A STUDY ON

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

WORK LIFE BALANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION

DISSERTATION REPORT

Submitted to

MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY, KOTTAYAM

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of

MASTERS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

(2008-2010)

By

Uma.S

Register No: 8040

RAJAGIRI COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

RAJAGIRI P.O

KALAMASSERY

1
 DECLARATION

I, Uma. S, hereby declare that this dissertation report titled “A Study on the
relationship between Work Life Balance and Job Satisfaction” is prepared in partial
fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Masters of Human Resources degree
during the academic year 2008-10 by Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, under
the guidance of, Prof. Binoy Joseph (Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies).

I also declare that this report has not been submitted in full or part thereof, to any
university or institutions for the award of any degree or diploma.

Place: Cochin Name: Uma.S

Date: Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of any task
would be incomplete without the mention of people, who made it possible, whose
constant guidance and encouragement crown all efforts with success.

First of all I thank the God Almighty for his immense grace and blessings at each and
every stage of the project.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Joseph I. Injodey, Principal, Rajagiri
Centre for Business Studies, for facilitating the study in this institution. I owe my deep
gratitude to Prof. Binoy Joseph, faculty, HR department for his guidance and
supervision of my work.

I express my sincere thanks to all the faculty members of Rajagiri Centre for Business
Studies for their guidance and support. I would like to thank all the respondents who
cooperated whole heartedly and patiently in providing me with the data by filling the
questionnaire.

I also express my deep gratitude to my family and friends without, whose cooperation
this report would not have been possible.

Uma S

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 CONTENTS

CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE NUMBER

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

2 RESEARCH ABSTRACT 7

3 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 9

4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 23

DATA ANALYSIS &

5 INTEPRETATION 27

6 FINDINGS 31

7 SUGESSTIONS & LIMITATIONS 33

8 CONCLUSION 35

9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 37

10 ANNEXURE 40

4
 LIST OF TABLES

S.NO TABLE PAGE NUMBER

1 Correlations for WLB and JS 28

2 Model Summary 28

3 ANOVA Table 29

4 Coefficients Table 29

5
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Organisations today strive to augment job satisfaction in the workforce for it is

conducive to lower employee turnover, higher engagement and greater productivity.
The present study examines the impact of work life balance on job satisfaction in the
context of the Banking sector.

Satisfaction is the extent to which people like or dislike their job. Satisfied employees
are highly motivated and work more effectively and efficiently. They are also more
committed to continuous improvement and to quality. Work Life balance has an impact
on the level of satisfaction among employees

The result reveals that Work Life Balance positively influences the Job Satisfaction of
the employees which in turn will help the companies to attain a competitive advantage
by providing quality services to their customers.

6
 Chapter 1
Research Abstract

Title of the study

7
“A study on the Relationship between Work Life Balance and Job Satisfaction”

Introduction
Job satisfaction is one of the most researched and critical issues in the field of
organisational behaviour. A satisfied employee possesses positive effect and brings
desirable work values, enhanced efficiency and productivity. Job satisfaction is
conducive to lower absenteeism and employee turnover. There is evidence that
increased satisfaction is related to enhanced productivity (Gruneberg, 1979; Herzberg,
Mausner and Snyderman, 1959; Judge, Bono, Thoresen and Patton, 200; Schultz,
1973; Spector, 1997). The progressive organisation, therefore, regularly measures the
satisfaction index to take corrective measures. Job satisfaction is facilitated by work-
life. A healthy balance between family and job leads to higher job satisfaction, thereby
reducing the cost to organisation and enhancing employee performance.
This paper examines the impact of work-life balance and burnout on job satisfaction
among the employees in the banking sector.

Statement of problem
The current global economy is significantly complex and interlinked which demands
high efficiency and productivity from the employees. This complexity and high
pressure has lead to a reduction in the work life balance of employees which in turn has
lead to a decrease in job satisfaction.

Significance of study
Increased Work Life Balance among the employees thus would increase the satisfaction
level which is one of the important factors for better productivity and efficiency
required in this competitive and changing environment.

8
 Chapter 2
Review of Literature

9
JOB SATISFACTION:

Job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the
appraisal of one’s job; an affective reaction to one’s job; and an attitude towards one’s
job. Job satisfaction is in regard to one's feelings or state-of-mind regarding the nature
of their work. Job satisfaction can be influenced by a variety of factors, eg, the quality
of one's relationship with their supervisor, the quality of the physical environment in
which they work, degree of fulfilment in their work, etc.

