ABSTRACT
This research sets out to determine the relationship between work-life balance and employee’s commitment of Lending Money Banks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Flexible work arrangement (FWA)and employee assistance programs (EAP) were conceptualized as the empirical referent of the predictor variable (work-life balance) while affective and normative commitment were conceptualized as measures of the criterion variable (employee’s commitment). With reference to the conceptual and operational framework, the research answered five (5) research questions and five (5) hypotheses in order to ascertain the degree of positive linear relationship between work-life balance and employee’s commitment and the moderating effect of organizational culture on the association between work-life balance and employee’s commitment. The Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Equity Theory (ET) were the sociological baseline theories adopted as the theoretical foundation for the study. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for the study. A total of fifty tour (54) respondents were drawn from a population of fifty four (54) respondents across the six (6) selected Lending Money Banks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The researcher collected data on a macro level unit of analyses using a five point Likert Scale questionnaire tattled: “Questionnaire on Work-Life Balance and Employee’s Commitment Lending Money Banks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. (QOWLBEC)”. The Questionnaire was validated via face validity, content validity and pilot test while Cronbach alpha was used to test for reliability of the research instrument. The data collected was analyzed at different levels. For primary level data, descriptive analytical tools precisely frequency tables supported with chats and descriptive statistics was employed for univariate analysis of data while for secondary data analysis, inferential statistical tool [i.e. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC)] was used for tertiary level data, partial correlation was adopted to test the moderating influence of organizational culture on the association between work-life balance and employees commitment. These analyses were conducted using a computer software package called statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The result of the findings revealed that flexible work arrangement and employee assistance programmes significantly influenced affective and normative commitment respectively. Based on empirical findings, the researcher then concluded that work-life balance leads to employee’s commitment of Lending Money Banks in Port Harcourt. The researcher then recommends that: Lending money banks in Nigeria should implement flexible work arrangements of the employee to ensure employee commitment; Lending money banks in Nigeria should encourage employee’s assistance programme to realize employee commitment and Employee’s assistance programmes in Nigeria should promote good cultural values since it was seen to have a partial moderating influence on the relationship between work-life balance and employee commitment.INTRODUCTION
Work and family are most important domains in lives. The two roles are often in conflict that are as work with family such as long hours, reduced presence at home, and missed activities and family with work such as child illnesses and absenteeism (Gutek et.al., 1991). The more job involvement, the higher the work-family conflict and its lead to increased burnout, lack of job satisfaction, and reduced commitment (Adams et.al., 1996). The more preoccupied and reduced effectiveness due to that preoccupation, the higher the work-family conflict (Gutek et.al., 1991). There is a disproportion in the degree of conflict reported by gender. It is noted that as experience grows, regardless of gender, work-life conflicts decline (Cinamon & Rich, 2005). Those who are work-oriented make accommodations that meet their need for challenges while allowing for career enrichment and those who are family-oriented will seek accommodations to minimize conflicts with family requirements (Cinamon & Rich, 2005).The field of work-life balance, although new, spans a wide range of academic fields. This study examines the relationship between work-life balance and employee commitment in an organization; in this case some selected money lending banks in Port Harcourt metropolis are to be studied in this regard. There are quite a number of reasons why this research topic makes up an interesting research question to be studied among others are:
Firms or organizations are confronted with variety of challenges posed by business environment internally and externally. The concept of work-life balance, also referred to as “work-life conflict” or “work-family conflict”, has received a great deal of attention from scholars in recent times. Although there have been various interpretations of the term, here we use the definition from the New Zealand Department of Labour website (2007) that describes it as “effectively managing the juggling act between paid work and the other activities that are important to people”. Work-life imbalance can appear in various forms from the inability to remove oneself psychologically from the demands of the job (Messersmith, 2007), to a blurring of the lines between work and home life (Boswell & Olson-Buchanan, 2007).
Despite being a relatively new body of thought, the existence of academic studies on work-life balance is broad. Focuses range from political action (Bryson, Warner-Smith, Brown & Fray, 2007) to the impact of technologies (Boswell et. al. 2007) to its effect on workers’ attitudes (McPherson, 2007). This saturation is hardly surprising given that, according to a report written on behalf of global research organization ESOMAR, over two thirds of people across 23 different countries believe they lack work-life balance and nearly half felt personally affected by the imbalance (Echegaray, Cornish & Donnelly, 2006).
In spite of having such challenges, firms are competing to achieve their goals effectively and efficiently. Employees in firms are also affected by workforce changes due to technological advancement, dwindling oil prices, high rate of competition, high rate of crude oil supply in the labour market and recession in some African countries e.g. Nigeria. Changes in work style, work culture, family needs and work demands are rapidly taking place which eventually increased the population of dual earner couples, single parent families and eldercare responsibilities. These increased changes can have adverse impact on employees’ commitment as well as organizational performance. Increased pressure at workplace negatively affects the work-life balance, job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Kossek, 2005; Bragger et al., 2005; Anderso et al., 2002).
Employees’ attitudes toward their organizations and life are affected by work-life balance. Work-life balance is especially important when an organization has to manage highly technical professionals because their high commitment and loyalty is needed for the success of the organization (Scholarios & Marks, 2006). Women are considered to be the “reserve Army” of labour as well as the occupants of the “Secondary labour market” (Procter & Padfield, 1999). The traditional way of seeing women as the “grateful slaves” started during the industrial revolution with the separation of the public and private domains. ...........
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of Research Problem 4
1.3 Purpose of the Study 5
1.4 Objectives of the Study 5
1.5 Study Variables and Conceptual Framework 6
1.6 Research Questions 9
1.7 Research Hypotheses 10
1.8 Significance of the Study 11
1.9 Scope of the Study 12
1.10 Limitation(s) of the Study 12
1.11 Operational Definition of Terms 12
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Theoretical Framework 14
2.1.1 Social Exchange Theory 14
2.1.2 Equity Theory 16
2.2 Concept of Work-Life Balance 17
2.3 Dimensions of Work-Life Balance 21
2.3.1 Flexible Work Arrangements 21
2.3.2 Employee Assistance Programs 30
2.4 Concept of Employees’ Commitment 33
2.5 Measures of Employees’ Commitment 33
2.5.1 Affective Commitment 33
2.5.2 Normative Commitment 34
2.6 Concept of Organizational Culture 35
2.7 Flexible Work Arrangement and Employee Commitment 38
2.8 Employee Assistance Programme and Employee Commitment 39
2.9 Literature / Knowledge Gap 41
2.10 Organizational Culture and the Relationship between Work-Life Balance
and Employee Commitment 42
CHAPTERS 3: RESEARCH METHODOIOGY
3.1 Research Design 45
3.2 Population of the Study 46
3.3 Method of Data Collection 47
3.4 Description of Research Instrument 47
3.5 Validity of Research Instrument 48
3.6 Reliability Test 48
3.7 Method of Data Analyses 49
CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSES AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Response Rate Analysis 50
4.2 Demographic Analysis of Subjects 50
4.3 Univariate Data Analyses 54
4.4 Bivariate Data Analyses 56
4.4.1 Test of Research Hypothesis One 57
4.4.2 Test of Research Hypothesis Two 58
4.4.3 Test of Research Hypothesis Three 59
4.4.4 Test of Research Hypothesis Four 60
4.5 Multivariate Data Analysis 61
4.5.1 Test of Research Hypothesis Five 61
4.6 Discussion of Findings 64
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 67
5.2 Conclusions 67
5.3 Recommendations 68
5.4 Contribution to Knowledge 68
REFERENCES 70
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B
Reference code: MG021
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Reference code: MG021
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