, has become a key feature of much current…

  20. How to achieve a work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westwood, Claire

    2010-11-01

    Understanding who you are in terms of your values, skills, passions and motivations will help you to make the most of your abilities and improve your work-life balance. This article sets out steps to achieve this.

  1. Comparison of Objective and Subjective Life Balance Between Women With and Without a Personality Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larivière, Nadine; Denis, Catherine; Payeur, Amélie; Ferron, Amélie; Levesque, Stéphanie; Rivard, Guillaume

    2016-12-01

    Life balance is associated to health, well-being and quality of life and is a target of psychiatric rehabilitation interventions. However, little is known about this life dimension in women living with personality disorders. The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to compare and explore relationships between subjective life balance, objective time use, quality of life and perceived stress in women without a mental health disorder (n = 43) and women with a personality disorder (clusters B and C) (n = 30), aged between 18 and 50 years old. The variables were measured with the Life Balance Inventory (subjective life balance), the Occupational Questionnaire (objective time use), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (perceived stress) and the Quality of Life Index (satisfaction and importance with life domains). The analyses showed that women with a personality disorder spend significantly less time in work but more time in daily tasks and leisure. Subjective life balance, quality of life and perceived stress were significantly lower in women with a personality disorder (p life balance was explained by quality of life (R 2  = 27.5 %). In women without a mental illness, subjective life balance was explained by quality of life and motherhood (R 2  = 36.1 %). To support the recovery of women with personality disorders and their quality of life, it is important to address objective and subjective time use to enable accomplishment of a variety of meaningful activities.

  2. Resilience and Work-life Balance in First-line Nurse Manager

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Miyoung; Windsor, Carol

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore how first-line nurse managers constructed the meaning of resilience and its relationship to work-life balance for nurses in Korea. Methods: Participants were 20 first-line nurse managers working in six university hospitals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from December 2011 to August 2012, and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory method. Results: Analysis revealed that participants perceived work-life balance a...

  3. Work-Life Balance v mezinárodním kontextu

    OpenAIRE

    Josefová, Veronika

    2009-01-01

    Work-life balance is often a discussed topic in most industrialized countries. Many employees are dissatisfied with working hours, high labor intensity and stress at work. A large number of employees would prefer flexible working hours, part-time, which would lead to better opportunities for reconciling work and family life. Individuals are trying to find a balance between professional and personal interests, some are even forced to decide whether to give priority to family and private life. ...

  4. The Role of Work-Life Balance Practices in Order to Improve Organizational Performance

    OpenAIRE

    IOAN LAZAR; CODRUTA OSOIAN; PATRICIA RATIU

    2010-01-01

    Well known in the literature as work life balance, the quality relationship between paid work and unpaid responsibilities is critical for success in today’s competitive business world. The issue of work-life balance has been developed in response to demographic, economic and cultural changes. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether work-life balance initiatives and practices can be considered as strategic human resource management decisions that can translate into improved individua...

  5. Antecedents and consequences of work-life balance: an exploration of the Malaysian workforce

    OpenAIRE

    Au, Wee Chan

    2017-01-01

    Work-life balance is an issue of increasing importance to organizations in their attempt to build sustainable competitive advantage through effective management and leverage of human capital. As Malaysia progresses along its path of economic transformation, the issue of work-life balance is becoming highly critical in its aim of becoming a developed economy. This study aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of work-life balance among the Malaysian workforce. Two opposing theori...

  6. A Study on Work Life Balance of Female Teachers in Ernakulam District

    OpenAIRE

    Sabnam EA; Neena Merina; Dr Vineeth KM

    2018-01-01

    Work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments, which will enable employees to have a balance between work and personal responsibilities and thus strengthening employee loyalty and productivity. Evidence suggests that improvements in people management practices, especially work time and work location flexibility and the development of supportive managers, contribute to increased work-life balance. The present study concludes that Work Place Suppor...

  7. Athletic Trainer Perceptions of Life-Work Balance and Parenting Concerns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eberman, Lindsey E.; Kahanov, Leamor

    2013-01-01

    Context: Life-work balance may be one reason for retention concerns among athletic trainers (ATs), yet evidence does not exist to support the supposition. Objective: To assess the perceptions of ATs regarding life-work balance, specifically on parenting issues. Design: Survey. Setting: Online survey at www.surveymonkey.com. Patients or Other Participants: A random sample of National Athletic Trainers' Association members (N = 9516) received the survey; 20.6% (n = 1962; male = 954, female = 816; age = 37 ± 10 years, experience = 13 ± 9 years) completed any portion of the survey. Most respondents worked in the college/university (34.5%, n = 657 of 1908) and secondary school settings (25.9%, n = 476 of 1908). A majority of participants (50.7%, n = 898 of 1770) were parents. Intervention(s): We calculated frequencies and percentages and used Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests to identify the differences between sexes and among job settings on life-work balance measures among parents. Main Outcome Measures: The questionnaire included 8 life-work balance items, 7 parenting challenge items, and 3 nonparent items. Results: The results indicate that sex and setting significantly affected perceptions about parenting. Males articulated a stronger sense of difficulty in finding balance as a working parent (P managing work and family was stressful (P = .04; 3.86 ± 1.13) and caused burnout (P = .004; 3.50 ± 1.24), and that their energy tended to fall short of their needs (P work setting (P = .014; 3.37 ± 1.42). Both college/university (4.14 ± 0.85) and secondary school (4.03 ± 0.90) ATs would prefer to spend more time at home, as compared with ATs in other settings (P families were neglected because of work. In none of the settings did ATs feel that their employment settings were particularly tolerant of their parenting responsibilities (P = .027; 1.72 ± 1.97). Conclusions: Male and female employees had similar perceptions of life-work balance, but

  8. Athletic trainer perceptions of life-work balance and parenting concerns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eberman, Lindsey E; Kahanov, Leamor

    2013-01-01

    Life-work balance may be one reason for retention concerns among athletic trainers (ATs), yet evidence does not exist to support the supposition. To assess the perceptions of ATs regarding life-work balance, specifically on parenting issues. Survey. Online survey at www.surveymonkey.com . A random sample of National Athletic Trainers' Association members (N = 9516) received the survey; 20.6% (n = 1962; male = 954, female = 816; age = 37 ± 10 years, experience = 13 ± 9 years) completed any portion of the survey. Most respondents worked in the college/university (34.5%, n = 657 of 1908) and secondary school settings (25.9%, n = 476 of 1908). A majority of participants (50.7%, n = 898 of 1770) were parents. We calculated frequencies and percentages and used Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests to identify the differences between sexes and among job settings on life-work balance measures among parents. The questionnaire included 8 life-work balance items, 7 parenting challenge items, and 3 nonparent items. The results indicate that sex and setting significantly affected perceptions about parenting. Males articulated a stronger sense of difficulty in finding balance as a working parent (P work and family was stressful (P = .04; 3.86 ± 1.13) and caused burnout (P = .004; 3.50 ± 1.24), and that their energy tended to fall short of their needs (P work setting (P = .014; 3.37 ± 1.42). Both college/university (4.14 ± 0.85) and secondary school (4.03 ± 0.90) ATs would prefer to spend more time at home, as compared with ATs in other settings (P work. In none of the settings did ATs feel that their employment settings were particularly tolerant of their parenting responsibilities (P = .027; 1.72 ± 1.97). Male and female employees had similar perceptions of life-work balance, but occupational setting may affect these perceptions.

  9. Marriage & Family Therapy Faculty Memberâ s Balance of Work and Personal Life

    OpenAIRE

    Matheson, Jennifer L.

    2002-01-01

    This mixed-method study examines the work and personal life balance of Marriage & Family Therapy faculty members across the U.S., 16 of whom were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of their work and personal life balance issues. Of those, six felt they had good balance, six felt they had poor balance, and four were â middle of the road.â More men than women felt they had good balance. Faculty members indicated external and internal indicators such as family and workplace message...

  10. The Relationship between Work-Life-Balance and the Perception of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The relationship between the perception of Quality of Work life (QWL) and work effectiveness ... work life balance, group cohesiveness, motivation, communication, decision- making, conflict management, and organizational culture and ethics.

  11. Impact of health and recreation on work-life balance: a case study of expatriates

    OpenAIRE

    Naithani, Pranav

    2016-01-01

    Factors influencing work-life balance are evolving at a very fast pace, thus creating a fecund ground for innovative work-life balance tools and techniques. The increasing significance of expatriates in the global workforce necessitates a targeted set of work-life balance initiatives to help expatriate workers contribute more effectively in the competitive work environment. Health and recreation are the two important life spheres which play a very important role in success or failure of an ex...

  12. Overview of work-life balance discourse and its relevance in current economic scenario

    OpenAIRE

    Naithani, Pranav

    2010-01-01

    During the second half of the 20th century, with work demands increasingly encroaching on family and personal time at a faster pace, employers acknowledged the need of work-life balance programmes to facilitate employees maintain a healthy balance between the conflicting demands of their work and personal life. Availability of work-life balance facilities to employees witnessed a phenomenal growth between the late eighties of the 20th century and early years of the 21st century. This growth h...

  13. Work-Life Balance and gender differences in middle level managers in India

    OpenAIRE

    Bhatia, Yogeeta; Srilatha, S

    2015-01-01

    Studies on work-life balance (WLB) in India and South East Asian countries have mostly used western scales for evaluating work/life conflict and work/life balance. This research used an Indian questionnaire to look at WLB and gender differences in Indian perspective. 24 item scale developed by Singh (2014), was used in this study for assessing WLB in middle level managers in India. Findings suggested significant difference between men and women, in work spillover in personal life and personal...

  14. Work/Life Balance Issues for Female Physicians and Implications for Medical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corder, Paige Frances

    2016-01-01

    Work/life balance issues exist for all people who navigate both professional and personal responsibilities, regardless of profession, gender, marital status, or number of children. This research sought to better understand the specific work/life balance challenges faced by female physicians and how medical education can better prepare future…

  15. Can a manager have a life and a career? International and multisource perspectives on work-life balance and career advancement potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyness, Karen S; Judiesch, Michael K

    2008-07-01

    The present study was the first cross-national examination of whether managers who were perceived to be high in work-life balance were expected to be more or less likely to advance in their careers than were less balanced, more work-focused managers. Using self ratings, peer ratings, and supervisor ratings of 9,627 managers in 33 countries, the authors examined within-source and multisource relationships with multilevel analyses. The authors generally found that managers who were rated higher in work-life balance were rated higher in career advancement potential than were managers who were rated lower in work-life balance. However, national gender egalitarianism, measured with Project GLOBE scores, moderated relationships based on supervisor and self ratings, with stronger positive relationships in low egalitarian cultures. The authors also found 3-way interactions of work-life balance ratings, ratee gender, and gender egalitarianism in multisource analyses in which self balance ratings predicted supervisor and peer ratings of advancement potential. Work-life balance ratings were positively related to advancement potential ratings for women in high egalitarian cultures and men in low gender egalitarian cultures, but relationships were nonsignificant for men in high egalitarian cultures and women in low egalitarian cultures.

  16. Studi Tentang Work Life Balance dan Kepuasan Karir Pekerja Wanita di Jakarta [A Study of Work-Life Balance and Career Satisfaction of Working Women in Jakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvia Diana Purba

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This research proposes to find out the influence of availability of career information on career satisfaction of career woman in Jakarta, Participants in this study are 199 women, consist of lecturers, doctors, police women, bank employees, etc. Work-life balance, awareness of organizational plans for self, and match between individual and organizational career plans are used as mediating variables on the impact of availability of career information toward career satisfaction. Research finding shows that work-life balance and awareness of organizational plans have no significant effects as mediating variables on the impact of the availability of career information toward career satisfaction. Meanwhile, the match between individual and organizational career plans have a significant effect as a weak mediating variable. Work-life balance issues seem not to be a concern informing career satisfaction among career women in Indonesia.

  17. Cultures of Work-Life Balance in Higher Education: A Case of Fragmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lester, Jaime

    2015-01-01

    In response to demographic shifts, colleges and universities implemented new policies, adopted new practices, and created professional development opportunities to gain support for work-life balance. Research on work-life balance reveals gender disparities, lack of policy usage, and a lack of cultural change with little understanding of the ways…

  18. Flexible Training's Intrusion on Work/Life Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zane BERGE

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Flexible Training's Intrusion on Work/Life Balance Seema TAKIYAJennifer ARCHBOLDZane BERGEBaltimore, USA Learning interventions should be aligned with the human learning system. To be effective, they have to support human learning, not work against it. Thalheimer, 2004 ABSTRACT With more companies allowing “flextime”, more access to elearning, and telecomuting, the line between workplace flexibility and work-life balance begins to blur. Companies “sell” to employees the flexibility of being able to complete training programs from the comfort of the participant's home, allowing them to learn at their own speed. In many ways, this solution is of great value to many employees. What also must be considered with the flexibility such training offers, is the unintentional consequences. This article explores questions such as does this flexibility create a 24-hour work day where the employee is continually accessible to work? Does it result in less family, personal and leisure time to the detriment of the worker?

  19. Work-life balance in times of economic crisis and austerity

    OpenAIRE

    Gregory, Abigail; Milner, Susan; Windebank , Jan

    2013-01-01

    Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to provide an overview of the wider debates concerning the evolution of work-life balance practice and policy since the onset of the “Great Recession” of 2008 and to draw out some comparisons of the issues raised by the papers in the special issue by focusing particularly on the example of the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The editorial analyses how the direction and pace of changes in work-life balance practice and policy varies between differen...

  20. Compelling Evidence of the Need for Corporate Work/Life Balance Initiatives: Results from a National Survey of Stressful Life-Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Charles J.; Delunas, Linda; Kesic, Dawn

    2001-01-01

    Considers how failure to balance excessive work and life/family demands can lead to negative consequences for both individuals and organizations, including higher stress levels, increased absenteeism, and lower productivity. Discusses results of a survey on stressful life events that offers an explanation of why work/life balance programs are so…

  1. Flexicurity from the Individual's Work-Life Balance Perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Trine Pernille

    2010-01-01

    , such work—life balance constraints are rarely examined in most flexicurity studies and their effects on other forms of flexibility and security are therefore often overlooked. This article calls for a more nuanced concept of flexicurity, which takes the individual’s work—life balance perspective......Based on a comparative analysis of work and care situations of employees with caring responsibilities in Finland, Portugal and the UK, this article argues that workers with eldercare responsibilities seem more likely to face difficulties than working parents, although many working parents also...... struggle to combine work and childrearing. The constraints such employees face in their daily lives due to caring responsibilities have significant implications for their flexibility and employability in the labour market — mainly because of inadequate care services and inflexible employers. However...

  2. [IBM Work and Personal Life Balance Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    International Business Machines Corp., Armonk, NY.

    These five brochures describe the IBM Corporation's policies, programs, and initiatives designed to meet the needs of employees' child care and family responsibilities as they move through various stages of employment with IBM. The Work and Personal Life Balance Programs brochure outlines (1) policies for flexible work schedules, including…

  3. Relationship between protean career orientation and work-life balance: A resource perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Direnzo, Marco S.; Greenhaus, Jeffrey H.; Weer, Christy H.

    2015-01-01

    The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.1996 Despite the commonly held belief that a protean career orientation (PCO) enables employees to achieve more balance in their lives, little is known about the relationship between PCO and work-life balance. Using two waves of data collection separated by 2.5 years, this study examined the relationship between PCO and work-life balance among a sample of 367 college-educated employees in the Unite...

  4. Work-life balance in academic medicine: narratives of physician-researchers and their mentors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, Erin A; De Castro, Rochelle; Sambuco, Dana; Stewart, Abigail; Ubel, Peter A; Griffith, Kent A; Jagsi, Reshma

    2013-12-01

    Leaders in academic medicine are often selected from the ranks of physician-researchers, whose demanding careers involve multiple professional commitments that must also be balanced with demands at home. To gain a more nuanced understanding of work-life balance issues from the perspective of a large and diverse group of faculty clinician-researchers and their mentors. A qualitative study with semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted from 2010 to 2011, using inductive analysis and purposive sampling. One hundred former recipients of U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08 or K23 career development awards and 28 of their mentors. Three researchers with graduate training in qualitative methods conducted the interviews and thematically coded verbatim transcripts. Five themes emerged related to work-life balance: (1) the challenge and importance of work-life balance for contemporary physician-researchers, (2) how gender roles and spousal dynamics make these issues more challenging for women, (3) the role of mentoring in this area, (4) the impact of institutional policies and practices intended to improve work-life balance, and (5) perceptions of stereotype and stigma associated with utilization of these programs. In academic medicine, in contrast to other fields in which a lack of affordable childcare may be the principal challenge, barriers to work-life balance appear to be deeply rooted within professional culture. A combination of mentorship, interventions that target institutional and professional culture, and efforts to destigmatize reliance on flexibility (with regard to timing and location of work) are most likely to promote the satisfaction and success of the new generation of clinician-researchers who desire work-life balance.

  5. A STUDY ON WORK LIFE BALANCE OF BPO EMPLOYEES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COIMBATORE CITY

    OpenAIRE

    V. Manjula Devi; M. Saranya

    2018-01-01

    Employee Work Life Balance is a major driver in the organisation that helps to achieve higher productivity. It is a healthy blend of both employee’s work life and personal life. Employees with work-life balance feel their lives area unit consummated each within and out of doors of labour (Byrne, 2005), and that they expertise lowest conflict between work and non-work roles. From an employer’s viewpoint, encouraging work-life balance might attract new hires, facilitate reduce turnover and abse...

  6. PENGARUH WORK-LIFE BALANCE TERHADAP KEPUASAN KERJA KARYAWAN (STUDI PADA PT. BIO FARMA PERSERO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Made Devan Ganapathi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstrak - Sumber daya manusia merupakan sumber daya yang berperan penting dalam rangka mencapai tujuan perusahaan. Pengelolaan sumber daya manusia yang baik akan berdampak positif bagi perusahaan yang bersangkutan. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Work-Life Balance terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawan pada PT. Bio Farma (Persero. Work-Life Balance sebagai variabel bebas terdiri dari tiga keseimbangan yaitu keseimbangan waktu, keseimbangan keterlibatan dan keseimbangan kepuasan. Adapun kepuasan kerja sebagai variabel terikat dibagi menjadi empat faktor yaitu faktor psikologis, faktor sosial, faktor fisik dan faktor finansial. Jenis penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif dan kausal. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data primer yang diperoleh dari wawancara dan kuesioner yang disebarkan kepada 92 responden serta data sekunder berupa dokumen dari perusahaan. Teknik pengumpulan sampel yang digunakan adalah simple random sampling. Metode analisis data yang digunakan adalah regresi linier berganda. Untuk menganalisis data tersebut dibantu menggunakan program SPSS. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa Work-Life Balance berpengaruh secara simultan terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawan sebesar 42,2% dan sisanya 57,8% dipengaruhi oleh variabel lain yang tidak diteliti pada penelitian ini. Secara parsial, keseimbangan kepuasan berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawan. Sedangkan keseimbangan waktu dan keseimbangan keterlibatan tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawan. Kata Kunci : work-life balance, kepuasan kerja karyawan, keseimbangan kepuasan. Abstract - Human resource is a resource that plays an important role in order to achieve the company's goals. Good management of the human resource will have a positive impact for the company concerned. This study was conducted to determine the effect of Work-Life Balance on job satisfaction of employees at PT. Bio Farma (Persero

  7. His or her work-life Balance? Experiences of self-employed immigrant parents

    OpenAIRE

    Munkejord, Mai Camilla

    2016-01-01

    The question of how to achieve ‘work–life balance’ has been a central debate for several decades. Hitherto, this subject has primarily been explored in organizational contexts; less is known in the context of self-employment. This article advances our understanding of work–life balance by analysing the everyday stories of self-employed immigrant parents in Norway. In this study, work– life balance is constructed in contrasting ways between mothers and fathers on the individual lev...

  8. Perceptions of Women Academics Regarding Work-Life Balance: A Pakistan Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naz, Sadaf; Fazal, Shawana; Khan, Muhammad Ilyas

    2017-01-01

    Work-life balance in the context of this paper means keeping a balance between home and workplace responsibilities and roles. In more traditional societies, such as in Pakistan, working women often find it difficult to keep a balance between their responsibilities in the workplace and their home responsibilities. This paper is based on findings…

  9. Marriage and family therapy faculty members' balance of work and personal life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matheson, Jennifer L; Rosen, Karen H

    2012-04-01

    A sense of imbalance is common among both professors and therapists, though few studies have been published examining the work and personal life balance of those who work in both professions simultaneously. Using in-depth telephone interviews, this study examined the work and personal life balance of 16 marriage and family therapy (MFT) faculty members. Results showed that six were satisfied with their balance, six were dissatisfied, and four were "middle of the road." Men, older participants, and those who were in their career longer were more likely to report feeling satisfied with their balance. Internal indicators of their balance included family and workplace messages, health indicators, feelings of contentment, and congruence with personal values. Child and relationship status, tenure status, and gender issues also impacted their sense of balance. Specific balance enhancers and reducers were highlighted, and participants discussed coping strategies and recommendations for other MFT faculty members. Clinical, training, and career implications are discussed. © 2010 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

  10. Work-Life Balance Practices Among Irish Hotel Employees:Implications for HRM

    OpenAIRE

    Farrell, Kathleen

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to examine work-life balance in the Irish hotel sector from an employee perspective with implications for HRM. 246 questionnaires from employees were returned which was a 22% response rate. Company benefits were not associated with numerical flexibility, but company benefits were associated with functional flexibility and work-life balance supports. This would suggest an integrated approach to human resource management (HRM), whereby some companies engage in a contemp...

  11. Work and life balance of female doctors in the Czech Republic

    OpenAIRE

    Bočková, Šárka

    2014-01-01

    This bachelor thesis focuses on work and life balance of female doctors in the Czech Republic. Conflicting requirements of labour market, traditional division of gender roles, lack of institutional support for parents (insufficient number of establishment providing child care et.) and specific demands of being doctor complicate work and life balance. In the theoretical part were discussed key theories based on personal freedom of choices or structural barriers of labour market, specifics of m...

  12. Balancing Life with an Increased Risk of Cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Helle Vendel; Nilbert, Mef; Bernstein, Inge

    2014-01-01

    led us to explore lived experiences in healthy mutation carriers with Lynch syndrome. Individual interviews were subjected to descriptive phenomenological analysis. Four constitutions, namely, family context, interpretation and transformation, approach to risk and balancing life at risk were...

  13. Flexible Training's Intrusion on Work/Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takiya, Seema; Archbold, Jennifer; Berge, Zane

    2005-01-01

    With more companies allowing "flextime", more access to elearning, and telecomuting, the line between workplace flexibility and work-life balance begins to blur. Companies "sell" to employees the flexibility of being able to complete training programs from the comfort of the participant's home, allowing them to learn at their own speed. In many…

  14. Work-Life Balance Practices in Nigeria: A Comparison of Three Sectors

    OpenAIRE

    Ojo Ibiyinka Stella; Salau Odunayo Paul; Falola Hezekiah Olubusayo

    2014-01-01

    The study investigates the concept of work-life balance (WLB) policies and practices in three sectors of the Nigerian Economy namely the Banking, Educational and Power Sector. The types of WLB initiatives available in the three sectors were explored and the barriers to implementation of the WLB initiatives were identified. This research implored quantitative methods to investigate the work-life balance practices in three sectors of the Nigerian Economy. This was achieved using an in-depth cas...

  15. Negotiating Work/Life Balance : The Experience of Fathers and Mothers in Ireland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eileen Drew

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Working arrangements are still not sufficiently flexible to enable parents to manage their roles as workers and as carers and there remains a dearth of flexible working arrangements and work-life balance policies especially for fathers. This paper examines the degree of work/life balance among fathers, and mothers, employed in 5 major Irish organisations surveyed in 2002. It concentrates on the access to, and takes up of, flexible working time and leave arrangements by fathers and mothers and explores the impact of such arrangements on their careers and their attitudes towards work/life balance. Parents were asked about their actual and preferred childcare arrangements. The majority of fathers were able to rely upon the provision of care by the mother in their own home (an option that was available to only a small proportion of mothers. The paper concludes by discussing the kinds of work/life balance interventions/measures sought by fathers and mothers.

  16. Shift work to balance everyday life - a salutogenic nursing perspective in home help service in Sweden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agosti, Madelaine Törnquist; Andersson, Ingemar; Ejlertsson, Göran; Janlöv, Ann-Christin

    2015-01-01

    Nurses in Sweden have a high absence due to illness and many retire before the age of sixty. Factors at work as well as in private life may contribute to health problems. To maintain a healthy work-force there is a need for actions on work-life balance in a salutogenic perspective. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of resources in everyday life to balance work and private life among nurses in home help service. Thirteen semi-structured individual interviews and two focus group interviews were conducted with home help service nurses in Sweden. A qualitative content analysis was used for the analyses. In the analyses, six themes of perceptions of recourses in everyday life emerged; (i) Reflecting on life. (ii) Being healthy and taking care of yourself. (iii) Having a meaningful job and a supportive work climate. (iv) Working shifts and part time. (v) Having a family and a supporting network. (vi) Making your home your castle. The result points out the complexity of work-life balance and support that the need for nurses to balance everyday life differs during different phases and transitions in life. In this salutogenic study, the result differs from studies with a pathogenic approach. Shift work and part time work were seen as two resources that contributed to flexibility and a prerequisite to work-life balance. To have time and energy for both private life and work was seen as essential. To reflect on and discuss life gave inner strength to set boundaries and to prioritize both in private life and in work life. Managers in nursing contexts have a great challenge to maintain and strengthen resources which enhance the work-life balance and health of nurses. Salutogenic research is needed to gain an understanding of resources that enhance work-life balance and health in nursing contexts.

  17. Predictors of work life balance for women entrepreneurs in the North East Region of Romania

    OpenAIRE

    Dan Dumitru Ionescu; Alina Mariuca Ionescu

    2015-01-01

    The paper aims to investigate the predictors of work life balance of women entrepreneurs in the North East Region of Romania. It emphasizes features of interaction between professional and personal life in case of women and reviews main disturbance or enhancing factors that impact work life balance of women entrepreneurs. A sample of 50 female entrepreneurs from the North East Region of Romania was surveyed in order to assess their work life balance and the factors that correlate with it. The...

  18. The construction of work–life balance: The experience of Black employees in a call-centre environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia C.B. Potgieter

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: Work–life balance, as a crucial aspect of employee and organisational wellness, remains an interesting field of research, especially due to the changing demographic employee profile.Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore Black employees’ construction of work–life balance in a customer care environment.Motivation for the study: The conceptual debate regarding the construct of work–life balance in general as well as limited qualitative research with regard to Black employees’ experience of work–life balance in a South African context motivated the study.Research design, approach and method: This qualitative study was designed from an interpretivist perspective. Ten employees, selected through purposeful sampling, participated in the study. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and grounded theory was applied during data analysis.Main findings: The grounded theory analysis of the data yielded six themes central to participants’ construction of work–life balance. The findings suggest that work–life balance is conceptualised as a continuous, subjective and holistic valuation of satisfaction derived from multiple roles in relation to the importance to the individual at a given point in time.Practical/managerial implications: Findings provide valuable managerial information to guide suitable strategies enhancing the work–life balance experience and by implication employees’ general wellbeing, job satisfaction and commitment.Contributions/value-add: This study contributes to the evolving body of knowledge with regard to work–life balance and provides a unique context-specific perspective to the conceptual understanding of the construct.

  19. Career And Life-Balance Of Professional Women: A South African Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thana Whitehead

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available A woman’s ability to balance multiple life-roles is directly related to her physical and mental well-being, and her career performance and success. This study aims to infer a theoretical framework for the in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of life-balance in the lives of 24 South African professional women. The Grounded Theory as a qualitative method was applied to derive a theory about the phenomenon inductively. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 24 professional women. In-depth interviews and a group session were conducted to gather data, and to confirm themes and concepts on which the theoretical framework was based. It was concluded that life-balance is a life-process with a cyclical nature, and a useful tool for achieving personal growth. Life-balance is therefore not “one, single ultimate experience", but a series of individual experiences unfolding over time, which could be better described as “life-balance moments". Opsomming ‘n Vrou se vermoë om meervoudige lewensrolle te balanseer is direk verwant aan haar fisiese en geesteswelsyn en ook haar loopbaanprestasie en -sukses. Hierdie studie het ten doel om ‘n teoretiese raamwerk af te lei uit die indiepte begrip van die lewens-balansverskynsel van 24 Suid-Afrikaanse professionele vroue. Die Begronde Teorie as ‘n kwalitatiewe metode is toegepas om ‘n teoretiese model induktief van die verskynsels af te lei. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om 24 professionele vroue te identifiseer. In-diepte onderhoude en ‘n groepsessie is gevoer om data in te samel en om die temas en konsepte waarop die teoretiese raamwerk gebaseer is, te bevestig. Daar is tot die slotsom gekom dat lewensbalans ‘n lewensproses is met ‘n sikliese aard en ‘n nuttige instrument om persoonlike groei te bewerkstellig. Lewensbalans is dus nie “een enkele beslissende erevaring" nie, maar ‘n reeks van individuele ervarings wat oor tyd ontvou en wat ten beste beskryf kan word as

  20. Work-Life Balance At A Glance- A Synthetic Review

    OpenAIRE

    MEHTA, Dr. PALLAVI; KUNDNANI, NEERA

    2015-01-01

    The literature review on Work Life Balance has been done with a view keeping in mind the momentum with which the concept has become pervasive due to changing work-life style and with major aim to bring an insight into various forces surrounding it which hinders its equilibrium and solutions to overcome thisdisequilibrium. The current synthetic review helps in identifying the effects of organization support, work-family conflict, workplace stress and personality on work-life equilibrium. In th...

  1. The effect of work-life balance policies on women employees turnover

    OpenAIRE

    Chiang Hui-Yu; Noriaki Mamiko Takeuchi

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, we explore the relationship between work-life balance policies and three outcomes of interest to employers and employees: the job tenure of women employees, turnover rate of women employees and retention rate of new women graduates. In the cross sectional analysis, we find that firms with work-life balance policies such as the full amount of maternity pay practice and flextime system are positively associated with the job tenure of women employees. We also find that the full am...

  2. WORK – LIFE BALANCE IN ROMANIA. A COMPARATIVE APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constantin CIUTACU

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available In Romania, gross domestic product dropped from a total of € 48.75 billion in 1989 to € 40.28 billion in 2000, and after 2002 a significant increase reached over € 79 billion in 2005. The overall decrease in the number of employed persons by 2.56 million people, between 1989 and 2005, led to an increase in productivity of around €1,222 per employed person – representing 28.4% of the total productivity increase. A central factor of work–life balance policies is the issue of time. However, for many Romanians ‘time is money’, and the low level of income earned by the majority of Romanian workers means that the issue of free time tends to be a low priority. Such issues represent particular features of working time in Romania and imply a very specific perspective in terms of the balance between working life and family life.

  3. The work-life balance and psychosocial well-being of South Korean workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jae Won; Suh, Chunhui; Lee, Chae Kwan; Son, Byung Chul

    2018-01-01

    It is challenging to balance work and life, and little attention has been paid to the work-life balance and psychosocial well-being of South Koreans. We assessed the association between work-life balance and psychosocial well-being among paid Korean workers. This study was based on data from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey. We evaluated only paid workers, which constituted 30,649 of the total of 50,007 subjects surveyed. Poor work-life balance was defined based on the goodness of fit between working hours and social commitments. Well-being was measured using the World Health Organization WHO-5 index. Poisson regression with robust variances was used to calculate the estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) with confidence intervals. Poor work-life balance was associated with poor psychosocial well-being (PR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.28) even after adjusting for work-related and individual characteristics. Poor well-being was associated with low-level job autonomy (PR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.09), working for ≥53 h per week (PR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.14), blue-collar status (PR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.21), low-level support at work (PR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.29 to 1.36), age ≥ 50 years (PR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.26), the female gender (95% CI PR = 1.04; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07), and cohabitation (living with somebody) (PR = 1.08; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.12). Good well-being was associated with high-intensity work (PR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99), being the secondary earner in a household (PR = 0.82; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.85), and higher income (PR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.71 to 0.79). Work-life balance was associated with psychosocial well-being after adjusting for both work-related and individual characteristics.

  4. The Effects of a Postural Balance Training Program on Balance, Gait and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Essential Tremor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilge Kara

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Although the effectiveness of postural balance training on balance and gait impairment has been proven as an effective treatment approach in several patient and healthy populations, its effectiveness in patients with essential tremor (ET is yet unknown. The aim was to examine the effects of postural balance training program on balance and gait performance, and health-related quality of life in patients with ET. Materials and Methods: This uncontrolled clinical study included patients with ET. The outcome measures were the Postural Stability Test, Limits of Stability Test, Fall Risk Test, Activities-Specific Balance Confidence scale, Dynamic Gait Index, and Short Form-36. The assessments were performed before and after the training program. The participants underwent an 8-week balance training designed to improve their ability to integrate multisensory inputs and postural control using a computerized balance assessment and training device. Results: In total, 24 patients with ET participated in the study. The compliance rate was 87.5%. There were significant improvements in all outcome measures of balance and gait performance, balance confidence, fall risk, and health-related quality of life (except the mental component, p>0.05 between baseline and 8 weeks (p<0.05. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the balance training program is a feasible method that may have positive effects on balance performance and confidence, gait performance, and health-related quality of life in patients with ET

  5. A STUDY ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF EMPLOYEES IN GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COIMBATORE DISTRICT

    OpenAIRE

    T. M. Hemalatha; Dr. K. Shumugasundaram

    2017-01-01

    In order to attract and retain employees, an Organization has to develop a high work life Balance. Organization by adopting Work Life balance programmes ensure to create excellent work condition and job for its employees. The psychological wellbeing, employee friendly working and Work time are positively and significantly influencing the level of work-life balance among employees in government hospital. To improve the work life balance of employees in government hospital, the government shoul...

  6. Career satisfaction and work-life balance of specialist orthodontists within the UK/ROI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Junaid, S M; Hodges, S J; Petrie, A; Cunningham, S J

    2017-07-07

    Objectives To investigate factors affecting career satisfaction and work-life balance in specialist orthodontists in the UK/ROI.Design and setting Prospective questionnaire-based study.Subjects and methods The questionnaire was sent to specialist orthodontists who were members of the British Orthodontic Society.Results Orthodontists reported high levels of career satisfaction (median score 90/100). Career satisfaction was significantly higher in those who exhibited: i) satisfaction with working hours; ii) satisfaction with the level of control over their working day; iii) ability to manage unexpected home events; and iv) confidence in how readily they managed patient expectations. The work-life balance score was lower than the career satisfaction score but the median score was 75/100. Work-life balance scores were significantly affected by the same four factors, but additionally were higher in those who worked part-time.Conclusions Orthodontists in this study were highly satisfied with their career and the majority responded that they would choose orthodontics again. Work-life balance scores were lower than career satisfaction scores but still relatively high. It is important for the profession to consider ways of maintaining, or improving, career satisfaction and work-life balance; including maintaining flexibility of working hours and ensuring that all clinicians have ready access to appropriate training courses throughout their careers (for example, management of patient expectations).

  7. Work-life balance of German gynecologists: a web-based survey on satisfaction with work and private life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancke, Katharina; Igl, Wilmar; Toth, Bettina; Bühren, Astrid; Ditsch, Nina; Kreienberg, Rolf

    2014-01-01

    Work-life balance is an upcoming issue for physicians. The working group "Family and Career" of the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGGG) designed a survey to reflect the present work-life balance of female and male gynecologists in Germany. The 74-item, web-based survey "Profession-Family-Career" was sent to all members of the DGGG (n = 4,564). In total, there were 1,036 replies (23%) from 75% female gynecologists (n = 775) aged 38 ± 7 (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) years and 25% male (n = 261) gynecologists aged 48 ± 11 years. Statistical analyses were performed using the mean and SD for descriptive analysis. Regression models were performed considering an effect of p ≤ 0.05 as statistically significant. 47% women and 46% men reported satisfaction with their current work-life balance independent of gender (p(gender) = 0.15). 70% women and 75 % men answered that work life and private life were equally important to them (p(gender) = 0.12). While 39% women versus 11% men worked part-time (p gender work than women (p(gender) Work life affected private life of men and women in a similar way (all p(gender) > 0.05). At least 37% women and men neglected both their partner and their children very often due to their work. Female physicians often described their work situation similar to male physicians, although important differences regarding total work time, overtime work and appreciation by supervisors were reported. Work life affected private life of women and men in a similar way.