Job satisfaction is defined as ‘the extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike
(dissatisfaction) in their jobs’ (Spector, 1997). Locke and Lathan (1976) defined job
satisfaction as pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of
one’s job or job experience. Job satisfaction is a result of employees’ perception of how
well their job provides those things that are viewed as important. According to Luthans
(1998), job satisfaction is an emotional response to a job situation, which can only be
inferred, often determined by how well outcomes meet or exceed expectations. It
represents several related attitudes which are most important characteristics of a job
about which people have an affective response. Such characteristics include the work
itself, pay, promotion opportunities, supervision and co-workers.

1. Importance of job satisfaction for organization

• Enhance employee retention.

• Increase productivity.
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Reduce turnover, recruiting, and training costs.
• Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• More energetic employees.
• Higher quality products and/or services due to more competent, energized employees.

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2. Importance of job satisfaction for employee

• Employ will believe that the organization will be satisfying in the long run
• They will care about the quality of their work.
• They will create and deliver superior value to the customer.
• They are more committed to the organization.
• Their works are more productive.

Models of job satisfaction

Affect Theory

Edwin A. Locke’s Range of Affect Theory (1976) is arguably the most famous job
satisfaction model. The main premise of this theory is that satisfaction is determined by
a discrepancy between what one wants in a job and what one has in a job. Further, the
theory states that how much one values a given facet of work (e.g. the degree of
autonomy in a position) moderates how satisfied/dissatisfied one becomes when
expectations are/aren’t met. When a person values a particular facet of a job, his
satisfaction is more greatly impacted both positively (when expectations are met) and
negatively (when expectations are not met), compared to one who doesn’t value that
facet. To illustrate, if Employee A values autonomy in the workplace and Employee B
is indifferent about autonomy, then Employee A would be more satisfied in a position
that offers a high degree of autonomy and less satisfied in a position with little or no
autonomy compared to Employee B. This theory also states that too much of a
particular facet will produce stronger feelings of dissatisfaction the more a worker
values that facet.

11
Dispositional Theory

Another well-known job satisfaction theory is the Dispositional Theory. It is a very

general theory that suggests that people have innate dispositions that cause them to
have tendencies toward a certain level of satisfaction, regardless of one’s job. This
approach became a notable explanation of job satisfaction in light of evidence that job
satisfaction tends to be stable over time and across careers and jobs. Research also
indicates that identical twins have similar levels of job satisfaction.

A significant model that narrowed the scope of the Dispositional Theory was the Core
Self-evaluations Model, proposed by Timothy A. Judge in 1998. Judge argued that
there are four Core Self-evaluations that determine one’s disposition towards job
satisfaction: self-esteem, general self-efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism. This
model states that higher levels of self-esteem (the value one places on his/her self) and
general self-efficacy (the belief in one’s own competence) lead to higher work
satisfaction. Having an internal locus of control (believing one has control over her\his
own life, as opposed to outside forces having control) leads to higher job satisfaction.
Finally, lower levels of neuroticism lead to higher job satisfaction.

Two-Factor Theory (Motivator-Hygiene Theory)

Frederick Herzberg’s Two factor theory (also known as Motivator Hygiene Theory)
attempts to explain satisfaction and motivation in the workplace. This theory states that
satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different factors – motivation and hygiene
factors, respectively. An employee’s motivation to work is continually related to job
satisfaction of a subordinate. Motivation can be seen as an inner force that drives
individuals to attain personal and organization goals (Hoskinson, Porter, & Wrench,
p.133). Motivating factors are those aspects of the job that make people want to
perform, and provide people with satisfaction, for example achievement in work,
recognition, promotion opportunities. These motivating factors are considered to be
intrinsic to the job, or the work carried out. Hygiene factors include aspects of the

12
working environment such as pay, company policies, supervisory practices, and other
working conditions.

While Hertzberg's model has stimulated much research, researchers have been unable
to reliably empirically prove the model, with Hackman & Oldham suggesting that
Hertzberg's original formulation of the model may have been a methodological artifact.
Furthermore, the theory does not consider individual differences, conversely predicting
all employees will react in an identical manner to changes in motivating/hygiene
factors. Finally, the model has been criticised in that it does not specify how
motivating/hygiene factors are to be measured.

