Worklife Balance on Employee Engagement among Women in Technical Education (Wited) in Polytechnics in Osun State, Nigeria
Keywords:
work-life balance, employee engagement, women in technical education, polytechnicsAbstract
This study discussed the influence of work-life balance on employee engagement among women in technical education (WITED) in Polytechnics in Osun State. This is with the view of ensuring successful blending of world of work with personal responsibilities in optimal harmony.The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was made up of women in technical education in government polytechnics, in Osun State. A total of 750 workers were selected from Women in the Technical Education through simple random sampling technique. Two research instruments titled Work-life balance Scale (WLBS) and Employee engagement scale (EES) adapted and modified were used to collect data for the study. The test retest reliability of the instruments administered within two weeks interval yielded .78 and 0.80 respectively. The response format used was the Likert format with options ranging from Strongly Agree (4) Agree (3) Strongly Disagree (2) and Disagree (1). All the instruments were divided into two parts. Part A solicited responses on personal information about the respondents while part B collected data on the variables under study. Multiple Regression Analysis was used to test the hypotheses raised at 0.05 alpha level. Result established that flexible work arrangement had coefficients β = 0.190, t = 1.688, p = 0.007 < α =0.05, indicating a significant influence of flexible work arrangement on employee engagement. Finding also, showed that work-life conflict also showed a significant influence on employee engagement with the coefficients, β = 0.385 t =-1.184, p = 0.002 < α =0.05, which indicated a negative influence of work life conflict on employee engagement. Based on the findings the study concluded that work-life balance should be comfortably blended with personal engagement so as to significantly engender employee engagement among Women in Technical Education (WITED) in Polytechnics in Osun. And that adequate skill and knowledge of assigned task should be sought to balance the fits in employee engagement among Women in Technical Education (WITED) in Polytechnics in Osun. The study recommended that management should build a work environment that attracts, retains, and motivates its employees to help them work comfortably to increase organization productivity, and that organizations should embrace flexible work schedule strategies as this would positively influence employee engagement.References
Ajala, E.M. (2017). “Work-family-conflict and family-work-conflict as correlates of job performance among working mothers: implications for industrial social workers.” African Journal of Social Work, 7 (1), 52-62.
Ashtankar, O.M. (2016). “Analysis of the impact of work-life balance on the wellbeing of police department employees of Nagpur district.” International Journal of Applied Research, 2 (5), 380-383.
Bhalerao, S.K. (2013). “Work-life balance: The key driver of employee engagement.” ASM’s International E-Journal of Ongoing Research in Management and IT, 1-9.
Cegarra‐Leiva, D., Sánchez‐Vidal, M.E., & Cegarra‐Navarro, J.G. (2012). “Understanding the link between work-life balance practices and organizational outcomes in SMEs.” Personnel Review.
Chen, A. (2005). “The conflict between agency theory and corporate control on managerial ownership: The evidence from Taiwan IPO performance.” International Journal of business, 10 (1).
Chênevert, D., McDermott, A.M., Keating, M.A., Jourdain, G., Cole, N., & Banville, B. (2013). “The role of organizational justice, burnout, and commitment in the understanding of absenteeism in the Canadian healthcare sector.” Journal of health organization and management.
Choo, J.L.M., Dikesa, N.M., & Asaari, M.H.A.H. (2016). “Flexible working arrangements toward organizational commitment and work-family conflict.” Studies in Asian Social Science, 3 (1), 21-36.
Clark, S.C. (2000). “Work/family border theory: A new theory of work/family balance.” Human Relations, 53 (6), 747-770.
Cooper, W.W. (2000). “Data envelopment analysis.” Handbook on data envelopment analysis, 1-40.
Costin Y. (2012). “In pursuit of growth: an insight into the experience of female entrepreneurs.” International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 4 (2), 108-127.
Deirder, A., & Clare, K. (2020). “Flexible working and engagement: The importance of choice.” Strategic HR Review.
Dissanayaka, N.M.N.P., & Hussain Ali, M.A.M. (2013). “Impact of work-life balance on employees’ performance: an empirical study on seven apparel organizations in Sri Lanka.”
Edwards, J.R., & Rothbard, N.P. (2000). “Mechanisms linking work and family: Clarifying the relationship between work and family constructs.” Academy of management review, 25 (1), 178-199.
Giannikis, S.K., & Mihail, D.M. (2017). “Flexible work arrangements in Greece: a study of employee perceptions.” The international journal of human resource management, 417-432.
Greenhaus, J.H., & Beutell, N.J. (1985). “Sources of conflict between work and family roles.” Academy of management review, 10 (1), 76-88.
Grzywacz, J.G., Carlson, D.S., & Shulkin, S. (2019). “Investigating workplace flexibility using a multi-organization Database: A collaboration of academics and practitioners.” Journal of community, work & family, 4 (1), 199-214.
Guest, D.E. (2002). “Perspectives on the study of work-life balance.” Social Science Information, 41 (2), 255-279.
