Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sample 2
Sample 2
1. Title
2. Research Problem
There has been an increased focus on the importance of balancing work and family life by
employees working in different organizational setup. Work-Life balance refers to adjusting the
working pattern of individuals irrespective of their age, sex, or race to ensure that they can find a
rhythm between their work life and personal life and other responsibilities as well as aspirations
(Stevens, Brown & Lee, 2004). Proponents of work-life balance philosophy argue that serious
professional and personal problems are generated when an employee fails to maintain a balance
between his/her work and family life. A survey on US residents revealed that excessive job
constraints due to competitive pressures to enhance productivity and reduce costs, as well as
expanding personal and household financial needs are the main reasons why people fail to
maintain a healthy balance between their work life and family life (Hobson, Delunas & Kesic,
2001). Today’s labor laws emphasize the importance of providing the work arrangement which
allows work life balance to employees. According to a study conducted by CIPD, 75% of the
respondents claimed they did not feel that they could take any more work load then they
presently did, while 20% of the respondents believed that working from home makes it easier for
them to complete their assignments in due time. Studies like these have raised the concerns to
lessen the instances of employee burn out and stress owing to work load. The organizations,
objective of the present thesis is to analyze the effects of work-life balance on stress level of
3. Theory
The concept of work- life balance did not gain much attention until the later decades of the
twentieth century when women became an active part of the work force. Therefore, earlier
organizational behavior theories do not talk about the concept of work-life balance, or the
theories and concepts are, however, important to consider in order to reach a theoretical ground
for this research. Below are discussed some important work place related, and motivation
theories:
The model argues that employers increasingly segment their workforce into two broad
categories: core and periphery (Atkinson, 1984). The core employees include full time
permanent employees, while the peripheral employees include temporary, outsources, sub-
contractual workers. The core employees offer functional flexibility, whereas the periphery
offers numerical flexibility based on the organizational needs. The model gained much
acceptance in the 80s, due to the flexibility it allowed the firms in the face of changing work
place environment.
The theory of psychological contract refers to the mutual expectations and obligations of work
force. Schein (1985) explains it as the unwritten expectations that exist all the time within an
organization and its employees. Such expectations consist of things like benefits, working hours,
salary, and security etc. Conversely, the organization itself has some expectations as well from
the employees including the enhancement of organization’s image, and loyalty towards the
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organization etc. This theory signifies that there is a high level collective relationship between
the employees and the organization. Later researches on the topic brought organizational focus
Maslow theory (1954) states that human motivations generally move through a hierarchy with
physiological needs at the base and, safety, belongingness and self-actualization, esteem and love
up the hierarchy. According to this theory, once a need of individual is met, he moves up the
need to recognize the needs of employees and give them incentives accordingly to motivate
them.
This theory suggests the factors which cause job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the work
place. Herzberg (1966; 1968) identified that workers are not motivated by fulfilment of lower
order needs at work place, as suggested by Maslow. He states that there are two different sets of
factors related to job characteristics known as hygiene factors and motivation factors. The
presence of hygiene factors is necessary for removing the dissatisfaction amongst employees,
Hawthorne Studies were aimed at understanding the impact of working conditions on employee
productivity. The studies implied that he work force is a social system where workers’ attitudes
and productivity are conditioned by the external and internal influencing factors. The studies also
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found out that it is very important to recognize the need for recognition, security, and
This theory explains the association between the job characteristics and how individuals respond
to them (Hackman & Oldham, 1980). The theory describes five job dimensions that lead to
various personal and work outcomes by inducing three different psychological states. These five
dimensions comprise of autonomy, task significance, task identity, skill variety, and the feedback
mechanism. The theory implies that internal motivation acts as the most important outcome
variable. The theory suggests that three psychological states should be reached by the
individuals, namely experience, personal responsibility, and knowledge. In order to get the
maximum output from the employees, the organizations should make sure that they experience
Equity Theory was proposed by Adams (1963) in which he notes that the inequity presence
motivates individuals to strive to attain the equity, and the extent of this motivation depends
