Unit name: Organizational Behavior Unit code: ORG20003 Assignment title: Discussion essay on the challenges of Work-Life balance Work-life balance essay Introduction In recent times, the matter of balancing work and personal life has been a topic of frequent discussion. The definition of work-life balance can be said to be the effort taken to allocate time
for friends, family, community, personal activities, growth, self-care whilst considering the requirements of the workplace (Heathfield 2018). It is very important to have a good work-life balance so that personal and workplace growth can both be achieved simultaneously. For instance, in an individual's life there are social needs to fulfil such as being a parent, a friend or even a lover and on the other hand there is a need to fulfil professional goals in the workplace to attain higher positions in the workplace for career advancements (Akter 2016). However, modern technological advancements have helped us to work odd hours and organizations have chosen to focus more on the aspect of employee satisfaction to help employees achieve more in the workplace and improve company satisfaction (Kaliannan & Perumal 2016). Ultimately, organizations seek to achieve the perfect work-life balance for their employees. Discussion Job satisfaction The dilemma of having to balance the working life and personal responsibilities is caused by the constant change in workplace requirements and the different lives and priorities individuals have (Lockwood 2003). Thus, it can be said that the work life balance idea is fluid because the balance between work and personal life is dependent on the individual's personal life and workplace targets. Besides these achievements may change from time to time depending on the individual itself (Bird 2003). However, when an individual is forced to work during their personal time, it will subsequently lower the organization's job satisfaction (Kaliannan & Perumal 2016). Organizations who allow their employees to work based on their flexibility enable their employees to juggle their personal life whilst fulfilling their job requirements can put an end of the difficulty of employees that struggle to balance their work and personal life because of time restrictions (Dizaho et al 2017). Besides that, organizations should encourage employers and employees to communicate more often as socializing can show employees that their organization cares about them and listens to their opinion (Wnuk 2016). These steps will greatly reduce the stress level and greatly improve employee satisfaction at the workplace. The two most important factors that affect the turnover intentions are organizational commitment and
the job satisfaction of an employee (Rutherford et al 2017). These two factors are mostly based on what the employees are feeling and their moods when they are on the job. Therefore, if there is a negative vibe or bad emotions when they are working, it can cause employees to feel greater stress. Consequently, employees will feel that the work that they are doing is not satisfying because of the stress they are subjected to. Thus, job satisfaction is a crucial factor when it comes to an individual's performance