Job Characteristics Model

Hackman & Oldham proposed the Job Characteristics Model, which is widely used as a
framework to study how particular job characteristics impact on job outcomes,
including job satisfaction. The model states that there are five core job characteristics
(skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) which impact
three critical psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, experienced
responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of the actual results), in turn influencing
work outcomes (job satisfaction, absenteeism, work motivation, etc.).The five core job
characteristics can be combined to form a motivating potential score (MPS) for a job,
which can be used as an index of how likely a job is to affect an employee's attitudes
and behaviours. A meta-analysis of studies that assess the framework of the model
provides some support for the validity of the JCM.

13
CONSEQUENCES OF JOB SATISFACTION
Satisfaction on the job influences many other organisational variables. These include
not only work variables such as performance or turnover, but also personal or non-work
variables such as health and satisfaction with life. They are explained below

1) Productivity

According to Robbins et al. (2003), managers’ interest in job satisfaction tends to

centre on its effect on employees performance and productivity. The natural
assumption is that satisfied employees should be productive employees. A large body
of research postulates that job satisfaction has a positive effect on productivity,
however, this correlation is rather modest (Cranny, Cain-Smith & Stone, 1992; Kreitner
& Kinicki, 2001; Robbins, 2005; Spector, 1997). Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly
(1997) surmised that some employees who are satisfied with work are poor performers;
conversely, there might be employees who are not satisfied, but who are excellent
performers.
Robbins (2005) concluded that productivity is more likely to lead to satisfaction than
the other way around. Hence, if employees do a good job (productivity), they
intrinsically feel good about it. In addition, higher productivity could lead to an
increase in rewards, pay level and promotion, which are all sources of job satisfaction.

2) Life satisfaction

Three hypotheses have been put forth about the relationship between job and life
satisfaction (Cooper & Locke, 2000; Spector, 1996). The spill over hypothesis suggests
that job experiences spill over into life and vice versa. Problems at home can affect
satisfaction at work and problems at work can affect home life. In terms of the
segmentation hypothesis, people compartmentalise their lives and satisfaction in one
area of life has little to do with satisfaction in another area. The compensation

14
hypothesis states that people will compensate for a dissatisfying job by seeking
fulfilment in non-work life and vice versa. The relationship between life and job
satisfaction is thus reciprocal- being satisfied with a job is postulated to affect life
satisfaction and vice versa (Spector, 1997).

3) Organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour

According to Kreitner and Kinicki (2001, p. 227), organisational commitment “reflects

the extent to which an individual identifies with an organisation and is committed to its
goals.” Armstrong (1996, p. 319) advances that “organisational commitment has three
components: identification with the goals and values of the organisation; a desire to
belong to the organisation and a willingness to display effort on behalf of the
organisation.” There seems to be a strong correlation between job satisfaction and
organisational commitment. Higher commitment can, in turn, facilitate higher
productivity.

Closely linked to the concept of organisational commitment is the variable called

organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Spector (1997, p. 57) defines OCB as a
“behaviour by an employee intended to help co-workers or the organisation.” It is thus
voluntary things employees do to help their fellow workers and their employers.
Robbins (2005) states that job satisfaction is a major determinant of OCB in that
satisfied employees would more likely talk positively about the organisation and go
beyond their normal call of duty. According to Robbins et al. (2003), there is a modest
overall relationship between these two variables.

4) Withdrawal behaviours

Many theories purport that people who dislike their jobs will avoid them. This is
commonly referred to as withdrawal, which refers to behaviours by which employees
remove themselves from the workplace, either temporarily or permanently (Saal &
Knight, 1988). Withdrawal behaviours have been widely considered in job satisfaction

15
research. Three forms of withdrawal behaviour which have been linked to satisfaction
will be discussed, namely, turnover, absenteeism and sabotage.

4.1 Turnover

The first form of withdrawal is turnover, which is defined as “any permanent departure
beyond organisational boundaries” Cascio (2003, p. 51). Turnover is important to
managers as it disrupts organisational continuity and it is can be very costly. The
different costs associated with turnover include separation costs (exit interviews,
separation pay), replacement costs of new employee and training costs of the new
employee (Saal & Knight, 1988).
According to Spector (1997), studies have been reasonably consistent in showing a
correlation between job satisfaction and turnover. Employees with low satisfaction are
therefore more likely to quit their jobs. According to Luthans (1995, p. 129), “high job
satisfaction will not, in and of itself, keep turnover low, but it does seem to help. On the
other hand, if there is considerable job dissatisfaction, there is likely to be high
turnover.” It is therefore important to manage satisfaction levels as it might trigger
decisions by employees to leave the organisation.

