WORK LIFE BALANCE AND ITS EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY IN ZENITH BANK

Abstract

Lack of work flexibility, high work pressure and longer working hours are stressing out many workers, reducing their job performance and productivity as well as causing broken homes. In the community, there is growing concern that the quality of home and community life is deteriorating.  These have resulted to poor employee input and performance at his or her job place, because an employee, who finds it difficult to properly balance his or her family life, tends to also have difficulties managing tasks at his or her workplace, therefore resulting in poor employee performance. This study examines the relationship between work life balance and its impact or potential effects on employee productivity. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the study. The data for the study were collected from employees of Zenith bank located Lagos State through the use of questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics using frequency, percentage, chi-square and regression analysis. The result of the data analysis revealed that work-life balance practices exist in zenith bank, there are work-life balance challenges faced by employees of zenith bank, there is a negative influence of imbalance work-life practices on organizational performance and the social life of employees in zenith bank and proper work-life balance practices can be enhance amongst employees of zenith bank by providing flex hours including seasonal hours, allowing employees to work from home, provision of less rigid lunch schedules etc. The study recommends that the existing work life balance in zenith bank can be enhances among employees by providing flex hours including seasonal hours, allowing employees to work from home, provision of less rigid lunch schedules, provision laptops and equipment to make working from anywhere possible and encouraging social activities.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Today, work-life equalization has turned into an inexorably inescapable worry to the two bosses and representatives of general associations.  Work-life offset which essentially manages a worker's capacity to appropriately organize among workers and their way of life, public activity, wellbeing, family, and so forth is incredibly connected with representative efficiency, execution and occupation fulfillment. Where there is an appropriate harmony among work and life, representatives will in general put in their earnest attempts at work, on the grounds that their family is glad. Most research studies have demonstrated that when there are glad homes, work environments naturally become strife free and pleasant spots to be. Expanding steady loss rates and expanding interest for work-life equalization has constrained associations to look past the regular Human Resources mediations. Therefore, activities, for example, adaptable working hours, elective work plans, leave approaches and advantages in lieu of family care obligations and worker help projects have turned into a noteworthy piece of the majority of the organization's advantages projects and pay bundles. The roots of research on work-life equalization can be followed back to investigations of ladies having numerous jobs. The most well-known methodology is to view work-life parity rehearses through a business-case focal point. That is, by offering these practices, associations pull in new individuals and lessen levels of work-life struggle among existing ones, and this improved enlistment and decreased work-life strife upgrade hierarchical adequacy. An audit of the writing, in any case, questions this indicated connection between work-life equalization rehearses and authoritative adequacy. Most of studies exploring the results of work-life practices doesn't gauge work-life struggle, and therefore can't bolster this proposed intervened relationship (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux, and Brinley, 2005).

This investigation looks at writing to recognize the different manners by which hierarchical work-life practices may impact authoritative execution. Utilizing a wide scope of concentrates from an assortment of controls, the experimental help accessible for the connection between work-life rehearses and hierarchical execution at both the individual and association level of examination is explored.

The significance of work-family balance, regardless of whether certain or express, to the associations and Employees can't be disregarded. This is on the grounds that when representative’s battle to adjust their work and family lives, their families and work will be contrarily influenced Gryzwacz and Carlson, (2007). The most widely recognized methodology is to see work-life balance rehearses through a business case focal point: that is, by offering these practices, associations pull in new individuals and decrease levels of work-life strife among existing ones, and this improved enrollment and diminished work life struggle upgrade hierarchical viability.

A survey of the writing, be that as it may, questions this indicated connect between work-life balance rehearses and hierarchical adequacy. The instruments by which the arrangement of work life rehearses influences both representative conduct and worker profitability stay indistinct, and under-investigated Allen, 2001; Schutte and Eaton, (2004). It is on this reason the investigation will be led in other to discover how Nigerian specialists are being influenced with regards to the issue or idea of work-life balance. This investigation inspects the writing to recognize the different manners by which hierarchical work life practices may impact representative efficiency. Utilizing a wide scope of studies from an assortment of orders, the experimental help accessible for the connection between work-life practices and worker profitability at both the individual and association level will be nitty gritty. Discoveries from writing will gives us significant new bits of knowledge in regards to potential arbitrators and go between of the connection between work-life practices and representative profitability, and recommends new research addresses that may additionally improve our comprehension of how (or if) this connection works.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Lack of work flexibility, high work pressure and longer working hours are stressing out many workers, reducing their job performance and productivity as well as causing broken homes. In the community, there is growing concern that the quality of home and community life is deteriorating.  These have resulted to poor employee input and performance at his or her job place, because an employee, who finds it difficult to properly balance his or her family life, tends to also have difficulties managing tasks at his or her workplace, therefore resulting in poor employee performance. Sparks, Cooper, Fried and Shirom, (1997) in their study provide some indication that when people spend too many hours at work, and spend less with their families, their health and work performance begin to deteriorate. There are various explanations for this associated with affluence, the growth of single parent families, the privatization of family life and the lack of local resources and facilities  In addition, the pressures and demands of work, reflected both in longer hours, more exhaustion and the growth of evening and weekend work leave less scope for “quality” family time.   The consequences include increases in juvenile crime, more drug abuse, and a reduction in care of the community and in community participation and less willingness to take responsibility for care of elderly relatives and for the disadvantaged.  While steps to redress these concerns transcend work and employment, it is nevertheless argued that the demands of work contribute to a reduced participation in non-work activities resulting in an imbalance.