  8. Time-usage strategies in the context of work-life balance : the survey results

    OpenAIRE

    Tubutienė, Vilma; Poškuvienė, Beatričė

    2007-01-01

    Work-Life-Balance has become a long-term subject. In an economy which brings people to the limits of their possibilities it depends more than ever on creating a well-balanced relation between professional requirements and personal wishes by suitable measures and conditions. But it is not simply about the reduction of work and rise of spare time-oriented life. It is about the creation of a wellharmonized balance which connects efficiency with personal well-being. This division cannot hide some...

  9. Busy yet socially engaged: volunteering, work-life balance, and health in the working population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, Romualdo; Brauchli, Rebecca; Bauer, Georg; Wehner, Theo; Hämmig, Oliver

    2015-02-01

    To understand the relationship between volunteering and health in the overlooked yet highly engaged working population, adopting a contextualizing balance approach. We hypothesize that volunteering may function as a psychosocial resource, contributing to work-life balance and, ultimately, health. A total of 746 Swiss workers participated in an online survey; 35% (N = 264) were additionally volunteers in a nonprofit organization. We assessed volunteering, work-life balance perceptions, paid job demands, and resources and health outcomes. After controlling for job characteristics, volunteering was associated with less work-life conflict, burnout and stress, and better positive mental health. Results further revealed that balance perceptions partly explained the relationship between volunteering and health. Volunteering, albeit energy and time-consuming, may contribute to a greater sense of balance for people in the workforce, which might, in turn, positively influence health.

  10. Work-life balance, job satisfaction and turnover intention amongst

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kirstam

    ... the work and home domains and psychological health (Geurts, Rutte & Peeters 1999); WHI mediates ... research of work-life balance differences in different socio-demographic groups. ..... For the current study, the Cronbach alpha coefficient.

  11. A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL-II FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF IT PROFESSIONALS IN CHENNAI

    OpenAIRE

    Rashida A. Banu

    2016-01-01

    The study developed and tested a model of work life balance of IT professionals employing structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationship between work place support (WPS) and work interference with personal life (WIPL), personal life interference with work (PLIW), satisfaction with work-life balance (SWLB) and improved effectiveness at work (IEW). The model fit the data well and hypotheses are generally supported. WPS and SWLB are negatively related to WIPL and P...

  12. The construction of work–life balance: The experience of Black employees in a call-centre environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia C.B. Potgieter

    2010-08-01

    Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore Black employees’ construction of work–life balance in a customer care environment. Motivation for the study: The conceptual debate regarding the construct of work–life balance in general as well as limited qualitative research with regard to Black employees’ experience of work–life balance in a South African context motivated the study. Research design, approach and method: This qualitative study was designed from an interpretivist perspective. Ten employees, selected through purposeful sampling, participated in the study. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and grounded theory was applied during data analysis. Main findings: The grounded theory analysis of the data yielded six themes central to participants’ construction of work–life balance. The findings suggest that work–life balance is conceptualised as a continuous, subjective and holistic valuation of satisfaction derived from multiple roles in relation to the importance to the individual at a given point in time. Practical/managerial implications: Findings provide valuable managerial information to guide suitable strategies enhancing the work–life balance experience and by implication employees’ general wellbeing, job satisfaction and commitment. Contributions/value-add: This study contributes to the evolving body of knowledge with regard to work–life balance and provides a unique context-specific perspective to the conceptual understanding of the construct.

  13. Challenges of work-life balance for women physicians/mothers working in leadership positions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schueller-Weidekamm, Claudia; Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra

    2012-08-01

    Female leadership in medicine is still disproportionately small, which might be due to the barriers of combining work and family. The aim of this study was, first, to perform a strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and, second, to create a strategic concept for career development. In this study, all women in leadership positions in the health care system in Vienna, Austria, with at least 1 child (n = 8), were interviewed about the advantages and disadvantages of gender with regard to career development, the strengths and weaknesses of female leadership, and their work-life balance. Different factors that influenced the work-life balance were specified, and career strategies to realize adequate solutions were developed. The sporadic focus on career advancement, time-consuming child care, responsibility for family life, and a woman's tendency toward understatement were barriers to career development. Work-family enrichment has a positive spillover effect that spreads positive energy and helps to balance the work-life relationship. For each individual, the allocation and interaction of different resources such as time, money, scope of decision making, and physical, emotional, and social resources, were essential to maintain the individual work-life balance. In addition to the existing "glass ceiling," the predominant responsibility for child care is still borne by the woman. However, mentoring programs, coaching, networking, and support of the partner or of other people help to strengthen female "soft" skills and achieve a work-life balance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Work-family life balance: future trends and challenges

    OpenAIRE

    Fagnani, Jeanne

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to offer a holistic forward-looking, and multi level analysis of pressing contemporary topics related to work/life balance policies for families with smaller children and to show how they interact with parents' attitudes and practices. The paper is structured as follows: the first chapter presents a brief overview of current trends in the work/family life related areas. Then the main key drivers of change over the last decade are identified and described. Emphasis is ...

  15. Work Life Balance - catchword or catalyst for sustainable work?

    OpenAIRE

    Littig, Beate

    2008-01-01

    'The origin of the formula work-life balance (WLB) can be seen in at least three social contexts: the increasing labour market participation of women, demographic changes and corporate interests in flexible labour. WLB seems to be attractive for all stakeholders, despite the resulting tensions between corporate driven flexibility and the need for individual balancing and self-organisation. It reflects changes in the sphere of paid labour on the one hand and the increasing demand for individua...

  16. Balancing dual roles in end-of-life research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Wanda; Grey, Meredith; Webber, Terry; Robinson, Linnea; Hartt, Nancy; Cairns, Moira; Stajduhar, Kelli

    2007-01-01

    Ethical and practical issues are sure to arise from the majority of research studies done with palliative populations. Whether it is feeling opportunistic, being emotionally available, or struggling with witnessing a gap in service and needs of the participants receiving care, nurses involved in research find a way to balance both roles to meet the needs of the participants as well as the study (McIlfatrick, Sullivan, & McKenna, 2006). This paper highlights some of the practical and ethical issues that arise when frontline nurses also take on the role of research assistant for studies with palliative populations. Specifically, the authors highlight their personal experiences based on their research assistant work on a study examining family caregiver coping in end-of-life cancer care. The authors discuss the "balancing act" of taking on these dual roles and offer recommendations on how to be with and approach people when doing research at the end of life using a framework based on Swanson's Theory of Caring (1991).

  17. Busy yet socially engaged: volunteering, work-life balance, and health in the working population.

    OpenAIRE

    Ramos Romualdo; Brauchli Rebecca; Bauer Georg; Wehner Theo; Hämmig Oliver

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To understand the relationship between volunteering and health in the overlooked yet highly engaged working population, adopting a contextualizing balance approach. We hypothesize that volunteering may function as a psychosocial resource, contributing to work-life balance and, ultimately, health. METHODS A total of 746 Swiss workers participated in an online survey; 35% (N = 264) were additionally volunteers in a nonprofit organization. We assessed volunteering, work-life balance...

  18. An Exploration into the Work-Life Balance of Female Accountantsi in Malaysia

    OpenAIRE

    Tang, Tara

    2008-01-01

    This research explores the work-life balance of female accountants in Malaysia by understanding their motivation to strive in the corporate world, their perception on their employment and domestic role, and consequently discover how these affect the work-life balance issues that they face. Chapter one offers the introduction to this research, its significance, the research objectives, research questions and a brief description of the perceived role of women in Malaysia. The literature review ...

  19. Work-life balance among shift workers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albertsen, Karen; Garde, Anne Helene; Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten

    2014-01-01

    PURPOSE: The aims of the study were to explore the effects of the implementation of IT-based tools for planning of rosters among shift workers on work-family-related outcomes and to interpret the results in light of the different implementation processes. METHODS: A quasi-experimental interventio...... of the implementation of self-rostering was found on the balance between work and private life. However, results from the process evaluation suggested that the organizational aim with the intervention was crucial for the effect....

  20. Negotiating Work/Life Balance : the Experience of Fathers and Mothers in Ireland

    OpenAIRE

    DREW, EILEEN PATRICIA

    2007-01-01

    PUBLISHED Working arrangements are still not sufficiently flexible to enable parents to manage to fulfil their roles as workers and as carers and there remains a dearth of flexible working arrangements and work-life balance policies especially for fathers. This paper examines the degree of work/life balance among fathers, and mothers, employed in 5 major Irish organisations surveyed in 2002. It concentrates on the access to, and take up of, flexible working time and leave arrangements by f...

  1. Work-life balance reconsidered : time allocation within partnerships ; Germany, UK and Austria

    OpenAIRE

    Neuwirth, Norbert; Wernhart, Georg

    2008-01-01

    "The discussion about reconciliation of work and family, respectively the so called work-life balance has grown considerably over the last two decades. Arguments and positions differ in many respects. Even the scope of 'work-life-balance' is not uniquely defined. This paper follows an analytical economic approach and shows the intra-personal and intra-partnership trade-offs between five core categories of productive and consumptive activities. This tradeoff is shown for the population of thre...

  2. The new generation of family physicians - career motivation, life goals and work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Buddeberg-Fischer, B; Stamm, M; Buddeberg, C; Klaghofer, R

    2008-01-01

    QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: The present study aimed to investigate the differences between future family physicians, and physicians aspiring to other medical specialities, in terms of sociodemographic factors and variables concerning personality factors, career motivation, career success, importance of life goals and work-life balance; further, the stability in career choice of family physicians from medical school through to residency was evaluated. METHODS: Data reported are from four assessment...

  3. A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL-II FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF IT PROFESSIONALS IN CHENNAI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rashida A. Banu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The study developed and tested a model of work life balance of IT professionals employing structural equation modeling (SEM to analyze the relationship between work place support (WPS and work interference with personal life (WIPL, personal life interference with work (PLIW, satisfaction with work-life balance (SWLB and improved effectiveness at work (IEW. The model fit the data well and hypotheses are generally supported. WPS and SWLB are negatively related to WIPL and PLIW. However, there is a positive relationship between SWLB and IEW.

  4. Entrepreneurial Woman and Analysis of Barriers and Opportunities Ensuring the Work-Life Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeynep OYURYÜZ

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Today, there is an increase in the number of women participating in working life with the result of developing technology and industrialization. In our country, there are still many problems that prevent women to become business owners and business owners to continue their business. In this context; potential barriers and opportunities associated with women who could establish a business owner's work-life balance has been identified in Tekirdağ. Women business owners in the sectors of agriculture and agro-based entrepreneurship and participate in 22 different comments associated with being a woman in business levels were evaluated and findings were grouped by factor analysis. According to the reduced factor; ensuring women's work-life balance of barriers or opportunities that may be 6 groups of factors have been identified. In evaluating the distribution of the factor group analysis; "personality characteristics, time constraints, marital status, gender roles, social position and communicative features" titles were created. The factors of entrepreneurial women’s work-life balance have been interpreted to establish the feasibility of barriers or opportunities. For the continuity of business life of women, entrepreneurs are required to continuously improve themselves and their business. In this context, to establish a women's work-life balance training should be provided by the universities and professional chambers. Personal development trainings such as; management skills, motivation, organization, efficient use of time, gain control capability, produce a solution in the face of challenges should be given by the institutions.

  5. Electronic Health Record Effects on Work-Life Balance and Burnout Within the I3 Population Collaborative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Sandy L; Robinson, Mark D; Reid, Alfred

    2017-08-01

    Physician burnout is a problem that often is attributed to the use of the electronic health record (EHR). To estimate the prevalence of burnout and work-life balance satisfaction in primary care residents and teaching physicians, and to examine the relationship between these outcomes, EHR use, and other practice and individual factors. Residents and faculty in 19 primary care programs were anonymously surveyed about burnout, work-life balance satisfaction, and EHR use. Additional items included practice size, specialty, EHR characteristics, and demographics. A logistic regression model identified independent factors associated with burnout and work-life balance satisfaction. In total, 585 of 866 surveys (68%) were completed, and 216 (37%) respondents indicated 1 or more symptoms of burnout, with 162 (75%) attributing burnout to the EHR. A total of 310 of 585 (53%) reported dissatisfaction with work-life balance, and 497 (85%) indicated that use of the EHR affected their work-life balance. Respondents who spent more than 6 hours weekly after hours in EHR work were 2.9 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-4.4) more likely to report burnout and 3.9 times (95% CI 1.9-8.2) more likely to attribute burnout to the EHR. They were 0.33 times (95% CI 0.22-0.49) as likely to report work-life balance satisfaction, and 3.7 times (95% CI 2.1-6.7) more likely to attribute their work-life balance satisfaction to the EHR. More after-hours time spent on the EHR was associated with burnout and less work-life satisfaction in primary care residents and faculty.

  6. The construction of work-life balance: the experience of black employees in a call-centre environment

    OpenAIRE

    Potgieter, Sónia C.B.; Barnard, Antoni

    2010-01-01

    ORIENTATION: Work-life balance, as a crucial aspect of employee and organisational wellness, remains an interesting field of research, especially due to the changing demographic employee profile. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to explore Black employees' construction of work-life balance in a customer care environment. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: The conceptual debate regarding the construct of work-life balance in general as well as limited qualitative research with regard to...

  7. Rural Women Family Physicians: Strategies for Successful Work-Life Balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Julie; Hustedde, Carol; Bjorkman, Sarah; Prasad, Rupa; Sola, Orlando; Wendling, Andrea; Bjorkman, Kurt; Paladine, Heather

    2016-05-01

    Women family physicians experience challenges in maintaining work-life balance while practicing in rural communities. We sought to better understand the personal and professional strategies that enable women in rural family medicine to balance work and personal demands and achieve long-term career satisfaction. Women family physicians practicing in rural communities in the United States were interviewed using a semistructured format. Interviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, and analyzed using an immersion and crystallization approach, followed by detailed coding of emergent themes. The 25 participants described a set of strategies that facilitated successful work-life balance. First, they used reduced or flexible work hours to help achieve balance with personal roles. Second, many had supportive relationships with spouses and partners, parents, or other members of the community, which facilitated their ability to be readily available to their patients. Third, participants maintained clear boundaries around their work lives, which helped them to have adequate time for parenting, recreation, and rest. Women family physicians can build successful careers in rural communities, but supportive employers, relationships, and patient approaches provide a foundation for this success. Educators, employers, communities, and policymakers can adapt their practices to help women family physicians thrive in rural communities. © 2016 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  8. Work–life balance policies : the use of flexitime within a South African organisation / C.F. Downes

    OpenAIRE

    Downes, Caroline Frances

    2011-01-01

    Work–life balance is one of the most central issues and concerns for 21st century societies, and according to the American Psychological Association balancing work and family is one of the major challenges for the current generation of employees. Helping employees balance their work and family life is viewed as a social and business imperative since work–life imbalance experienced by employees negatively impacts on employers and society as a whole. Evidence from a study of inte...

  9. Making the link between work-life balance practices and organizational performance

    OpenAIRE

    T. Alexandra Beauregard; Lesley C. Henry

    2009-01-01

    The business case for work-life balance practices, as espoused by many organizations, rests on attracting better applicants and reducing work-life conflict among existing employees in order to enhance organizational performance. This review of the literature provides some evidence for the claim regarding recruitment, but there is insufficient evidence to support the notion that work-life practices enhance performance by means of reduced work-life conflict. We suggest that the business case ma...

  10. Fulfillment of work-life balance from the organizational perspective: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Goodman, Ashley

    2013-01-01

    Researchers studying work-life balance have examined policy development and implementation to create a family-friendly work environment from an individualistic perspective rather than from a cohort of employees working under the same supervisor. To investigate what factors influence work-life balance within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I clinical setting from the perspective of an athletic training staff. Qualitative study. Web-based management system. Eight athletic trainers (5 men, 3 women; age = 38 ± 7 years) in the NCAA Division I setting. Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included data-source triangulation, multiple-analyst triangulation, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a grounded theory approach. Three themes emerged from the data. Family-oriented and supportive work environment was described as a workplace that fosters and encourages work-life balance through professionally and personally shared goals. Nonwork outlets included activities, such as exercise and personal hobbies, that provide time away from the role of the athletic trainer. Individualistic strategies reflected that although the athletic training staff must work together and support one another, each staff member must have his or her own personal strategies to manage personal and professional responsibilities. The foundation for a successful work environment in the NCAA Division I clinical setting potentially can center on the management style of the supervisor, especially one who promotes teamwork among his or her staff members. Although a family-friendly work environment is necessary for work-life balance, each member of the athletic training staff must have personal strategies in place to fully achieve a balance.

  11. Fulfillment of Work-Life Balance From the Organizational Perspective: A Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Goodman, Ashley

    2013-04-18

      Researchers studying work-life balance have examined policy development and implementation to create a family-friendly work environment from an individualistic perspective rather than from a cohort of employees working under the same supervisor.   To investigate what factors influence work-life balance within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I clinical setting from the perspective of an athletic training staff.   Qualitative study.   Web-based management system.   Eight athletic trainers (5 men, 3 women; age = 38 ± 7 years) in the NCAA Division I setting.   Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included data-source triangulation, multiple analyst triangulation, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a grounded theory approach.   Three themes emerged from the data. Family-oriented and supportive work environment was described as a workplace that fosters and encourages work-life balance through professionally and personally shared goals. Nonwork outlets included activities, such as exercise and personal hobbies, that provide time away from the role of the athletic trainer. Individualistic strategies reflected that although the athletic training staff must work together and support one another, each staff member must have his or her own personal strategies to manage personal and professional responsibilities.   The foundation for a successful work environment in the NCAA Division I clinical setting potentially can center on the management style of the supervisor, especially one who promotes teamwork among his or her staff members. Although a family-friendly work environment is necessary for work-life balance, each member of the athletic training staff must have personal strategies in place to fully achieve a balance.

  12. The new generation of family physicians--career motivation, life goals and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buddeberg-Fischer, Barbara; Stamm, Martina; Buddeberg, Claus; Klaghofer, Richard

    2008-05-31

    The present study aimed to investigate the differences between future family physicians, and physicians aspiring to other medical specialities, in terms of sociodemographic factors and variables concerning personality factors, career motivation, career success, importance of life goals and work-life balance; further, the stability in career choice of family physicians from medical school through to residency was evaluated. Data reported are from four assessments of the Swiss physicians' longitudinal career development study, begun in 2001 (T1). At T4, in 2007, 543 residents (76% of the initial sample at T1) completed a questionnaire concerning their personal and professional goals. The difference between family physicians and specialists was studied by multivariate analyses of covariance adjusted for gender. Of the study sample, 84 (17%) decided on family medicine, 66% of them as early as medical school or at the beginning of residency. Compared to specialists, more family physicians are married and more have children. Their intrinsic and extrinsic career motivation is lower, their extraprofessional concerns are greater and they rate their objective and subjective career success lower. The favoured models of work-family and work-life balance respectively are part-time oriented. Future family physicians, both females and males, are less career-oriented. The results suggest that the waning reputation of family medicine and the uncertain development of this medical discipline in the Swiss healthcare system attract less career-oriented applicants. A well-balanced integration of professional and private life is an essential goal for the new generation of doctors; this applies even more to female doctors and family physicians. Considering this trend, the question arises whether the current number of medical school graduates is sufficient to ensure the population's healthcare provision in the future.

  13. [Organizational and individual determinants of using initiatives conducive to successful work-life balance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andysz, Aleksandra; Najder, Anna; Merecz-Kot, Dorota

    2014-01-01

    Appropriate distribution of time and energy between work and personal life poses a challenge to many working people. Unfortunately, many professionally active people experience work-family conflict. In order to minimize it, employees are offered various solutions aimed at reconciling professional and private spheres (work-life balance (WLB) initiatives). The authors attempt to answer what makes employees use WLB initiatives and what influences the decision to reject the available options. The review is based on the articles published after 2000, searched by Google Scholar and Web of Knowledge with use of the key words: work-life balance, work-family conflict, work-life balance initiatives, work-life balance initiatives use, use of WLB solutions. We focused on organizational and individual determinants of WLB initiatives use, such as organizational culture, stereotypes and values prevailing in the work environment that may result in stigmatization of workers - flexibility stigma. We discuss the reasons why supervisors and co-workers stigmatize their colleagues, and what are the consequences of experiencing such stigmatization. Among the individual determinants of WLB initiatives use, we have inter alia focused on the preference for integration vs. separation of the spheres of life. The presented material shows that social factors - cultural norms prevailing in a society, relationships in the workplace and individual factors, such as the level of self-control - are of equal importance for decisions of using WLB initiatives as their existence. Our conclusion is that little attention has been paid to the research on determinants of WLB initiatives use, especially to individual ones.

  14. Work-life Balance and Gender Regime After the Economic Transition

    OpenAIRE

    Nagy, Beáta; Király, Gábor; Géring, Zsuzsanna

    2016-01-01

    Work-life balance (WLB) is a key issue in our societies in which there is increasing pressure to be permanently available on demand and to work more intensively, and when due to technological change the borders between work and private life appear to be dissolving. However, the social, institutional and normative frames of a region have a huge impact on how people experience work and private life, where the borders between these spheres lie and how much control individuals have in managing th...

  15. Life-work balance and the effects on retention in the Navy Nurse Corps

    OpenAIRE

    Rodriguez, Rebeca S.

    2017-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited This study explores life-work balance in the Navy Nurse Corps (NC). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 636 survey responses showed that current satisfaction with life-work balance is low in the NC. The survey sample was closely representative of the NC across gender, rank, and sub-specialty code. Responses across all categories observed a tendency toward transactional, as opposed to transformational, leadership. Respondents' conc...

  16. WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN ROMANIA

    OpenAIRE

    Cosmina-Elena POP

    2014-01-01

    An essential element for children's quality of life is represented by the time spent together with their family, especially with their parents. However, for most of the families, the time spent together is quite limited by the work obligations on one side and on the other hand by the household living arrangements. In this paper I will approach the relationship between work-life balance and subjective well-being. The paper will focus on families from Romania in a comparative perspective with t...

  17. Corporate and Workplace Challenges for Work-Life Balance (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    TAKEISHI Emiko

    2011-01-01

    As exemplified by the long working hours, it is well known that the working style of Japanese workers makes it difficult to harmonize work and personal life. On the basis of the current situation, the purpose of this study is to clarify the challenges—particularly in corporate-level and workplace-level—seen while aiming to achieve a work-life balance for employees in Japan. In the study, we compared the working situation, workers' perceptions of their working style, and workplace performance ...

  18. The experience of work-life balance across family-life stages in Switzerland: a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wepfer, Ariane G; Brauchli, Rebecca; Jenny, Gregor J; Hämmig, Oliver; Bauer, Georg F

    2015-12-24

    The division of paid and unpaid labor in families continues to be highly gendered with men doing more paid work and women doing more unpaid care work. This is especially true for life stages with young children. Our study investigates the subjective experience of demands in the work and the private domain and the experience of work-life balance across family-life stages as a consequence of this gendered division of labor. We used data from a survey study on work-life issues and health in four large companies in Switzerland (N = 3664). In line with our hypotheses, subjective work and private demands were predicted by an interaction of family-life stages and gender. Specifically, during the primary child-rearing family-life stages, women experience more private demands than men while men experience more work demands, regardless of level of employment. Furthermore, women who work part time experience more work-life balance than women who work full time and more than men who work part or full time during the primary child-rearing family-life stages. Results are discussed in terms of a gendered work-life experience across the life course and the need for part-time work for both genders. Finally, conclusions are drawn concerning our results' implications for public health considerations.

  19. A cross-national study on the antecedents of work–life balance from the fit and balance perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Haar, Jarrod M.; Suñé Torrents, Albert; Russo, Marcello; Ollier-Malaterre, Ariane

    2018-01-01

    Drawing on the perceived work–family fit and balance perspective, this study investigates demands and resources as antecedents of work–life balance (WLB) across four countries (New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain), so as to provide empirical cross-national evidence. Using structural equation modelling analysis on a sample of 870 full time employees, we found that work demands, hours worked and family demands were negatively related to WLB, while job autonomy and supervisor support were posit...

  20. Fulfillment of Work–Life Balance From the Organizational Perspective: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Goodman, Ashley

    2013-01-01

    Context: Researchers studying work–life balance have examined policy development and implementation to create a family-friendly work environment from an individualistic perspective rather than from a cohort of employees working under the same supervisor. Objective: To investigate what factors influence work–life balance within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I clinical setting from the perspective of an athletic training staff. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: Eight athletic trainers (5 men, 3 women; age = 38 ± 7 years) in the NCAA Division I setting. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included data-source triangulation, multiple-analyst triangulation, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a grounded theory approach. Results: Three themes emerged from the data. Family-oriented and supportive work environment was described as a workplace that fosters and encourages work–life balance through professionally and personally shared goals. Nonwork outlets included activities, such as exercise and personal hobbies, that provide time away from the role of the athletic trainer. Individualistic strategies reflected that although the athletic training staff must work together and support one another, each staff member must have his or her own personal strategies to manage personal and professional responsibilities. Conclusions: The foundation for a successful work environment in the NCAA Division I clinical setting potentially can center on the management style of the supervisor, especially one who promotes teamwork among his or her staff members. Although a family-friendly work environment is necessary for work–life balance, each member of the athletic training staff must have personal strategies in place to fully achieve a balance. PMID:24067152

  1. Analysis of work-life balance from the viewpoint of Iranian accountants

    OpenAIRE

    Abbas Ghanbari; Morteza Ramazani; Majid Jalilinia

    2013-01-01

    Work-life balance (WLB) plays an essential role on having peaceful life. There has been a substantial growth of families where both husband and wife work. Despite enjoying advantages of role mixture, life style in family has been faced by tremendous pressures due to ignoring conventional division of work in family as well as making new and more commitments. One of these pressures is the conflict between work and life, which could lead to unfavorable impacts on social integrity of family funct...

  2. Poor parents?: the realities of work-life balance in a low-income neighbourhood

    OpenAIRE

    Hartley Dean

    2007-01-01

    The article explores the work-life balance policy agenda as it has emerged in post-industrial societies, such as the UK, and it reports on a small-scale study of the experiences and expectations of work-life balance in a low-income inner-London neighbourhood. From the study certain general issues are identified relating to the inconsistency of employers' practices and the currently fragmented nature of childcare provision. And certain issues of particular relevance for low-earning parents are...

  3. Negotiating Work/Life Balance : The Experience of Fathers and Mothers in Ireland

    OpenAIRE

    Eileen Drew; Gwen Daverth

    2011-01-01

    Working arrangements are still not sufficiently flexible to enable parents to manage their roles as workers and as carers and there remains a dearth of flexible working arrangements and work-life balance policies especially for fathers. This paper examines the degree of work/life balance among fathers, and mothers, employed in 5 major Irish organisations surveyed in 2002. It concentrates on the access to, and takes up of, flexible working time and leave arrangements by fathers and mothers and...

  4. Organizational and individual determinants of using initiatives conducive to successful work-life balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Andysz

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Appropriate distribution of time and energy between work and personal life poses a challenge to many working people. Unfortunately, many professionally active people experience work-family conflict. In order to minimize it, employees are offered various solutions aimed at reconciling professional and private spheres (work-life balance (WLB initiatives. The authors attempt to answer what makes employees use WLB initiatives and what influences the decision to reject the available options. The review is based on the articles published after 2000, searched by Google Scholar and Web of Knowledge with use of the key words: work-life balance, work-family conflict, work-life balance initiatives, work-life balance initiatives use, use of WLB solutions. We focused on organizational and individual determinants of WLB initiatives use, such as organizational culture, stereotypes and values prevailing in the work environment that may result in stigmatization of workers - flexibility stigma. We discuss the reasons why supervisors and co-workers stigmatize their colleagues, and what are the consequences of experiencing such stigmatization. Among the individual determinants of WLB initiatives use, we have inter alia focused on the preference for integration vs. separation of the spheres of life. The presented material shows that social factors - cultural norms prevailing in a society, relationships in the workplace and individual factors, such as the level of self-control - are of equal importance for decisions of using WLB initiatives as their existence. Our conclusion is that little attention has been paid to the research on determinants of WLB initiatives use, especially to individual ones. Med Pr 2014;65(1:119–129

  5. PENGARUH WORK-LIFE BALANCE TERHADAP KEPUASAN KERJA KARYAWAN (STUDI PADA PT. BIO FARMA PERSERO)

    OpenAIRE

    I Made Devan Ganapathi

    2016-01-01

    Abstrak - Sumber daya manusia merupakan sumber daya yang berperan penting dalam rangka mencapai tujuan perusahaan. Pengelolaan sumber daya manusia yang baik akan berdampak positif bagi perusahaan yang bersangkutan. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Work-Life Balance terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawan pada PT. Bio Farma (Persero). Work-Life Balance sebagai variabel bebas terdiri dari tiga keseimbangan yaitu keseimbangan waktu, keseimbangan keterlibatan dan keseimbangan kepuasan....

  6. The influence of work-life balance, choice and a meaningful location on work transitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisson, Selene; Mee, Laura; Gilbert, Kristen

    2013-01-01

    To explore career transitions using an occupational perspective. One man shared his views on career transitions to elaborate concepts on work-life balance, choice and meaning. Narrative reflection and theoretical exploration of occupational concepts underscoring career transitions. Three concepts are important to understanding career transitions, work-life balance, making meaning choices, and place. Further development in work transitions can be elaborated using an occupational understanding.

  7. Principles to promote physician satisfaction and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanafelt, Tait D; West, Colin P; Poland, Gregory A; LaRusso, Nicolas F; Menaker, Ronald; Bahn, Rebecca S

    2008-12-01

    Substantial evidence suggests that difficulty balancing their personal and professional life is a major contributor to physician distress. Limited evidence suggests that the mission and policies of health care organizations may relate to physician satisfaction. In this article, we describe principles to promote professional satisfaction and work-life integration developed by the Mayo Clinic department of medicine. These principles can be used to measure and align policies. It is hoped they will serve as a model that can be used by other health care organizations.

  8. Work life balance stakes, comparaison France and north america

    OpenAIRE

    Hollard, Emmanuelle

    2015-01-01

    Work-life balance is a very actual subject for every companies and every employees. France and Canada might seems to be similar in some point but the culture of each country influence employee’s vision. Whereas new technologies are more and more present, employees have to manage their personal use and their professional use. The different theories about values such as Maslow’s one and Inglehart’s one can partly explain some differences of perception. In order to improve employee’s work-life b...

  9. A Balancing Act: A Quantitative Analysis of the Influence of Work/Life Balance and Work Atmosphere on Personal and Professional Success of Women Scientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archie, T.; Laursen, S. L.; Kogan, M.

    2012-12-01

    Despite an increase in advanced degrees awarded to women in the geosciences, scientific leaders in academia remain dominantly male. Women are underrepresented in tenure-track positions in Earth science departments at research universities and are less likely to have more senior positions within their academic institutions. Our empirical study analyzes factors that influence personal and professional success for women scientists. Prior research has shown that women are subjected to unintended and unrecognized biases that can have an ultimate impact on their productivity, advancement, and success. We used an electronic survey to collect data from 662 early-career geoscientists who are members of the Earth Science Women's Network and/or the network's Earth Science Jobs list. We asked respondents to self-report their perceptions of work/life balance, professional atmosphere and other variables indicative and/or predictive of personal and professional success. In a previous analysis (Kogan & Laursen, 2011) we found that women consistently rated the professional atmosphere in their departments and their interactions with colleagues less favorably than men. Women indicated lower rates of collaboration with colleagues in their unit compared to their male peers. We also found work/life balance is of particular concern to early-career scientists, especially since tenure clock and the biological clock function on similar timetables. Women reported more caregiving responsibilities than men, further complicating the balance between work and personal life. We hypothesize that the work life balance and professional atmosphere influences productivity, advancement, and career/job satisfaction. We now investigate how work/life balance, atmosphere within the work unit, and mentoring influence productivity, job and career satisfaction, and career advancement. We introduce a structural equation model that seeks to explain how these relationships vary dependent upon gender, career level

  10. Work-Life Balance Practices in Nigeria: A Comparison of Three Sectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ojo Ibiyinka Stella

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The study investigates the concept of work-life balance (WLB policies and practices in three sectors of the Nigerian Economy namely the Banking, Educational and Power Sector. The types of WLB initiatives available in the three sectors were explored and the barriers to implementation of the WLB initiatives were identified. This research implored quantitative methods to investigate the work-life balance practices in three sectors of the Nigerian Economy. This was achieved using an in-depth case study analysis of these sectors. The data set comprised of responses from both managers and employees in the Banking sector with five hundred and eighty six copies of the questionnaire retrieved. The Educational sector comprised of both managers and employees with five hundred and thirty one copies of the questionnaire retrieved; while five hundred and seven copies retrieved from the Power Sector. The findings reveal that there is diversity in terms of how respondents perceive the concept of Work-Life Balance. There is a wide gap between corporate WLB practices and employees’ understanding of the concept; the paper suggests some policy implications which would aid the implementation of WLB policies in the studied sectors. This study also suggests direction for future research.

  11. Work–life balance policies: Challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Downes

    2011-10-01

    Research purpose: The aim of this article is to report on the challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime as a work–life balance policy. Motivation for the study: Organisations must develop and implement work–life balance policies. This requires human resource practitioners to investigate and understand experiences and perceptions about the challenges and benefits of flexitime. Research design, approach and method: The researcher used a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach. She drew a nonprobability purposive and voluntary sample (n = 15 from the financial sector. She used semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect the data and conducted content analyses to analyse and interpret them. Main findings: The researcher extracted four main themes (individual and general challenges, the aspects organisations need to implement flexitime effectively and the benefits that would follow its implementation from the data. Its benefits vary from work–life balance to employee loyalty and commitment. Some challenges are maintaining productivity, a shortage of critical resources and understanding flexitime. Practical/managerial implications: The research identified requirements that human resource practitioners should attend to in order to ensure that organisations use flexitime more effectively. Contribution/value-add: The researcher obtained unique findings about the minimum requirements for implementing flexitime effectively. They could assist organisations to address the challenges that employees face.

  12. Balancing Work and Life Promotes Job Satisfaction – Generational Gap among Medical Doctors

    OpenAIRE

    Perumal, Kala Premarani

    2013-01-01

    The profession of a doctor is considered to be one of the noblest professions. Doctors in general work around the clock in their deed of saving human lives and relieving them of physical ailments. However, on their personal front, most of them do not find them to fulfil their personal obligations. A work-life balance, which is nothing but the art of balancing personal and professional lives, is important for any individual to have fulfilment and satisfaction in life. This research intended to...

  13. Work-Life Balance: Strategies for Attaining and Maintaining Work-Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkler, Josette Chinchiolo

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: It was the purpose of this study (a) to identify and describe the elements of balance that elementary principals perceive as most important to their personal and professional lives; (b) to identify the strategies elementary principals perceive as most important to maintain balance in their personal and professional lives; (c) to determine…

  14. Seismic fatigue life evaluation of mechanical structures using energy balance equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minagawa, Keisuke; Fujita, Satoshi; Kitamura, Seiji; Okamura, Shigeki

    2009-01-01

    Evaluation of seismic resistant performance for severe earthquakes is required, because of occurrence of earthquakes which exceed the design criteria. Additionally, quantitative evaluation of cumulative damage by earthquake is also required. In this study, the energy balance equation is applied to the evaluation. The energy balance equation expresses integral information of response, so that the energy balance equation is adequate for the evaluation of the influence of cumulative load such as seismic response. At first, vibration experiment that leads experimental model to fatigue failure by continuous vibration disturbance is conducted. As a result of the experiment, relation between fatigue failure and energy balance equation is confirmed. Then the relation is proved from the viewpoint of hysteresis energy, and consistency between energy balance equation and hysteresis energy is confirmed. Finally, we adopted cumulative damage rule to energy balance equation in order to expect the fatigue life under random waves that have various input acceleration. (author)

  15. Exploring transitions and work-life balance In the digital era

    OpenAIRE

    Chamakiotis, Petros; Whiting, Rebecca; Symon, Gillian; Roby, Helen

    2014-01-01

    Scholars in the field of work-life balance (WLB) argue that individuals perform different role identities (e.g. parent, worker) within the different domains (e.g. family, work) of their life; and that these domains are separated by boundaries (Clark, 2000). There is an emerging view in the literature that information and communication technologies (ICTs) may influence both the way these boundaries operate and individuals’ transitions across the different domains of their lives (Perrons, 2003)...

  16. Moderated Mediation between Work Life Balance and Employee Job Performance: The Role of Psychological Wellbeing and Satisfaction with Coworkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sajid Haider

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This research examined a moderated mediation model for answering how and why work-life balance affects employee job performance, and how satisfaction with coworkers is contingent upon it by enhancing employee’s psychological wellbeing. Data were collected from subordinates and their supervisors in the banking sector (N = 284. Empirical results indicate that psychological wellbeing mediates the link between work-life balance and job performance, and employees’ satisfaction with coworkers enhances job performance by strengthening the effect of work-life balance on psychological wellbeing. This research contributes to personnel management literature by describing moderated mediation mechanisms through which work-life balance influences employee job performance, and guides practitioners by emphasizing that employees with greater work-life balance perform better when their psychological wellbeing is reinforced by their satisfaction with coworkers.