4.2 Absenteeism

Absence is a phenomenon that can reduce an organisation’s effectiveness. Theories of

absence hypothesise that job satisfaction plays a critical role in an employee’s decision
to be absent (Spector, 1997). Most research indicates a consistent negative relationship
between satisfaction and absenteeism, even though the correlation is not very high
(Robbins, 1989; Spector, 1997). Literature therefore suggests that a dissatisfied
employee will most likely be absent. However, there appears to be disagreement
concerning the strength of this relationship as absenteeism is influenced by a number of
inter-related factors.

16
4.3 Counterproductive behaviours

Counterproductive behaviours are the opposite of organisational citizenship behaviour.

These behaviours include aggression against co-workers, aggression against the
employer, sabotage and theft at work and they are associated with frustration and
dissatisfaction at work (Spector, 1997). According to French (1998 , p. 110), sabotage-
which is “the deliberate damaging of equipment or products by employees represents
one of the more costly possible consequences of organisational frustrations.” Spector
(1997) notes that a limited number of studies have investigated the causes of
counterproductive behaviours in organisations. It is, however, important for
organisations to create workplaces that enhance job satisfaction, which could assist in
reducing counterproductive behaviours.

17
Work–Life Balance
In the highly competitive global scenario, society and organisations are filled with
conflicting commitment and responsibilities. Hence, work-life balance has become an
important issue at the workplace. Work-life balance is a state of equilibrium in which
the demands of both a person’s job and personal life are equal. A number of working
definitions of the terms used regarding work-life balance, some overlapping and some
are continuing to evolve have been proposed by Lockwood (2003). They include
work/family, work/ family conflict, work/life balance from employer viewpoint,
work/life balance from employee viewpoint, family-friendly benefits, work life
programmes, work/life initiatives, and work/family culture.

HISTORY:

The expression was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an
individual's work and personal life.

Over the past twenty-five years, there has been a substantial increase in work which is
felt to be due, in part, by information technology and by an intense, competitive work
environment. Long-term loyalty and a "sense of corporate community" have been
eroded by a performance culture that expects more and more from their employees yet
offers little security in return.

Many people are experiencing burnout due to overwork and increased stress. This
condition is seen in nearly all occupations from blue collar workers to upper
management. Over the past decade, a rise in workplace violence, an increase in levels

18
of absenteeism as well as rising workers’ compensation claims are all evidence of an
unhealthy work life balance.

Employee assistance professionals say there are many causes for this situation ranging
from personal ambition and the pressure of family obligations to the accelerating pace
of technology. According to a recent study for the Center for Work Life Policy,
1.7 million people consider their jobs and their work hours excessive because of
globalisation.

A decade back, employees used to have fixed working hours or rather a 9 to 5 job from
Monday to Friday. The boundary between the work and home has disappeared with
time. But with globalisation and people working across countries, the concept of fixed
working hours is fading away. Instead of just 7 or 8 a day, people are spending as much
as 12-16 hours every day in office.

The technological blessings like e-mail, text messaging and cell phones which were
thought of as tools to connect them to their work being away from their workplace,
have actually integrated their personal and professional lives. Now professionals find
themselves working even when they are on vacations

The ever-increasing working hours leave the individuals with less time for themselves
and to pursue his hobbies or leisure activities. This hinders the growth of the person as
an individual in terms of his personal and spiritual growth. Professionals working in the
BPO industry, doctors and nurses and especially IT professionals are the few examples
who are facing the brunt of the hazard constantly

Traditionally creating and managing a balance between the work-life was considered to
be a woman's issue. But increasing work pressures, globalisation and technological
advancement have made it an issue with both the sexes, all professionals working
across all levels and all industries throughout the world. Achieving "work-life balance"
is not as simple as it sounds.

19
MEANING:

Maintaining a balance between work life and personal life is called Work Life Balance.

Work-life balance is the term used in the literature to refer to policies that strive to
achieve a greater complementarity and balance between work and home
responsibilities.

Some of the terms used in the literature on work-life balance are not commonly used or
may be unfamiliar, thus explanations and definitions are given below:

WLB: Work-life Balance also referred to as family friendly work arrangements

(FFWA), and, in international literature, as alternative work arrangements (AWA).