upon the amount of inequity. The theory emphasizes the personal perceptions of fairness that
people develop in a work environment. The theory suggests that if there is inequity in the work
These theories discussed above describe how a work place environment can be altered to
motivate employees and increase their productivity. Furthermore, a number of factors needed to
be there in order to enhance the level of productivity of employees and to increase their job
satisfaction. The older theories, however, focus on job related factors only and do not talk about
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factors outside the job that have an influence on employee motivation and satisfaction. These
involve a healthy balance in family and work life. The theories, nevertheless, provide a
theoretical basis for formulating work place policies that facilitate employees taking control of
Such theories can be used to understand the methods of providing flexibility to employees in
terms of job and working hours. Recent studies have investigated the effect of work-life balance
and anxiety levels of employees. In a study on measuring job satisfaction amongst physicians
and the work place burn out, it was found that burn out was an important predictor of career
satisfaction (Keeton et al, 2007). It was found that the control over work schedule and work
duration helps in reducing the levels of stress and workplace burn out. Flexibility in timings and
location are found to trigger the employee productivity and reduction in work place burn out
instances (Hill, Hawkins, Ferris & Weitzman, 2001). Flexibility allows employees to reduce
stress related to daily commute, housing, and balancing family life. Hill, Hawkins, Ferris &
Weitzman (2001) found out that flexibility is especially beneficial for parents who want to divide
Not many studies have been carried out in Saudi Arabian context regarding the work life
balance. One comprehensive study on understanding the occupational stress as a result of work-
life balance issues was carried out by Ben-Bakr et al. (1995). They concluded that primary stress
factors for employees of private firms are related to transparency in performance measurements;
age; experience; and the level of education. They found employees below 30 years showed a
higher level of stress as compared to the older employees. Furthermore, employees with
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experience between 6 and 10 years also reflect a high level of stress. Employees with less
education showed more stress in comparison to employees with high education. If social values
do not align with the recent industrial challenges and requirements, they become stressor for
Another survey conducted by King Saud University was also on similar lines to find the
relationship between demographic and job variables with stress on government school teachers
in Riyadh. The study concluded that demographic variables and job stress negatively affect each
other, whereas work variables and job stress reflect positive correlation. However, work
variables have more impact on job stress than demographic variables. They suggested providing
A recent study found that the changing nature and structure of families across the globe, the
work family life balance has become an essential need for job satisfaction, and personal life
satisfaction (Hill, Hawkins, Ferris & Weitzman, 2001). The study indicated that flexibility in
working hours and working location can help in reducing the stress and workplace burn out
work-life balance policies affect those who do not have children as yet, but are planning to have
kids. Current research will include the impact of the current workplace issues on future parents.
Additionally, the research will also highlight the impact of work hour flexibility on the decision
making process regarding having kids. There is little research on intentions of non- parents’
attitude on how they perceive flexible work policies in relation to planning children. If
organizational policy creates work culture of long hours and no flexibility, this will influence
decision making process of future parents, about timing and numbers of kids that they can have.
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Unexpected pregnancy brings challenges to each parent for harmonizing official and caring
duties. If a company provides flexible working hours, future parents can plan differently. There
is a need of empirical evidence to support these hypotheses. This research intends to fill in these
gaps and to develop insight into family policy at the workplace to balance personal and
The research questions that have been developed as a result of reviewing existing literature and
1. What is the effect of work life balance policies on work related stress/ burn out?
2. Does giving work time control to employees effect the employees’ decision of planning to
have kids?
Based on these research questions, following hypotheses have been formed for testing:
Hypothesis 1:
H1= Current work-life balance practices do not lead to employee burn out
Hypothesis 2:
out/stress
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H1 = Giving work time control to employees does not reduce instances of employee burn
out/stress
Hypothesis 3:
Ho = Giving work time control to employees impacts on their decision to have kids
Ho = Giving work time control to employees does not impact on their decision to have
kids
Employee burn out refers to the psychological consequences that employees face as a result of
job related or personal issues. Work time control refers to work schedule flexibility and
arrangements like work from home to allow them to balance their work and family lives.