  17. Is reciprocity always beneficial? Age differences in the association between support balance and life satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tianyuan; Fok, Hung Kit; Fung, Helene H

    2011-07-01

    Reciprocity in support exchanges is believed to be beneficial to psychological well-being. This study examined perceived emotional and instrumental support balance from either family or friends, and the relationship between each support balance and life satisfaction among young and older adults. The sample included 107 older adults and 96 young adults. They rated their life satisfaction, as well as the emotional and instrumental support they provided to and received from family members and friends. Consistent with the socioemotional selectivity theory, age differences were found in perceived emotional support balance with friends. Older adults reported more emotionally reciprocal friendships than did young adults. Moreover, contrary to the equity rule, emotionally over-benefited friendships were associated with higher life satisfaction for older adults than were reciprocal friendships. Age, type of support, and source of support should be considered when studying the relationships between support balance and psychological well-being.

  18. The Relation of Work, Family Balance, and Life Quality of Nurses Working at Teaching Hospitals of Kerman-Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeynab Sedoughi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Work and family are the source of tranquility and if the balance between these two is not provided, pleasure, happiness and peace of human being would be lost, which will cause unreturnable loss for him. Regarding the importance of nurses’ role in health system, the present study aimed to study the relation of work-family balance and quality of life of nurses working at selected Iranian teaching hospitals. Methods: Present study is a cross sectional, descriptive-analytical study which was carried out on 306 nurses working at three teaching hospitals of Iran. The sampling method was stratified sampling and questionnaire was the data collection instrument. Data analysis was carried out using inferential statistics through SPSS Ver18. Findings: nurses spent more time to work than family and they had more satisfaction of their family life than their work. This suggests the imbalance of nurses in two dimension of time balance and satisfaction balance, which has resulted a decrease in quality of life of studied nurses. Nurse’s involvement in work and life as the third component of work-life balance concept, was balanced and it did not indicate significant correlation with quality of life. Nurses experiencing less work-family conflict and more stress in their life, had higher level of quality of life. Conclusion: Nurses will be more exposed to the negative outcomes of work-life imbalance than other groups of employees, so paying attention to managing the demands of work and family aimed at improving the nurses’ quality of life, has specific importance. Hence, designing a plan which defines main components of work-family balance among various groups of hospital staff including nurses, should be put at the top agenda of Iran’s health system policy makers. 

  19. WORK-LIFE BALANCE POLICIES IN JORDANIAN TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES

    OpenAIRE

    Mahmoud Abubaker; Christopher Bagley

    2016-01-01

    No published work is available on work-life balance (WLB) programs in Jordan. Drawing on the methodology of Critical Realism, interviews with ten senior managers, and case studies in two large telecommunication companies were undertaken. WLB practices had both similarities and differences from those in developed countries. WLB policy and practice was constructed within three main areas: social and cultural practices; financial practices; leave arrangements. In comparison with developed countr...

  20. MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE : A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF WEB PAGES

    OpenAIRE

    Bergqvist, Sofie; Vestin, Mikaela

    2014-01-01

    Academics, practitioners and media agree that the topic of work-life balance is on the agenda and valued by the new business generation. Although Sweden might be considered a working friendly country, the management consultancy industry is not recognized to be the same. With an institutional perspective we will through a discourse analysis investigate the communication on Swedish management consultancies web pages in order to explore how consultancies relate to the work-life balance discourse...

  1. Nationwide survey of work environment, work-life balance and burnout among psychiatrists in Japan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wakako Umene-Nakano

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Psychiatry has been consistently shown to be a profession characterised by 'high-burnout'; however, no nationwide surveys on this topic have been conducted in Japan. AIMS: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of burnout and to ascertain the relationship between work environment satisfaction, work-life balance satisfaction and burnout among psychiatrists working in medical schools in Japan. METHOD: We mailed anonymous questionnaires to all 80 psychiatry departments in medical schools throughout Japan. Work-life satisfaction, work-environment satisfaction and social support assessments, as well as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI, were used. RESULTS: Sixty psychiatric departments (75.0% responded, and 704 psychiatrists provided answers to the assessments and MBI. Half of the respondents (n = 311, 46.0% experienced difficulty with their work-life balance. Based on the responses to the MBI, 21.0% of the respondents had a high level of emotional exhaustion, 12.0% had a high level of depersonalisation, and 72.0% had a low level of personal accomplishment. Receiving little support, experiencing difficulty with work-life balance, and having less work-environment satisfaction were significantly associated with higher emotional exhaustion. A higher number of nights worked per month was significantly associated with higher depersonalisation. CONCLUSIONS: A low level of personal accomplishment was quite prevalent among Japanese psychiatrists compared with the results of previous studies. Poor work-life balance was related to burnout, and social support was noted to mitigate the impact of burnout.

  2. Nationwide Survey of Work Environment, Work-Life Balance and Burnout among Psychiatrists in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umene-Nakano, Wakako; Kato, Takahiro A.; Kikuchi, Saya; Tateno, Masaru; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Hoshuyama, Tsutomu; Nakamura, Jun

    2013-01-01

    Background Psychiatry has been consistently shown to be a profession characterised by ‘high-burnout’; however, no nationwide surveys on this topic have been conducted in Japan. Aims The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of burnout and to ascertain the relationship between work environment satisfaction, work-life balance satisfaction and burnout among psychiatrists working in medical schools in Japan. Method We mailed anonymous questionnaires to all 80 psychiatry departments in medical schools throughout Japan. Work-life satisfaction, work-environment satisfaction and social support assessments, as well as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), were used. Results Sixty psychiatric departments (75.0%) responded, and 704 psychiatrists provided answers to the assessments and MBI. Half of the respondents (n = 311, 46.0%) experienced difficulty with their work-life balance. Based on the responses to the MBI, 21.0% of the respondents had a high level of emotional exhaustion, 12.0% had a high level of depersonalisation, and 72.0% had a low level of personal accomplishment. Receiving little support, experiencing difficulty with work-life balance, and having less work-environment satisfaction were significantly associated with higher emotional exhaustion. A higher number of nights worked per month was significantly associated with higher depersonalisation. Conclusions A low level of personal accomplishment was quite prevalent among Japanese psychiatrists compared with the results of previous studies. Poor work-life balance was related to burnout, and social support was noted to mitigate the impact of burnout. PMID:23418435

  3. Nationwide survey of work environment, work-life balance and burnout among psychiatrists in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umene-Nakano, Wakako; Kato, Takahiro A; Kikuchi, Saya; Tateno, Masaru; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Hoshuyama, Tsutomu; Nakamura, Jun

    2013-01-01

    Psychiatry has been consistently shown to be a profession characterised by 'high-burnout'; however, no nationwide surveys on this topic have been conducted in Japan. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of burnout and to ascertain the relationship between work environment satisfaction, work-life balance satisfaction and burnout among psychiatrists working in medical schools in Japan. We mailed anonymous questionnaires to all 80 psychiatry departments in medical schools throughout Japan. Work-life satisfaction, work-environment satisfaction and social support assessments, as well as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), were used. Sixty psychiatric departments (75.0%) responded, and 704 psychiatrists provided answers to the assessments and MBI. Half of the respondents (n = 311, 46.0%) experienced difficulty with their work-life balance. Based on the responses to the MBI, 21.0% of the respondents had a high level of emotional exhaustion, 12.0% had a high level of depersonalisation, and 72.0% had a low level of personal accomplishment. Receiving little support, experiencing difficulty with work-life balance, and having less work-environment satisfaction were significantly associated with higher emotional exhaustion. A higher number of nights worked per month was significantly associated with higher depersonalisation. A low level of personal accomplishment was quite prevalent among Japanese psychiatrists compared with the results of previous studies. Poor work-life balance was related to burnout, and social support was noted to mitigate the impact of burnout.

  4. Work-life balance culture, work-home interaction, and emotional exhaustion: a structural equation modeling approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nitzsche, Anika; Pfaff, Holger; Jung, Julia; Driller, Elke

    2013-01-01

    To examine the relationships among employees' emotional exhaustion, positive and negative work-home interaction, and perceived work-life balance culture in companies. Data for this study were collected through online surveys of employees from companies in the micro- and nanotechnology sectors (N = 509). A structural equation modeling analysis was performed. A company culture perceived by employees as supportive of their work-life balance was found to have both a direct negative effect on emotional exhaustion and an indirect negative effect meditated by negative work-home interaction. In addition, whereas negative work-home interaction associated positively with emotional exhaustion, positive work-home interaction had no significant effect. The direct and indirect relationship between work-life balance culture and emotional exhaustion has practical implications for health promotion in companies.

  5. Getting the Job Done: The impact of conception of work on work-life balance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ballegaard, Stinne Aaløkke; Fangel, Anne Bøgh

    Knowledge work is becoming more nomadic and flexible, and in recent years we have seen an increased blurring of the boundary between work and private life. While this new flexibility indeed has clear liberating potentials; providing new possibilities for coping with work-life balance, it also......, it is how we manage the balance between work and private life. We want to suggest that conceptions of work may influence the way we take on the new flexible ways of working....... carries the danger of work never really ending. Much has been said about the negative effects of the loss of a clear boundary between work and private life. However, in this paper we want to argue that the blurring of the boundary between work and private life is not in itself problematic. Rather...

  6. Women's Choices in Europe: Striking the Work-life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Hantrais , Linda; Ackers , Peter

    2005-01-01

    Abstract The article presents evidence from interviews in France, Spain and Poland to explore how individual actors make choices about their work-life balance. It shows that choice is a complex, contingent, and relative concept, which is both facilitated and obstructed by public policies and working regulations. Despite differences in national and sub-national policy contexts, ...

  7. Telework and daily life: Its pros and cons for work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Carmen Pérez Sánchez; Ana María Gálvez Mozo

    2009-01-01

    In this article we discuss whether telework constitutes a useful work-life balance strategy for women teleworkers with dependants. From our analysis we show that the discourse of the women interviewed about telework is not homogeneous, compact or linear, but includes plenty of contradictions, paradoxes and tensions. This fact reinforces telework’s enormous polysemy: it liberates and enslaves, it is a trap and an opportunity, it fulfills and can mean self-sacrifice. But, despite this ric...

  8. Shift work to balance everyday life - a salutogenic nursing perspective in home help service in Sweden

    OpenAIRE

    Agosti, Madelaine T?rnquist; Andersson, Ingemar; Ejlertsson, G?ran; Janl?v, Ann-Christin

    2015-01-01

    Background: Nurses in Sweden have a high absence due to illness and many retire before the age of sixty. Factors at work as well as in private life may contribute to health problems. To maintain a healthy work–force there is a need for actions on work-life balance in a salutogenic perspective. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of resources in everyday life to balance work and private life among nurses in home help service. Methods: Thirteen semi-structured individual interviews...

  9. Exploring the Linkage between Work Flexibility and Work-life Balance in the Hospitality industry

    OpenAIRE

    Farrell, Kathleen

    2007-01-01

    A debate within the hospitality industry currently centres around the question as to whether human resource policies are progressing and developing. In the context of work flexibility and work-life balance programmes, the question arises as to whether work flexibility is a mutual gains enterprise for employers and employees. The thesis extends the debate on the flexible firm to incorporate the work-life balance agenda. The extent of numerical and functional flexibility is correlated with the ...

  10. Yoga might be an alternative training for the quality of life and balance in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tüzün, S; Aktas, I; Akarirmak, U; Sipahi, S; Tüzün, F

    2010-03-01

    Osteoporotic vertebra and hip fractures are major causes of dysfunction, disability, mortality and impaired life quality in the ageing population. In the postmenopausal period, exercises prevent rapid bone loss and increase muscle strength, mobility and flexibility thereby decreasing the risk of falls and fractures. Yoga exercises, which have been an inseparable part of Eastern culture for hundreds of years, are now being used in the field of osteoporosis rehabilitation. Yoga has a positive effect on balance, posture, flexibility, and life quality resulting from its effects on balance, stretching, relaxation and strengthening. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of yoga exercises in postmenopausal osteoporotic women on balance and life quality and to compare the results with a classic osteoporosis exercise program. Twenty-six postmenopausal osteoporotic women over 55 years of age were included in the study. A neuromuscular test battery and the QUALEFFO as a life quality index were used for the assessment of balance and life quality, respectively. The results showed that yoga education has a positive effect on pain, physical functions, social functions, general In conclusion, yoga appears to be an alternative physical activity for the rehabilitation of osteoporotic subjects.

  11. Helping families: childcare, early education and the work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Brewer, M.; Crawford, C.; Dearden, L.

    2005-01-01

    Since Labour came to power in May 1997, there have been substantial increases in spending aimed at helping families with formal childcare, early education and the work-life balance. We look at the effects of these reforms and at the proposals of the parties in this area.

  12. Barriers to work-life balance for hospital nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullen, Kathleen

    2015-03-01

    Nurses are loyal to their patients and coworkers. They often put the needs of others before their own and sometimes even before the needs of their families. This concern for others can cause conflicts that manifest as stress. Of the more than 2 million nurses in the United States, more than 62% work in hospitals. Hospitals are known to be both rewarding and stressful places to work. Like most workers, nurses face the challenge of balancing demands and achievements of work with those in their private lives. Hospital leaders can facilitate improved work-life balance (WLB) for hospital nurses by using tools already in place. Equally important, nurses can use their knowledge and resources to nurse the nurse within, which can greatly improve their experience of WLB, independent of the demands of their work environment. © 2015 The Author(s).

  13. Perceived Work-Life Balance Ability, Job Satisfaction, and Professional Commitment among Agriculture Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorensen, Tyson J.; McKim, Aaron J.

    2014-01-01

    Agriculture teachers participate in various work and life roles, which can create challenges when trying to balance the pressures and responsibilities associated with each role. When one is unable to balance and prioritize between roles, both satisfaction and professional commitment may be reduced. The purpose of this study was to describe Oregon…

  14. Seeking life balance: the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catolico, Olivia

    2013-07-01

    This grounded theory study in California, United States was an inquiry into the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement. The sequelae of significant life trauma on the health of women who escaped political conflict have received little attention in the nursing literature. Thirty-nine Cambodian women were recruited through a social service organization and verbal referrals. Open-ended questions and a conversational approach to dialogue and data gathering facilitated the interview process. Women were interviewed at home or the local temple. Seeking life balance emerged as the core perspective of this study. The relationships between thematic categories of seeking life balance, patterns of knowing, and caring for self were salient. Outcomes of these interrelationships further moved women's health toward disharmony or harmony. The findings of this study are limited by sampling participants in a tightly networked community and may serve as a pilot for future research.

  15. Fatores explicativos do Work-Life balance de contadores à luz da psicologia positiva

    OpenAIRE

    Altoé, Stella Maris Lima

    2014-01-01

    Resumo: Recentemente, work-life balance tem sido tema de algumas discussões que visam a integração entre o trabalho e a família, com o intuito de minimizar os conflitos de papéis inerentes a estas esferas. Observa-se que trabalho e família constituem-se como os domínios mais relevantes da vida das pessoas. Neste sentido, o presente estudo foi desenvolvido com o propósito de identificar os fatores que explicam a percepção de contadores paranaenses quanto ao seu work-life balance e verificar a ...

  16. Comparing Work-Life Balance in Spanish and Latin-American Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlier, Sandra Idrovo; Llorente, Consuelo Leon; Grau, Marc Grau

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to determine the level of awareness and implementation of family-responsible parameters: policies, enablers, practices, and culture, in Spanish and Latin-American companies, and how they impact work-life balance. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses data from different national IESE's Family-Responsible Employer…

  17. Investigating nurses' quality of life and work-life balance statuses in Singapore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowitlawkul, Y; Yap, S F; Makabe, S; Chan, S; Takagai, J; Tam, W W S; Nurumal, M S

    2018-04-06

    To investigate the key determinants of nurses' quality of life and work-life balance statuses in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Nurses' quality of life can directly and indirectly impact patients' safety and quality of care. Therefore, identifying key factors that influence nurses' quality of life is essential in the healthcare delivery system. A descriptive quantitative study design was adopted, and validated questionnaires were used. Data were collected in a period of 3 months (March to May 2014) at a 600-bed tertiary hospital in Singapore. One thousand and forty nurses participated in the study. Social support and sense of coherence were found to be significant predictors for high quality of life in all domains. Most nurses in this study spent more time on work than their private lives. However, there was no significant difference in job satisfaction among the four groups of nurses' proportions of percentages of actual time spent on work and private life. Cultivating social support from family, friends/colleagues and supervisors can help an individual cope with stress and enhance a nurse's quality of life. Even though nurses who spent more time at work were still satisfied with their job, they might need to be aware of their physical health and work environment. Nursing policy related to nurses' physical health and environment should be established. Health promotion programmes such as physical exercise and mindfulness interventions should be conducted to promote nurses' well-being and healthy workplace environments to enhance nurses' quality of life. © 2018 International Council of Nurses.

  18. Paternalism and the paradox of work-life balance: Discourse and practice

    OpenAIRE

    Rajan-Rankin, S

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on Lewis et al’s (2007) critical treatment of ‘work-life balance’ (WLB) as a western, neo-liberal discourse with problematic assumptions of gender and culture neutrality; this study examines the ways in which WLB discourse(s) are translated and adopted within transnational call centres in India. Discursive understandings suggest that work-life balance negotiations are filtered through two dominant discourses: neo-liberalism/individualism and collectivism-paternalism. The contradiction...

  19. Work/ Life Balance Implementation Motives, Obstacles and Facilitators

    OpenAIRE

    Tramboo, Burhan

    2008-01-01

    The growing competitive business environment has resulted in a situation where organizations are faced with number of strategic decisions in search of growth. The ever increasing pressure of globalization has created a boundary less economy which drives the organizations to adopt the appropriate strategy not only for the growth but also to create sustainable competitive advantage. The push for managing work/ life balance seems to have emerged out of ever increasing diversity as a result of ch...

  20. Vård av arbete : En undersökning om work-life-balance, jämställdhet och genus

    OpenAIRE

    Hansen, Helena

    2013-01-01

    Abstract "The Care of Work" is a study whose background comes from the problems surrounding work-life balance and equality that permeates social debates today. The problematic work-life-balance and gender equality are just as relevant today as they were 35 years ago. The aim of the study was to investigate whether or not men and women have a satisfactory work-life balance and if the organization they work for is doing something to make their life puzzles function. Last, but not least, the pur...

  1. Balancing Act: A View of Benefits and Work-Life Balance through the Eyes of Advancement Professionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Mary Ellen

    2011-01-01

    People who choose careers in advancement know they're not entering a 9-to-5, 40-hours-a-week profession. Staffers juggle personal lives with their commitment to stressful jobs that involve travel, long hours, weekend events, and deadlines. Work-life balance means different things to different people, but flexibility seems to be a priority for…

  2. Life Prediction of Large Lithium-Ion Battery Packs with Active and Passive Balancing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shi, Ying [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Kandler A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zane, Regan [Utah State University; Anderson, Dyche [Ford Motor Company

    2017-07-03

    Lithium-ion battery packs take a major part of large-scale stationary energy storage systems. One challenge in reducing battery pack cost is to reduce pack size without compromising pack service performance and lifespan. Prognostic life model can be a powerful tool to handle the state of health (SOH) estimate and enable active life balancing strategy to reduce cell imbalance and extend pack life. This work proposed a life model using both empirical and physical-based approaches. The life model described the compounding effect of different degradations on the entire cell with an empirical model. Then its lower-level submodels considered the complex physical links between testing statistics (state of charge level, C-rate level, duty cycles, etc.) and the degradation reaction rates with respect to specific aging mechanisms. The hybrid approach made the life model generic, robust and stable regardless of battery chemistry and application usage. The model was validated with a custom pack with both passive and active balancing systems implemented, which created four different aging paths in the pack. The life model successfully captured the aging trajectories of all four paths. The life model prediction errors on capacity fade and resistance growth were within +/-3% and +/-5% of the experiment measurements.

  3. Corporate mobility: Impacts on life domains and implications for work-life balance of international business travelers and expatriates

    OpenAIRE

    Tretyakevich, Natalia; Maggi, Rico

    2016-01-01

    In my dissertation I aim to explore the impacts of work-related mobility on job, family life and personal well-being of the travelling employees. To do so, three studies have been conducted with the purpose to investigate business travel behavioral patterns and impacts of work-related mobility on various life domains of the three segments, namely frequent corporate business travelers, expatriates and travelling academics, for whom the issues of travel stress and work-life balance are of ...

  4. Mothers and work-life balance: Exploring the contradictions and complexities involved in work-family negotiation

    OpenAIRE

    Wattis, Louise; Standing, Joseph; Yerkes, Mara

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThis article presents data from a project exploring women's experiences of work and care. It focuses primarily on work-life balance as a problematic concept. Social and economic transformations across advanced post-industrial economies have resulted in concerns about how individuals manage their lives across the two spheres of work and family and achieve a work-life balance. Governments across the European Union have introduced various measures to address how families effectively ...

  5. NSF's Career-Life Balance Initiative and the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajhar, Edward A.

    2013-01-01

    In the fall of 2011, the National Science Foundation (NSF) began the Career-Life Balance Initiative to support graduate students, postdoctoral students, and early-career researchers in STEM fields. NSF is focusing first on its most prestigious programs for early-career scientists---the CAREER program and the postdoctoral programs, including the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships (AAPF)---where career-life balance opportunities can help retain a significant fraction of early career talent. Subject to budget constraints, NSF plans to further integrate and enhance career-life balance opportunities over time through other programs, like the Graduate Research Fellowships Program and ADVANCE, and subsequently through the broader portfolio of NSF activities. In addition, to comply with Title IX, NSF has regulations to ensure that educational programs that receive NSF funds are free of gender discrimination and harassment. A primary goal of this presentation is to put facts about NSF into the hands of students, faculty, staff, administrators and other policy makers to benefit the advancement of career-life balance in the astronomical community. The presentation focus areas will (1) address common misconceptions about NSF rules regarding parental leave; (2) discuss benefits already available through the AAPF program, Graduate Research Fellowships, and other programs; and (3) listen to community concerns and issues to bring these back to the foundation for consideration. Did you know that NSF allows paid parental leave under many circumstances? For example, the AAPF program currently allows two months of paid parental leave during the fellow's tenure. What are the rules for NSF Graduate Research Fellowships? Come to the session and find out; the answers to such questions might surprise you.

  6. Refusing The Choice: Balancing Life and Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, J.

    2012-12-01

    The Choice The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, And if it take the second must refuse A heavenly mansion, raging in the dark. When all that story's finished, what's the news? In luck or out the toil has left its mark: That old perplexity an empty purse, Or the day's vanity, the night's remorse. William Butler Yeats William Yeats put forward The Choice that I feel too many scientists feel they must make. Too often, many choose to leave science. How do we refuse this choice and find balance between life and our careers? While I don't know the answer, I will share choices that have lead to not perfection but satisfaction in science careers and lives. The role of mentors, supportive spouses, the luck of the job, and flexibility in research directions have all contributed to being able to refuse to choose.

  7. Navigating the Water: Community College Faculty and Work-Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latz, Amanda O.; Rediger, James N.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand if and how community college faculty construct work-life balance, as our review of the literature pointed toward a lack of research on this topic. Twenty-eight community college faculty members were interviewed, and six major findings were generated through the data analysis. Metaphors…

  8. Autonomy, Workload, Work-Life Balance and Job Performance among Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johari, Johanim; Yean Tan, Fee; Zulkarnain, Zati Iwani Tjik

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of autonomy, workload, and work-life balance on job performance among teachers. A survey was carried out among teachers in public schools in the Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a quantitative approach to address the research…

  9. Working on Sundays–effects on safety, health, and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wirtz, Anna; Nachreiner, Friedhelm; Rolfes, Katharina

    2011-05-01

    Several attributes of the work schedule can increase the risk of occupational injuries and accidents, health impairments, and reduced social participation. Although previous studies mainly focused on the effects of shiftwork and long working hours on employee health and safety, there is little evidence of a potential negative impact of working Sundays on the incidence of occupational accidents, health impairments, and work-life balance. A representative sample of employed workers in 31 member and associated states of the European Union (n = 23,934) served as the database for a cross-sectional analysis. The sample was collected via face-to-face interviews in the year 2005. The association of the risks of occupational accidents, health impairments, and decreases in work-life balance with working Sundays was calculated using logistic regression models, controlling for potential confounders, such as shiftwork, workload, and demographic characteristics. The results indicated that working one or more Sundays/month was associated with increase both in the risk of reporting one or more health impairments (odds ratio [OR]: 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.29) and poorer work-life balance (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02-1.28). These effects remained after controlling for potentially confounding factors, such as other work schedule attributes, intensity of physical and mental workload, and individual characteristics. Furthermore, working Sundays was also related to increased risk of occupational accidents within the last year (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03-1.73). Controlling again for individual, workload, and working-time characteristics, a significant association with accident risk, however, remained only in work sectors with low a priori risk of occupational accidents (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02-1.91), although the increased risk could be observed for both medium and high a priori risk sectors working Sundays (without controlling for additional confounders). The results thus

  10. Work-Life Balance and Cultural Change: A Narrative of Eligibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lester, Jaime

    2013-01-01

    Using Schein's (1992) framework of cultural change, this study examined two institutions of higher education that have achieved or attempted a cultural change to understand if and how to develop a culture of work-life balance for faculty and staff. The results identified a narrative of eligibility that arose from the discourse of faculty…

  11. Energy Balance, Climate, and Life - Work of M. Budyko

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahalan, Robert F.

    2004-01-01

    This talk will review the work of Mikhail I. Budyko, author of "Climate and Life" and many other works, who died recently at age 81, in St Petersburg, Russia. He directed the Division for Climate Change Research at the State Hydrological Institute. We will explore Budyko's work in clarifying the role of energy balance in determining planetary climate, and the role of climate in regulating Earth s biosphere.

  12. Energy Balance, Climate, and Life \\-- Work of M. Budyko

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahalan, R. F.

    2003-12-01

    This talk will review the work of Mikhail I. Budyko, author of "Climate and Life" and many other works, who died recently at the age of 81 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He directed the Division for Climate Change Research at the State Hydrological Institute. We will explore Budyko's work in clarifying the role of energy balance in determining planetary climate, and the role of climate in regulating Earth's biosphere.

  13. Improving work-life balance: what can employers and employees do?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrera, Manuela

    2013-12-14

    Effective time management can play a big part in reducing stress for busy vets, but too often miscommunication between practice employers and employees can make it harder to achieve a good work-life balance. Manuela Herrera reports on a session at the BVA Congress which considered what vets can do to facilitate better time management in practice.

  14. How does work fit with my life? The relation between flexible work arrangements, work-life balance and recovery from work

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kecklund, L.G.; Beckers, D.G.J.; Leineweber, C.; Tucker, P.T.; Chmiel, N.; Fraccaroli, F.; Sverke, M.

    2017-01-01

    The right balance between work, personal life and daily recovery is an important determinant of employees’ well-being, health and experience of stress. One of the most important things in many people's lives is their relationship with their family. Work and home life are central aspects of most

  15. A study on work life balance amongst managers of garment units in Tamilnadu State, India

    OpenAIRE

    Kalaiselvi Kandampalayam Thulasimani; Muruganandam Duraisamy; Sakthi Suganya Rathinasabapathi

    2010-01-01

    Work life balance plays an important role now a day. Employees want it, managers need it, and organization cannot afford to ignore it! Managers need to take work-life balance seriously particularly in garment units. The more overworked and overloaded, the higher the demands or the expectations on the department or the work unit, the more the managers have to rely on their employees to produce at the highest possible level of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. If managers are out of balan...

  16. Do decent working conditions contribute to work–life balance: A study of small enterprises in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.H.M. Belayeth Hussain

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore the contributions of decent work situation to work–life balance of small entrepreneurs. The survey was conducted to uncover the degree and magnitude of essential decent work indicators that can aid the work–life balance situation of small ventures. Design/methodology/approach - The study utilized a survey research design and used a five-point Likert type questionnaire to investigate the research questions. Each construct of the scale has its corresponding items, which were measured specifically. To analyze the latent variables, partial least square (PLS–structural equation modelling with Smart PLS application was used. Findings - The findings of this study reveal that social dialogue and stability and security of enterprise have the most significant effects in ensuring work–life balance of an enterprise. Additionally, social dialogue among entrepreneurs has influence in maintaining decent working hours and fair treatment at workplace. Originality/value - The value of this study lies in exploring a new dimension of analyzing working conditions in informal sector economy such as small enterprises. Because this research aims to study ventures that are financed by the microcredit institution, whether social financing plays a role in improving work–life balance situation through empowering decent working conditions can be investigated.

  17. Work-life Balance Practices Among Irish Hotel Employees and Implications for HRM

    OpenAIRE

    Farrell, Kathleen

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this article is to examine work-life balance in the Irish hotel sector from an employee perspective with implications for HRM. This particular article presents part of a larger study on work flexibility and work-family balance (Farrell, 2012). The study included a survey of managers and employees. Two-hundred and forty-six questionnaires from employees were returned which was a 22% response rate from the original sample group. The research data show that company benefits were not ...

  18. Life-Work Balance and the Effects on Retention in the Navy Nurse Corps

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-03-01

    simply not enough people who have the clinical know how and experience to see these issues through or to even recognize them. This puts tremendous... how identification of work-life/life-work balance1 issues , specifically within the Navy Nurse Corps (NC), may assist the DON and the NC with... issues regarding retention and quality of life affecting both sexes. The reason for the removal of the specific gender focus is the unique makeup of

  19. Business-life balance and wellbeing: Exploring the lived experiences of women in a low-to-middle income country.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ugwu, Dorothy I; Orjiakor, Charles T; Enwereuzor, Ibeawuchi K; Onyedibe, Christiana C; Ugwu, Leonard I

    2016-01-01

    With most studies on work-life balance focused on employees, this study sets out to explore the everyday living of business women who trade on petty goods and earn very little in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC). We explore their conceptions of balance, how they manage intersecting roles, and how they cope with daily hassles and stress to maintain wellbeing. With the proportion of self-employed to employed people in Sub-Saharan LMICs being an inverse of the situation in Euro-American countries, there is a need to explore what balance could mean for the people in LMICs. Most studies in the work-life literature have explored how employees pursue balance and the various strategies that work for a specific group of people. Perhaps because work-life balance literature has largely sprung from advanced economies, little focus has been placed on how other societies, especially people in LMICs, navigate balance, given their unique milieu. Adopting the reflective life-world approach, we inquire into the daily lives of women in very small businesses. Twenty women who trade on a range of items and earn very little (gross daily sales of $0.41 to $62.98) were interviewed using a semi-structured guideline. Analysis was conducted using interpretative phenomenology. Conceptions of balance for the women incorporated the notions of satisfactory progress across roles, proper time apportionment to roles, conditional balance as well as harmony and/or synchrony across roles-a slight difference from the popular understandings. Their conception of business life roles was deemed much more integral. Negative physical and psychological experiences impacting health and wellbeing, identified as culminating as a result of both roles, were commonplace but were typically considered a normal part of living. Engagements in extra-social roles appeared to have a double-edged effect. Placing the family first, time management, and prioritizing were some of the important measures of ensuring balance

  20. Business-life balance and wellbeing: Exploring the lived experiences of women in a low-to-middle income country

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orjiakor, Charles T.; Enwereuzor, Ibeawuchi K.; Onyedibe, Christiana C.; Ugwu, Leonard I.

    2016-01-01

    Aim With most studies on work-life balance focused on employees, this study sets out to explore the everyday living of business women who trade on petty goods and earn very little in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC). We explore their conceptions of balance, how they manage intersecting roles, and how they cope with daily hassles and stress to maintain wellbeing. Background With the proportion of self-employed to employed people in Sub-Saharan LMICs being an inverse of the situation in Euro-American countries, there is a need to explore what balance could mean for the people in LMICs. Most studies in the work-life literature have explored how employees pursue balance and the various strategies that work for a specific group of people. Perhaps because work-life balance literature has largely sprung from advanced economies, little focus has been placed on how other societies, especially people in LMICs, navigate balance, given their unique milieu. Design Adopting the reflective life-world approach, we inquire into the daily lives of women in very small businesses. Method Twenty women who trade on a range of items and earn very little (gross daily sales of $0.41 to $62.98) were interviewed using a semi-structured guideline. Analysis was conducted using interpretative phenomenology. Result Conceptions of balance for the women incorporated the notions of satisfactory progress across roles, proper time apportionment to roles, conditional balance as well as harmony and/or synchrony across roles—a slight difference from the popular understandings. Their conception of business life roles was deemed much more integral. Negative physical and psychological experiences impacting health and wellbeing, identified as culminating as a result of both roles, were commonplace but were typically considered a normal part of living. Engagements in extra-social roles appeared to have a double-edged effect. Placing the family first, time management, and prioritizing were some of the

  1. Business-life balance and wellbeing: Exploring the lived experiences of women in a low-to-middle income country

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorothy I. Ugwu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: With most studies on work-life balance focused on employees, this study sets out to explore the everyday living of business women who trade on petty goods and earn very little in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC. We explore their conceptions of balance, how they manage intersecting roles, and how they cope with daily hassles and stress to maintain wellbeing. Background: With the proportion of self-employed to employed people in Sub-Saharan LMICs being an inverse of the situation in Euro-American countries, there is a need to explore what balance could mean for the people in LMICs. Most studies in the work-life literature have explored how employees pursue balance and the various strategies that work for a specific group of people. Perhaps because work-life balance literature has largely sprung from advanced economies, little focus has been placed on how other societies, especially people in LMICs, navigate balance, given their unique milieu. Design: Adopting the reflective life-world approach, we inquire into the daily lives of women in very small businesses. Method: Twenty women who trade on a range of items and earn very little (gross daily sales of $0.41 to $62.98 were interviewed using a semi-structured guideline. Analysis was conducted using interpretative phenomenology. Result: Conceptions of balance for the women incorporated the notions of satisfactory progress across roles, proper time apportionment to roles, conditional balance as well as harmony and/or synchrony across roles—a slight difference from the popular understandings. Their conception of business life roles was deemed much more integral. Negative physical and psychological experiences impacting health and wellbeing, identified as culminating as a result of both roles, were commonplace but were typically considered a normal part of living. Engagements in extra-social roles appeared to have a double-edged effect. Placing the family first, time management, and

  2. A qualitative investigation of specialist orthodontists in New Zealand: part 2. Orthodontists' working lives and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soma, Kieran J; Thomson, W Murray; Morgaine, Kate C; Harding, Winifred J

    2012-11-01

    Orthodontics is the most widely practised form of specialist dentistry in New Zealand. To date, no known qualitative research has been published examining the work-life balance of practitioners. The aim of this study was to investigate the working lives and work-life balance of NZ orthodontists in order to generate an understanding of the reality of orthodontic specialist practice and its effects on orthodontists' professional and personal lives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted involving 19 practising orthodontists (four females, 15 males; mean age 50 years) from throughout New Zealand and selected for maximum variation in the sample. Transcribed interviews were analysed for themes using an applied grounded theory approach. A core category of 'practising orthodontist' was derived, and related themes were grouped under the sub-categories of: (a) NZ orthodontic specialist practice; (b) NZ specialist orthodontists; and (c) Work-life balance. The present paper reports on the final sub-category. Themes emerging from the work-life sub-category were further divided into two sub-themes of 'work' and 'life'. Themes in the 'work' subgroup included time off, injuries and illness, regrets, personality traits, job stress and criticism, establishing a practice, peer support and contact, and success in orthodontics. Themes in the 'life' sub-group were personal development, family life, life balance and interests outside work, and financial security. This was the first qualitative investigation of the orthodontic profession in New Zealand. The findings provided a valuable insight into the working lives of New Zealand orthodontists and effects on their day-today lives. It will be revealing and interesting to observe how the modernisation of orthodontic practice will affect the work-life balance of New Zealand orthodontists in the future.

  3. Work-Life balance: towards an agenda for policy learning between Britain and Germany

    OpenAIRE

    Arthur, Lore

    2002-01-01

    This survey analyses the political context, the legislative frameworks and the policy developments in an area that is now widely termed 'work-life balance' in both the United Kingdom and Germany. It also looks at the theoretical notions of time in relation to work and family life and gives examples of research in the public, private and voluntary sector.

  4. Work Life Balance Amongst the Working Women in Public Sector Banks - A Case Study of State Bank of India

    OpenAIRE

    Dabhade, Nishant; Yadav, Rajesh K.