V-Time: This is voluntary overtime to meet production needs; extra hours are 'banked'
and taken as time off or as extra pay. It differs from flexitime where starting and
finishing times are staggered, and can mean reduced or increased weekly working
hours over a period of time.

The meaning of work/life balance has chameleon characteristics. It means different

things to different groups, and the meaning often depends on the context of the
conversation and the speaker's viewpoint. The following are working definitions of
terms used regarding work/life balance; some definitions overlap and some are
continuing to evolve.

* Work/family: A term more frequently used in the past than today. The current trend is
to use titles that include the phrase work/life, giving a broader work/life connotation or

20
labelling referring to specific areas of support (e.g., quality of life, flexible work
options, life balance, etc.)

* Work/family conflict: The push and pull between work and family responsibilities.

* Work/life balance from the employee viewpoint: The dilemma of managing work
obligations and personal/family responsibilities.

* Work/life balance from the employer viewpoint: The challenge of creating a

supportive company culture where employees can focus on their jobs while at work.

* Family-friendly benefits: Benefits that offer employees the latitude to address their
personal and family commitments, while at the same time not compromising their work
responsibilities.

* Work/life programs: Programs (often financial or time-related) established by an

employer that offer employees options to address work and personal responsibilities.

* Work/life initiatives: Policies and procedures established by an organization with the

goal to enable employees to get their jobs done and at the same time provide flexibility
to handle personal/family concerns.

* Work/family culture: The extent to which an organization's culture acknowledges

and respects the family responsibilities and obligations of its employees and encourages
management and employees to work together to meet their personal and work needs.

21
Schemes for improving Work life Balance

 Zero hours contract: This is a flexible contract that does not specify the amount
of time a worker will spend per year on their employment, leaving it open to
meet demand.
 E-working: The term used to describe flexible working that can be done from
any location using technologies such as laptops, wireless internet connection
and mobile phones.
 Teleworking: This is where the location is flexible by using technologies to
complete work - this allows work to be done from home; also known as e-
working.
 Term-time working: This is when a parent is allowed to work only during
school term times, with all school holidays off. Payment can be calculated
either by usual payment, with no payment during holidays, or salaries can be
spread out across the year.

Other forms of flexible working conditions include:

• Part-time working
• Job sharing
• Flexitime
• Shift working
• Annualised hours
• Compressed hours
• Home working
• Career breaks
• Study leave

22
 Chapter 3
Research Methodology

23
This study was designed to examine ‘The Influence of Work life balance on Job
satisfaction of Employees’. The respondents were 139 employees of the bank.

Title of the study:

A study on the relationship between Work life balance and Job Satisfaction

Objectives of the study

Objective of the study is to examine the impact of work life balance on job satisfaction
among the employees

Hypothesis

H1: Work life balance increases job satisfaction

Variables and their linkages

Independent Variable:Work Life Balance

Dependent Variable: Job Satisfaction

Positively related

Work Life Balance Job Satisfaction

Work life balance:

Theoretical definition:

Work-life balance is a state of equilibrium in which the demands of both a person’s job
and personal life are equal. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1977)

24
Operational definition:

Work life balance is defined as the state in which a person’s job and personal demands
are fulfilled and is measured using a 15 item scale by Fisher McAuley, et al.
(2003).Various factors like mood, energy, personal matters, happiness, struggle and
needs of employees are measured.

Job Satisfaction:

Theoretical definition:

Job satisfaction is defined as ‘the extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike
(dissatisfaction) their jobs’ (Spector, 1997). According to Luthans (1998), job
satisfaction is an emotional response to a job situation, which can only be inferred,
often determined by how well outcomes meet or exceed expectations

Operational definition:

Job satisfaction is defined as the extent to which the employees like or dislike jobs and
is measured with the help of Brayfield and Rothe (1951). It measures various factors
like satisfaction, enthusiasm, and enjoyment of employees.

25
Scope of the study

 Time: This study deals with the present scenario.

 Place: This study is limited to bank employees in Cochin

 Population: The population of the study are the bank employees.