6. Research Methodology
The research methodology employed in the research comprises both, primary and secondary
techniques. Secondary techniques involve review of relevant literature and analysis of pertinent
theories and models; whereas primary technique involves conducting a questionnaire based
survey on employees of Saudi Paper Manufacturing Group. Quantitative techniques will be used
Research Design
The research design opted for this study applies process of causal research to understand the
instances of stress as well as employees’ decision to have kids arising from imbalances in work
and life of the company Saudi Paper Group. Causal research design is used when the effect of
one variable is shown on the other. This research design is used here because the aim is to find
the effect of a particular change in company work place policy (flexible working schedule and
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giving control of work to the employees) on their attitudes and behaviors (stress level, and
Organisation Used
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Group (SPMC Group) has been selected to carry out the research. 30
participants will be surveyed for the research. This sample size has been chosen in order to
The research incorporates both primary and secondary sources of data. The secondary data
involves the review of existing literature. Literature review helps in updating and understanding
the theoretical concepts and critically evaluating the existing literature in an objective manner. It
also proves to be the starting point of any research and helps in identifying the gaps in the
existing literature. Literature review will be used as a method for understanding and shaping up
The primary data collection technique involves a questionnaire based survey using quantitative
techniques. This technique of data collection will not only provide firsthand information on the
research topic, but also help in investigating the specific elements of the research topic.
Furthermore, as there are no recent researches carried out in Saudi Arabian context about the
work life balance and stress levels as well as decision to have kids, primary data collection will
In order to keep the survey simple and easier, the questionnaire with closed ended questions will
be designed. Respondents will be required to choose from a given set of responses. Validity and
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reliability are the two most important aspects of research instrument design. Validity is the extent
to which the research instrument measures what it is intended to measure; whereas reliability
refers to the consistency and stability of test results. The questionnaire will use constructs and
variables used in the previous studies in the same research area to ensure construct validity. The
validity will be ensured by testing the questionnaire in pilot study phase. The reliability of the
research will be maintained by carrying out correlation analysis as well as measuring standard
error of the responses. Online questionnaires will be provided to the respondents to determine
Data Analysis
MS Excel will be used for statistical analysis of the data. Statistical tools will be used to test the
Participants:
The target population for this research involves employees, both men and women, working in
Saudi Paper Manufacturing who are married. Non-probability convenience sampling will be used
for the research. Although biased data can affect the validity and reliability of research from such
sampling, possibility of homogenous data ensures credibility of the conclusion from research.
The questionnaire will be tested on 10 employees to test the reliability and validity and any
8. Legal Issues
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It is the duty of the researcher to carry out research within the domain of legal and ethical laws.
A number of legal and ethical considerations which will be kept in mind during this research are:
The participants of the study will be contacted with the permission of the organization.
The participants’ consent to become part of the study will be taken before involving them in
Ethical compliance for the present research includes the selection of participants satisfying
The research process will ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the data to ensure
integrity.
The respondents will be informed of the purpose of the research before carrying out the
survey. The data will not be used for any other purpose apart from this research.
The data collection techniques will be fair and transparent and will not involve any kind of
The data will be used ethically and the results and findings from the study will be objective
and unbiased.
10. References
16(8), 28-31.
Atkinson, J., & Meager, N. (1986). Changing Working Patterns: How Companies achieve
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/companies/saudi-paper-manufacturing-company-
66565.html
Ben-Bakr, K. A., Al -Shammari, I.S., & Jefri, O. A. (1995). Occupational stress in different
Gale, E. A. M. (2004). The Hawthorne studies—a fable for our times?. Quarterly Journal of
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work redesign. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man. Cleveland: World Publishing Company.
Herzberg, F. (1968). One more time: how do you motivate employees?, Harvard Business
Hill, E. J., Hawkins, A. J., Ferris, M., & Weitzman, M. (2001). Finding an Extra Day a Week:
The Positive Influence of Perceived Job Flexibility on Work and Family Life Balance.
Hobson, C.J, Delunas, L, & Kesic, D (2001). Compelling evidence of the need for corporate
Keeton et al. (2007). Predictors of Physician Career Satisfaction, Work–Life Balance, and
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for Business Students.
Stevens, J., Brown, J., & Lee, C. (2004). Employment Relations Research Series