    2013-01-01

    In terms of Indian context, the concern over work-life balance is gradually becoming a common talk especially for women employees. Work life balance is a state of equilibrium in which the demand of both professional and personal life is equal. Each role having different set of demands and when such role demands overlap, multiple problems are faced. In reality life and work over-lap and interact. In designing the work life policies employer should think that the commitment of employees can mak...

  5. Work-life balance and the legal right to request flexible working arrangements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L Dancaster

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In 2003, eligible employees in the United Kingdom acquired the legal right to request flexible working arrangements. The government believes that this new right will provide parents with greater choice and support in balancing work and childcare, whilst being compatible with business efficiency. This article critically appraises this new right and examines how it is applied in relation to other UK legislation on discrimination and unfair dismissal. An overview of international studies on corporate efforts to introduce family-friendly arrangements, and an overview of governmental efforts to address the reconciliation of work and family-life is provided in this article, with a view to arguing that there is a need, in South Africa, for state policy regarding work-life balance and for further research into corporate efforts to introduce family-friendly work arrangements.

  6. Balancing life and work by unbending gender: Early American women psychologists' struggles and contributions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Elizabeth; Johnson, Ann

    2017-07-01

    Women's participation in the work force shifted markedly throughout the twentieth century, from a low of 21 percent in 1900 to 59 percent in 1998. The influx of women into market work, particularly married women with children, put pressure on the ideology of domesticity: an ideal male worker in the outside market married to a woman taking care of children and home (Williams, 2000). Here, we examine some moments in the early-to-mid-twentieth century when female psychologists contested established norms of life-work balance premised on domesticity. In the 1920s, Ethel Puffer Howes, one of the first generation of American women psychologists studied by Scarborough and Furumoto (1987), challenged the waste of women's higher education represented by the denial of their interests outside of the confines of domesticity with pioneering applied research on communitarian solutions to life-work balance. Prominent second-generation psychologists, such as Leta Hollingworth, Lillian Gilbreth, and Florence Goodenough, sounded notes of dissent in a variety of forums in the interwar period. At mid-century, the exclusion of women psychologists from war work galvanized more organized efforts to address their status and life-work balance. Examination of the ensuing uneasy collaboration between psychologist and library scholar Alice Bryan and the influential male gatekeeper E. G. Boring documents gendered disparities in life-work balance and illuminates how the entrenched ideology of domesticity was sustained. We conclude with Jane Loevinger's mid-century challenge to domesticity and mother-blaming through her questioning of Boring's persistent focus on the need for job concentration in professional psychologists and development of a novel research focus on mothering. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Work-life balance practices in the banking sector: Insights from Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which work-life balance policies/practices are a reality for employees of banking sector. The article is based on a mixed method approach utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods. Semistructured interviews were utilised for the qualitative and questionnaire used ...

  8. Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: a study across seven cultures

    OpenAIRE

    Haar, Jarrod M.; Russo, Marcello; Suñé Torrents, Albert; Ollier-Malaterre, Ariane

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of work–life balance (WLB) on several individual outcomes across cultures. Using a sample of 1416 employees from seven distinct populations – Malaysian, Chinese, New Zealand Maori, New Zealand European, Spanish, French, and Italian – SEM analysis showed thatWLB was positively related to job and life satisfaction and negatively related to anxiety and depression across the seven cultures. Individualism/collectivism and gender egalitarianism moderated these re...

  9. Using Knowledge Management and Critical Thinking to Understand Thai Perceptions and Decisions towards Work-Life Balance in a Multinational Software Development Firm

    OpenAIRE

    N. Mantalay; N. Chakpitak; W. Janchai; P. Sureepong

    2012-01-01

    Work-life balance has been acknowledged and promoted for the sake of employee retention. It is essential for a manager to realize the human resources situation within a company to help employees work happily and perform at their best. This paper suggests knowledge management and critical thinking are useful to motivate employees to think about their work-life balance. A qualitative case study is presented, which aimed to discover the meaning of work-life balance-s meaning...

  10. Higher risks when working unusual times? A cross-validation of the effects on safety, health, and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greubel, Jana; Arlinghaus, Anna; Nachreiner, Friedhelm; Lombardi, David A

    2016-11-01

    Replication and cross-validation of results on health and safety risks of work at unusual times. Data from two independent surveys (European Working Conditions Surveys 2005 and 2010; EU 2005: n = 23,934 and EU 2010: n = 35,187) were used to examine the relative risks of working at unusual times (evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays) on work-life balance, work-related health complaints, and occupational accidents using logistic regression while controlling for potential confounders such as demographics, work load, and shift work. For the EU 2005 survey, evening work was significantly associated with an increased risk of poor work-life balance (OR 1.69) and work-related health complaints (OR 1.14), Saturday work with poor work-life balance (OR 1.49) and occupational accidents (OR 1.34), and Sunday work with poor work-life balance (OR 1.15) and work-related health complaints (OR 1.17). For EU 2010, evening work was associated with poor work-life balance (OR 1.51) and work-related health complaints (OR 1.12), Saturday work with poor work-life balance (OR 1.60) and occupational accidents (OR 1.19) but a decrease in risk for work-related health complaints (OR 0.86) and Sunday work with work-related health complaints (OR 1.13). Risk estimates in both samples yielded largely similar results with comparable ORs and overlapping confidence intervals. Work at unusual times constitutes a considerable risk to social participation and health and showed structurally consistent effects over time and across samples.

  11. Job control and demands, work-life balance and wellbeing among selfemployed men and women in Europe

    OpenAIRE

    Nordenmark, Mikael; Vinberg, Stig; Strandh, Mattias

    2012-01-01

    Self-employed persons and their enterprises are regarded as important to the economy for their contribution to economic development. However, an understanding of the relationship between the psychosocial working conditions, the work-life balance and outcomes, such as health and wellbeing among the self-employed and micro-enterprise is limited. The main aim of this article is to study the relationships between control and demands at work, the work-life balance and wellbeing among self-employed...

  12. Work-life balance: Is it still a new concept in private commercial banking sector of Bangladesh?

    OpenAIRE

    Newaz, Mohammad Tanvi; Newaz, Mohammad Tanvi; Zaman, Kanij Fatama; Zaman, Kanij Fatama

    2012-01-01

    This paper represents the current scenario of work-life balance in private commercial banks of Bangladesh which indicates a pessimistic approach has been adopted by the management. Apart from the multinational banks, most of the national banks are not aware of this concept and hardly have any policy regarding the work-life balance issues. At this moment, different socio-economic barriers and lack of human right awareness may support the management for not taking this issue seriously. However,...

  13. How your bank balance buys happiness: The importance of "cash on hand" to life satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruberton, Peter M; Gladstone, Joe; Lyubomirsky, Sonja

    2016-08-01

    Could liquid wealth, or "cash on hand"-the balance of one's checking and savings accounts-be a better predictor of life satisfaction than income? In a field study using 585 U.K. bank customers, we paired individual Satisfaction With Life Scale responses with anonymized account data held by the bank, including the full account balances for each respondent. Individuals with higher liquid wealth were found to have more positive perceptions of their financial well-being, which, in turn, predicted higher life satisfaction, suggesting that liquid wealth is indirectly associated with life satisfaction. This effect persisted after accounting for multiple controls, including investments, total spending, and indebtedness (which predicted financial well-being) and demographics (which predicted life satisfaction). Our results suggest that having readily accessible sources of cash is of unique importance to life satisfaction, above and beyond raw earnings, investments, or indebtedness. Therefore, to improve the well-being of citizens, policymakers should focus not just on boosting incomes but also on increasing people's immediate access to money. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Perceptions of gender equality in work-life balance, salary, promotion, and harassment: results of the NASPGHAN task force survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomer, Gitit; Xanthakos, Stavra; Kim, Sandra; Rao, Meenakshi; Book, Linda; Litman, Heather J; Fishman, Laurie N

    2015-04-01

    Gender equality in the workplace has not been described in pediatric gastroenterology. An electronic survey that explored perceptions of career parity, work-life balance, and workplace harassment was sent to all members of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Reponses were anonymous. Of the 303 respondents (21%), there was an even distribution across geographic region, age, and gender (54% men). Gender affected perception of salary and promotion; 46% of men but only 9% of women feel that "women earn the same as men" (P work-life balance for either gender. Overall, women are more likely to be dissatisfied with work-life balance than men (P = 0.046). Satisfaction with work-life balance is lower among women versus men pediatric gastroenterologists, but does not correlate with flexibility of spouse's job or caring for young children. Gender-divergent perception of promotion, parity of compensation, and mentoring requires further investigation.

  15. The employee perspective of formation, fulfilment and outcomes of the work-life balance (WLB) psychological contract

    OpenAIRE

    Grigg, Kerry Merle

    2017-01-01

    Employees' concern for striking a better balance between their work and non-working life has become a feature of the modern workplace in recent times because of significant shifts in both demographic and socio-cultural norms, and this has driven significant changes in the structure and requirements of the labour market. As a result organisations are developing work-life balance (WLB) strategies to enhance the autonomy of employees in the process of co-ordinating and integrating the work and n...

  16. Work life balance z genderového hlediska

    OpenAIRE

    Marešová, Marcela

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this Diploma Thesis is besides theoretical clarification of the concept of Work-life balance, in particular to show how much time people spend to their hobbies a families and on the contraty how much time they spend at work, and partly from a women's perspective and from the perspective of men. To fulfil these objectives, the synthesis was used, especially in the theoretical part. The other methods used in the Thesis were quantitative and qualitative research through questionnaire ...

  17. Stress in highly demanding IT jobs: transformational leadership moderates the impact of time pressure on exhaustion and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syrek, Christine J; Apostel, Ella; Antoni, Conny H

    2013-07-01

    The objective of this article is to investigate transformational leadership as a potential moderator of the negative relationship of time pressure to work-life balance and of the positive relationship between time pressure and exhaustion. Recent research regards time pressure as a challenge stressor; while being positively related to motivation and performance, time pressure also increases employee strain and decreases well-being. Building on the Job Demand-Resources model, we hypothesize that transformational leadership moderates the relationships between time pressure and both employees' exhaustion and work-life balance such that both relationships will be weaker when transformational leadership is higher. Of seven information technology organizations in Germany, 262 employees participated in the study. Established scales for time pressure, transformational leadership, work-life balance, and exhaustion were used, all showing good internal consistencies. The results support our assumptions. Specifically, we find that under high transformational leadership the impact of time pressure on exhaustion and work-life balance was less strong. The results of this study suggest that, particularly under high time pressure, transformational leadership is an important factor for both employees' work-life balance and exhaustion. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  18. Effects of a sitting boxing program on upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Junhyuck; Gong, Jihwan; Yim, Jongeun

    2017-01-01

    Boxing training including traditional stretching, muscular strength training, and duration training would be considered to be effective for improved functional stretching, dynamic balance, walking speed, and quality of life. We aimed to investigate upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients before and after a sitting boxing program. Twenty-six participants were randomly allocated to a boxing group (n = 13) and control group (n = 13) after the upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of Life were recorded. The boxing group underwent a sitting boxing program (3 times/week) as well as conventional physical therapy (3 times/week) for 6 weeks. The control group only underwent conventional physical therapy (3 times/week) for 6 weeks. The Manual Functional Test (MFT), non-affected hand grip, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), velocity moment with eye opened, 10-m Walk Test (10 MWT), and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (SS-QOL) were significantly improved in the boxing group (p boxing group compared to the control group (p boxing program group had positive effects on upper extremity function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients.

  19. Integration of balance and strength training into daily life activity to reduce rate of falls in older people (the LiFE study): randomised parallel trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clemson, Lindy; Fiatarone Singh, Maria A; Bundy, Anita; Cumming, Robert G; Manollaras, Kate; O'Loughlin, Patricia; Black, Deborah

    2012-08-07

    To determine whether a lifestyle integrated approach to balance and strength training is effective in reducing the rate of falls in older, high risk people living at home. Three arm, randomised parallel trial; assessments at baseline and after six and 12 months. Randomisation done by computer generated random blocks, stratified by sex and fall history and concealed by an independent secure website. Residents in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Participants aged 70 years or older who had two or more falls or one injurious fall in past 12 months, recruited from Veteran's Affairs databases and general practice databases. Exclusion criteria were moderate to severe cognitive problems, inability to ambulate independently, neurological conditions that severely influenced gait and mobility, resident in a nursing home or hostel, or any unstable or terminal illness that would affect ability to do exercises. Three home based interventions: Lifestyle integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) approach (n=107; taught principles of balance and strength training and integrated selected activities into everyday routines), structured programme (n=105; exercises for balance and lower limb strength, done three times a week), sham control programme (n=105; gentle exercise). LiFE and structured groups received five sessions with two booster visits and two phone calls; controls received three home visits and six phone calls. Assessments made at baseline and after six and 12 months. Primary measure: rate of falls over 12 months, collected by self report. Secondary measures: static and dynamic balance; ankle, knee and hip strength; balance self efficacy; daily living activities; participation; habitual physical activity; quality of life; energy expenditure; body mass index; and fat free mass. After 12 months' follow-up, we recorded 172, 193, and 224 falls in the LiFE, structured exercise, and control groups, respectively. The overall incidence of falls in the LiFE programme was 1.66 per person

  20. Boundary Management Preferences, Boundary Control, and Work-Life Balance among Full-Time Employed Professionals in Knowledge-Intensive, Flexible Work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christin Mellner

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Profound changes are taking place within working life, where established boundaries between work and personal life are challenged by increased global competition, ever-faster changing markets, and rapid development of boundary transcending information and communication technologies (ICT. The aim of this study was to investigate boundary management preferences in terms of keeping work and personal life domains separated or integrated, that is, segmenting or blending of domains, the perception of being in control of one´s preferred boundaries, and work-life balance among employees at a Swedish telecom company (N = 1,238, response rate 65%, men 73%, mean age 42 years. Psychosocial work factors, individual characteristics, sociodemographic factors, and work-life balance were investigated in relation to boundary management preferences and perceived boundary control. For high boundary control among segmenters, nearly all the studied psychosocial work factors were significant. Among integrators, this was the case only for clear expectations in work. For both groups, the individual capacity for self-regulation was associated with high boundary control. Regarding sociodemographic factors, cohabiting women with children who preferred segmentation had low boundary control. Finally, there was a main effect of boundary control on work-life balance. In particular, male segmenters perceiving high boundary control had better work-life balance than all others. Conclusions of the study are that segmenters need external boundaries in work for succesful boundary management. Moreover, self-regulation seems a crucial boundary competence in knowledge- intensive, flexible work. Results are of value for health promotion in modern work organizations in supporting employees achieving successful boundary control and subsequent work-life balance.

  1. Attitudes toward working conditions: are European Union workers satisfied with their working hours and work-life balance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matilla-Santander, Nuria; Lidón-Moyano, Cristina; González-Marrón, Adrián; Bunch, Kailey; Martín-Sánchez, Juan Carlos; Martínez-Sánchez, José M

    2017-12-23

    To describe the satisfaction with working hours and satisfaction with work-life balance and their association in the European Union (EU-28). This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the Flash Eurobarometer 398 among workers of the EU-28 from 2014 (n=13,683). We calculated percentages and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). We also applied a multi-level generalised linear model using the Poisson family, to calculate the adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) of satisfaction with work-life balance based on working hours. All analyses were stratified by individual, employment and welfare regime country classification. The satisfaction with working hours and work-life balance was 80.62% and 74.48%, respectively, and was significantly higher among women. The highest percentages of satisfaction were found in the Nordic welfare regime countries (90.2% and 85.3%, respectively). There was a statistically significant association between satisfaction with working hours and work-life balance (aPR: 2.63; 95%CI: 2.28-3.04), and the magnitude of the association differed in individual, employment and welfare regime country classifications. The main reasons declared for dissatisfaction were "excessive working hours" (48.7%), "shift work" (27.9%), and "inability to influence the work schedule" (28.3%). Differences were observed according to sex and type of welfare regime. The differences found in the association between satisfaction with work-life balance and working hours according to sociodemographic characteristics and welfare regime show that there are inequalities in the working conditions in the EU countries. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Effects of Ai Chi on balance, quality of life, functional mobility, and motor impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurt, Emine Eda; Büyükturan, Buket; Büyükturan, Öznur; Erdem, Hatice Rana; Tuncay, Figen

    2018-04-01

    In this study, we aimed to investigate effects of Ai Chi on balance, functional mobility, health-related quality of life, and motor impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease. This study was conducted as an open-label randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN26292510) with repeated measures. Forty patients with Parkinson's disease stages 2 to 3 according to the Hoehn and Yahr Scale were randomly allocated to either an Ai Chi exercise group or a land-based exercise control group for 5 weeks. Balance was measured using the Biodex-3,1 and the Berg Balance Scale. Functional mobility was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go Test. Additionally, health-related quality of life and motor activity were assessed with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III. Although patients in both groups showed significant improvement in all outcome variables, improvement of dynamic balance was significantly greater in the Ai Chi group (p Balance Scale (p balance, mobility, motor ability, and quality of life. In addition, Ai Chi exercise was more effective as an intervention than land-based exercise in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease. Implications for rehabilitation Ai Chi exercises (aquatic exercises) may help improve balance, functional mobility, health-related quality of life, and motor ability in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease more efficiently than similar land-based exercises. Ai Chi exercises should be considered as a rehabilitation option for treatment of patients with mild or moderate Parkinson's disease.

  3. The effects of time-spatial flexibility and new working conditions on employees’ work-life balance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peters, P.; Dulk, L. den; Lippe, T. van der

    2009-01-01

    Part-time work, flexible working hours, and home-based teleworking are HR instruments which are used to facilitate reconciliation of work and family life. It can be questioned, however, whether these arrangements really enhance work-life balance. This paper examines whether time-spatial flexibility

  4. The inter-relationship between work-life balance and organisational culture: an empirical study of Nigerian health sector

    OpenAIRE

    Adisa, Toyin, A

    2015-01-01

    This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London. This exploratory study examines the relationship between the work-life balance and organisational culture of medical doctors and nurses in Nigeria. There has been an overwhelming majority of work-life balance studies undertaken in Western countries. This leaves Africa, most notably Nigeria, an understudied area of investigations. In order to achieve this objective, this study applie...

  5. College Students’ Views of Work–Life Balance in STEM Research Careers: Addressing Negative Preconceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan-Wilson, Anna; Stamp, Nancy

    2015-01-01

    In career discussions, female undergraduates said that if they were to attend graduate school in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and were to follow a career based on their research training, they would have to give up having a family. A subsequent survey showed that many students, both men and women, thought work–life balance would be more difficult to achieve in a STEM research path than in other professions they were considering. Their views of STEM research being less family-friendly were more pronounced on issues of parental leaves and caring for children than finding a spouse/partner and landing two jobs in the same locality. To provide role models of work–life balance in STEM professions, we convened panels of dual-career couples who described how they worked together to raise their children while advancing their scientific careers. Our selection of panelists and topics of discussion were based on findings of social science research on work–life balance. On a survey with the same questions administered afterward, the changes in paired responses of male and female students with respect to all four issues showed a significant shift toward thinking that a research-based STEM career would be no more difficult than other careers they were considering. PMID:26163564

  6. The comparison of Polish and Norwegian policy and research on work-life balance – current state of knowledge and future perspectives. Narrative review

    OpenAIRE

    Stańczak, Aleksander; Merecz-Kot, Dorota; Jacukowicz, Aleksandra

    2017-01-01

    The sense of work-life balance has an undoubted impact not only on employees’ quality of life and work performance, but also on the functioning of companies. Therefore, efforts to maintain work-life balance are beneficial to workers, employers, authorities and researchers. Poland and Norway are the examples of European countries with different work-life balance policies both on legal and organizational levels. This paper aims to compare legal solutions in two economically different countries ...

  7. ["What you will": Results of an Empirical Analysis of the Need to Improve Work-life Balance for Physicians].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerg-Bretzke, L; Krüsmann, P; Traue, H C; Limbrecht-Ecklundt, K

    2018-01-01

    This study assessed the perceived need for clinics to improve work-life balance of physicians. Hospitals are increasingly facing demands to offer physicians working conditions that allow greater balance between family life and pursuit of career. Simultaneously, hospitals could consider this an opportunity to stand out as attractive employers. N=120 doctors of the medical faculty and N=679 medical students in their premedical and clinical training participated online. The results of the Work-Family/Family-Work Conflict Scale (WFC/FWC) showed physicians to have a decreased work/life balance when starting to work professionally, especially with a child. Ninety percent of the respondents considered the following arrangements to be especially helpful: temporary work interruptions in an emergency, part-time positions or emergency childcare. The doctors also expressed their wish to be actively supported by their supervisors on the topic of work/life balance. This analysis on work-family balance shows the need for change in the studied samples. Based on the measures that were determined to be helpful, hospitals can make conclusions about what concrete steps of action can be taken. Additionally, WFC/FWC could be used as a standardized analysis measure to assess the load imposed on physicians by family on work place and vice versa. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  8. Work-life balance utifrån ett arbetsgivarperspektiv : Om arbetsgivares arbete och inställning mot work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Eriksson, Johan

    2014-01-01

    I och med att tid spenderad på arbetsplatsen verkar fortsätta öka blir allt mindre och mindre tid kvar till familj och fritid, eller det som i denna uppsats benämns som övrigt liv. Den vanligaste orsaken till att en individ upplever obalans är att arbetssfären är för dominerande och lämnar kvar för lite tid till övriga sfärer. Därför har syftet i denna uppsats varit att öka förståelsen för hur och varför olika arbetsgivare arbetar med work-life balance samt att ta reda på vad de har för instä...

  9. Organizational and individual determinants of using initiatives conducive to successful work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Aleksandra Andysz; Anna Najder; Dorota Merecz-Kot

    2014-01-01

    Appropriate distribution of time and energy between work and personal life poses a challenge to many working people. Unfortunately, many professionally active people experience work-family conflict. In order to minimize it, employees are offered various solutions aimed at reconciling professional and private spheres (work-life balance (WLB) initiatives). The authors attempt to answer what makes employees use WLB initiatives and what influences the decision to reject the available options. The...

  10. Impact of Balance Confidence on Daily Living Activities of Older People with Knee Osteoarthritis with Regard to Balance, Physical Function, Pain, and Quality of Life - A Preliminary Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobić Lucić, Lana; Grazio, Simeon

    2018-01-01

    The objective of this study was to explore the impact of balance confidence on different activities of daily living (ADL) in older people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Forty-seven consecutive participants with knee OA were included in this cross-sectional study. They were divided according to the results of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale into a group with a low level of confidence in physical functioning (ABC balance measurements. Older people with knee OA who were less confident in their daily physical activities had more physical difficulties and a greater effect of pain on ADL, lower quality of life, and a higher physician's global assessment, but no differences were obtained in balance tests. In people with knee OA, decreased balance confidence is associated with more physical difficulties, an increased effect of pain on ADL, and lower quality of life. An improved awareness of decreased balance confidence may lead to more effective management of older people with knee OA by improving their mobility and QOL through rehabilitation. Furthermore, future research in that direction is warranted.

  11. Gender in Science without Numbers: From academia to work-life balance. Main Results of Case Studies

    OpenAIRE

    Maria Thanopoulou; Joanna Tsiganou

    2016-01-01

    The present volume titled «Gender in Science without Numbers: from academia to work-life balance» refers to the qualitative research undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research, in the context of a project on «Work-life balance in the context of changing families and labour market in Greece». This project has been part of the European Area’s Financial Mechanism WORLBAL, with code EEA GR07/3939. The volume includes short reviews of the main results of case studies focusing on the w...

  12. WORK – LIFE BALANCE IN ROMANIA. A COMPARATIVE APPROACH

    OpenAIRE

    Constantin CIUTACU; Luminita CHIVU; John HURLEY

    2008-01-01

    In Romania, gross domestic product dropped from a total of € 48.75 billion in 1989 to € 40.28 billion in 2000, and after 2002 a significant increase reached over € 79 billion in 2005. The overall decrease in the number of employed persons by 2.56 million people, between 1989 and 2005, led to an increase in productivity of around €1,222 per employed person – representing 28.4% of the total productivity increase. A central factor of work–life balance policies is the issue of time. However, for ...

  13. Balance, gait and quality of life in Parkinson's disease: Effects of whole body vibration treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludmylla Teixeira Soares

    Full Text Available Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD is a neurodegenerative disorder, which triggers limitations and disability in people. Therefore, rehabilitation therapy is widely recommended in patients with PD, especially those who do not respond to pharmacological treatment.Objective Evaluate the effect of a protocol of Whole-body Vibration (WBV in balance, gait and Quality of Life (QOL of patients with PD, who do not respond to pharmacological treatment.Methods It was performed 12 sessions of a protocol WBV (squat, plantar flexion, isometric contraction of members and single-leg balance, with three sets each, at a vibrating platform (2mm and 35Hz in 10 PD patients. By the first 3 sessions, patients underwent 20 seconds of exercise and 20 seconds of rest. After the third session, the treatment was 40 seconds of exercise and 20 seconds of rest. The Tinetti Test was applied before and after treatment to assess balance and gait, and the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life-questionnaire (PDQL-BR, to evaluate the PDQL-BR and its subcategories: Parkinson, Systemic, Social and Emotional.Results Treatment did not significantly change the balance (p = 0.438, QOL issue in Emotional (p = 0.450 and Social (p = 0.171, but improved gait (p = 0.003, the Tinetti (p ≤ 0.001, the quality of life in items Parkinson (p ≤ 0.001, Systemic (p ≤ 0.001 and PDQL-BR (p ≤ 0.001.Conclusions WBV exercises on the vibrating platform, according to the parameters used, showed promising results that encourage its use to improve the clinical conditions related to disorders of gait, balance and QOL in patients with PD.

  14. Entrepreneurial Woman and Analysis of Barriers and Opportunities Ensuring the Work-Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Zeynep OYURYÜZ; Aydın GÜREL

    2015-01-01

    Today, there is an increase in the number of women participating in working life with the result of developing technology and industrialization. In our country, there are still many problems that prevent women to become business owners and business owners to continue their business. In this context; potential barriers and opportunities associated with women who could establish a business owner's work-life balance has been identified in Tekirdağ. Women business owners in the sector...

  15. Balance Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... fully trust your sense of balance. Loss of balance also raises the risk of falls. This is a serious and even life-threatening ... 65. Balance disorders are serious because of the risk of falls. But occasionally balance problems may warn of another health condition, such ...

  16. Work to live, don’t live to work! : A cross-sectional study of the work-life balance of higher managers

    OpenAIRE

    Korpunen, Päivi; Nápravníková, Andrea

    2007-01-01

    The work-life balance is currently in vogue among governments, organizations as well as researchers. Higher managers in organizations all over the world are exposed to significant pressures in their jobs, which further influence the balance between their work and private lives, job satisfaction and overall well-being. In this thesis, we apply a different perspective on the topic of work-life balance than most of the previous scientific research. We have focused on the governmental, organizati...

  17. Work Life Balance Programs at Workplaces in the US (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    KUROSAWA Masako

    2011-01-01

    With the very limited policy intervention, work-life balance (WLB) enhancing programs available at workplaces in the US are not as prevalent as those observed in most continental European countries. Nevertheless, starting in the late 80s, firms began to introduce WLB enhancing programs, mostly in terms of flexible schedules, as ways to help workers and improve firm performance. The availability of workplace flexibility, however, has been mostly limited to highly skilled workers. This paper sh...

  18. A gender-based analysis of work patterns, fatigue, and work/life balance among physicians in postgraduate training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gander, Philippa; Briar, Celia; Garden, Alexander; Purnell, Heather; Woodward, Alistair

    2010-09-01

    To document fatigue in New Zealand junior doctors in hospital-based clinical training positions and identify work patterns associated with work/life balance difficulties. This workforce has had a duty limitation of 72 hours/week since 1985. The authors chose a gender-based analytical approach because of the increasing proportion of female medical graduates. The authors mailed a confidential questionnaire to all 2,154 eligible junior doctors in 2003. The 1,412 respondents were working > or = 40 hours/week (complete questionnaires from 1,366: response rate: 63%; 49% women). For each participant, the authors calculated a multidimensional fatigue risk score based on sleep and work patterns. Women were more likely to report never/rarely getting enough sleep (P life (odds ratio: 3.83; 95% CI: 2.79-5.28), home life (3.37; 2.43-4.67), personal relationships (2.12; 1.57-2.86), and other commitments (3.06; 2.23-4.19).Qualitative analyses indicated a common desire among men and women for better work/life balance and for part-time work, particularly in relation to parenthood. Limitation of duty hours alone is insufficient to manage fatigue risk and difficulties in maintaining work/life balance. These findings have implications for schedule design, professional training, and workforce planning.

  19. A STUDY ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF NURSING STAFF WORKING IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN PALAYAMKOTTAI

    OpenAIRE

    G.Suguna; C.Eugine Franco

    2017-01-01

    At present every successful employee has to pass through the dilemma of work life balance in personal and professional life. For the sake of leading a successful life, people do not hesitate to give extra time for achieving the objectives of life. In the process of getting extra mileage in their professional life they have to make a lot of compromise and sometimes mental piece also gets distorted. We have 24 hours at our disposal to deal with and it is up to us how to schedule and plan the sa...

  20. Juggling work and elder caregiving: work-life balance for aging American workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitsenberger, D Jeanne

    2006-04-01

    As the American work force ages, the demands of caring for aging relatives increase. Family caregiving often interferes with workplace responsibilities, creating physical, emotional, and financial stress for caregivers. Employers must address the productivity losses created by absenteeism of workers who struggle with work-life issues created by caregiving roles. Occupational health nurses must understand the factors that affect workers in their caregiving roles and make appropriate nursing interventions. They are in key positions to help aging employees and their employers face the increased demands on work-life balance created by elder caregiving.

  1. Comparing the effects of balance training with and without cognitive tasks on the quality of life and balance performance in community-dwelling older adults: a single-blind randomized clinical trial

    OpenAIRE

    Ehsan Sinaei; Fahimeh Kamali; Ahmadreza Nematollahi; Zahra Etminan

    2016-01-01

    Background: Aging process can deteriorate the ability to maintain balance, specifically under dual-task conditions. Thus far, different methods of exercises therapy have been applied to improve balance performance of older adults. The present study was designed to compare the effects of two protocols of balance training on the quality of life (QoL) and balance performance in older adults with mild balance impairments. Methods: Twenty-four older adults over 60 years old were ...

  2. Busyness around the Business : a cross-national comparative research of the work-life balance of self-employed workers

    OpenAIRE

    Annink, Anne

    2017-01-01

    markdownabstractWorkers increasingly struggle to combine work and other responsibilities. Self-employment might be a strategy to achieve greater autonomy and work-life balance in comparison to wage employment. However, autonomy does not always offset the responsibilities and uncertainties that come with self-employment. This PhD dissertation shows that different types of self-employed have different work-life balance experiences. It explains how these experiences are influenced by work and bu...

  3. Balance and flexibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-12-01

    The 'work-life balance' and flexible working are currently key buzz terms in the NHS. Those looking for more information on these topics should visit Flexibility at www.flexibility.co.uk for a host of resources designed to support new ways of working, including information on flexible workers and flexible rostering, the legal balancing act for work-life balance and home working.

  4. Studi Tentang Work Life Balance dan Kepuasan Karir Pekerja Wanita di Jakarta [A Study of Work-Life Balance and Career Satisfaction of Working Women in Jakarta

    OpenAIRE

    Sylvia Diana Purba; Levi Nilawati

    2015-01-01

    This research proposes to find out the influence of availability of career information on career satisfaction of career woman in Jakarta, Participants in this study are 199 women, consist of lecturers, doctors, police women, bank employees, etc. Work-life balance, awareness of organizational plans for self, and match between individual and organizational career plans are used as mediating variables on the impact of availability of career information toward career satisfaction. Research findin...

  5. College Students' Views of Work-Life Balance in STEM Research Careers: Addressing Negative Preconceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan-Wilson, Anna; Stamp, Nancy

    2015-01-01

    In career discussions, female undergraduates said that if they were to attend graduate school in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and were to follow a career based on their research training, they would have to give up having a family. A subsequent survey showed that many students, both men and women, thought work-life balance would be more difficult to achieve in a STEM research path than in other professions they were considering. Their views of STEM research being less family-friendly were more pronounced on issues of parental leaves and caring for children than finding a spouse/partner and landing two jobs in the same locality. To provide role models of work-life balance in STEM professions, we convened panels of dual-career couples who described how they worked together to raise their children while advancing their scientific careers. Our selection of panelists and topics of discussion were based on findings of social science research on work-life balance. On a survey with the same questions administered afterward, the changes in paired responses of male and female students with respect to all four issues showed a significant shift toward thinking that a research-based STEM career would be no more difficult than other careers they were considering. © 2015 A. Tan-Wilson and N. Stamp. et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  6. Work or family? : A study about work-life balance and availability for work and family in China

    OpenAIRE

    Karlberg, Julia; Lövgren, Felicia

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of how the Chinese prioritize between work and family and how the culture can affect it. Nowadays, availability and work-life balance are often mentioned in a Western context, in this thesis we want to bring it into a Chinese context instead. China has  the largest population in the world but there is not so much previous research in this field. Thus, it was of interest to us to do our research on the work-life balance and availabil...

  7. Comparison of the Selected Indicators of Work Life Balance in European Union Countries

    OpenAIRE

    Eva Živčicová; Kristína Bulková; Tatiana Masárová

    2017-01-01

    The article elaborates on the characteristics and indicators of work life balance (WLB). The focus is on the selected criteria of WLB as well as social life and time spent off work. The WLB factors chosen and discussed are: the amount of stress, exhaustion and lack of time for family activities and responsibilities in the context of WLB. The results of the European survey conducted by the Eurofond are compared with the authors’ questionnaire survey conducted in Slovakia in 2015. The survey r...

  8. Specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology: a survey on work-life balance and stress among trainees in UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangaratinam, S; Yanamandra, S R; Deb, S; Coomarasamy, A

    2006-05-01

    The object of this study was to evaluate perceptions about work-life balance and levels of stress in obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in the UK. This was a questionnaire survey conducted at the National Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialist Registrar Meeting (SpROGs 2004, Birmingham, UK). A total of 190 trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology attended the meeting. Trainees at the meeting were given a questionnaire to fill in regarding their perception of work-life balance, stress at work and their attitude to training in obstetrics and gynaecology. The response rate was 128/190 (67%). Half of the trainees (64/128, 50%) felt that they had achieved satisfactory work-life balance. There was a trend towards more men achieving this balance compared with women (25/42 (60%) vs 38/83 (46%), p = 0.19). Unsatisfactory social life (82%) and scarce time with the family (74%) were cited as the most common reasons for not achieving a satisfactory work-life balance. More than two-thirds of the trainees (83/128, 65%) found their work moderately or very stressful. Senior trainees (years 4 or more of specialist training) found work more stressful than junior trainees (years 1 - 3 of specialist training) (29/35 (83%) vs 54/93 (58%), p = 0.01). However, 77/128 (60%) of trainees would still recommend a career in obstetrics and gynaecology to medical students. A majority (85/128, 66%) claimed that they would choose obstetrics and gynaecology again if given a second chance. A large number of trainees (110/128, 86%) were looking forward to their future in this field. In spite of the high levels of perceived work-life imbalance and stress at work, most trainees would choose the same specialty given another chance and would recommend the same to others, indicating a certain level of satisfaction with the specialty. However, our study shows that improvements in the working lives of obstetrics and gynaecology trainees are still needed, especially given the current context of difficulty with

  9. Towards a better work/life balance

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2014-01-01

    In addition to the family measures discussed in Echo 204, we propose here a set of more general measures to improve work life/balance of all staff throughout their careers. These measures are primarily aimed at simplifying existing procedures or making them more flexible. Work from home The Organization allows working from home for up to one day a week for a duly justified reason and subject to approval by one’s hierarchy. However, the current procedure lacks flexibility and transparency. Figure 1 shows that a large fraction of staff wants to be able to work from home for more than one day per week. The possibility to introduce occasional requests to work from home via a simplified procedure is desired by a majority (Fig. 2). These changes to the procedure for working from home are inspired by the positive experience in other companies. They have contributed to an improvement in staff motivation. We believe that such adjustments will also have a positive effect on the efficiency of the Org...

  10. Work – Life Balance Practices in Romanian Organisations – A Pilot Study Conducted on HR Professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramona IGREȚ

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Work – life balance is becoming a very debated subject in the Romanian business context, especially in multinationals and large Romanian companies. This paper’s main objective is to conduct a pilot study regarding work – life balance practices on human resource professionals from Romania. The study’s main purpose is to validate a research questionnaire in order to conduct a more significant research in the future. The questionnaire was applied on 52 HR specialists from different organisations and is structured on five sections: working hours, WLB practices, holiday and time off, flexible working and information about the employer and the job.