Moreover, there is a view, widely promoted by some management writers but not strongly supported by sound empirical evidence, that workers are less willing to display unlimited commitment to the organization.  One reason offered for this is the changing nature of the psychological contract at work; turbulence in organizations has made it less feasible to offer secure progressive careers and therefore to justify why workers should be committed. The pressures and demands of work, reflected both in longer hours, more exhaustion and the growth of evening and weekend work leave less scope for quality family time. The consequences include increases in juvenile crime, more drug abuse, and a reduction in care of the community and in community participation and less willingness to take responsibility for care of elderly relatives and for the disadvantaged resulting work life conflict One reason offered for this is the changing nature of the psychological contract at work; turbulence in organizations has made it less feasible to offer secure progressive careers and therefore to justify why workers should be committed.   It is on this premise that this study will investigate the relationship between work life balance and its impact or potential effects on employee productivity.

1.3 Objectives of the Study:

The objectives of the study are as follows;

  1.        I.            To identify the influence of imbalance Work-Life practices on organizational performance of zenith bank, and the social life of its employees.
  2.     II.            To examine various Work-Life balance practices that exists in zenith bank.
  3.  III.            To identify work-life balance challenges faced by employees in zenith bank.
  4.  IV.            To identify ways of enhancing proper work-life balance practiced among employees of zenith bank.

1.4 Research Questions

  1.        I.            What work-life balance practices exist in zenith bank?
  2.     II.            What are the work-life challenges faced by employees of zenith bank?
  3.  III.            What are the influences of imbalance work-life practices on organizational performance and social life of employees in zenith bank?
  4.  IV.            In what ways can proper work-life practices be enhanced to boost performance in zenith bank?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated;

H0: There are no work-life balance practices that exist in zenith bank.

H1:There are work-life balance practices that exist in zenith bank.

H0: There are no work-life balance challenges faced by employees of zenith bank.

H1:There are work-life balance challenges faced by employees of zenith bank.

H0:There is no influence of imbalance work-life practices on organizational performance and the social life of employees in zenith bank.

H1:There is influence of imbalance work-life practices on organizational performance and the social life of employees in zenith bank.

H0:There are no ways of enhancing proper work-life balance practices amongst employees of zenith bank.

H1:There are ways of enhancing proper work-life balance practices amongst employees of zenith bank.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study tries to draw out the different work-life balance rehearses in the Nigerian financial area. The investigation will be of extraordinary centrality to the financial business in Nigeria. This study will help illuminate the board of different associations of the different impacts of work-life balance rehearses on the exhibition of representatives in an association. The study will likewise bring out explicitly, the work-life balance rehearses which the bank has had the option to make accessible to its representatives. It likewise looks to draw out the degree of support and inspiration the bank has given to its representatives to work successfully among others. The significance of this study is along these lines to feature the different representative work-life balance practices and how it influences the profitability of an association. This study will go far to represent cultivator associations should get its workers all together increment profitability.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The scope of this research will be limited to one of Nigeria’s indigenous banks, Zenith Bank Nigeria Plc. The research will rely on the bank for vital information including the data for the study through the total enumeration method, that is, the sampling technique. This will be done in Lagos State. The depth of the information required of the research is to determine the effect of work-life balance on employee productivity.

1.8 Limitation of study

The researcher encountered a limitation in regards to availability of information. Thus due to the institutions working ethics, the researcher could not get access to vital information since it was treated as confidential.

1.9 Definition of Terms

       I.            WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Work-life balance is a concept including the proper prioritization between work (career and ambition) and lifestyle (health, pleasure, leisure, family).

    II.            PRODUCTIVITY: A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, and so on. A productivity measure is expressed as the ratio of output to inputs used in a production process. For example output per unit of input.

 III.            WORK PRESSURE: This is seen as the demands and intricacies that are evident or existing in the job that an individual is engaged in in the organization.

 IV.            ROLE OVERLOAD: Lack of balance or reasonableness in the number of extent of expectation from a job or position in hold.

    V.            WORK FAMILY CONFLICT: This occurs when there are incompatible demand between work and family roles of an individual that makes participation in both roles difficult.

 VI.            JOB COMMITMENT: This is an individual psychology attachment to an organization to carry out task as at when due.