Harter, J.K. (2002). “Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis.” Journal of applied psychology, 87 (2), 268.02).
He, L. & Fang, L. (2016). “CEO overpayment and dismissal. The role of attribution and attention, corporate governance:” An International Review, 24 (1), 24-41.
Hill, E.J., Erickson, J.J., Holmes, E.K., & Ferris, M. (2017). “Workplace flexibility, work hours, and work-life conflict: Finding an extra day or two.” Journal of Family Psychology, 24 (3), 349–358.
Hill, E., Grzywacz, J.G., Allen, S., Blanchard, V.L., Matz-Costa, C., Shulkin, S., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2008). “Defining and conceptualizing workplace flexibility.” Community, Work, and Family, 11 (2), 149-163.
Jayamohan, P., Alexander, M. & Moss, T.W. (2017). “Blame you, blame me: Exploring attribution differences and impact in family and nonfamily firms,” Family Business Review, 30 (3), 284-308.
Jena, L.K., Pradhan, S., & Panigrahy, N.P. (2018). “Pursuit of organizational trust: Role of employee engagement, psychological well-being, and transformational leadership.” Asia Pacific Management Review, 23 (3), 227-234.
Kayode-Adedeji, T., Ige, O., Ekanem, T. (2016). “Women entrepreneurs in Nigeria: Where is the mass media?” Research Gate, 155-156.
Kozjek, T., Tomaževič, N., & Stare, J. (2014). “Work-life Balance by Area, Actual Situation and Expectations–the Overlapping Opinions of Employers and Employees in Slovenia.” Organizacija, 47 (1).
Lavoie, A. (2014). “Work-life balance and SMEs: Avoiding the ‘one size fits all’.” CFIB Research, 1-13.
Lazar, I., Osoian, C., & Ratiu, P. (2010). The role of work-life balance practices to improve organizational performance.
Lockwood, N.R. (2007). “Leveraging employee engagement for competitive advantage.” Society for Human Resource Management Research Quarterly, 1 (1), 1-12.
Mani, V. (2011). “Analysis of employee engagement and its predictors.” International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 1 (2), 15.
Mendis, M.D.V.S., & Weerakkody, W.A.S. (2017). “The impact of work-life balance on employee performance concerning the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka: a mediation model.” Kelaniya Journal of Human Resource Management, 12 (1). 72-100.
Mordi, C., Simpson, R., Singh, S., & Okafor, C. (2010). “The role of cultural values in understanding the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria.” Gender in management: An international journal.
Mwebi, M., & Kadaga, M. (2015). “Effects of flextime work arrangement on employee performance in Nairobi CBD Commercial Banks.” International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics, 2 (3), 111-121.
Nwokorie, C. (2020). “Flexible working arrangements and organizational performance: An overview.” IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 25 (5), 50-59.
Obisi, C. (2017). “Impact of Flexible Work Arrangement on Employees’ Performance in Public Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.” Ideal Journal of Economics and Management Sciences, 3 (1), 1-8.
Ogbonnaya, C., Daniels, K., & Nielsen, K. (2017). “How incentive pay affects employee engagement, satisfaction, and trust.” Harvard Business Review.
Ojo, I.S., Salau, O.P., & Falola, H.O. (2014). “Work-life balance practices in Nigeria: A comparison of three sectors.” Journal of Competitiveness, 6 (2), 3-14
Okemwa, D.O. (2016). “The relationship between flexible work arrangements and the commitment of nurses in public hospitals in Kenya.” International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 6 (3), 255-261.
Osborne, S., & Hammoud, M.S. (2017). “Effective employee engagement in the workplace.” International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 16 (1), 4.
Rathi, N., & Barath, M. (2013). “Work‐family conflict and job and family satisfaction: Moderating effect of social support among police personnel.” Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Seijts, G.H., & Crim, D. (2006). “What engages employees the most or, the Ten C’s of employee engagement.” Ivey Business Journal, 70 (4), 1-5.
Setyo, R., Eny, A., & Lukertina, L. (2019). “Work-Life Balance and its influence on employee engagement generation in the courier service industry.” International Review of Management and Marketing, 9, 25-31.
Sigroha, A. (2014). “Impact of work-life balance on working women: A comparative analysis.” The business & management review, 5 (3), 22.
Sikander, A., Mujtaba, B.G., & Afza, T. (2012). “Stress, task, and relationship orientations: analysis across two culturally diverse countries.” International Business and Management, 4 (2), 33-40.
Ugoani, J. (2016). “Employee turnover and productivity among small business entities in Nigeria.” Independent Journal of Management & Production (IJM & P), 7 (4).
Uzuegbunam, A.O. (2016). “The relevance of female entrepreneurs in rural development of Nigeria: A study of selected rural communities in Nsukka (1999-2014).” International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 4, 61-73
Zedeck, S., & Mosier, K.L. (1990). “Work in the family and employing organization.” American psychologist, 45 (2), 240.