  11. Investigating the Relationship between Work-Life-Balance and Motivation of the Employees: Evidences from the Local Government of Jakarta

    OpenAIRE

    Oktosatrio, Suhendro

    2018-01-01

    This paper examines the relationship between work-life-balance and employees' motivation in the public sector of Jakarta, Indonesia. Through motivational theories and work-life-balance theories, the conceptual framework is developed to explore research variables. This is a descriptive research following qualitative inductive method. The total sample size for this research is 86 respondents working in the local government of Jakarta. Data was gathered through self-administered survey questionn...

  12. Moderated Mediation between Work Life Balance and Employee Job Performance: The Role of Psychological Wellbeing and Satisfaction with Coworkers

    OpenAIRE

    Sajid Haider; Shaista Jabeen; Jamil Ahmad

    2018-01-01

    This research examined a moderated mediation model for answering how and why work-life balance affects employee job performance, and how satisfaction with coworkers is contingent upon it by enhancing employee’s psychological wellbeing. Data were collected from subordinates and their supervisors in the banking sector (N = 284). Empirical results indicate that psychological wellbeing mediates the link between work-life balance and job performance, and employees’ satisfaction with coworkers enha...

  13. Instability of Employment and the Lack of Work Life Balance: From the viewpoint of compensating wage differentials (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    MORIKAWA Masayuki

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present survey-based evidence on the compensating wage differentials for the instability of employment and the lack of work-life-balance in Japan. First, we present facts on the individual evaluation of the size of fair compensating differentials. Then we estimate the effects of working hours and wages on the job satisfaction index. The fair compensating wage differentials for the instability of employment and lack of work-life-balance are both between 10% and ...

  14. Career-Life Balance for Women of Color: Experiences in Science and Engineering Academia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kachchaf, Rachel; Ko, Lily; Hodari, Apriel; Ong, Maria

    2015-01-01

    The National Science Foundation recently recognized that career-life balance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) may present some unique challenges for women of color compared with their White and/or male counterparts, thus negatively impacting retention and advancement for a minority demographic that has long been…

  15. Role of the interplay between quorum sensing regulator VqsR and the Pseudomonas quinolone signal in mediating carbapenem tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viducic, Darija; Murakami, Keiji; Amoh, Takashi; Ono, Tsuneko; Miyake, Yoichiro

    2017-06-01

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa coordinates its response to environmental conditions through activation of a quorum sensing (QS) system. In this study, we investigated the regulatory interaction between the QS transcriptional regulator VqsR and the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) through integration of sigma factor RpoS, and we addressed whether one of the pathways controlling carbapenem tolerance can be attributed to VqsR. We demonstrate that vqsR expression at the transcriptional level is regulated by pqsA, pqsR, and pqsE. Assessment of the transcriptional expression of vqsR, lasI, rhlI, and qscR in ΔpqsA and ΔpqsAΔrpoS mutants provided insight into pqsA- and rpoS-dependent regulation of vqsR and vqsR-controlled genes. Exogenously supplemented PQS reversed expression of vqsR and vqsR-controlled genes in the ΔpqsA mutant to wild-type levels, but failed to increase expression levels of lasI and qscR in the ΔpqsAΔrpoS mutant to levels observed in wild-type PAO1. The ΔvqsR mutant showed reduced survival when challenged with carbapenems compared to wild-type PAO1. Introduction of a pqsA mutation into the ΔvqsR mutant completely abolished its carbapenem-sensitive phenotype. We conclude that a regulatory link between PQS and vqsR exists, and that RpoS is important in their interaction. We also demonstrate that VqsR affects carbapenem tolerance. Copyright © 2017 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. THE SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF WORK LIFE BALANCE: KEYS FOR INTERVENTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Romeo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The current global economic crisis has led us to ask how to generate competitive advantages that have an impact on organizational effectiveness without jeopardizing the employees’ quality of life. The importance of the development of health and safety policies (Montero, Araque, & Rey, 2009, and within these, family-friendly policies promoting the work-life balance (WLB of employees (Leon & Chinchilla, 2010; Urcelay, 2005 has been pointed out by various authors in our country. This article reviews the main Spanish and Latin American contributions on work-life balance (WLB published in the last eight years, and presents the research work of the ASH-PsicoSAO Group (University of Barcelona related to this topic. The objective of our work is to contribute to both the scientific and the occupational fields, with particular attention to the role of supervisor.

  17. Academic Employees’ perceptions of Work - Life Balance practices: A Case Analysis of Private Universities in Ogun State, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthonia Adenike Adeniji

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates academic employees' perceptions and experiences of work–life balance (WLB in private Universities in Ogun State. A descriptive research design involves in-depth interviews among 129 academic employees in private Universities in Ogun State. Specifically, the main objectives are to critically examine the practices of work-life balance in the Universities. The study assesses the types of WLB policies and practices within the Universities and factors which influence the employee’s perception of work-life balance within the framework of employment relationship in the various Universities in Nigeria. Using spill-over theory, the findings reveal various dimensions in the academic employees' concept of WLB and show that academic employee experience the strain of work intensification and long hours of work. There is a wide gap between corporate WLB practices and the academic employee understanding of WLB. The paper suggests policy implications which would aid the implementation of WLB policies within Private Universities and suggests directions for future research.

  18. Realities of Work Life Balance in Nigeria: Perceptions of Role Conflict and Coping Beliefs

    OpenAIRE

    Babatunde Akanji

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Work-Life Balance (WLB) practices in a developing nation of Nigeria. Evidently, on the threshold of widened globalization propensities, work-life research is beginning to spread outside the western context. Thus, a qualitative approach was employed by conducting 61 in-depth interviews with Nigerian employees (41 women and 20 men) working in frontline employments in the banking, telecommunications and insurance sectors about their perc...

  19. Fairness perceptions of work-life balance initiatives: effects on counterproductive work behaviour

    OpenAIRE

    Beauregard, T. Alexandra

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the impact of employees’ fairness perceptions regarding organizational work-life balance initiatives on their performance of counterproductive work behaviour (CWB). Moderating effects of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism were also explored. Quantitative data collected from 224 public sector employees demonstrated significant main and moderating effects of informational justice, adaptive perfectionism and maladaptive perfectionism on CWB. Adaptive perfectionism weakene...

  20. Analysis of work-life balance from the viewpoint of Iranian accountants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbas Ghanbari

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Work-life balance (WLB plays an essential role on having peaceful life. There has been a substantial growth of families where both husband and wife work. Despite enjoying advantages of role mixture, life style in family has been faced by tremendous pressures due to ignoring conventional division of work in family as well as making new and more commitments. One of these pressures is the conflict between work and life, which could lead to unfavorable impacts on social integrity of family functions, mental and social health. This paper investigates WLB in terms of accountants’ perspective. The proposed study designs a questionnaire, which contains 12 questions where 6 questions are associated with the importance of WLB and the other 6 questions are associated with effective variables in creating WLB. The method of the research is descriptive-survey and the study uses ANOVA test to analyze the results. The researcher has employed Friedman test to score research variables. The results of the research indicate that WLB components had different rates of importance among accountants with various genders.

  1. Achieving work-life balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting, part I: the role of the head athletic trainer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Goodman, Ashley; Pitney, William A

    2015-01-01

    Supervisor support has been identified as key to the fulfillment of work-life balance for the athletic trainer (AT), yet limited literature exists on the perspectives of supervisors. To investigate how the head AT facilitates work-life balance among staff members within the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting. Qualitative study. Web-based management system. A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered for an asynchronous, Web-based interview. Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a general inductive approach. Four prevailing themes emerged from the data: modeling work-life balance, encouraging disengagement from the AT role, cooperation and community workplace, and administrative support and understanding. Head ATs at the Division I level recognized the need to promote work-life balance among their staffs. They not only were supportive of policies that promote work-life balance, including spending time away from the role of the AT and teamwork among staff members, but also modeled and practiced the strategies that they promoted.

  2. Burnout, Moral Distress, Work-Life Balance, and Career Satisfaction among Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neumann, Joyce L; Mau, Lih-Wen; Virani, Sanya; Denzen, Ellen M; Boyle, Deborah A; Boyle, Nancy J; Dabney, Jane; De KeselLofthus, Alexandra; Kalbacker, Marion; Khan, Tippu; Majhail, Navneet S; Murphy, Elizabeth A; Paplham, Pamela; Parran, Leslie; Perales, Miguel-Angel; Rockwood, Todd H; Schmit-Pokorny, Kim; Shanafelt, Tait D; Stenstrup, Elaine; Wood, William A; Burns, Linda J

    2018-04-01

    A projected shortage of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) health professionals was identified as a major issue during the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match System Capacity Initiative. Work-related distress and work-life balance were noted to be potential barriers to recruitment/retention. This study examined these barriers and their association with career satisfaction across HCT disciplines. A cross-sectional, 90-item, web-based survey was administered to advanced practice providers, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and social workers in 2015. Participants were recruited from membership lists of 6 professional groups. Burnout (measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) and moral distress (measured by Moral Distress Scale-Revised) were examined to identify work-related distress. Additional questions addressed demographics, work-life balance, and career satisfaction. Of 5759 HCT providers who received an individualized invitation to participate, 914 (16%) responded; 627 additional participants responded to an open link survey. Significant differences in demographic and practice characteristics existed across disciplines (P burnout differed across disciplines (P burnout, whereas social workers had the lowest prevalence at less than one-third. Moral distress scores ranged from 0 to 336 and varied by discipline (P burnout varied by discipline; however, moral distress was a significant contributing factor for all providers. Those with burnout were more likely to report inadequate work-life balance and a low level of career satisfaction; however, overall there was a high level of career satisfaction across disciplines. Burnout, moral distress, and inadequate work-life balance existed at a variable rate in all HCT disciplines, yet career satisfaction was high. These results suggest specific areas to address in the work environment for HCT health professionals, especially the need for relief of

  3. Generation SMH (shaking my head): Work-Life Balance and Generational Realities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, M. B.

    2012-12-01

    Many Federal Agencies have 'workforce development' programs that focus on preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers at the graduate and undergraduate level. Several of the science Agencies (e.g., NASA, NOAA, EPA, etc.), have programs that support students in many of the diverse disciplines that are unique to those Agency missions. While financial support certainly is critical to assist students in the STEM and other fields, professional development is just as important to equip students with a balanced arsenal of tactics to be successful professionals in the STEM workforce of today. Finding life balance as one moves through a STEM career path poses unique challenges that require a certain skill set that is not always intuitive. Some of those challenges include: selecting grad or post doc positions (negotiating to a family's advantage); balancing work and family commitments; and dealing with employer/advisor perceptions and expectations. For current and future generations in STEM, many of the above mentioned challenges require additional skill in negotiating interactions with individuals from other generations. Understanding perceptions and managing expectations are learnable skills that do not necessarily come with project funding.

  4. The impact of work-life balance on intention to stay in academia: Results from a national survey of pharmacy faculty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindfelt, Tristan; Ip, Eric J; Gomez, Alejandra; Barnett, Mitchell J

    2018-04-01

    Border-Crossing theory suggests work-life balance and career satisfaction are inter-related and disappointment in work-life balance may predict changes in one's career path. Application of this theory to health profession faculty is plausible but has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study is to examine factors related to reported career change intention among United States pharmacy school faculty and to determine if Border-Crossing theory fits these observations. Results from a national web-based survey administered via Qualtrics ® to American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) members were utilized. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare differences among faculty stating an intention to stay or leave academia. A logistic multivariate model was used to determine if work-life balance remains significant when controlling for other variables and if survey results support the Border-Crossing theory. Nearly all (seven hundred of 811 responders, or 86.3%) stated a desire to stay in academia. Faculty with higher work-life balance were more likely to report an intent to remain in academia. Male, older, full-professor and non-pharmacy practice faculty (social or administrative science, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and others) were more likely to state an intention to remain in academia relative to their counterparts. Lower stress, as measured by the validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores, was seen among faculty stating a desire to remain in academia. Work-life balance remained significantly inversely related to career change intention after controlling for all other factors. A significant factor related to pharmacy faculty's stated intention to remain in academia was work-life balance. Other factors such as gender, age, rank, stress level and department may also play a role. These results support the application of the Border-Crossing theory in health profession faculty and may provide pharmacy school administrators and stakeholders

  5. Work-life balance and subjective well-being: the mediating role of need fulfilment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gröpel, Peter; Kuhl, Julius

    2009-05-01

    The relationship between work-life balance (WLB) (i.e. the perceived sufficiency of the time available for work and social life) and well-being is well-documented. However, previous research failed to sufficiently explain why this relationship exists. In this research, the hypothesis was tested that a sufficient amount of the time available increases well-being because it facilitates satisfaction of personal needs. Using two separate samples (students and employees), the mediating role of need fulfilment in the relationship between WLB and well-being was supported. The results suggest that perceived sufficiency of the time available for work and social life predicts the level of well-being only if the individual's needs are fulfilled within that time.

  6. Understanding the experience of midlife women taking part in a work-life balance career coaching programme: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Brown, C.; Yates, J.

    2018-01-01

    Midlife women currently have the highest ever presence in the work place with many juggling work with demanding home lives. Women are reporting increased dissatisfaction with their work - life balance yet few studies exist exploring how practical interventions might help . This action - research involved five female participants , based in Lon don, on a career coaching programme designed to improve work - life balance. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis suggested the programme offered a...

  7. The construction of work–life balance: The experience of Black employees in a call-centre environment

    OpenAIRE

    Sonia C.B. Potgieter; Antoni Barnard

    2010-01-01

    Orientation: Work–life balance, as a crucial aspect of employee and organisational wellness, remains an interesting field of research, especially due to the changing demographic employee profile.Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore Black employees’ construction of work–life balance in a customer care environment.Motivation for the study: The conceptual debate regarding the construct of work–life balance in general as well as limited qualitative research with regard to B...

  8. Achieving Work-Life Balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Setting, Part I: The Role of the Head Athletic Trainer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Goodman, Ashley; Pitney, William A.

    2015-01-01

    Context: Supervisor support has been identified as key to the fulfillment of work-life balance for the athletic trainer (AT), yet limited literature exists on the perspectives of supervisors. Objective: To investigate how the head AT facilitates work-life balance among staff members within the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered for an asynchronous, Web-based interview. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a general inductive approach. Results: Four prevailing themes emerged from the data: modeling work-life balance, encouraging disengagement from the AT role, cooperation and community workplace, and administrative support and understanding. Conclusions: Head ATs at the Division I level recognized the need to promote work-life balance among their staffs. They not only were supportive of policies that promote work-life balance, including spending time away from the role of the AT and teamwork among staff members, but also modeled and practiced the strategies that they promoted. PMID:25343530

  9. A National study on the antecedents and outcomes of work-life balance in Iran

    OpenAIRE

    Tavassoli, Tara; Suñé Torrents, Albert

    2018-01-01

    This paper examines the impact of work-life balance (WLB) on individual outcomes of full time employees in Iran. This research aims to identify the influence of WLB on job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Moreover, this paper aims to identify the influence of a selected group of antecedents (job autonomy, work demands and supervisor work-family support) on WLB. Structural equation modeling in AMOS is used to analyze data from a sample of 203 full time workers in I...

  10. The effects of physical therapy on exaggerated muscle tonicity, balance and quality of life on hemiparetic patients due to stroke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoseinabadi, M.R.; Taheri, H.R.; Keavanloo, F.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To determine the effects of physical therapy on balance, exaggerated muscle tonicity and quality of life on patients with hemiparesis. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2011 among male hemiparetic patients secondary to stroke, at a physiotherapy centre in Neyshabur, Iran. Twenty-four patients were randomly assigned to two equal groups representing the cases and the controls. The cases were assigned to do the practical protocol for 4 weeks. To collect the data, Berg Balance Scaling, Modified Ashworth Scale, Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index and demographic questionnaires were used. Paired and un-paired t-tests were used to analyse data. All analyses were done on SPSS 16. Results: The two groups were similar before intervention. Post-test analysis showed that the average balance and quality of life significantly improved (p<0.001) among the cases, and the quadriceps muscle tonicity decreased (p<0.001). Among the controls, there was no significant change between pre-test and post-test readings. Conclusions: Physical therapy can enhance balance and quality of life of hemiparetic patients and reduces their exaggerated muscle tonicity. (author)

  11. How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orkibi, Hod; Brandt, Yaron Ilan

    2015-08-01

    The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees' positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way) and their job satisfaction (N = 108). As theorized, the results indicate that employees' ability to manage their work-life balance fully mediates the relation between their positive orientation and job satisfaction. This suggests that a positive orientation serves as an adaptive personal resource that can facilitate employees' ability to balance work and non-work demands and hence can foster job satisfaction. The practical implications for positive psychological interventions in organizational settings are discussed.

  12. In search of the perfect manager? Work-life balance and managerial work

    OpenAIRE

    Ford, J; Collinson, D L

    2011-01-01

    Work-life balance debates continue to proliferate but give relatively little critical attention to managerial workers. This article draws on research into the experiences of managers in a local government organization revealing an intricate, multifaceted and heterogeneous picture of fragmentation, conflicting demands, pressures and anxieties. The study highlights the importance of paid work for public sector managers; the concomitant difficulties in controlling working hours for those in mana...

  13. National culture, work-life balance and employee well-being in European tourism firms: the moderating effect of uncertainty avoidance values

    OpenAIRE

    Lucia-Casademunt, Ana M.; García-Cabrera, Antonia M.; Cuéllar-Molina, Deybbi G.

    2015-01-01

    The competitive advantage of companies rests upon work attitudes and the behavior of their employees. Work-life balance initiatives are considered to be an important antecedent of employees’ well-being, and thus a factor that highly conditions employees’ work attitudes and behavior. This study explores these relationships in the tourism industry, where hotels and restaurants offer day and night services that could harm work-life balance. Also, in the tourism industry, the national diversity o...

  14. Chance for balance: Chance for balance

    OpenAIRE

    Sævild, Katariina; Skov Sørensen, Katrine; Kildahl Lauritsen, Louise; Fuglsang, Sofie Olivia; Arnbjerg, Stine Høegh

    2015-01-01

    This project investigates how (im) balance between family and career influences Danish women's desire to have children. In order to answer this question, we have chosen to use qualitative method and our analysis is based on two semi-structured research interviews with two chosen women. Thus these women’s definition of balance and their view on children define the project. We have chosen to use of work-life balance theories, Thomas Hoejrup’s lifeform-analysis and Anthony Giddens’ theories of s...

  15. There’s a dad for that! : Naming men in work-life balance and entrepreneurial decision-making

    OpenAIRE

    Rice, Joseph; Collinson, David; Gatrell, Caroline

    2017-01-01

    This thesis explores work-family balance in relation to entrepreneurial decision-making using men and masculinities literature as the lens of critical analysis. This research critically examines men’s subjective work-life balance experiences by evaluating their attempts to navigate between their fatherhood and entrepreneurial goals. There has been a flood of research since the introduction of Greenhaus and Beutell’s (1985) sources of conflict between work and family where the central focus is...

  16. Achieving work-life balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting, part II: perspectives from head athletic trainers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Ashley; Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Pitney, William A

    2015-01-01

    Work-life balance has been examined at the collegiate level from multiple perspectives except for the athletic trainer (AT) serving in a managerial or leadership role. To investigate challenges and strategies used in achieving work-life balance from the perspective of the head AT at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Qualitative study. Web-based management system. A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered. Participants journaled their thoughts and experiences in response to a series of questions. To establish data credibility, we included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review. We used a general inductive approach to analyze the data. Two higher-order themes emerged from our analysis of the data: organizational challenges and work-life balance strategies. The organizational challenges theme contained 2 lower-order themes: lack of autonomy and role demands. The work-life balance strategies theme contained 3 lower-order themes: prioritization of commitments, strategic boundary setting, and work-family integration. Head ATs are susceptible to experiencing work-life imbalance just as ATs in nonsupervisory roles are. Although not avoidable, the causes are manageable. Head ATs are encouraged to prioritize their personal time, make efforts to spend time away from their demanding positions, and reduce the number of additional responsibilities that can impede time available to spend away from work.

  17. Effect of animal-assisted activity on balance and quality of life in home-dwelling persons with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Christine; Pedersen, Ingeborg; Bergland, Astrid; Enders-Slegers, Marie-José; Ihlebæk, Camilla

    2016-01-01

    Purpose of the study was to examine if animal-assisted activity with a dog (AAA) in home-dwelling persons with dementia (PWDs) attending day-care centers would have an effect on factors related to risk of fall accidents, with balance (Berg balance scale) and quality of life (Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia) as main outcome. The project was conducted as a prospective and cluster-randomized multicenter trial with a follow-up. 16 adapted day-care centers recruited respectively 42 (intervention group) and 38 (control group with treatment as usual) home-dwelling PWDs. The intervention consisted of 30 min sessions with AAA led by a qualified dog handler twice a week for 12 weeks in groups of 3-7 participants. The significant positive effect on balance indicates that AAA might work as a multifactorial intervention in dementia care and have useful clinical implication by affecting risk of fall. ClinicalTrial.gov; NCT02008630. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of Gait Retraining on Balance, Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life and Depression in Stroke Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Farhadian

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Stroke is one of the most common neurological disease and it is the main cause of physical and mental disability and staying in house. Gait difficulties have high incidence in patients with stroke. So the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gait retraining on balance, activities of daily living, quality of life and depressionin stroke patients. Methods: This study was a clinical trial without control group. Sampling was performed by convenience sampling method and 18 patients participated. After recording demographic data, Berg Balance Scale, Barthel Index, SF36 questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory-II used in pre-test and post-test to assess balance, activities of daily living, quality of life and depression, respectively .Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and paired T-test. Results: The results showed statistically significant correlation in pre-test and difference between mean score of the all instruments before and after the intervention. Discussion: According to high prevalence of gait difficulties in stroke patients, it seems interventions in this area is necessary. Statistical results showed that the gait retraining intervention may have a positive effect on improving balance, activities of daily living, quality of life and depression of these patients. According to lack of information in this area, further research is needed.

  19. Influence of virtual reality on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women: controlled clinical trial randomized

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Oliveira Ribeiro

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: During pregnancy women undergo several transformations, which promote changes in their gravity center (GC and can result in postural and balance changes. Objective: To evaluate the influence of Nintendo WiiFit Plus® on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women in the third trimester. Methods: 250 pregnant women enrolled through a non-probabilistic sampling process. The sample consisted of 32 women selected according to the eligibility criteria (nulliparity; low-risk pregnancy, absence of musculoskeletal disorders or surgical procedures in the spine, pelvis, hip or knee, musculoskeletal disorders, allocated as follows: 17 pregnant women in the control group (CG and 15 pregnant women in the experimental group (EG. The intervention was performed in 12 sessions of 30 minutes each, three times a week. Sociodemographic and obstetric data were presented as median and interquartile range (25% - 75%. A comparison of the relative values of variables before and after the exercise program was performed using the 2x2 ANOVA test (5% significance level. Results: There were no significant statistical differences in variables related to postural balance (P > 0.06 and quality of life (P > 0.13. Conclusion: The use of Nintendo WiiFit Plus games was not able to promote improvement in postural balance and quality of life of the pregnant women studied.

  20. Evaluation of satisfaction with work-life balance among U.S. Gynecologic Oncology fellows: A cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szender, J Brian; Grzankowski, Kassondra S; Eng, Kevin H; Odunsi, Kunle; Frederick, Peter J

    2016-04-01

    To characterize the state of satisfaction with work-life balance (WLB) among gynecologic oncology fellows in training, risk factors for dissatisfaction, and the impact of dissatisfaction on career plans. A cross-sectional evaluation of gynecologic oncology fellows was performed using a web-based survey. Demographic data, fellowship characteristics, and career plans were surveyed. The primary outcomes were satisfaction with WLB and career choices. p balance.

  1. Do Family Responsibilities and a Clinical Versus Research Faculty Position Affect Satisfaction with Career and Work–Life Balance for Medical School Faculty?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckett, Laurel; Nettiksimmons, Jasmine; Howell, Lydia Pleotis

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Background: Balancing career and family obligations poses challenges to medical school faculty and contributes to dissatisfaction and attrition from academics. We examined the relationship between family setting and responsibilities, rank, and career and work–life satisfaction for faculty in a large U.S. medical school. Methods: Baseline faculty surveys were analyzed from the first year of a 4-year National Institutes of Health–funded study to evaluate awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and use of family friendly policies and career satisfaction. The study focus was on the impact of family responsibilities and characteristics of the faculty position (rank, clinical vs. nonclinical, and academic series) in multivariate comparisons between primary predictors and outcomes of interest. Results: Both clinical and family responsibilities for children under 18 play a major and interacting role in satisfaction with career and work–life balance. Clinical faculty respondents without children at home reported significantly greater career satisfaction and better work–life balance than their nonclinical counterparts. Nonclinical faculty respondents with children reported greater satisfaction and better balance than counterparts without family responsibilities. However, the advantage in career satisfaction and work–life balance for clinical faculty respondents disappeared for those with responsibility for young children. No gender-based differences were noted in the results or across faculty rank for respondents; however, for women, reaching associate professor resulted in greater career satisfaction. Conclusion: This study suggests that both work-related factors and family responsibilities influence satisfaction with career and work–life balance, but the predictors appear to interact in complex and nuanced ways. Further research is needed to delineate more clearly these interactions and to explore other factors that may play important additional roles. PMID

  2. Do Family Responsibilities and a Clinical Versus Research Faculty Position Affect Satisfaction with Career and Work-Life Balance for Medical School Faculty?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckett, Laurel; Nettiksimmons, Jasmine; Howell, Lydia Pleotis; Villablanca, Amparo C

    2015-06-01

    Balancing career and family obligations poses challenges to medical school faculty and contributes to dissatisfaction and attrition from academics. We examined the relationship between family setting and responsibilities, rank, and career and work-life satisfaction for faculty in a large U.S. medical school. Baseline faculty surveys were analyzed from the first year of a 4-year National Institutes of Health-funded study to evaluate awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and use of family friendly policies and career satisfaction. The study focus was on the impact of family responsibilities and characteristics of the faculty position (rank, clinical vs. nonclinical, and academic series) in multivariate comparisons between primary predictors and outcomes of interest. Both clinical and family responsibilities for children under 18 play a major and interacting role in satisfaction with career and work-life balance. Clinical faculty respondents without children at home reported significantly greater career satisfaction and better work-life balance than their nonclinical counterparts. Nonclinical faculty respondents with children reported greater satisfaction and better balance than counterparts without family responsibilities. However, the advantage in career satisfaction and work-life balance for clinical faculty respondents disappeared for those with responsibility for young children. No gender-based differences were noted in the results or across faculty rank for respondents; however, for women, reaching associate professor resulted in greater career satisfaction. This study suggests that both work-related factors and family responsibilities influence satisfaction with career and work-life balance, but the predictors appear to interact in complex and nuanced ways. Further research is needed to delineate more clearly these interactions and to explore other factors that may play important additional roles.

  3. Mothers and work-life balance: Exploring the contradictions and complexities involved in work-family negotiation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    L. Wattis (Louise); J.F. Standing (Joseph); M.A. Yerkes (Mara)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThis article presents data from a project exploring women's experiences of work and care. It focuses primarily on work-life balance as a problematic concept. Social and economic transformations across advanced post-industrial economies have resulted in concerns about how individuals

  4. How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orkibi, Hod; Brandt, Yaron Ilan

    2015-01-01

    The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees’ positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way) and their job satisfaction (N = 108). As theorized, the results indicate that employees’ ability to manage their work-life balance fully mediates the relation between their positive orientation and job satisfaction. This suggests that a positive orientation serves as an adaptive personal resource that can facilitate employees’ ability to balance work and non-work demands and hence can foster job satisfaction. The practical implications for positive psychological interventions in organizational settings are discussed. PMID:27247666

  5. How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hod Orkibi

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees’ positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way and their job satisfaction (N = 108. As theorized, the results indicate that employees’ ability to manage their work-life balance fully mediates the relation between their positive orientation and job satisfaction. This suggests that a positive orientation serves as an adaptive personal resource that can facilitate employees’ ability to balance work and non-work demands and hence can foster job satisfaction. The practical implications for positive psychological interventions in organizational settings are discussed.

  6. Analyzing work life balance and burnout as predictors of job satisfaction in IT industry of Gurgaon A case study of IBM & WIPRO in 2008-10

    OpenAIRE

    K, Charu; Gupta, Sachin

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, the term work/life balance has replaced what used to be known as work/family balance16. Although the concept of family has broadened to encompass extended families, shared parenting, same-sex relationships and a wide range of social and support networks and communities, the semantic shift from work/family to work/life arises from a recognition that care of dependent children is by no means the only important non-work function. Other life activities that need to be balanced wi...

  7. An exploratory study of work-life balance in Nigeria: Employees’ perspectives of coping with the role conflicts

    OpenAIRE

    Babatunde Oluwatoyin Akanji

    2013-01-01

    Using a phenomenological methodology, the purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of work-life conflicts (WLC) in Nigeria. Evidently, work-life research is a social concept originating from the western societies but over the years, advanced management and business studies are beginning to emerge showcasing the relevance, significance and challenges of Work-Life Balance (WLB) practices in developing nations. Against this backdrop, 51 in-depth interviews were conducted with employees...

  8. The effects of time-spatial flexibility and new working conditions on employees’ work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Peters, P.; Dulk, L. den; Lippe, T. van der

    2009-01-01

    Part-time work, flexible working hours, and home-based teleworking are HR instruments which are used to facilitate reconciliation of work and family life. It can be questioned, however, whether these arrangements really enhance work-life balance. This paper examines whether time-spatial flexibility reduces negative work-home interference, and if so, whether this also holds true for the category of ‘New Employees’ working under so-called ‘New Working Conditions’ which are characterised by prof...

  9. Achieving Work-Life Balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Setting, Part II: Perspectives From Head Athletic Trainers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Ashley; Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Pitney, William A.

    2015-01-01

    Context: Work-life balance has been examined at the collegiate level from multiple perspectives except for the athletic trainer (AT) serving in a managerial or leadership role. Objective: To investigate challenges and strategies used in achieving work-life balance from the perspective of the head AT at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants journaled their thoughts and experiences in response to a series of questions. To establish data credibility, we included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review. We used a general inductive approach to analyze the data. Results: Two higher-order themes emerged from our analysis of the data: organizational challenges and work-life balance strategies. The organizational challenges theme contained 2 lower-order themes: lack of autonomy and role demands. The work-life balance strategies theme contained 3 lower-order themes: prioritization of commitments, strategic boundary setting, and work-family integration. Conclusions: Head ATs are susceptible to experiencing work-life imbalance just as ATs in nonsupervisory roles are. Although not avoidable, the causes are manageable. Head ATs are encouraged to prioritize their personal time, make efforts to spend time away from their demanding positions, and reduce the number of additional responsibilities that can impede time available to spend away from work. PMID:25098746

  10. Managing a work-life balance: the experiences of midwives working in a group practice setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fereday, Jennifer; Oster, Candice

    2010-06-01

    To explore how a group of midwives achieved a work-life balance working within a caseload model of care with flexible work hours and on-call work. in-depth interviews were conducted and the data were analysed using a data-driven thematic analysis technique. Children, Youth and Women's Health Service (CYWHS) (previously Women's and Children's Hospital), Adelaide, where a midwifery service known as Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) offers a caseload model of care to women within a midwife-managed unit. 17 midwives who were currently working, or had previously worked, in MGP. analysis of the midwives' individual experiences provided insight into how midwives managed the flexible hours and on-call work to achieve a sustainable work-life balance within a caseload model of care. it is important for midwives working in MGP to actively manage the flexibility of their role with time on call. Organisational, team and individual structure influenced how flexibility of hours was managed; however, a period of adjustment was required to achieve this balance. the study findings offer a description of effective, sustainable strategies to manage flexible hours and on-call work that may assist other midwives working in a similar role or considering this type of work setting. Copyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Balancing Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    Part of being an Active, More Powerful You means finding balance in your daily life: taking on the Must-dos and finding time for some Should Dos and Want-to-Dos. Sometimes, emotions and commitments can come into play and upset the balance.

  12. Explanatory factors of Work-Life Balance and time management leading to the well being in the vision of paranaian accountants1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stella Maris Lima Altoé

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, work-life balance has been focus of debates that aim to approach on the integration between the different domains work and family. The discussions seek to reduce the role conflicts inherent in these spheres. In certain professions, due to the intense work, one observes the intensification of the conflicts of roles. This fact shows that the accounting profession presents specific demands in certain periods, so the professional is overwhelmed with tasks and needs to manage his time properly. Thus, the study aims to identify which are the factors that explain the perception of accountants from Paraná regarding their work-life balance and time management. Through an online survey, from the research instrument adapted from the study of Wong and Ko (2009, 267 registered registries in the state of Paraná answered the questionnaire. To analyze the data, we used descriptive statistics and factor analysis. From the factor analysis technique, three factors were identified as explanatory of work-life balance: (1 work support; (2 commitment to work; and (3 commitment to family and personal aspects. In addition to the three work-life balance factors identified, time management was considered. The results of this research are in line with the findings of Wong and Ko (2009. As a scientific contribution, this study enables relevant discussions on aspects related to the quality of life and the performance of accounting professionals.

  13. History of falls, balance performance, and quality of life in older cancer survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Min H; Lytle, Tracy; Miller, Kara A; Smith, Kristin; Fredrickson, Kayle

    2014-07-01

    Older cancer survivors may be predisposed to falls because of the sequalae associated with cancer and its treatments. This study examined the association between the fall history, balance performance, and health-related quality of life (QoL) in older, community-dwelling cancer survivors who had completed primary cancer treatments. Forty-one cancer survivors (age = 67.9 ± 8.8 years) participated in the study. Balance performance was examined using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) and the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest). Scores from the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the SF-36v2 were obtained to assess the QoL. The demographics and health status were comparable between the fallers and non-fallers. While 54% of the participants had experienced at least one fall in the past 12 months, 30% had experienced two or more falls. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the outcomes from the ABC and the PCS (p falling by 13% (p falls are a significant problem and balance control is a determinant of perceived physical function and well-being. Older cancer survivors reporting a poor QoL in the physical health domain may have higher risks of falling. Future studies are needed to examine the risk factor profiles of falls and the interventions to prevent falls in older cancer survivors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Effect of therapeutic horseback riding on balance in community-dwelling older adults with balance deficits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Homnick, Douglas N; Henning, Kim M; Swain, Charlene V; Homnick, Tamara D

    2013-07-01

    Falls are an important cause of morbidity in older adults. Equine-assisted activities including therapeutic riding (TR) benefit balance and neuromuscular control in patients with neurological disabilities but have not been systematically studied in older adults at greater risk for falls due to balance deficits. The effect of an 8-week TR program on measures of balance and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults with established balance deficits was evaluated. This was a pretest-post-test single-group trial of a TR program on measures of balance and quality of life. The study was conducted at a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International Premier riding center. The subjects comprised 9 adults (5 female, 4 males) with a mean age 76.4 years (range 71-83 years). This included an 8-week observation period followed by an 8-week TR program consisting of 1 hour per week of supervised horseback riding and an 8-week follow-up period. SUBJECTS received balance testing at weeks 0, 8, 16, and 24 using the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale (FABS), and quality of life was measured at weeks 8 and 16 using the Rand SF (short form) 36 quality-of-life measure. OUTCOME MEASURES were change in the FABS and Rand SF 36. There was no significant difference in balance scores between the start and end of the observation period. There was a significant improvement in the balance score and perception of general health from the start to the end of the intervention period, and no significant difference between the end of the intervention and the end of study, suggesting that improvements may have been sustained. TR is a safe activity for older adults with mild to moderate balance deficits and leads to both improvements in balance and quality of life. Longer and larger studies to assess the benefit of equine-assisted activities on improvements in balance and reduction in fall risk are needed.

  15. Flexible work practices and the LIS sector: balancing the needs of work and life?

    OpenAIRE

    O'Brien, Terry; Hayden, Helen

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and analysis of current legislation and various schemes and practices that are available to employers and employees in relation to work life balance, family friendly work arrangements, leave entitlements and diverse modes of flexible work in Ireland. Focuses in particular on the Library and Information sector.

  16. Use of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board for Studying Standing Static Balance Control: Technical Considerations, Force-Plate Congruency, and the Effect of Battery Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Tyler B; Ma, Christine; Laing, Andrew C

    2017-02-01

    The Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) has become popular as a low-cost alternative to research-grade force plates. The purposes of this study were to characterize a series of technical specifications for the WBB, to compare balance control metrics derived from time-varying center of pressure (COP) signals collected simultaneously from a WBB and a research-grade force plate, and to investigate the effects of battery life. Drift, linearity, hysteresis, mass accuracy, uniformity of response, and COP accuracy were assessed from a WBB. In addition, 6 participants completed an eyes-closed quiet standing task on the WBB (at 3 battery life levels) mounted on a force plate while sway was simultaneously measured by both systems. Characterization results were all associated with less than 1% error. R 2 values reflecting WBB sensor linearity were > .99. Known and measured COP differences were lowest at the center of the WBB and greatest at the corners. Between-device differences in quiet stance COP summary metrics were of limited clinical significance. Lastly, battery life did not affect WBB COP accuracy, but did influence 2 of 8 quiet stance WBB parameters. This study provides general support for the WBB as a low-cost alternative to research-grade force plates for quantifying COP movement during standing.

