Work Life Balance Policies, Practices and Its Impact on Organizations

Abstract

Introduction: Work life balance refers to the equilibrium between the time and energy devoted to work and personal life. Achieving this balance is critical in maintaining overall well-being and productivity. Work-life balance refers to the level of prioritization between personal and professional activities in an individual life; it does not mean a 50-50 situation. Work Life Balance has emerged as a hot topic in recent years and is a cycle rather than an achievement, a method which helps employees of an organization to balance their personal and professional lives.

Methodology: This paper helps us to understand how work life balance assists employees in balancing their personal life and work life, and provides an indication on how the policies could be improved by organizations and applied to all employees so as to effectively promote wellness and foster a culture where employee and organization performance is improved. The review of literature draws on Marzec (2023), whose study of innovative work-life balance post-COVID-19 among working parents in Poland collected primary data through a questionnaire of 37 mostly close-ended questions using a Likert scale distributed among 10,000 participants, and on Hebbar, C. K. (2022), who reviewed a variety of publications, research papers and journals to gain a deeper comprehension of the work-life balances of people employed in a variety of industries.

Results & Discussion: Work-life balance policies are grouped into three categories. Leave arrangement policies comprise career breaks ranging from a few months to a couple of years, career leaves or sabbaticals, study leave for further education, training leave for courses and workshops, and pooling of leave entitlement allowing employees to combine sick leave and carer's leave. Pregnancy and parenting policies comprise paid maternity leave, under which the Maternity Benefit Act mandates 26 weeks for the first two children and 12 weeks for subsequent children with eligibility requiring 80 days of service in the preceding 12 months, unpaid maternity and paternity leave, safety at work during pregnancy, the opportunity to return to the same job, staggered return to work, and lactation breaks. Flexible working policies comprise flextime, job sharing, part-time work, shift work, compressed hours such as four ten-hour days instead of five eight-hour days, mobile working and hot desking. Ten factors impacting work-life balance are identified, from family responsibilities and self-management skills to organizational support.

Conclusion: Work life balance practices benefit everyone: the business, through easier recruitment, improved retention and easier service delivery; the economy, as the labour market grows and skilled and experienced people are available to work; and parents and carers, who can spend quality time at home as well as providing financial support through work. This study has helped in understanding the different work life balance practices followed in organizations and the importance of those practices. By implementing work-life balance programs, employees can still have a life outside work with their families and social activities, creating a balance that makes employees happier and more satisfied to do their work better.