  17. ANDREEA NICOLĂESCU, The Work-Life Balance in Current EU Labour Market Policies

    OpenAIRE

    CRISTINA LEOVARIDIS

    2011-01-01

    A work-life balance is one of the factors that increases an employee's individual satisfaction, leading to higher economic performance, an aspect that is found in most EU strategic documents dealing with the labour market. Focusing on gender differences, the article carries out a comparative analysis of the situation in EU Member States, on several dimensions: working time, flexible work arrangements, providing opportunities for assuming different domestic responsibilities etc.

  18. Work-life Balance Decision-making of Norwegian Students: Implications for Human Resources Management

    OpenAIRE

    Gawlik, Remigiusz; Jacobsen, Gorm

    2016-01-01

    Objective: The paper aims at identifying and assessing the significance of work-life balance determinants between the Youth of highly developed societies and its implications for human resources management on the example of Norway. Research Design & Methods: The research target group consists of 236 respondents recruited among Norwegian tertiary education students. It employed literature analysis , two-stage exploratory research: direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a se...

  19. Coordinating everyday life in the Netherlands: a holistic quantitative approach to the analysis of ICT-related and other work-life balance strategies.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hubers, C.G.T.M.; Schwanen, T.; Dijst, M.J.

    2011-01-01

    Due to women’s increased participation in the labour force, more and more family-households are now juggling paid labour and care-giving in space and time and do so in many different ways. Much research and policy about how households try to establish a satisfactory work-life balance singles out

  20. A national comparison of burnout and work-life balance among internal medicine hospitalists and outpatient general internists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Daniel L; Shanafelt, Tait D; Dyrbye, Liselotte N; West, Colin P

    2014-03-01

    General internists suffer higher rates of burnout and lower satisfaction with work-life balance than most specialties, but the impact of inpatient vs outpatient practice location is unclear. Physicians in the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile were previously surveyed about burnout, depression, suicidal ideation, quality of life, fatigue, work-life balance, career plans, and health behaviors. We extracted and compared data for these variables for the 130 internal medicine hospitalists and 448 outpatient general internists who participated. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, hours worked, and practice setting. There were 52.3% of the hospitalists and 54.5% of the outpatient internists affected by burnout (P = 0.86). High scores on the emotional exhaustion subscale (43.8% vs 48.1%, P = 0.71) and on the depersonalization subscale (42.3% vs 32.7%, P = 0.17) were common but similar in frequency in the 2 groups. Hospitalists were more likely to score low on the personal accomplishment subscale (20.3% vs 9.6%, P = 0.04). There were no differences in symptoms of depression (40.3% for hospitalists vs 40.0% for outpatient internists, P = 0.73) or recent suicidality (9.2% vs 5.8%, P = 0.15). Rates of reported recent work-home conflict were similar (48.4% vs 41.3%, P = 0.64), but hospitalists were more likely to agree that their work schedule leaves enough time for their personal life and family (50.0% vs 42.0%, P = 0.007). Burnout was common among both hospitalists and outpatient general internists, although hospitalists were more satisfied with work-life balance. A better understanding of the causes of distress and identification of solutions for all internists is needed. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine.

  1. THE SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF WORK LIFE BALANCE: KEYS FOR INTERVENTION

    OpenAIRE

    Marina Romeo; Montserrat Yepes-Baldó; Rita Berger

    2014-01-01

    The current global economic crisis has led us to ask how to generate competitive advantages that have an impact on organizational effectiveness without jeopardizing the employees’ quality of life. The importance of the development of health and safety policies (Montero, Araque, & Rey, 2009), and within these, family-friendly policies promoting the work-life balance (WLB) of employees (Leon & Chinchilla, 2010; Urcelay, 2005) has been pointed out by various authors in our country. This ar...

  2. How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Orkibi, Hod; Brandt, Yaron Ilan

    2015-01-01

    The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees’ positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way) and their job satisfaction (N = 108). As theorized, the results indicate that employees’ ability to manage their work-life balance fully ...

  3. Class transformation and work-life balance in urban Britain: the case of Manchester.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Kevin; Fagan, Colette; McDowell, Linda; Perrons, Diane; Ray, Kathryn

    2010-01-01

    Recent years have seen an expansion in the work on the attitudes, beliefs and preferences of those middle-class groups that have accompanied the return of capital to many North American and western European city centres and their surrounding urban suburbs. Yet despite this, it is argued that there is little research linking gentrification to wider processes of social transformation, particularly debates over housing market decision-making, the balancing of work and life, and the gender division of labour within the household. It is to examining the interaction of these aspects of everyday life in a gentrifying area that this paper turns, using the example of Chorlton, a southern urban suburb of Manchester.

  4. Views of Japanese medical students on the work-life balance of female physicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Keiko; Nin, Tomoni; Akano, Megumi; Hasuike, Yukiko; Iijima, Hiroko; Suzuki, Keiichirou

    2017-05-11

    To survey medical students on their ideas of future work-life balance and discuss topics for next-generation medical education. First-year (n=372, 34.9% female) and sixth-year medical students (n=311, 44.1% female) responded to a questionnaire on future self, marriage and childcare, and gender differences at the workplace. Responses were compared between academic years and gender. Responses were evaluated by gender and academic year using the Mann-Whitney U test.  Significance was set at pwork part-time. Also among first-year students, greater percentages of female students expected to work part-time or leave their jobs temporarily while raising their children. Compared with first-year male students, first-year female students expected to undertake larger portions of the childcare and housework burden than their partners. However, gender differences in work-life balance and childcare leave vanished in the sixth-year students. Female medical students accepted childcare and housework burdens as inevitable; the work environment they choose might affect their career development. While support from male partners and institutions must be increased, voluntary actions and change in mentality of female students need to be promoted through medical education to prevent them from waiting passively for the situation to change.

  5. An Overview of Work Life Balance of Employees Across the Sectors – with Reference to Indian Context

    OpenAIRE

    K.Karthick

    2017-01-01

    Work is an integral part of our everyday life, as it is our livelihood or career. Working community tend to spend twelve hours daily in the work place, that is one third of their entire life. As an outcome, it does influence the overall quality of our life. Understanding the importance of the Cruz, successful organizations have taken initiatives to support and provide facilities to their employees to help them to balance the scales. In this process, organizations are coming up with new and in...

  6. Exploring the Work/Life/Study Balance: The Experience of Higher Education Students in a Scottish Further Education College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowe, Janet; Gayle, Vernon

    2007-01-01

    This study explores the dimensions of the work/life/study balance and its influence on student participation in higher education, through a case study of the experience of higher education students, studying both full time and part time, in a Scottish further education college. The experience of the students and the work/life/study challenges that…

  7. Wage Premiums for Firms' Work-Life Balance Practice: Evidence from Japanese matched firm-worker data (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    KURODA Sachiko; YAMAMOTO Isamu

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates the compensating wages hypothesis for work-life practices, by examining how workers' wages are lowered when work-life balance practices are introduced into the workplace. Two types of data, observed and hypothetical one, reveal the following. First, we find a negative wage premium of about 9% for male workers when estimating wage function based on the treatment-effect model. Second, the answers to hypothetical questions such as "how much of a wage cut is appropriate if...

  8. ANDREEA NICOLĂESCU, The Work-Life Balance in Current EU Labour Market Policies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CRISTINA LEOVARIDIS

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available A work-life balance is one of the factors that increases an employee's individual satisfaction, leading to higher economic performance, an aspect that is found in most EU strategic documents dealing with the labour market. Focusing on gender differences, the article carries out a comparative analysis of the situation in EU Member States, on several dimensions: working time, flexible work arrangements, providing opportunities for assuming different domestic responsibilities etc.

  9. Learning towards enabling work-family life balance for female professionals in Ghanaian organizations

    OpenAIRE

    Aryeetey, Majoreen; Yeboah, Frank Yaw; Sanda, Mohammed-Aminu

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges inhibiting professional female employees from maintaining good work-life balances, and also to develop a framework that organizations can use to understand such gender-oriented challenges towards the design of alternative work arrangements to enhance the retention of professional female employees. An exploratory approach was used with data collected through a survey. The study revealed that conflicts between work and non-work obligations...

  10. ‘You can't be a person and a doctor’: the work–life balance of doctors in training—a qualitative study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viney, Rowena; Needleman, Sarah; Griffin, Ann

    2016-01-01

    Objectives Investigate the work–life balance of doctors in training in the UK from the perspectives of trainers and trainees. Design Qualitative semistructured focus groups and interviews with trainees and trainers. Setting Postgraduate medical training in London, Yorkshire and Humber, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and Wales during the junior doctor contract dispute at the end of 2015. Part of a larger General Medical Council study about the fairness of postgraduate medical training. Participants 96 trainees and 41 trainers. Trainees comprised UK graduates and International Medical Graduates, across all stages of training in 6 specialties (General Practice, Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Surgery) and Foundation. Results Postgraduate training was characterised by work–life imbalance. Long hours at work were typically supplemented with revision and completion of the e-portfolio. Trainees regularly moved workplaces which could disrupt their personal lives and sometimes led to separation from friends and family. This made it challenging to cope with personal pressures, the stresses of which could then impinge on learning and training, while also leaving trainees with a lack of social support outside work to buffer against the considerable stresses of training. Low morale and harm to well-being resulted in some trainees feeling dehumanised. Work–life imbalance was particularly severe for those with children and especially women who faced a lack of less-than-full-time positions and discriminatory attitudes. Female trainees frequently talked about having to choose a specialty they felt was more conducive to a work–life balance such as General Practice. The proposed junior doctor contract was felt to exacerbate existing problems. Conclusions A lack of work–life balance in postgraduate medical training negatively impacted on trainees' learning and well-being. Women with children were particularly affected, suggesting this group would

  11. A qualitative study of work-life balance amongst specialist orthodontists in the United Kingdom

    OpenAIRE

    Cunningham, S. J.; Bateman, L. E.; Collins, J. M.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To identify factors affecting work-life balance amongst male and female orthodontists in the United Kingdom. Design: A qualitative interview-based study with a cross-sectional design. Subjects: Specialist orthodontists working in specialist practice and the hospital service in the United Kingdom were selected by purposive sampling. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen orthodontic specialists. Interview transcripts were analysed using Framework A...

  12. Influence of virtual reality on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women: controlled clinical trial randomized

    OpenAIRE

    Ribeiro, Silvia Oliveira; Sousa, Vanessa Patrícia Soares de; Viana, Elizabel de Souza Ramalho

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Introduction: During pregnancy women undergo several transformations, which promote changes in their gravity center (GC) and can result in postural and balance changes. Objective: To evaluate the influence of Nintendo WiiFit Plus® on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women in the third trimester. Methods: 250 pregnant women enrolled through a non-probabilistic sampling process. The sample consisted of 32 women selected according to the eligibility criteria (nullipar...

  13. Managing the Risky Humanity of Academic Workers: Risk and Reciprocity in University Work-Life Balance Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saltmarsh, Sue; Randell-Moon, Holly

    2015-01-01

    University work-life balance policies increasingly offer academic workers a range of possible options for managing the competing demands of work, family, and community obligations. Flexible work arrangements, family-friendly hours and campus facilities, physical well-being and mental health programs typify strategies for formally acknowledging the…

  14. 'You can't be a person and a doctor': the work-life balance of doctors in training-a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rich, Antonia; Viney, Rowena; Needleman, Sarah; Griffin, Ann; Woolf, Katherine

    2016-12-02

    Investigate the work-life balance of doctors in training in the UK from the perspectives of trainers and trainees. Qualitative semistructured focus groups and interviews with trainees and trainers. Postgraduate medical training in London, Yorkshire and Humber, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and Wales during the junior doctor contract dispute at the end of 2015. Part of a larger General Medical Council study about the fairness of postgraduate medical training. 96 trainees and 41 trainers. Trainees comprised UK graduates and International Medical Graduates, across all stages of training in 6 specialties (General Practice, Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Surgery) and Foundation. Postgraduate training was characterised by work-life imbalance. Long hours at work were typically supplemented with revision and completion of the e-portfolio. Trainees regularly moved workplaces which could disrupt their personal lives and sometimes led to separation from friends and family. This made it challenging to cope with personal pressures, the stresses of which could then impinge on learning and training, while also leaving trainees with a lack of social support outside work to buffer against the considerable stresses of training. Low morale and harm to well-being resulted in some trainees feeling dehumanised. Work-life imbalance was particularly severe for those with children and especially women who faced a lack of less-than-full-time positions and discriminatory attitudes. Female trainees frequently talked about having to choose a specialty they felt was more conducive to a work-life balance such as General Practice. The proposed junior doctor contract was felt to exacerbate existing problems. A lack of work-life balance in postgraduate medical training negatively impacted on trainees' learning and well-being. Women with children were particularly affected, suggesting this group would benefit the greatest from changes to improve the work-life balance of

  15. Fathers and work-life balance in France and the UK:Policy and practice

    OpenAIRE

    Gregory, Abigail; Milner, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Purpose – This paper focuses on the role of organizations in mediating the impact of national work-life balance (WLB) policy on employees, in particular fathers. Design/methodology/approach – It presents existing research about WLB policy implementation in organizations as well as the findings of empirical work in insurance and social work in France and the UK (questionnaire survey, case study analysis, interviews with national and sector-level trade union officials). Findings – These indicat...

  16. Views of Japanese medical students on the work-life balance of female physicians

    OpenAIRE

    Takahashi, Keiko; Nin, Tomoni; Akano, Megumi; Hasuike, Yukiko; Iijima, Hiroko; Suzuki, Keiichirou

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To survey medical students on their ideas of future work-life balance and discuss topics for next-generation medical education. Methods First-year (n=372, 34.9% female) and sixth-year medical students (n=311, 44.1% female) responded to a questionnaire on future self, marriage and childcare, and gender differences at the workplace. Responses were compared between academic years and gender. Responses were evaluated by gender and academic year using the Mann-Whitney U test.? Significa...

  17. Jumping combined exercise programs reduce fall risk and improve balance and life quality of elderly people who live in a long-term care facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cakar, E; Dincer, U; Kiralp, M Z; Cakar, D B; Durmus, O; Kilac, H; Soydan, F C; Sevinc, S; Alper, C

    2010-03-01

    The objective of this study was to determine whether regular combined exercise program, which consists strength, stretching and aerobic exercises and additional jumping training, improve balance, fall risk, quality of life and depression status of older people living in a residential care. A total of 168 residents who live in a long term care facility were screened. The trial began with 78 eligible participants and they were randomly grouped as combined exercises program (COM) group that includes stretching, strength and aerobic exercises, and COM plus jumping (COMpJ) group. 66 of the participants finished the trial. The groups were convened three times a week for six weeks. Each group had a warm-up, effective training and a cooling down periods. The total exercising time was no longer than 45 minutes in each group. Berg balance test and Biodex Balance System for the assessment of the dynamic balance and fall risk, short form 36 (SF 36) for the health related quality of life and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for evaluation of the depression status were used. The balance improvement and fall risk reduction were observed in both of the groups at the end of the trial; however, the improvements were statistically better in jumping combined group. Also health related quality of life improved in both groups. Regular group exercise in a long term care facility have several beneficial effects on the elderly residents in regard to balance improvement, fall risk reduction and quality of life. The addition of jumping to strength, stretching and aerobic exercises provides important contributions to balance improvement and fall risk reduction.

  18. Effect of thermal mass on life cycle primary energy balances of a concrete- and a wood-frame building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dodoo, Ambrose; Gustavsson, Leif; Sathre, Roger

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The effect of thermal mass on life cycle primary energy balance of concrete and wood building is analyzed. ► A concrete building has slightly lower space heating demand than a wood alternative. ► Still, a wood building has a lower life cycle primary energy use than a concrete alternative. ► The influence of thermal mass on space heating energy use for buildings in Nordic climate is small. -- Abstract: In this study we analyze the effect of thermal mass on space heating energy use and life cycle primary energy balances of a concrete- and a wood-frame building. The analysis includes primary energy use during the production, operation, and end-of-life phases. Based on hour-by-hour dynamic modeling of heat flows in building mass configurations we calculate the energy saving benefits of thermal mass during the operation phase of the buildings. Our results indicate that the energy savings due to thermal mass is small and varies with the climatic location and energy efficiency levels of the buildings. A concrete-frame building has slightly lower space heating demand than a wood-frame alternative, due to the higher thermal mass of concrete-based materials. Still, a wood-frame building has a lower life cycle primary energy balance than a concrete-frame alternative. This is due primarily to the lower production primary energy use and greater bioenergy recovery benefits of the wood-frame buildings. These advantages outweigh the energy saving benefits of thermal mass. We conclude that the influence of thermal mass on space heating energy use for buildings located in Nordic climate is small and that wood-frame buildings with cogeneration based district heating would be an effective means of reducing primary energy use in the built environment.

  19. Řízení času - možnost implementace principů work and life balance do školského managementu

    OpenAIRE

    Vaňková, Pavla

    2008-01-01

    The diploma work discusses the question of effective strategies in the field of time management of head school staff. The work examines the possible principles of introducing the balance between profession and private life of head school staff. There can be defined two points and issue, of which I carried out my survey: The difference in the effective time management and the ability to install the balance between the profession and private life of men and women in managerial positions of sc...

  20. Comparing the effects of balance training with and without cognitive tasks on the quality of life and balance performance in community-dwelling older adults: a single-blind randomized clinical trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsan Sinaei

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Aging process can deteriorate the ability to maintain balance, specifically under dual-task conditions. Thus far, different methods of exercises therapy have been applied to improve balance performance of older adults. The present study was designed to compare the effects of two protocols of balance training on the quality of life (QoL and balance performance in older adults with mild balance impairments. Methods: Twenty-four older adults over 60 years old were allocated randomly into single-task (n=12 and dual-task (n=12 exercise groups. Single-task group received routine balance exercises, over a four-week period and dual-task group was treated by the same exercise program plus a cognitive task. QoL and balance status were assessed by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36 and Fullerton Advanced Balance scale (FAB questionnaires, before and after the interventions. Results: After four weeks of training, balance performance and some factors of QoL improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05. However, there were no significant differences in any of the variables between the two groups. Conclusion: Balance exercises, under both single- and dual-task conditions can improve the balance level and some aspects of QoL in older adults with mild balance impairments, with no priority of one group over another.

  1. Work-life balance of dual-earner couples: Do advantages and disadvantages of workplace demands and resources accumulate within partnerships?

    OpenAIRE

    Pausch, Stephanie; Reimann, Mareike; Abendroth, Anja; Diewald, Martin

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates the complex interplay between couples’ work and private life spheres and disentangles how demands and resources affect partners’ satisfaction with their work-life balance. Next to the individual process of spillover of workplace demands and resources to the private life sphere we investigate processes of crossover of one spouse’s demands and resources to the other. We particularly argue that within partnerships an accumulation of individual demands and resources from b...

  2. Literature Review on Issues of Work Life Balance, Workplace Culture and Maternity/Childcare Issues

    OpenAIRE

    DREW, EILEEN PATRICIA; REDMOND, JENNIFER; VALIULIS, MARYANN

    2008-01-01

    PUBLISHED Dublin A copy of the report can be obtained from the author or access at the web address below This report is a literature review of work-life balance, workplace culture and maternity/childcare issues. It draws on national and international research, policy and legislation, and looks particularly at the role each of these factors play in the decision-making strategies of those facing a crisis pregnancy Crisis Pregnancy Agency

  3. The effects of socio-demographic factors and work-life balance on employees’ emotional exhaustion

    OpenAIRE

    Tuğsal, Türker

    2017-01-01

    The object of the research is observing the effects of socio-demographic factors and work-life balance on employees’ emotional exhaustion. The sample of the research consists of 261 participants in retailing, education, service, industry and logistics sectors. In line with the theoretical background, proper methods that are hierarchical regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are implemented. The contribution of the research to the existing literature is exploring the relationshi...

  4. Get the Balance Right.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haddock, Rebecca Jaurigue

    Today work goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is about acceleration and access. Workers need balance more than ever. In fact, recent college graduates value work/life balance as their key factor in selecting employers. This paper, written for career counselors, defines balance as encompassing emotional, spiritual, physical, and…

  5. The Relation of Work, Family Balance, and Life Quality of Nurses Working at Teaching Hospitals of Kerman-Iran

    OpenAIRE

    Zeynab Sedoughi; Masoumeh Sadeghi; Sedigheh Khodabaneh Shahraki; Seyed Hossein Saberi Anari; Mohammadreza Amiresmaili

    2016-01-01

    Background: Work and family are the source of tranquility and if the balance between these two is not provided, pleasure, happiness and peace of human being would be lost, which will cause unreturnable loss for him. Regarding the importance of nurses’ role in health system, the present study aimed to study the relation of work-family balance and quality of life of nurses working at selected Iranian teaching hospitals. Methods: Present study is a cross sectional, descriptive-analytical study w...

  6. "Dear Employer, Let Me Introduce Myself"--Flow, Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance and Millennials' Creativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mihelic, Katarina Katja; Aleksic, Darija

    2017-01-01

    With creativity being recognised as a key driver of organizational success, organizations emphasize the need for their employees to be creative and to work long hours. This article takes a step toward understanding the factors contributing to the creativity of millennials, a generation pursuing meaningful work and cherishing a work-life balance.…

  7. Up in the Air: An Examination of the Work-Life Balance of Fly-in-Fly-out Academics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jais, Juraifa; Smyrnios, Kosmas X.; Hoare, Lynnel A.

    2015-01-01

    There is a dearth of research on the work-life balance experiences of academics who undertake short-term international teaching assignments. Academics who teach offshore are also accountable for onshore activities including lecturing, research, supervision of higher degree students, mentoring, publishing and administrative obligations "inter…

  8. Work-Life-Balance von Freelancern zwischen Realität und Idealvorstellung: Eine explorative Studie

    OpenAIRE

    Süß, Stefan; Sayah, Shiva

    2011-01-01

    Die Zahl der Freelancer hat in den letzten Jahren insbesondere in der IT-Branche und in der Medienbranche deutlich zugenommen. Damit verbunden sind Hinweise darauf, dass die spezifischen Rahmenbedingungen dieser Beschäftigungsform Konsequenzen für die Work-Life-Balance der Freelancer haben. Allerdings sind diese bislang nicht empirisch untersucht. Der Aufsatz reduziert dieses Forschungsdefizit, indem die Ergebnisse einer explorativen Studie präsentiert werden. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die Be...

  9. Nationwide Survey of Work Environment, Work-Life Balance and Burnout among Psychiatrists in Japan

    OpenAIRE

    Umene-Nakano, Wakako; Kato, Takahiro A.; Kikuchi, Saya; Tateno, Masaru; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Hoshuyama, Tsutomu; Nakamura, Jun

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psychiatry has been consistently shown to be a profession characterised by 'high-burnout'; however, no nationwide surveys on this topic have been conducted in Japan. AIMS: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of burnout and to ascertain the relationship between work environment satisfaction, work-life balance satisfaction and burnout among psychiatrists working in medical schools in Japan. METHOD: We mailed anonymous questionnaires to all 80 psychiatry depart...

  10. Public sector austerity cuts in Britain and the changing discourse of work-life balance

    OpenAIRE

    Lewis, Suzan; Anderson, Deirdre; Lyonette, Clare; Payne, Nicola; Wood, Stephen; ,

    2017-01-01

    The relative importance of economic and other motives for employers to provide support for work- life balance (WLB) is debated within different literatures. However, discourses of WLB can be sensitive to changing economic contexts. This article draws on in-depth interviews with senior HR professionals in British public sector organisations to examine shifting discourses of WLB in an austerity context. Three main discourses were identified: WLB practices as organisationally embedded amid finan...

  11. Work-Life Balance in Sweden: Working in a flexible and autonomous manner (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    TAKAHASHI Mieko

    2011-01-01

    The main aim of this paper is to study to what extent a work-life balance (WLB) policy has been implemented in Sweden and to analyze the strategy that the country has put into practice, as the country—from a comparative perspective—is considered to be one of the leaders in this context. A review of the process for implementing such policy in Sweden shows that a WLB policy has been promoted from an egalitarian gender ideology for almost four decades. Comparing a quantitative data set collected...

  12. Go4Life

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... more This item has been hidden Go4Life Exercises — Balance Play all Try some of these Go4Life exercises to improve your balance! Balance is important because it can help reduce ...

  13. Determinants of Work-Life Balance: Shortcomings in the Contemporary Measurement of WLB in Large-Scale Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichler, Florian

    2009-01-01

    Research on work-life balance (WLB) has presented important insights into the problems of combining family aspirations with paid work in relation to policy relevant agendas. Using the ESS II (2004/2005), we examine work-related and household/family-related causes of WLB. We can corroborate other research findings that show that work-related…

  14. Business-life balance and wellbeing: Exploring the lived experiences of women in a low-to-middle income country

    OpenAIRE

    Ugwu, Dorothy I.; Orjiakor, Charles T.; Enwereuzor, Ibeawuchi K.; Onyedibe, Christiana C.; Ugwu, Leonard I.

    2016-01-01

    Aim: With most studies on work-life balance focused on employees, this study sets out to explore the everyday living of business women who trade on petty goods and earn very little in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC). We explore their conceptions of balance, how they manage intersecting roles, and how they cope with daily hassles and stress to maintain wellbeing.Background: With the proportion of self-employed to employed people in Sub-Saharan LMICs being an inverse of the situation in E...

  15. Busyness around the Business : a cross-national comparative research of the work-life balance of self-employed workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S.M. Annink (Anne)

    2017-01-01

    markdownabstractWorkers increasingly struggle to combine work and other responsibilities. Self-employment might be a strategy to achieve greater autonomy and work-life balance in comparison to wage employment. However, autonomy does not always offset the responsibilities and uncertainties that come

  16. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanafelt, Tait D; Hasan, Omar; Dyrbye, Lotte N; Sinsky, Christine; Satele, Daniel; Sloan, Jeff; West, Colin P

    2015-12-01

    To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and US workers in 2014 relative to 2011. From August 28, 2014, to October 6, 2014, we surveyed both US physicians and a probability-based sample of the general US population using the methods and measures used in our 2011 study. Burnout was measured using validated metrics, and satisfaction with work-life balance was assessed using standard tools. Of the 35,922 physicians who received an invitation to participate, 6880 (19.2%) completed surveys. When assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 54.4% (n=3680) of the physicians reported at least 1 symptom of burnout in 2014 compared with 45.5% (n=3310) in 2011 (Pbalance also declined in physicians between 2011 and 2014 (48.5% vs 40.9%; Pbalance were observed by specialty. In contrast to the trends in physicians, minimal changes in burnout or satisfaction with work-life balance were observed between 2011 and 2014 in probability-based samples of working US adults, resulting in an increasing disparity in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians relative to the general US working population. After pooled multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, relationship status, and hours worked per week, physicians remained at an increased risk of burnout (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.80-2.16; Pbalance (odds ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.62-0.75; Pbalance in US physicians worsened from 2011 to 2014. More than half of US physicians are now experiencing professional burnout. Copyright © 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Line Manager Involvement in Work-Life Balance and Career Development: Can't Manage, Won't Manage?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dick, Penny; Hyde, Rosie

    2006-01-01

    Line manager involvement in HRM is an increasing trend across Europe. With the numbers of employees taking advantage of work-life balance policies also on the increase, line manager responsibility for this specific policy area is likely to become more marked. In this paper, we argue that line managers have a critical role to play in the career…

  18. The Effect of Supervisors' Transformational Leadership on Subordinates' Psychological Empowerment and Work-Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Kishino, Saki; Hirano, Mitsutoshi

    2016-01-01

    Research in Japan, as elsewhere, has turned to work-life balance as indicating not only the conflict between work and family, but also "a relationship where work and family mutually interact for quality improvements." Such research, based on the novel concepts of positive spillover, enrichment, and facilitation, contemplates cases in which skills acquired at work are applied in the family, and feelings of significance and fulfillment fostered at work are transmitted to the family. This paper'...

  19. Insecurity of Employment and Work-Life Balance: From the viewpoint of compensating wage differentials

    OpenAIRE

    MORIKAWA Masayuki

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents survey-based evidence on the "fair" compensating wage differentials for insecurity of employment and lack of work-life balance (WLB). We present facts about individual perceptions of the desirable compensating differentials and then estimate the effects of working hours and wages on job satisfaction. The fair wage premiums for insecurity of employment and lack of WLB are both around 10% to 20%. The actual relative wages of nonstandard workers seem to be lower than those in...

  20. Work life balance up in the air: Does gender make a difference between female and male international business travelers?

    OpenAIRE

    Kollinger-Santer, Iris; Fischlmayr, Iris C.

    2013-01-01

    Managing work-life balance (WLB) has become an issue for both employees and HR departments since WLB tensions may reduce performance, overall job satisfaction and finally, increase the fluctuation rate. Having a balance between job and non-work is a particular challenge for international business travelers, but research on this topic is still in its very infancy. The aim of this article and its underlying qualitative study was to discover factors that influence WLB of those employees, and to ...

  1. Eating a Balanced Diet: A Healthy Life through a Balanced Diet in the Age of Longevity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo Lim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, trends in the Korean diet have favored westernized and unbalanced meals that mainly provide a single nutrient. To stop this unfavorable trend, the Committee of the Ten Guidelines for a Health Life: Korean Medical Association released three best practices to follow for the healthy and balanced diet in 2017. The purpose of these guidelines is to encourage people to eat a balanced diet that meets the recommended caloric intake, thereby reducing the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases. First, eat a carbohydrate:protein:fat ratio of 55:20:25. Middle-aged and elderly Koreans consume a high proportion of carbohydrates as part of their total caloric intake, and those ≥65 years consume a low proportion of fat as part of the total caloric intake. Second, reduce consumption of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages. The recent World Health Organization recommendation for added sugar is less than 10% of a person’s total daily energy intake (<50 g/day. Koreans currently consume 72.1 g of added sugar per day. Koreans between the ages of 6 and 29 years consume sugar mostly through sodas, and those ≥30 years consume sugar mostly through coffee. Third, maintain the recommended caloric intake for a healthy diet. Rapid weight gain increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure, which can lead to diabetes and hypertension, as well as increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and colorectal cancer. To help prevent these conditions, people should maintain a healthy weight by avoiding overeating and being physically active starting at a young age.

  2. Realities of Work Life Balance in Nigeria: Perceptions of Role Conflict and Coping Beliefs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babatunde Akanji

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Work-Life Balance (WLB practices in a developing nation of Nigeria. Evidently, on the threshold of widened globalization propensities, work-life research is beginning to spread outside the western context. Thus, a qualitative approach was employed by conducting 61 in-depth interviews with Nigerian employees (41 women and 20 men working in frontline employments in the banking, telecommunications and insurance sectors about their perceptions of WLB. The findings showed that though conflict situations existed more than work-family enrichment, but under different circumstances due to the long legacy of national challenges facing Nigeria. The apparent role conflicts have generated various coping strategies adapted by participants of study to moderate their perceived work-life conflict and this paper seeks to add to the compendium of WLB discourse on a global scale by examining key barriers detected to hinder its workable practices in Nigeria.

  3. The effect of 6 weeks of Tai chi training on cognitive status, dynamic balance and quality of life in women with stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manijeh Norouzian

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Stroke can lead to permanent disabilities, including motor and cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Tai Chi training on cognitive status, dynamic balance, and quality of life in women with stroke. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 20 women with stroke (mean age, 65.8±3.5 years; weight, 68.4±14kg; and body mass index, 26.3±5.1kg/m2 in Qom city, were selected voluntarily and randomly divided into experimental (N=10 and control (N=10 groups. Cognitive status, dynamic balance, and quality of life were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE and SF-36 quality of life questionnaires and Timed Up and Go test. Tai Chi group trained for 6 weeks, three 60-minute sessions per week (a 10-minute warm-up period, a 40-minute simplified Tai Chi exercise, and a 10-minute cool-down period. Data were analyzed using dependent and independent t-tests and (p0.05. Conclusion: According to de results of the study, it can be said that Tai Chi training as a low-intensity and simple training improves dynamic balance and quality of life in women with stroke.

  4. Tackling the work-life balance challenge in Professional Service Firms: the impact of projects, organizing and service characteristics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Noury, L.C.; Gand, Sébastien; Sardas, Jean-Claude

    2017-01-01

    Professional Service Firms (PSFs) are currently under considerable pressure for economic reasons (low growth, pressure on cost), but also from the emergence of individual demands for work-life balance (WLB) from professionals, which challenge traditional ways of organizing both projects and careers.

  5. Portfolio Careers and Work-Life Balance among Musicians: An Initial Study into Implications for Higher Music Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teague, Adele; Smith, Gareth Dylan

    2015-01-01

    Musicians are acknowledged to lead complex working lives, often characterised as portfolio careers. The higher music education research literature has tended to focus on preparing students for rich working lives and multiple identity realisations across potential roles. Extant literature does not address the area of work-life balance, which this…

  6. Analysis of the strain on employees in the retail sector considering work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zülch, Gert; Stock, Patricia; Schmidt, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Many companies currently strive to support their employees' work-life balance through appropriate measures in order to improve employees' loyalty towards the company and to recruit new employees. In this context, flexibility in the area of working times is a measure that can influence employees' private lives immensely. This is why the individualisation of working time arrangements has been accorded high importance in current discussions on work-life balance. In this area, best practice examples can be found showing how working-time arrangements can improve the situation of the employees. It should be noted, however, that there is not one single perfect working-time model. A working-time model must always be adapted specifically to the actual situation of the company and the employees. Therefore, a targeted analysis of the challenges facing the company and the demands on the employees is essential for the creation of an appropriate working time policy. In particular, the employees' working-time preferences must be appropriately taken into account. Owing, however, to a combination of organisational complications and legal data protection restrictions, it is for the most part impossible to meet these working-time preferences in their entirety. This paper, which is based on an employee survey, illustrates the strain on employees in the retail sector and identifies different types of working-time preferences.

  7. Multiple role occupancy in midlife: balancing work and family life in Britain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evandrou, Maria; Glaser, Karen; Henz, Ursula

    2002-12-01

    This article investigates the extent of multiple-role occupancy among midlife individuals in Britain in cross-section and over the life course, focusing on work and family commitments. The association between demographic and social factors and multiple-role obligations is also investigated. The research is based on secondary analysis of the British Family and Working Lives Survey, which contains retrospective paid work, caregiving, and child coresidence histories. The proportion of individuals in midlife (women aged 45-59 and men aged 45-64) who have multiple roles, in terms of paid work and consistent family care, at any one point in time is low (2%). This is primarily due to the relatively small proportion (7%) of people in this age group who are caring for a dependent. Being older, unmarried, and in poor health significantly reduces the number of roles held among men and women. Although the frequency of multiple role occupancy, and intensive multiple role occupancy, is low on a cross-sectional basis, a much higher proportion of individuals have ever occupied multiple roles over their life course (14%). The findings will inform debate on how policy can best aid those endeavouring to balance paid work, family life, and caring responsibilities.

  8. Work-life balance – the impact of national policies. A comparative study between Germany and Greece with a special focus on early career researchers

    OpenAIRE

    Lola, Magda; Meyer, Dagmar M.

    2007-01-01

    A number of studies have been conducted regarding the link between good work-life balance and the representation of women in senior professional positions. However, many of these studies are not entirely applicable to the case of researchers, or they miss out on a number of aspects that are rather specific to researchers. In this paper we discuss some of the issues that have a bearing on the topic of work-life balance for researchers from the perspective of two different counties, Germany...

  9. The impact of work-life balance on employees' job satisfaction and turnover intention: the moderating role of continuance commitment

    OpenAIRE

    Aslani, Farshad; Fayyazi, Marjan

    2015-01-01

    Work-life imbalance has several negative impacts on employees' attitudes and behaviors and consequently influences organizations' performance and effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of work-life balance (WLB) on employees' job satisfaction and turnover intention. Moreover, we study the moderating role of continuance commitment on job satisfaction - turnover intention relationship. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data collected from 265 questionn...

  10. The Correlation Between Rates of Falling, Balance, Quality of Life and Fear of Falling in Patients With Chronic Stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Azadeh

    2018-04-01

    Conclusion The findings of the present study demonstrated the correlation between balance, physical dimensions of quality of life and fear of falling in patients with stroke; however, the rate of falling has no association with fear of falling.

  11. Go4Life

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Balance Play all Try some of these Go4Life exercises to improve your balance! Balance is important because it can help reduce your risk for falls. 3:01 Play next Play now Go4Life Exercise--Stand on One Foot - Duration: 3 minutes, 1 ...

  12. A Case Analysis on the Adequacy of Work-Life Balance Practices in UK Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

    OpenAIRE

    Babatunde Akanji

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine whether work-life balance (WLB) practices are satisfactorily provided in UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the impact of the availability of these work-life policies on turnover intentions. A review of extant literature reveals scarce knowledge in this area of research and this study presents a rudimentary effort to fill this gap. Research Design & Methods: Using qualitative design, the data set comprised of in-depth interv...

  13. The Impact of Work-Life Balance on the Commitment and Motivation of Nigerian Women Employees

    OpenAIRE

    Uzoechi NWAGBARA

    2012-01-01

    This study borders on motivating female employees in Nigerian organisations in order to widen possibilities for business growth, high performance and organisational commitment. It is also about the impacts of work-life balance (WLB) on the commitment and motivation of women employees in Nigeria. Thus, the main thrust of this paper is to articulate how WLB affects these variables: women’s commitment and motivation in bringing about better organisational performance particularly at the turn of ...

  14. Meeting the challenge of the work-life balance in the South African workplace

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GF Mageni

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The work-life balance (WLB construct as a business imperative has been of growing concern in organisations outside South Africa for the past two decades, particularly given the pressure to create a sustainable global competitive advantage through human capital. Within the last decade this aspect has been prominent in various forums. However, no studies as yet provide insight into the applicability of WLB models to the South African workplace. The present article therefore explores the composition of a WLB system, and analyses constraints on its application under the conditions of the South African labour market.

  15. When worlds collide: elder caregiving poses new challenges for balancing work and life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachor, M M

    1998-09-01

    Nearly one in four U.S. households (an estimated 22.4 million) are caring for elderly family members or friends; as the nation's population ages, more and more workers will take on elder caregiving responsibilities. As this trend continues, employers will face increasing concerns about lost productivity and many employees will struggle to balance the demands of work and caregiving responsibilities. To help resolve the situation, many employers may look to a comprehensive work/life program, which incorporates an intensive focus on elder-care issues, to help boost morale, improve employee productivity and job performance, and reduce stress and absenteeism associated with caregiving.

  16. The impact of new technologies in balancing private and family life with working time

    OpenAIRE

    Teresa Coelho Moreira

    2017-01-01

    The work-life balance is a fundamental issue for all the workers and it is linked to many others, such as quality of work, female participation in the labour market, gender equality and active ageing.Among the new challenges of contemporary society, a key role is played by the introduction in the workplaces of new digital and computer technologies, which may change working-time arrangement and, at the same time, guarantee more flexibility in working-time.On the one hand, this phenomenon can l...

  17. Die Wirkung von Work-Life Balance Initiativen auf das Mitarbeitercommitment: Eine empirische Untersuchung in der Unternehmensberatungsbranche

    OpenAIRE

    Kaiser, Stephan; Ringlstetter, Max; Reindl, Cornelia U.; Stolz, Martin Lothar

    2010-01-01

    Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Wirkung von unternehmerischen Work-Life Balance Initiativen für die emotionale Bindung der Mitarbeiter zum Unternehmen, d. h. das organisationale Commitment von Mitarbeitern im Kontext der Unternehmensberatung. Dazu wurde eine Untersuchung mit insgesamt 275 Unternehmensberaterinnen und -beratern durchgeführt. Die Datenanalyse erfolgte anhand eines PLSStrukturgleichungsmodells (Partial-Least-Squares-Ansatz). Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass auch in ...

  18. Coordinating everyday life in the Netherlands. A holistic quantitative approach to the analysis of ICT-related and other work-life balance strategies

    OpenAIRE

    Hubers, C.; Schwanen, T.; Dijst, M.

    2011-01-01

    Due to women’s increased participation in the labour force, more and more family-households are now juggling paid labour and care-giving in space and time and do so in many different ways. Much research and policy about how households try to establish a satisfactory work-life balance single out particular coping strategies, such as telecommuting or the mobilizing of informal help by relatives or friends. While insightful, foregrounding single strategies may oversimplify the complex reality of...

  19. Work-life Balance Decision-making of Norwegian Students: Implications for Human Resources Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Remigiusz Gawlik

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The paper aims at identifying and assessing the significance of work-life balance determinants between the Youth of highly developed societies and its implications for human resources management on the example of Norway. Research Design & Methods: The research target group consists of 236 respondents recruited among Norwegian tertiary education students. It employed literature analysis, two-stage exploratory research: direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a self-administered, web-based questionnaire with single-answer, limited choice qualitative & quantitative, as well as explanatory research (informal moderated group discussions. Findings: The research on perceptions of determinants of quality of life and attractiveness of life strategies shows that in a country with relatively high socio-economic development level, such as Norway, differences in rankings do exist. They can be observed in relevance to both material and non-material QoL determinants. Implications & Recommendations: The study revealed a need for deeper research on individually driven early decision-making of future employees and entrepreneurs. This will result in closer modelling of socio-economic phenomena, including more accurate adaptation to trends on the labour market and creation of new business models. Contribution & Value Added: Research value added comes from the comparison of perceptions of quality of life determinants between countries at various stages of socio-economic development and its implications for human resource management.

  20. Comparison of the Selected Indicators of Work Life Balance in European Union Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Živčicová

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article elaborates on the characteristics and indicators of work life balance (WLB. The focus is on the selected criteria of WLB as well as social life and time spent off work. The WLB factors chosen and discussed are: the amount of stress, exhaustion and lack of time for family activities and responsibilities in the context of WLB. The results of the European survey conducted by the Eurofond are compared with the authors’ questionnaire survey conducted in Slovakia in 2015. The survey results revealed stress and working hours to be statistically significant factors that can be seen as obstacles in the WLB and fulfilling family duties for many Slovaks. The survey also shows that the given sample of Slovak respondents performed much worse in the criteria of stress and lack of time results than the European average according to the Eurofond survey. The results could be partly influenced by the fact that the survey participants were mostly employed in the social sector.

  1. Home-based virtual reality balance training and conventional balance training in Parkinson's disease: A randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Chieh Yang

    2016-09-01

    Conclusion: This study did not find any difference between the effects of the home-based virtual reality balance training and conventional home balance training. The two training options were equally effective in improving balance, walking, and quality of life among community-dwelling patients with PD.

  2. "A hard day's night?" The effects of Compressed Working Week interventions on the health and work-life balance of shift workers: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bambra, C; Whitehead, M; Sowden, A; Akers, J; Petticrew, M

    2008-09-01

    To systematically review studies of the effects of the Compressed Working Week on the health and work-life balance of shift workers, and to identify any differential impacts by socio-economic group. Systematic review. Following QUORUM guidelines, published or unpublished experimental and quasi-experimental studies were identified. Data were sourced from 27 electronic databases, websites, bibliographies, and expert contacts. Fourty observational studies were found. The majority of studies only measured self-reported outcomes and the methodological quality of the included studies was not very high. Interventions did not always improve the health of shift workers, but in the five prospective studies with a control group, there were no detrimental effects on self-reported health. However, work-life balance was generally improved. No studies reported differential impacts by socio-economic group; however, most of the studies were conducted on homogeneous populations. This review suggests that the Compressed Working Week can improve work-life balance, and that it may do so with a low risk of adverse health or organisational effects. However, better designed studies that measure objective health outcomes are needed.

  3. Work-life balance and family friendly policies

    OpenAIRE

    Janine Chapman; Natalie Skinner

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents Australian and international research on work-life interaction. We review the work-life policies and practices that are likely to have the greatest impact on work-life outcomes, specifically reducing the negative impact of work on other life domains (work-life interference), and enhancing the positive effect (work-life facilitation). The review addresses four policy areas common in work-life studies of the general workforce: employee-centered flexible work practices; worki...

  4. Work Life Balance in the Netherlands: Flexible working hours and a flexible working place (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    KENJOH Eiko

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of Dutch approach to achieving Work Life Balance (WLB) and to draw policy implications for Japan. It is argued that flexibility of working hours and flexibility offered at one's working place are essential elements of WLB. In this respect, the Netherlands has attained relatively advanced policies and practices. For instance, workers in the Netherlands enjoy a strong degree of flexibility in terms of working hours, a system that strives to...

  5. Work–life balance policies and practices in Nigeria: experiences from managerial and non managerial employees in the banking sector

    OpenAIRE

    Ojo, Stella Ibiyinka

    2016-01-01

    This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London Work design and content is changing. Accompanying this change has been an increasing demand by workers for policy makers to factor the issue of managing workers’ work and life. Work–life balance as a concept has attracted attention for several years as a result of individuals attempting to juggle multiple demands from both work and outside the workplace. The number of multiple demand...

  6. Sandia National Laboratories: Careers: Life at Sandia

    Science.gov (United States)

    ; Culture Work-Life Balance Special Programs Students and Postdocs Benefits and Perks Hiring Process Life at control my own career, and the incredible work-life balance." Daniel - Electrical and Computer offers meaningful work, unparalleled work-life balance, outstanding benefits, job stability, and multiple

  7. Native American Women Leaders' Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Work-Life Balance (WLB) and Capacity Building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Crystal C.

    2013-01-01

    Native American women's leadership, information communication technologies (ICTs), work-life balance (WLB) and human capacity building (HCB) are grounded in social justice issues due to their long history of overall cultural decimation, inequitable access to technology, monetary resources, and social power (agency), and influence. Currently, there…

  8. Parenting and female dermatologists' perceptions of work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattessich, S; Shea, K; Whitaker-Worth, D

    2017-09-01

    Women in medicine may feel pressure to choose between the competing demands of career goals and being a dedicated spouse and parent. The purpose of this survey study is to report on the current opinions of female dermatologists with regard to family planning, maternity leave, and career success. We surveyed 183 members of the Women's Dermatologic Society using a 13-question survey that was approved for distribution by the institutional review board committee of the University of Connecticut Health Center. We found that women were most likely to have children while they were residents (51%), despite the fact that residents were more likely to report barriers to childbearing at this career stage. These barriers included length of maternity leave, appearing less committed to residency responsibilities compared with peers, and inadequate time and privacy to breast feed. Strategies to achieve a work-life balance included hiring in-home help and working part-time. Of note, many women commented on the need for more family planning resources at work. Thought should be given to future administrative strategies that can lessen the burden of parents who are dermatologists and have academic ambitions.

  9. In search of work/life balance: trainee perspectives on part-time obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training

    OpenAIRE

    Henry Amanda; Clements Sarah; Kingston Ashley; Abbott Jason

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background Part-time training (PTT) is accessed by approximately 10% of Australian obstetrics and gynaecology trainees, a small but increasing minority which reflects the growing demand for improved work/life balance amongst the Australian medical workforce. This survey reports the attitudes and experiences of both full-time and part-time trainees to PTT. Methods An email-based anonymous survey was sent to all Australian obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in April 2009, collecting d...

  10. Assessing strategies to manage work and life balance of athletic trainers working in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Pitney, William A; Casa, Douglas J; Pagnotta, Kelly D

    2011-01-01

    Certified athletic trainers (ATs) working at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level experience challenges balancing their professional and personal lives. However, an understanding of the strategies ATs use to promote a balance between their professional and personal lives is lacking. To identify the strategies ATs employed in the Division I setting use to establish a balance between their professional and personal lives. Qualitative investigation using inductive content analysis. Athletic trainers employed at Division I schools from 5 National Athletic Trainers' Association districts. A total of 28 (15 women, 13 men) ATs aged 35 ± 9 years volunteered for the study. Asynchronous electronic interviews with follow-up phone interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Peer review, member checking, and data-source triangulation were conducted to establish trustworthiness. Three higher-order themes emerged from the analysis. The initial theme, antecedents of work-family conflict, focused on the demands of the profession, flexibility of work schedules, and staffing patterns as contributing to work-life conflict for this group of ATs. The other 2 emergent higher-order themes, professional factors and personal factors, describe the components of a balanced lifestyle. The second-order theme of constructing the professional factors included both organizational policies and individual strategies, whereas the second-order theme of personal factors was separation of work and life and a supportive personal network. Long work hours, lack of control over work schedules, and unbalanced athlete-to-AT ratios can facilitate conflicts. However, as demonstrated by our results, several organizational and personal strategies can be helpful in creating a balanced lifestyle.

  11. WORK-LIFE BALANCE POLICIES IN JORDANIAN TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoud Abubaker

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available No published work is available on work-life balance (WLB programs in Jordan. Drawing on the methodology of Critical Realism, interviews with ten senior managers, and case studies in two large telecommunication companies were undertaken. WLB practices had both similarities and differences from those in developed countries. WLB policy and practice was constructed within three main areas: social and cultural practices; financial practices; leave arrangements. In comparison with developed countries, social practices such as praying time, Hajj leave and Ramadan concessions reflected the culture and religion of Jordan as an Arabic, Islamic country. Flexible practices, such as compressed working and paternity leave did not exist. The absence of these practices was also linked to social and cultural factors, as well to levels of current economic development. However, part-time working was developed primarily to benefit employers, rather than employees, in contrast to most developed countries.Employers’ reasons for adopting WLB practices were the level of competition in the labour market, government regulations, social and culture norms of society, pressures from women in the workforce, and pressure from labour unions. Financial practices were linked to the competitive market, reflecting the need to retain well-qualified staff. Financial benefits including subsidized childcare, paid study leave, and family health insurance, were reported to have the strongest positive impact on organisational morale and staff retention.

  12. Energy Balance of Nuclear Power Generation. Life Cycle Analyses of Nuclear Power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallner, A.; Wenisch, A.; Baumann, M.; Renner, S.

    2011-01-01

    The accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima in March 2011 triggered a debate about phasing out nuclear energy and the safety of nuclear power plants. Several states are preparing to end nuclear power generation. At the same time the operational life time of many nuclear power plants is reaching its end. Governments and utilities now need to take a decision to replace old nuclear power plants or to use other energy sources. In particular the requirement of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is used as an argument for a higher share of nuclear energy. To assess the contribution of nuclear power to climate protection, the complete life cycle needs to be taken into account. Some process steps are connected to high CO2 emissions due to the energy used. While the processes before and after conventional fossil-fuel power stations can contribute up to 25% of direct GHG emission, it is up to 90 % for nuclear power (Weisser 2007). This report aims to produce information about the energy balance of nuclear energy production during its life cycle. The following key issues were examined: How will the forecasted decreasing uranium ore grades influence energy intensity and greenhouse emissions and from which ore grade on will no energy be gained anymore? In which range can nuclear energy deliver excess energy and how high are greenhouse gas emissions? Which factors including ore grade have the strongest impact on excess energy? (author)

  13. Work-life balance/imbalance: the dominance of the middle class and the neglect of the working class.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren, Tracey

    2015-12-01

    The paper was stimulated by the relative absence of the working class from work-life debates. The common conclusion from work-life studies is that work-life imbalance is largely a middle-class problem. It is argued here that this classed assertion is a direct outcome of a particular and narrow interpretation of work-life imbalance in which time is seen to be the major cause of difficulty. Labour market time, and too much of it, dominates the conceptualization of work-life and its measurement too. This heavy focus on too much labour market time has rendered largely invisible from dominant work-life discourses the types of imbalance that are more likely to impact the working class. The paper's analysis of large UK data-sets demonstrates a reduction in hours worked by working-class men, more part-time employment in working-class occupations, and a substantial growth in levels of reported financial insecurity amongst the working classes after the 2008-9 recession. It shows too that economic-based work-life imbalance is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction than is temporal imbalance. The paper concludes that the dominant conceptualization of work-life disregards the major work-life challenge experienced by the working class: economic precarity. The work-life balance debate needs to more fully incorporate economic-based work-life imbalance if it is to better represent class inequalities. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2015.

  14. Work-life balance and family friendly policies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janine Chapman

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents Australian and international research on work-life interaction. We review the work-life policies and practices that are likely to have the greatest impact on work-life outcomes, specifically reducing the negative impact of work on other life domains (work-life interference, and enhancing the positive effect (work-life facilitation. The review addresses four policy areas common in work-life studies of the general workforce: employee-centered flexible work practices; working hours (e.g. access to part-time work; paid and unpaid leave (e.g. parental leave; and access to childcare. It then considers the work-life literature related to two specific industries – the Australian public sector, and health and social services – to identify work-life issues and practices specific to each industry. We then conclude with a general discussion of challenges associated with the policy-practice gap, focusing particularly on work intensification and the role of organisational culture as the catalyst for policy uptake and effectiveness.

  15. Facets of Work–Life Balance across Europe : How the interplay of institutional contexts, work arrangements and individual resources affect capabilities for having a family, and for being involved in family life

    OpenAIRE

    Fahlén, Susanne

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this dissertation is to explore various dimensions of work–life balance in Europe. I examine the extent to which institutional factors, working conditions and individual resources influence individuals’ capabilities to have a family and engage in family life. The theoretical framework is inspired by Amartya Sen’s capability framework, a multi-dimensional approach that provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between institutional contexts and individual capabilities. Fou...

  16. Life cycle inventory and mass-balance of municipal food waste management systems: Decision support methods beyond the waste hierarchy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Joel; Othman, Maazuza; Crossin, Enda; Burn, Stewart

    2017-11-01

    When assessing the environmental and human health impact of a municipal food waste (FW) management system waste managers typically rely on the principles of the waste hierarchy; using metrics such as the mass or rate of waste that is 'prepared for recycling,' 'recovered for energy,' or 'sent to landfill.' These metrics measure the collection and sorting efficiency of a waste system but are incapable of determining the efficiency of a system to turn waste into a valuable resource. In this study a life cycle approach was employed using a system boundary that includes the entire waste service provision from collection to safe end-use or disposal. A life cycle inventory of seven waste management systems was calculated, including the first service wide inventory of FW management through kitchen in-sink disposal (food waste disposer). Results describe the mass, energy and water balance of each system along with key emissions profile. It was demonstrated that the energy balance can differ significantly from its' energy generation, exemplified by mechanical biological treatment, which was the best system for generating energy from waste but only 5 th best for net-energy generation. Furthermore, the energy balance of kitchen in-sink disposal was shown to be reduced because 31% of volatile solids were lost in pre-treatment. The study also confirmed that higher FW landfill diversion rates were critical for reducing many harmful emissions to air and water. Although, mass-balance analysis showed that the alternative end-use of the FW material may still contain high impact pollutants. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Gender differences in academic surgery, work-life balance, and satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baptiste, Dadrie; Fecher, Alison M; Dolejs, Scott C; Yoder, Joseph; Schmidt, C Maximillian; Couch, Marion E; Ceppa, DuyKhanh P

    2017-10-01

    An increasing number of women are pursuing a career in surgery. Concurrently, the percentage of surgeons in dual-profession partnerships is increasing. We sought to evaluate the gender differences in professional advancement, work-life balance, and satisfaction at a large academic center. All surgical trainees and faculty at a single academic medical center were surveyed. Collected variables included gender, academic rank, marital status, family size, division of household responsibilities, and career satisfaction. Student t-test, Fisher's exact test, and chi-square test were used to compare results. There were 127 faculty and 116 trainee respondents (>80% response rate). Respondents were mostly male (77% of faculty, 58% of trainees). Women were more likely than men to be married to a professional (90% versus 37%, for faculty; 82% versus 41% for trainees, P working full time (P working spouse and to be primarily responsible for managing their households. Additional consideration for improvement in recruitment and retention strategies for surgeons might address barriers to equalizing these gender disparities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Aspects of work-life balance of Australian general practitioners: determinants and possible consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrestha, Durga; Joyce, Catherine M

    2011-01-01

    The Australian general practitioner (GP) workforce, especially younger generation GPs and female GPs, increasingly prioritises work-life balance (WLB). Good WLB is associated with decreased interest of medical students in general practice as a speciality choice as well as good health and wellbeing, and decisions of GPs to retire early. Therefore, understanding the role played by different factors in achieving WLB is crucial to ensure a sufficient GP workforce necessary to meet the rising demands of health care. There is a dearth of empirical, quantitative, large, population-based studies assessing the level of WLB in the Australian GP population as well as contributing and consequent factors. Our study fills this identified gap in the current literature. This study aimed to investigate the extent, determinants and possible consequences of WLB of Australian GPs. Data for this study come from the baseline cohort of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) longitudinal, population-level survey. Questionnaires tailored specifically for GPs and GP registrars were sent to all clinically active GPs registered in the Australian Medical Publishing Co. (AMPCo) database (n=22137), with a choice of completing either a paper or online version. Data were collected between June and December 2008. STATA (10.0) was used for conducting weighted data analyses. Regression methods were applied for assessing the associations between dependent and independent variables. Of the 3906 GPs (17.6%) who responded, 53% reported that the balance between their personal and professional commitments was about right. Generation X GPs and females reported a better WLB than baby boomers and males respectively. However, those reporting good WLB also worked significantly fewer hours than those reporting poor WLB. GPs who reported good opportunities for leisure activities and perceived that they have good health also reported better WLB. Contrastingly, those reporting difficulty

  19. Maintaining family life balance while facing a child's imminent death-A mixed methods study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eskola, Katri; Bergstraesser, Eva; Zimmermann, Karin; Cignacco, Eva

    2017-10-01

    To understand parents' experiences and needs during a child's end-of-life care at home and to identify systemic factors that influence its provision. A child's end-of-life phase is an extremely difficult time for the whole family. Parents have specific needs, especially when they care for a dying child at home. Concurrent embedded mixed methods design. This sub-study of the nationwide survey, 'Paediatric End-of-Life Care Needs in Switzerland' (2012-2015) included 47 children who received EOL care at home from 2011-2012. We extracted quantitative data from patients' medical charts and obtained information via parental questionnaire and then compared parents whose child died at home or in hospital by computing generalized estimation equations. We thematically analysed interviews with parents who provided EOL care at home. Parents created an intimate lifeworld and a sense of normality for the child at home. They constantly balanced the family's lifeworld with the requirements and challenges posed by the outside world. This work exhausted parents. Parental 'readiness' and social support drove EOL care for children at home. Parents needed practical help with housekeeping and had negative experiences when dealing with insurance. In only 34.8% of cases was a child's EOL home care supported by paediatric palliative care team. Paediatric end-of-life care at home is only feasible if parents make extraordinary efforts. If family-centred end-of-life home care is provided by a hospital-based paediatric palliative home care team, which includes paid housekeeping help and psychological support, parents' needs could be better met. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. The Effects of Two Months Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training on Balance and Quality of Life of Patients With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Zamani

    2018-01-01

    Conclusion According to achieved results, eight weeks body weight supported treadmill training can improve the balance of the patients with spinal cord injury. It was observed that the gait training with stimulation and use of proprioceptors and increase of patient’s confidence in walking and standing positions improve the patient’s balance. The patients were also able to control the internal and external perturbations and maintain the better balance. But eight weeks gait training had no significant effect on the quality of life in patients with spinal cord injury which suggest that more extended rehabilitation is required.

  1. Perceptions of academic administrators of the effect of involvement in doctoral programs on faculty members' research and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smeltzer, Suzanne C; Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C; Cantrell, Mary Ann; Heverly, Mary Ann; Wise, Nancy; Jenkinson, Amanda

    Support for research strongly predicts doctoral program faculty members' research productivity. Although academic administrators affect such support, their views of faculty members' use of support are unknown. We examined academic administrators' perceptions of institutional support and their perceptions of the effects of teaching doctoral students on faculty members' scholarship productivity and work-life balance. An online survey was completed by a random sample of 180 deans/directors of schools of nursing and doctoral programs directors. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and analysis of variance. Deans and doctoral program directors viewed the level of productivity of program faculty as high to moderately high and unchanged since faculty started teaching doctoral students. Deans perceived better administrative research supports, productivity, and work-life balance of doctoral program faculty than did program directors. Findings indicate the need for greater administrative support for scholarship and mentoring given the changes in the composition of doctoral program faculty. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Portrait of an OT artist: Using Mindfulness to find Life Balance

    OpenAIRE

    Lydia Royeen

    2016-01-01

    Lynn Davies, a Canadian-based occupational therapist, understands the skill set and practice required to employ a balanced work/play/leisure routine, even for an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists can easily foster this balanced routine for clients; however, they may fall short of adopting this balanced routine in their own lives. Lynn uses art and mindfulness strategies to strive for a meaningful routine. Balancing her work as a therapist and her engagement in art is an ever-evo...

  3. An Analysis of Student Affairs Professionals' Management of Role Conflict and Multiple Roles in Relation to Work/Life Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayo, Nicole Lepone

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this inquiry is to study how student affairs professionals manage role conflict in relation to work/life balance based on the challenging culture of the field. The underlying goals are to identify the barriers or challenges of managing multiple roles as a student affairs administrator and identify strategies to assist employees in…

  4. Effect of Work-Life Balance Practices on Firm Productivity: Evidence from Japanese firm-level panel data

    OpenAIRE

    YAMAMOTO Isamu; MATSUURA Toshiyuki

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines how firm practices that could contribute to worker attainment of work-life balance (WLB) affect the total factor productivity (TFP) of a firm, by using panel data of Japanese firms from the 1990s. We observed a positive correlation between the WLB practices and TFP among sampled firms. However, that correlation vanished when we controlled for unobserved firm heterogeneity, and we found no general causal relationship in which WLB practices increase firm TFP in the medium or...

  5. Work-Life Balance Practices, Performance-Related Pay, and Gender Equality in the Workplace: Evidence from Japan

    OpenAIRE

    KATO Takao; KODAMA Naomi

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses unique firm-level panel data from Japan and provides new evidence on the possible impact on gender equality in the workplace of human resources management (HRM) practices. Specifically we consider a number of work-life balance (WLB) practices that are developed in part to enhance gender equality as well as performance-related pay (PRP) that is one of the most often discussed changes in the Japanese HRM system in recent years. Our fixed effect estimates indicate that daycare se...

  6. Senior dental students' career intentions, work-life balance and retirement plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, F M J; Drummond, J R; Carson, L; Theaker, E D

    2007-09-08

    To gather information from senior dental students about their future career plans, with particular emphasis on work-life balance issues, their attitudes towards the NHS and retirement plans. Senior dental students at the Universities of Dundee and Manchester were asked to complete a voluntary anonymous questionnaire. In all 141 questionnaires were completed, 42 by students in Manchester and 114 in Dundee. On qualification nearly all surveyed intend to work full time but after five years one quarter (26%) of females intend to work part time. This is significantly (p work full time. Although the majority (65%) intend to work in general practice significant numbers (19%) wish to have a career in hospital dentistry and very few (3%) in community dentistry. Senior students seem to show no more commitment to the NHS than those in our previous study of dental school applicants. Only 3% intend to work exclusively for the NHS and 18% intend to work exclusively in the private sector. Surprising numbers had plans to retire or go part time before 60 years of age. Only 20% of the sample intended to continue working full time after the age of 60 years. The mode age that those surveyed intended to start a family was 30 years and a large majority of both sexes thought this would interrupt their professional life. More than half of the sample intend to take time out of dentistry until their children attended primary school (female 63%, male 38%) and 6% (female 6%, male 8%) until secondary school. Many of our findings suggest that future generations of dentists may have a pattern of professional life that will have the effect of reducing their clinical commitment, although it is not possible to determine how significant an effect this will have on the workforce. It may, however, be appropriate to take career intention into account when workforce planning.

  7. Effects of hearing aids in the balance, quality of life and fear to fall in elderly people with sensorineural hearing loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lacerda, Clara Fonseca

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The aging process provokes structural modifications and functional to it greets, compromising the postural control and central processing. Studies have boarded the necessity to identify to the harmful factors of risk to aged the auditory health and security in stricken aged by auditory deficits and with alterations of balance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of auditory prosthesis in the quality of life, the balance and the fear of fall in aged with bilateral auditory loss. Method: Carried through clinical and experimental study with 56 aged ones with sensorineural auditory loss, submitted to the use of auditory prosthesis of individual sonorous amplification (AASI. The aged ones had answered to the questionnaires of quality of life Short Form Health Survey (SF-36, Falls Efficacy International Scale- (FES-I and the test of Berg Balance Scale (BBS. After 4 months, the aged ones that they adapted to the use of the AASI had been reevaluated. Results: It had 50% of adaptation of the aged ones to the AASI. It was observed that the masculine sex had greater difficulty in adapting to the auditory device and that the variable age, degree of loss, presence of humming and vertigo had not intervened with the adaptation to auditory prosthesis. It had improvement of the quality of life in the dominance of the State General Health (EGS and Functional Capacity (CF and of the humming, as well as the increase of the auto-confidence after adaptation of auditory prosthesis. Conclusion: The use of auditory prosthesis provided the improvement of the domains of the quality of life, what it reflected consequently in one better auto-confidence and in the long run in the reduction of the fear of fall in aged with sensorineural auditory loss.

  8. Compelled to Be Connected: An Ethnographic Exploration of Organizational Culture, Work-Life Balance, and the Use of Mobile Workplace Technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Kristopher J.

    2013-01-01

    This study is an ethnographic exploration of organizational culture, work-life balance, and the use of information and communication technology ("ICT") in the work and home settings. The researcher was embedded for nine weeks within the Information Technology ("IT") department at the corporate headquarters of a mid-sized…

  9. Fluid and electrolyte balance during the first week of life and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the preterm neonate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Rocha

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Early fluid and electrolyte imbalances may be associated with an increased risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. OBJECTIVE: We sought to establish an association between fluid and electrolyte balance in the first week of life and the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. METHODS: Clinical charts of 205 neonates <32 weeks gestational age and/or <1,250 g birth weight (admitted to our NICU between 1997 and 2008 were analyzed. Clinical features, fluid and electrolyte balance were analyzed for the first 7 days of life using multivariate models of generalized estimation equations. A p value <0.05 was considered significant in all of the hypothesis tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was 22%. Lower gestational age and birth weight, male gender, less frequent use of antenatal steroids, respiratory distress syndrome, use of surfactant, patent ductus arteriosus, duration of invasive ventilation and NICU stay were significantly associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The variation in serum values of potassium, phosphorus and creatinine during the first week of life also revealed an association with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Higher mean plasma calcium values were associated with spontaneous closure of the patent ductus arteriosus. The use of indomethacin to induce patent ductus arteriosus closure was significantly higher in bronchopulmonary dysplasia patients. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in renal function and tubular handling of potassium and phosphorus are present during the first week of life among preterm neonates who will develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The higher rate of patent ductus arteriosus and indomethacin use may influence these differences. Serum levels of calcium also appear to play a role in spontaneous ductus arteriosus closure.

  10. Portrait of an OT artist: Using Mindfulness to find Life Balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lydia Royeen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Lynn Davies, a Canadian-based occupational therapist, understands the skill set and practice required to employ a balanced work/play/leisure routine, even for an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists can easily foster this balanced routine for clients; however, they may fall short of adopting this balanced routine in their own lives. Lynn uses art and mindfulness strategies to strive for a meaningful routine. Balancing her work as a therapist and her engagement in art is an ever-evolving orchestra, as she has a passion for both.

  11. Detection of G-Quadruplex Structures Formed by G-Rich Sequences from Rice Genome and Transcriptome Using Combined Probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Tianjun; Li, Weiguo; Ding, Zhan; Cheng, Shaofei; Liang, Kun; Liu, Xiangjun; Bing, Tao; Shangguan, Dihua

    2017-08-01

    Putative G-quadruplex (G4) forming sequences (PQS) are highly prevalent in the genome and transcriptome of various organisms and are considered as potential regulation elements in many biological processes by forming G4 structures. The formation of G4 structures highly depends on the sequences and the environment. In most cases, it is difficult to predict G4 formation by PQS, especially PQS containing G2 tracts. Therefore, the experimental identification of G4 formation is essential in the study of G4-related biological functions. Herein, we report a rapid and simple method for the detection of G4 structures by using a pair of complementary reporters, hemin and BMSP. This method was applied to detect G4 structures formed by PQS (DNA and RNA) searched in the genome and transcriptome of Oryza sativa. Unlike most of the reported G4 probes that only recognize part of G4 structures, the proposed method based on combined probes positively responded to almost all G4 conformations, including parallel, antiparallel, and mixed/hybrid G4, but did not respond to non-G4 sequences. This method shows potential for high-throughput identification of G4 structures in genome and transcriptome. Furthermore, BMSP was observed to drive some PQS to form more stable G4 structures or induce the G4 formation of some PQS that cannot form G4 in normal physiological conditions, which may provide a powerful molecular tool for gene regulation.

  12. Assessing Strategies to Manage Work and Life Balance of Athletic Trainers Working in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Pitney, William A.; Casa, Douglas J.; Pagnotta, Kelly D.

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Context: Certified athletic trainers (ATs) working at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level experience challenges balancing their professional and personal lives. However, an understanding of the strategies ATs use to promote a balance between their professional and personal lives is lacking. Objective: To identify the strategies ATs employed in the Division I setting use to establish a balance between their professional and personal lives. Design: Qualitative investigation using inductive content analysis. Setting: Athletic trainers employed at Division I schools from 5 National Athletic Trainers' Association districts. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 28 (15 women, 13 men) ATs aged 35 ± 9 years volunteered for the study. Data Collection and Analysis: Asynchronous electronic interviews with follow-up phone interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Peer review, member checking, and data-source triangulation were conducted to establish trustworthiness. Results: Three higher-order themes emerged from the analysis. The initial theme, antecedents of work–family conflict, focused on the demands of the profession, flexibility of work schedules, and staffing patterns as contributing to work–life conflict for this group of ATs. The other 2 emergent higher-order themes, professional factors and personal factors, describe the components of a balanced lifestyle. The second-order theme of constructing the professional factors included both organizational policies and individual strategies, whereas the second-order theme of personal factors was separation of work and life and a supportive personal network. Conclusions: Long work hours, lack of control over work schedules, and unbalanced athlete-to-AT ratios can facilitate conflicts. However, as demonstrated by our results, several organizational and personal strategies can be helpful in creating a balanced lifestyle. PMID:21391805

  13. Work-Life Balance and Gender Differences in Self-Employment Income during the Start-up Stage in Japan

    OpenAIRE

    Hiroyuki Okamuro; Kenta Ikeuchi

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates the determinants of the income levels of newly self-employed workers compared to those of employees, while focusing on the effects of gender and childcare. We argue that working mothers with preschool children prefer self-employment to paid employment, as such arrangements offer better work–life balance. Hence, we predict that self-employed working mothers earn lower incomes than their male counterparts, employed counterparts, and female self-employed worker counterp...

  14. Availability and the use of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code among workers employed on the basis of employment contracts in small and medium enterprises

    OpenAIRE

    Aleksandra Andysz; Aleksandra Jacukowicz; Aleksander Stańczak; Marcin Drabek

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits) supporting them in achieving balance between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB) among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. Material and Methods: The study sample included 219 respondents, aged 22–64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment contracts for at l...

  15. Twelve weeks of BodyBalance® training improved balance and functional task performance in middle-aged and older adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholson VP

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Vaughan P Nicholson, Mark R McKean, Brendan J Burkett School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of BodyBalance® training on balance, functional task performance, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life in adults aged over 55 years.Participants and methods: A total of 28 healthy, active adults aged 66±5 years completed the randomized controlled trial. Balance, functional task performance, fear of falling, and self-reported quality of life were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Participants either undertook two sessions of BodyBalance per week for 12 weeks (n=15 or continued with their normal activities (n=13.Results: Significant group-by-time interactions were found for the timed up and go (P=0.038, 30-second chair stand (P=0.037, and mediolateral center-of-pressure range in narrow stance with eyes closed (P=0.017. There were no significant effects on fear of falling or self-reported quality of life.Conclusion: Twelve weeks of BodyBalance training is effective at improving certain balance and functional based tasks in healthy older adults. Keywords: postural control, yoga, tai chi, center of pressure, exercise

  16. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN SOUTH INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Panchanatham

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In India, entrepreneurship has traditionally been considered a male prerogative. However, in tandem with a changing socio-cultural environment and an increase in educational opportunities, women have started recognising their inherent talents and business skills. With the help of various governmental and non-governmental agencies, growing numbers of women are joining the ranks of entrepreneurs. However, in the existing familial and societal setup, entrepreneurial women are overburdened and find it increasingly difficult to balance their work and life roles. Therefore, the major objective of the present study was to develop and validate an appropriate tool to illustrate the work-life balance (WLB issues faced by women entrepreneurs of South India. We also sought to understand the important factors influencing the WLB of these women entrepreneurs. To achieve this end, data were collected by area sampling (cluster- random paired with semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. The generated data were subjected to standard statistical procedures, such as factor analysis, regression analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA and student's t-test. The five-point psychometric tool developed consisted of 39 statements related to five factors. Each of the statements possessed adequate reliability and validity. This study revealed that role overload, dependent care issues, quality of health, problems in time management and lack of proper social support are the major factors influencing the WLB of women entrepreneurs in India. Furthermore, even though the vast majority of the entrepreneurs examined in this study suffers from WLB issues, there are significant differences in the level of WLB issues faced by the various categories of women entrepreneurs. The present study provides recommendations for human resource professionals, management consultants, academicians and women entrepreneurs themselves to deal with the major WLB issues faced by Indian women

  17. Evaluation of an open-rota system in a Danish psychiatric hospital: a mechanism for improving job satisfaction and work-life balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pryce, Joanna; Albertsen, Karen; Nielsen, Karina

    2006-05-01

    To evaluate the impact of an open-rota scheduling system on the health, work-life balance and job satisfaction of nurses working in a psychiatric ward in Denmark. The effects of shift rotation and scheduling are well known; however, little is known about the wider benefits of open-rota systems. Method A structured questionnaire was distributed to control and intervention groups preintervention and postintervention (20 months). Nurses within the intervention group trialed an open-rota system in which nurses designed their own work-rest schedules. Nurses in the intervention group reported that they were more satisfied with their work hours, less likely to swap their shift when working within the open-rota system and reported significant increases in work-life balance, job satisfaction, social support and community spirit when compared with nurses in the control groups. The ownership and choice over work-rest schedules has benefits for nurses, and potentially the hospital.

  18. Balance evaluation in haemophilic preadolescent patients using Nintendo Wii Balance Board®.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Alenda, S; Carrasco, J J; Aguilar-Rodríguez, M; Martínez-Gómez, L; Querol-Giner, M; Cuesta-Barriuso, R; Torres-Ortuño, A; Querol, F

    2017-01-01

    Alterations in the musculoskeletal system, especially in the lower limbs, limit physical activity and affect balance and walking. Postural impairments in haemophilic preteens could increase the risk of bleeding events and deteriorate the physical condition, promoting the progression of haemophilic arthropathy. This study aims to evaluate static postural balance in haemophilic children, assessed by means of the Wii Balance Board ® (WBB). Nineteen children with haemophilia and 19 without haemophilia aged 9-10 years, have participated in this study. Postural balance was assessed by performing four tests, each one lasting 15 s: bipodal eyes open (BEO), bipodal eyes closed (BEC), monopodal dominant leg (MD) and monopodal non-dominant leg (MND). Two balance indices, standard deviation of amplitude (SDA) and standard deviation of velocity (SDV) were calculated in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions. Index values were higher in haemophilic group and the differences were statistically significant (P balance in the haemophilic cohort compared to the control group. Accordingly, physiotherapy programmes, physical activity and sports should be designed to improve the postural balance with the aim of preventing joint deterioration and improving quality of life. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. How Do You Take Time? Work-Life Balance Policies versus Neoliberal, Social and Cultural Incentive Mechanisms in Icelandic Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smidt, Thomas Brorsen; Pétursdóttir, Gyða Margrét; Einarsdóttir, Þorgerður

    2017-01-01

    It is suggested that the realization of work-life balance policies at the University of Iceland is compromised by an emphasis on neoliberal notions of growth and performance measurements in the form of new public management strategies. This is sustained by overt and covert incentive mechanisms, which in turn create a range of different gendered…

  20. The influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis-A constant balancing between ideality and reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malm, Karina; Bremander, Ann; Arvidsson, Barbro; Andersson, Maria L E; Bergman, Stefan; Larsson, Ingrid

    2016-01-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and systemic disease with symptoms that limit activities and affect quality of life. RA is associated with an increased risk of developing comorbidities, some of which are also known to be associated with lifestyle habits such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. There has been an augmented focus on the implementation and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits even for patients with RA in the past decade, but little is known about the link between patients' experiences of lifestyle habits and quality of life. The aim of the study was thus to describe and explore how patients with established RA experience the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life. The study had a descriptive and explorative design, based on qualitative content analysis. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences. Twenty-two patients with RA (14 women and 8 men) from 30 to 84 years old, with a disease duration ranging from 8 to 23 years, were interviewed. The analysis of the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life resulted in the theme balancing between ideality and reality. Three categories emerged about how lifestyle habits influenced quality of life by limitations (including insufficiency and adaptation), self-regulation (including guilt and motivation), and companionship (including belonging and pleasure). Quality of life for patients with established RA was influenced by the balance between ideality and reality in the lifestyle habits: physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. This is important new knowledge for health professionals when discussing lifestyle habits with RA patients.

  1. Balancing your personal and professional lives: help for busy medical practice employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hills, Laura Sachs

    2008-01-01

    It is extremely difficult for most people to balance work and home life. This is especially true of employees who work in fast-paced medical practices where they are on the go all day. Each medical practice employee must find his or her own way to balance work and life, but fortunately, the process can usually be boiled down to some basics. This article outlines a strategy for establishing the top five priorities in the medical practice employee's life. It suggests that medical practice personnel can develop and use a personal mission statement as a life guide. This article also suggests specific strategies medical practice employees can use to protect and make the best use of their private time. It provides examples of how medical practice personnel have changed their lives by dropping unnecessary activities from their daily schedules. Finally, this article offers guidance about getting children to help working parents balance their work and private lives, 10 additional tips for work/life balance, a work/life balance self-assessment quiz, and a template the medical practice employee can use to create a customized personal mission statement.

  2. Balancing hope and despair at the end of life: The contribution of organ and tissue donation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Wendy; Sque, Magi

    2016-04-01

    Concern for the grieving family can moderate the intentions of critical care staff to advocate deceased organ and tissue donation. Conversely, benevolent actions may provoke distress through missed opportunities to save or transform lives. This article provides insight into the perceived benefits of organ and tissue donation for grieving families who experienced end-of-life care in the intensive care unit. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face or telephone interviews with 43 participants from 31 donor families. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and subjected to qualitative content analysis. The study findings affirmed the importance of person-centered end-of-life care. Donor families shared examples of good-quality care and communication that contained the hallmarks of compassion, respect, dignity, and choice. We uncovered a trajectory of hope and despair in which the option of organ and tissue donation appeared to give meaning to the life and death of the deceased person and was comforting to some families in their bereavement. Our study findings underlined the significance of donation decision making for grieving families. Organ and tissue donation has the potential to balance hope and despair at the end of life when the wishes of the dying, deceased, and bereaved are fulfilled. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Work-life balance of female versus male surgeons in Hong Kong based on findings of a questionnaire designed by a Japanese surgeon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Ava; Chau, Wai Wang; Kawase, K

    2014-01-01

    We evaluated the attitudes of female and male surgeons in Hong Kong to work, personal life, and work-life balance, through a questionnaire survey. We sent an online questionnaire survey designed by a female Japanese surgeon to 142 female surgeons practicing in Hong Kong, while its customized version was sent to 953 of their male counterparts. "Home life" and "Work" were the first and second priorities for both the women and the men. More of the female surgeons reported that they could not find enough time to participate in community activities (p = 0.038) or rest (p = 0.024). Both reported moderate satisfaction at work (p = 0.114) and in their life outside work (p = 0.346), as well as equality at home (p = 0.548) and at work (p = 0.177). Of the men, 89 % agreed with the necessity for granting paternity leave and reported that they would like to work part-time during the child-rearing years (p = 0.013). The number of female surgeons involved in key roles is increasing in parallel with the increasing number of female medical students. The introduction of paternity leave for male surgeons is an important concern. The issues of work-life balance may need to be addressed to attract more talent into an important specialty in Hong Kong and this is likely to apply to other parts of Asia as well.

  4. The Career Intentions, Work-Life Balance and Retirement Plans of Dental Undergraduates at the University of Bristol

    OpenAIRE

    Puryer, James; Patel, Ashini

    2016-01-01

    Aim: To investigate the career intentions, work-life balance and retirement plans of dental undergraduates at the University of Bristol in 2015. Method: Cross-sectional survey of 210 clinical undergraduates using an anonymous self-report questionnaire.Results: The response rate was 79%. The majority (81.7%) were ‘satisfied’ or ‘extremely satisfied’ with their choice of career. The majority (78.7%) felt men and women are equally likely to succeed in dentistry, although 42.9% felt men had an ad...

  5. Effects of Dao De Xin Xi Exercise on Balance and Quality of Life in Thai Elderly Women

    OpenAIRE

    Intarakamhang, Patrawut; Chintanaprawasee, Pantipa

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week Dao De Xin Xi exercise, modified short forms of Tai Chi, on balance and quality of life in Thai elderly population. Quasi-Experimental research, pretest-posttest one group design was done at Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Phramongkutklao Hospital. Thai healthy elderly women over the age of 60, requiring regular Dao De Xin Xi exercise were recruited from either patients or workers in the hospital. A 60-minut...

  6. Recovery, work-life balance and work experiences important to self-rated health: A questionnaire study on salutogenic work factors among Swedish primary health care employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ejlertsson, Lina; Heijbel, Bodil; Ejlertsson, Göran; Andersson, Ingemar

    2018-01-01

    There is a lack of information on positive work factors among health care workers. To explore salutogenic work-related factors among primary health care employees. Questionnaire to all employees (n = 599) from different professions in public and private primary health care centers in one health care district in Sweden. The questionnaire, which had a salutogenic perspective, included information on self-rated health from the previously validated SHIS (Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale), psychosocial work environment and experiences, recovery, leadership, social climate, reflection and work-life balance. The response rate was 84%. A multivariable linear regression model, with SHIS as the dependent variable, showed three significant predictors. Recovery had the highest relationship to SHIS (β= 0.34), followed by experience of work-life balance (β= 0.25) and work experiences (β= 0.20). Increased experience of recovery during working hours related to higher self-rated health independent of recovery outside work. Individual experiences of work, work-life balance and, most importantly, recovery seem to be essential areas for health promotion. Recovery outside the workplace has been studied previously, but since recovery during work was shown to be of great importance in relation to higher self-rated health, more research is needed to explore different recovery strategies in the workplace.

  7. Work-Life Balance řídících pracovníků ve školství

    OpenAIRE

    Müllerová, Olga

    2013-01-01

    This Thesis looks closely at the problematic harmony of personal and business lives of Educational Professionals. It examines different aspects important in this area. The theoretical part of this Thesis is focused on the heavy workload experienced by School Principals, the different sources of the workload, stress, health and life balance, health risks prevention, time management and further personal development. Practical part consists of data analysis obtained from a survey of Educational ...

  8. Returning to Work after Childbirth in Europe: Well-Being, Work-Life Balance, and the Interplay of Supervisor Support

    OpenAIRE

    Ana M. Lucia-Casademunt; Antonia M. García-Cabrera; Laura Padilla-Angulo; Deybbi Cuéllar-Molina

    2018-01-01

    Parents returning to work after the arrival of a new son or daughter is an important question for understanding the trajectory of people's lives and professional careers amid current debates about gender equality and work-life balance (WLB). Interestingly, current research concludes that general WLB practices at the workplace may be necessary in the specific case of women returning to work after childbirth because of the particular maternal and infant factors involved. However, WLB practices ...

  9. Ethical Considerations for Psychologists Taking a Public Stance on Controversial Issues: The Balance Between Personal and Professional Life

    OpenAIRE

    Haeny, Angela M.

    2013-01-01

    Previous literature has documented the general issues psychologists often face while balancing their personal and professional lives. The struggle stems from attempting to satisfy the need to maintain a life outside of work while having the professional obligation to follow the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (Ethics Code) to prevent their personal lives from interfering with their professional roles and relationships. The p...

  10. PENGARUH WORK LIFE BALANCE DAN KEPUASAN KERJA TERHADAP TURNOVER INTENTION KARYAWAN PADA PT BANK AGRONIAGA TBK CABANG BANDUNG

    OpenAIRE

    udin, Nafi

    2017-01-01

    The objective from this research is to investigate the effect of work life balance and job satisfaction on employee turnover intention at PT Bank Agroniaga Tbk Bandung Branch.This type of research is descriptive and verification with descriptive survey and explanatory survey method. Data obtained from all employees PT Bank Agroniaga Tbk Bandung Branch, amounting to 30 people. The data was collected using a questionnaire instrument.The analytical method used is descriptive analysis that descri...

  11. Feasibility and outcomes of a classical Pilates program on lower extremity strength, posture, balance, gait, and quality of life in someone with impairments due to a stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shea, Sarah; Moriello, Gabriele

    2014-07-01

    Pilates is a method that can potentially be used for stroke rehabilitation to address impairments in gait, balance, strength, and posture. The purpose of this case report was to document the feasibility of using Pilates and to describe outcomes of a 9-month program on lower extremity strength, balance, posture, gait, and quality of life in an individual with stroke. The participant was taught Pilates exercises up to two times per week for nine months in addition to traditional rehabilitation in the United States. Outcomes were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), GAITRite System(®), 5 repetition sit-to-stand test (STST), and flexicurve. Improvements were found in balance, lower extremity strength, and quality of life. Posture and gait speed remained the same. While these changes cannot be specifically attributed to the intervention, Pilates may have added to his overall rehabilitation program and with some modifications was feasible to use in someone with a stroke. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A controlled clinical trial investigating the effects of cycle ergometry training on exercise tolerance, balance and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Lauhoff, Paula

    2013-03-01

    To establish the effect of a 6-week programme of cycle ergometry training on exercise tolerance, balance, activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson\\'s disease (PD).

  13. Do Family Responsibilities and a Clinical Versus Research Faculty Position Affect Satisfaction with Career and Work–Life Balance for Medical School Faculty?

    OpenAIRE

    Beckett, Laurel; Nettiksimmons, Jasmine; Howell, Lydia Pleotis; Villablanca, Amparo C.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Balancing career and family obligations poses challenges to medical school faculty and contributes to dissatisfaction and attrition from academics. We examined the relationship between family setting and responsibilities, rank, and career and work–life satisfaction for faculty in a large U.S. medical school.

  14. Life after a lung transplant: a balance of joy and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graarup, Jytte; Mogensen, Elin Lindberg; Missel, Malene; Berg, Selina Kikkenborg

    2017-11-01

    To describe patients' experiences throughout the first four months post-lung transplant. Health professionals are familiar with the fact that patients' average survival after a lung transplant is about seven years and that 74% of these patients reject new organs within the first two years. By contrast, knowledge of these patients' perspectives after lung transplantation is scant. A qualitative study was conducted between May 2013-May 2014 in which 26 interviewees participated - four months post-transplant - based on a semistructured interview guide. The data were inductively analysed using a content thematic approach within a phenomenological and hermeneutic frame. The main findings in the study reveal that (1) having a lung transplant is an overwhelming experience, which for some patients includes (2) troubling physical and psychological challenges. The interviewees were happy to get another chance to live, although some of them suffered from medical side effects, postoperative complications and psychological problems. When asked about the future, interviewees stated that life could be described as (3) a balance of joy and challenges. They had received a new chance in life and were eager to fulfil their life hopes and dreams. At the same time, they were worried about the future. Having a lung transplant implies rules that have to be followed. What are the healthy choices they are supposed to make? And will there be a tomorrow? Having a lung transplant is described as an overwhelming experience because of the improvement in the physical function of the body. Patients were grateful to family, friends and healthcare professionals for supporting them. The first four months post-transplantation were described as both physically and psychologically challenging. Interviewees were aware of the prognosis for patients following lung transplantation. They expressed feelings of worry and insecurity but still had hopes and dreams. The patients are troubled by both physical and

  15. The balanced academic curriculum problem revisited

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chiarandini, Marco; Di Gaspero, Luca; Gualandi, Stefano

    2012-01-01

    The Balanced Academic Curriculum Problem (BACP) consists in assigning courses to teaching terms satisfying prerequisites and balancing the credit course load within each term. The BACP is part of the CSPLib with three benchmark instances, but its formulation is simpler than the problem solved...... in practice by universities. In this article, we introduce a generalized version of the problem that takes different curricula and professor preferences into account, and we provide a set of real-life problem instances arisen at University of Udine. Since the existing formulation based on a min-max objective...... function does not balance effectively the credit load for the new instances, we also propose alternative objective functions. Whereas all the CSPLib instances are efficiently solved with Integer Linear Programming (ILP) state-of-the-art solvers, our new set of real-life instances turns out to be much more...

  16. THE INFLUENCE OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE ON EMPLOYEES ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    among women managers, no concrete study has attempted to investigate the ... balance policies such as job sharing, family supportive services, and study leave .... branches of Sika Bank Limited in this Region (Sika Bank-Human Resource ...

  17. Sandia National Laboratories: Careers: Life at Sandia: People and Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    ; Culture Work-Life Balance Special Programs Students and Postdocs Benefits and Perks Hiring Process Life at -Life Balance Careers People and Culture Solar cell picture Quality people, quality work Integrity , the incredible work-life balance." View All Jobs Equal opportunity employer/Disability/Vet/GLBT

  18. Adapted physical activity is beneficial on balance, functional mobility, quality of life and fall risk in community-dwelling older women: a randomized single-blinded controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovács, E; Prókai, L; Mészáros, L; Gondos, T

    2013-06-01

    Exercise programmes have important role in prevention of falls, but to date, we have little knowledge about the effects of Adapted Physical Activity programme on balance of older women. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an Adapted Physical Activity programme on balance, risk of falls and quality of life in community-dwelling older women. This was a randomized controlled study. Community, in a local sport centre. Older women aged over 60 years. Seventy-six women were randomised to an exercise group providing Adapted Physical Activity programme for 25 weeks or a control group (in which they did not participate in any exercise programme). The one-leg stance test, Timed Up and Go test, incidence of fall and the quality of life (SF-36V2) were measured at baseline and after 25 weeks. The one-leg stance test and the Timed Up and Go test in the exercise group was significantly better than in the control group after the intervention period (P=0.005; P=0.001, respectively). The Physical Functioning, Vitality and General Health subdomains of quality of life were also significantly better in the exercise group compared to the control group (P=0.004; P=0.005; P=0.038, respectively). Relative risk was 0.40 (90% CI 0.174 to 0.920) and the number needed to treat was 5 (95% CI 2.3 to 23.3). This 25-week Adapted Physical Activity programme improves static balance, functional mobility, as well as Physical Functioning, Vitality and General Health subdomains of quality of life. Based on our results, the Adapted Physical Activity programme may be a promising fall prevention exercise programme improving static balance and functional mobility for community-dwelling older women.

  19. The influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis—A constant balancing between ideality and reality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karina Malm

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA is a chronic, inflammatory, and systemic disease with symptoms that limit activities and affect quality of life. RA is associated with an increased risk of developing comorbidities, some of which are also known to be associated with lifestyle habits such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. There has been an augmented focus on the implementation and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits even for patients with RA in the past decade, but little is known about the link between patients’ experiences of lifestyle habits and quality of life. The aim of the study was thus to describe and explore how patients with established RA experience the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life. Methods: The study had a descriptive and explorative design, based on qualitative content analysis. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences. Twenty-two patients with RA (14 women and 8 men from 30 to 84 years old, with a disease duration ranging from 8 to 23 years, were interviewed. Results: The analysis of the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life resulted in the theme balancing between ideality and reality. Three categories emerged about how lifestyle habits influenced quality of life by limitations (including insufficiency and adaptation, self-regulation (including guilt and motivation, and companionship (including belonging and pleasure. Conclusions: Quality of life for patients with established RA was influenced by the balance between ideality and reality in the lifestyle habits: physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. This is important new knowledge for health professionals when discussing lifestyle habits with RA patients.

  20. Diet density during the first week of life: Effects on energy and nitrogen balance characteristics of broiler chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamot, D M; Sapkota, D; Wijtten, P J A; van den Anker, I; Heetkamp, M J W; Kemp, B; van den Brand, H

    2017-07-01

    This study aimed to determine effects of diet density on growth performance, energy balance, and nitrogen (N) balance characteristics of broiler chickens during the first wk of life. Effects of diet density were studied using a dose-response design consisting of 5 dietary fat levels (3.5, 7.0, 10.5, 14.0, and 17.5%). The relative difference in dietary energy level was used to increase amino acid levels, mineral levels, and the premix inclusion level at the same ratio. Chickens were housed in open-circuit climate respiration chambers from d 0 to 7 after hatch. Body weight was measured on d 0 and 7, whereas feed intake was determined daily. For calculation of energy balances, O2 and CO2 exchange were measured continuously and all excreta from d 0 to 7 was collected and analyzed at d 7. Average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) decreased linearly (P = 0.047 and P density. Gross energy (GE) intake and metabolizable energy (ME) intake were not affected by diet density, but the ratio between ME and GE intake decreased linearly with increasing diet density (P = 0.006). Fat, N, and GE efficiencies (expressed as gain per unit of nutrient intake), heat production, and respiratory exchange ratio (CO2 to O2 ratio) decreased linearly (P density increased. Energy retention, N intake, and N retention were not affected by diet density. We conclude that a higher diet density in the first wk of life of broiler chickens did not affect protein and fat retention, whereas the ME to GE ratio decreased linearly with increased diet density. This suggests that diet density appears to affect digestibility rather than utilization of nutrients. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  1. Exploring the implications of the influence of organisational culture on work-life balance practices: evidence from Nigerian medical doctors

    OpenAIRE

    Adisa, Toyin Ajibade; Modi, Chima; Osabutey, Ellis L. C.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose - Whilst significant evidence of western work-life balance (WLB) challenges exists, studies that explore Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. This article explores how organisational culture in Nigerian medical organisations influences doctors’ WLB and examines the implications of supportive and unsupportive cultures on doctors’ WLB. \\ud \\ud Methodology - The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from semi-structured interviews of 60 medical doctors across the six geo-political zones of...

  2. Pengaruh Work-life Balance Dan Lingkungan Kerja Terhadap Kepuasan Kerja Karyawan (Studi Pada Perawat RS Lavalette Malang Tahun 2016)

    OpenAIRE

    Maslichah, Nur Intan; Hidayat, Kadarisman

    2017-01-01

    This aims to know and explain the influence among the variables in this study. These variables include work-life balance, physical work environment, non-physical work environment, and job satisfaction. This research uses explanatory research using quantitative approach. Samples taken as many as 63 data analysis using descriptive statistical analysis and inferential statistical analysis include the classical assumption test, multiple linear regression analysis, and hypothesis testing. Based on...

  3. G-Quadruplex Identification in the Genome of Protozoan Parasites Points to Naphthalene Diimide Ligands as New Antiparasitic Agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belmonte-Reche, Efres; Martínez-García, Marta; Guédin, Aurore; Zuffo, Michela; Arévalo-Ruiz, Matilde; Doria, Filippo; Campos-Salinas, Jenny; Maynadier, Marjorie; López-Rubio, José Juan; Freccero, Mauro; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Pérez-Victoria, José María; Morales, Juan Carlos

    2018-02-08

    G-quadruplexes (G4) are DNA secondary structures that take part in the regulation of gene expression. Putative G4 forming sequences (PQS) have been reported in mammals, yeast, bacteria, and viruses. Here, we present PQS searches on the genomes of T. brucei, L. major, and P. falciparum. We found telomeric sequences and new PQS motifs. Biophysical experiments showed that EBR1, a 29 nucleotide long highly repeated PQS in T. brucei, forms a stable G4 structure. G4 ligands based on carbohydrate conjugated naphthalene diimides (carb-NDIs) that bind G4's including hTel could bind EBR1 with selectivity versus dsDNA. These ligands showed important antiparasitic activity. IC 50 values were in the nanomolar range against T. brucei with high selectivity against MRC-5 human cells. Confocal microscopy confirmed these ligands localize in the nucleus and kinetoplast of T. brucei suggesting they can reach their potential G4 targets. Cytotoxicity and zebrafish toxicity studies revealed sugar conjugation reduces intrinsic toxicity of NDIs.

  4. A Measure of Maintenance Training/Qualification Readiness and Its Impact on Billet Life Cycle Coast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-09-01

    Intelligence is collected and an appraisal made of the threat to the security of the nation. 2. National Stratmov Based upon national policy decisions , a...Corrosion Control School. 432)2-5AQI * P-3C Electrical Maintenance Technician PQa �-Q - P-3C Brake Rider/Wing Walker PQS &323$-Q2 e P-IC Auxillary ...identified in a squadron utilizing the automated Skill Level Maintenance Matrices, the decision can be made to determine if extraordinary action is

  5. Work Change in Multiple Sclerosis as Motivated by the Pursuit of Illness-Work-Life Balance: A Qualitative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavanya Vijayasingham

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Individuals with multiple sclerosis have a tendency to make early decisions for work change, even in reversible, episodic, or mild disease stages. To better understand how a multiple sclerosis (MS diagnosis influences perceptions of work and motivations for work changes, we conducted a hermeneutic phenomenology study to explore the work lives of ten individuals with MS in Malaysia. The interpretive analysis and cumulative narratives depict an overarching change in their concept of ideal work and life aspirations and how participants make preemptive work changes to manage illness-work-life futures in subjectively meaningful ways. Discussions on their integrated pursuit of finding dynamic and subjective illness-work-life balance include reconciling the problem of hard work and stress on disease activity and progress, making positive lifestyle changes as health management behaviour, and the motivational influence of their own life and family roles: the consideration of their spouses, parents, and children. At an action level, work change was seen as moral and necessary for the management of illness futures. Our findings contribute insights on how individual perceptions and holistic life management decisions contribute to on-going and disrupted work trajectories, which can inform practice and policy on early interventions to support continued employment.

  6. Work Change in Multiple Sclerosis as Motivated by the Pursuit of Illness-Work-Life Balance: A Qualitative Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vijayasingham, Lavanya; Jogulu, Uma; Allotey, Pascale

    2017-01-01

    Individuals with multiple sclerosis have a tendency to make early decisions for work change, even in reversible, episodic, or mild disease stages. To better understand how a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis influences perceptions of work and motivations for work changes, we conducted a hermeneutic phenomenology study to explore the work lives of ten individuals with MS in Malaysia. The interpretive analysis and cumulative narratives depict an overarching change in their concept of ideal work and life aspirations and how participants make preemptive work changes to manage illness-work-life futures in subjectively meaningful ways. Discussions on their integrated pursuit of finding dynamic and subjective illness-work-life balance include reconciling the problem of hard work and stress on disease activity and progress, making positive lifestyle changes as health management behaviour, and the motivational influence of their own life and family roles: the consideration of their spouses, parents, and children. At an action level, work change was seen as moral and necessary for the management of illness futures. Our findings contribute insights on how individual perceptions and holistic life management decisions contribute to on-going and disrupted work trajectories, which can inform practice and policy on early interventions to support continued employment.

  7. Greenhouse gas emissions and energy balance of biodiesel production from microalgae cultivated in photobioreactors in Denmark: a life-cycle modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Monari, Chiara; Righi, Serena; Olsen, Stig Irving

    2016-01-01

    difficulties with both microalgae cultivation in wastewater as well as transportation and injection of waste CO2. In any way, a positive energy balance is still far from being achieved. Considerable improvements must be made to develop an environmentally beneficial microalgae biodiesel production...... of algal biodiesel from Nannochloropsis cultivated at industrial scale in photobioreactors in Denmark. Both consolidated and pioneering technologies are analyzed focusing on strengths and weaknesses which influence the performance. Based on literature data, energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions...... are determined in a comparative 'well-to-tank' Life Cycle Assessment against fossil diesel. Use of by-products from biodiesel production such as glycerol obtained from transesterification and anaerobic digestion of residual biomass are included. Different technologies and methods are considered in cultivation...

  8. On balance: lifestyle, mental health and wellbeing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haggett, Ali

    2016-10-18

    Given the supremacy of the biomedical model in defining our understanding and treatment of a wide range of physcial and psychological disorders, it is perhaps curious that simultaneously, scientists, clinicians, governments and patients routinely employ the concepts of "lifestyle" and "balance" to try to explain the causes of bodily disease and psychological disorder. Concurrently, the health advantages that are assumed to be inherent in a "balanced life" have been exploited by a rapidly expanding consumer market in "wellbeing"-by companies and individuals promoting food supplements, "wearable fitness", diet trends and the self-help material. Exploring the tension between the biomedical doctrine and the parallel preoccupation with balance and lifestyle has provided the impetus for this special issue. Emerging originally from papers presented at an interdisciplinary conference held at the University of Exeter in June 2015, and augmented by two further comment pieces, the collection of articles aims to explore the ways in which changing notions of "balance" have been used to understand the causes of mental illness; to rationalise new approaches to its treatment; and to validate advice relating to balance in work and family life.

  9. PENGARUH WORK LIFE BALANCE DAN KETERIKATAN PEGAWAI TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI FAKULTAS ILMU SOSIAL DAN ILMU POLITIK UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

    OpenAIRE

    Sarikit, Maya

    2017-01-01

    The objective of the research is to obtain information about the influence of work life balance and employee engagementon employees job performance onFaculty of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Indonesia .The research was conducted to all of employees onFaculty of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Indonesia by using a survey method with path analysis applied in testing hypothesis. The number 67 employees as sample was selected by using Slovin formula. The re...

  10. Dizziness Can Be a Drag: Coping with Balance Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... that feeling persists or interferes with your daily life, it could be a sign of a balance disorder. A balance disorder makes you feel as ... throat. You might receive a hearing test, a balance test and possibly an imaging study of the brain. Work with your doctor to figure out how to ...

  11. Retention of Employees in Ceramic Sanitary Ware Factories in India: Role of Work Life Balance, Career Development and Supervisor Support

    OpenAIRE

    S. Umamaheswari; Jayasree Krishnan

    2016-01-01

    The study examines the role of work life balance, career development and supervisor support on organization commitment over employees of unattended, ceramic sanitary ware factories in India. It also verifies the influence of organization commitment on retention and its mediating role. Findings reveal that organization commitment influences retention and all the above factors enhance it. Moreover, organization commitment partially mediates the relationship between proposed factors and retentio...

  12. Availability and the use of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code among workers employed on the basis of employment contracts in small and medium enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Andysz

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits supporting them in achieving balance between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. Material and Methods: The study sample included 219 respondents, aged 22–64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment contracts for at least a year. The respondents completed a questionnaire on availability and the use of benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. Results: Most frequently the studied employees took sick leave because of one’s own illness and leave on demand. In our sample, 45% of the women took maternity leave and 26% of the men took paternity leave. The respondents took educational and parental leave the least frequently. More than half of the respondents (58% did not return to the same position after leave devoted to childcare, even though they had such a possibility. Conclusions: In fact, most of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law were available to the employees of small and medium enterprises, regardless of their gender. Availability and the use of the majority of benefits were similar among the women and men. Availability of benefits depended on the specificity of industry and a profession, thus, future research on work-life balance policy should control for variables related to the character of work.

  13. Availability and the use of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code among workers employed on the basis of employment contracts in small and medium enterprises.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andysz, Aleksandra; Jacukowicz, Aleksandra; Stańczak, Aleksander; Drabek, Marcin

    2016-01-01

    Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits) supporting them in achieving balance between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB) among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. The study sample included 219 respondents, aged 22-64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment contracts for at least a year. The respondents completed a questionnaire on availability and the use of benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. Most frequently the studied employees took sick leave because of one's own illness and leave on demand. In our sample, 45% of the women took maternity leave and 26% of the men took paternity leave. The respondents took educational and parental leave the least frequently. More than half of the respondents (58%) did not return to the same position after leave devoted to childcare, even though they had such a possibility. In fact, most of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law were available to the employees of small and medium enterprises, regardless of their gender. Availability and the use of the majority of benefits were similar among the women and men. Availability of benefits depended on the specificity of industry and a profession, thus, future research on work-life balance policy should control for variables related to the character of work. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  14. Finding Your Balance

    CERN Document Server

    (CCL), Center for Creative Leadership; Patterson, Gordon

    2011-01-01

    Balance isn't an issue of time, but an issue of choice. It's about living your values by aligning your behavior with what you believe is really important. Aligning your behavior with your values is much like any other developmental experience; the basic process involves assessment, challenge, and support. You need to determine where you are, define where you want to go, and then put into place the tools you need to get there.Balance is about more than how you spend your time. It's about how you live your life. It's about recognizing that you have control over the choices you make and aligning

  15. WORKING FROM HOME AS ALTERNATIVE FOR ACHEVING WORKE-LIFE BALANCE

    OpenAIRE

    Nevena Krasulja, Milica Vasiljeviæ Blagojeviæ, Ivana Radojeviæ

    2015-01-01

    TIn this paper, the authors are addressing the issue of family – work balance, as well as the connection between this phenomenon and working from home. The basic, initial point is that the desired balance can be achieved if the employees are provided with more flexible work schemes, one of which is having the option to perform their work from home. According to the forecasts regarding the work place of the future, employees from almost all demographic, cultural and social groups decided that ...

  16. The career intentions, work-life balance and retirement plans of dental undergraduates at the University of Bristol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puryer, J; Patel, A

    2016-02-26

    Aim To investigate the career intentions, work-life balance and retirement plans of dental undergraduates at the University of Bristol in 2015.Method Cross-sectional survey of 210 clinical undergraduates using an anonymous self-report questionnaire.Results The response rate was 79%. The majority (81.7%) were 'satisfied' or 'extremely satisfied' with their choice of career. The majority (78.7%) felt men and women are equally likely to succeed in dentistry, although 42.9% felt men had an advantage over women with regards to career success. The majority (81.6%) intend on working within general practice, 11.3% within hospital dental services and 2.1% within community dental services. The majority (70.5%) intend to specialise within dentistry. Only 1.8% of participants intend on providing only National Health Service (NHS) dental treatment whereas the 86.5% would provide both NHS and private dental treatment. Fifteen years after qualifying, 52.2% plan to work part-time, and 37.8% intend on retiring at the age of 60 or below. The majority (86.6%) felt that childcare should be shared equally between both parents. Female students intend to take more time out of their career to concentrate on childcare and felt that having a child would affect their career more than males.Conclusion The anticipated career plans, work-life balance and retirement plans of undergraduates change over time, and further research should be carried out to monitor future career intentions of dental students in order to help with dental workforce planning.

  17. Do Work-Life Balance Policies Increase a Firm's Total Factor Productivity?: Evidence from panel data of Japanese firms (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    YAMAMOTO Isamu; MATSUURA Toshiyuki

    2011-01-01

    This paper examines how firms' policies for workers' work-life balance (WLB) affect total factor productivity (TFP) in the long run, by using panel data of Japanese firms from the 1990s. Although we observed a positive correlation between firms' WLB policies and their TFP, once controlling for unobserved firm heterogeneity, we found no causal relationship where WLB policies increase a firm's TFP in the long run. Under the following conditions, however, WLB policies would likely improve a firm...

  18. The Importance of Work-Life Balance Opportunities and Support from the Perspective of Nursing Stu-dents in Dalarna, Sweden

    OpenAIRE

    Hank, Nadine; Wänn, Anna

    2016-01-01

    There is a shortage of nurses leading to challenges in recruitment in Sweden and many other countries. Especially for less populated regions recruitment can be chal-lenging. Nurses often face difficulties with work-life balance (WLB). This study aims to identify the importance of WLB opportunities and support that make a work-place attractive from the perspective of nursing students studying in Dalarna. A questionnaire was distributed via email to 525 students enrolled in the nursing bach-elo...

  19. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND ITS IMPACT ON WORK LIFE BALANCE OF EMPLOYEES OF AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN PUNE REGION

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. K. Ramamurthi; Mr. Lambodar Saha

    2017-01-01

    Various strategic practices have already been established to promote the value of Human Resource Management in organizations. The Human Resource Management function is now considered as a strategic tool in the formulation and implementation of organizational strategies to attain its objectives. Automobile Industries are chosen as subjects for this study with specific aspects relating to various strategic human resource management practices and its impact on work-life balance and to determine ...

  20. The association between work-life balance and health status among Korean workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Eunsuk; Kim, Jiyun

    2017-01-01

    Although the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and health is well known, it has been poorly studied in Korea. This study investigated factors related to WLB for Korean workers, including working time features and the relationships between WLB and health outcomes. Data were obtained from the third Korean Working Conditions Survey, which examined a representative working population. This study investigated general characteristics, working time characteristics, work related health, and WLB. A multivariate logistic regression was used to test the associations between WLB and health outcome variables, including general health status, mental health, work-related risks to health and safety, sickness absenteeism, presenteeism, musculoskeletal disease, headache/eyestrain, and fatigue. General characteristics including gender, age, working sector, occupation, and employment type were found to be related to WLB. Moreover, working time characteristics were found to be strongly related to WLB. In addition, WLB was significantly related to various health outcomes. Our findings indicate that WLB is strongly related to health outcomes among Korean workers. The results suggest that there is a need for interventions that focus on implementing working time strategies for better health.