Research design

 Design of the study:- As trying to bring out and explain the relationship among
the variables involved in the study, a diagnostic design was found the most
appropriate and therefore was adopted.
 Population:- The study is conducted among the employees in the banking
sector .
 Sample size:- 150 employees of banking sector
 Sampling:- Simple Random sampling

Tools for data collection (questionnaire):

Work Life Balance: Fisher-McAuley, et al. (2003) is a 15 item questionnaire having

Cronbach Alpha of .70

Job Satisfaction: Brayfeild and Rothe, (1951) is a 5 item questionnaire having

Cronbach Alpha of .70

Analytical tools

The statistical package used for data analysis is SPSS, version 17. The analysis
involved correlation and regression analysis of the relevant variables to test the
hypotheses.

26
 Chapter 4
Data Interpretation &
Analysis

27
Correlations

Table-1: Showing correlation between Work life Balance and Job Satisfaction
Correlations

AVG WLB AVG JS

AVG WLB Pearson Correlation 1 .211*

Sig. (2-tailed) .013

N 139 139

AVG JS Pearson Correlation .211* 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .013

N 139 139

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Interpretation

• The above table represents the correlation between the two variables work life
balance and Job satisfaction. There exists a positive relation between these two
variables with r= .211

• From the above, it can be said that the influence of Work life balance on Job
satisfaction is proved to be significant (P<0.05).

• So as Work life balance increases there will be a corresponding increase in Job

satisfaction.

Table 2: Showing adjusted R square

28
 Table 2 - Model Summary

Adjusted R Std. Error of the

Model R R Square Square Estimate

1 .211a .045 .038 .6205431

a. Predictors: (Constant), AVG WLB

Interpretation:

Table 3: Anova Table

Table 3 - ANOVAb

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 2.462 1 2.462 6.394 .013a

Residual 52.755 137 .385

Total 55.217 138

a. Predictors: (Constant), AVG WLB

b. Dependent Variable: AVG JS

The coefficient of determination is 0.038, which means 3.8% of the variation in the
dependent variable [Job satisfaction] is explained by the independent variables [Work
life balance].

Interpretation

The significance value is .013 which shows that the work life balance has a positive
effect on Job satisfaction of employees. Hence the hypothesis is accepted.In the parent
study also the relationship has been proved.

Table 4: Showing coefficient of correlation

29
 Table 4 - Coefficientsa

Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients

Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.

1 (Constant) 3.649 .276 13.200 .000

AVG WLB .186 .073 .211 2.529 .013

a. Dependent Variable: AVG JS

Interpretation
Regression equation is JS=3.649+0.186*WLB
Where JS = Job satisfaction (dependent variable) and WLB = work life balance
(independent variable).

The above regression equation shows that there exists a significant relationship
between work life balance and Job satisfaction. The above Beta value indicates
that work life balance has a positive relationship with Job satisfaction (Beta =
0.211) and that value is statistically significant (t=2.529, p= .013). The observed
value of R square is 0.045. From the above concluded analysis, the results
clearly support the hypothesis. Therefore the hypothesis of the study stands
proved.

30
Chapter 5
Findings

31
Findings:

 The hypothesis was accepted as there exists a significant relationship between

work life balance and Job satisfaction.

 3.8% of the variation in the dependent variable [Job satisfaction] is explained by

the independent variables [Work life balance] as coefficient of determination is
0.038

 As there is a positive relationship between the two variables, an increase in

work life balance causes an increase in Job satisfaction of the employees.

32
 Chapter 6
Suggestions &
Limitations

33
Suggestions

 According to the results of the studies, it shows that there exists a significant
relationship between Work life Balance and Job Satisfaction with respect to the
employees of banking sector.

 It is of crucial importance to any sector to make the employees have work life
balance as this leads to job satisfaction which results in better performance and
increased productivity, among employees.

 Increased satisfaction among employees leads to better handling of customer

expectations and fulfilling their demands which in turn leads to the growth of the
organisation and increasing organisational capabilities.

Limitations

 Time:
It was a major constraint as it involved juggling between the regular scheduled
classes and the project work.

 Unable to generalize the result to other industries:

The study was conducted among people employed in banking industry and so
the results cannot be generalized to other industries. Additional research is
needed to find out whether the model is applicable to other industries as well.

34
Chapter 7
Conclusion

35
Conclusion

It can be concluded that the research has been able to establish a relationship between
work life balance and job satisfaction. Questionnaire was administered to carry out the
analysis of the study in hand. The observation that the researcher arrived at, is that
work life balance has a positive influence on job satisfaction .The observations are in
accordance with other empirical studies performed by acclaimed researchers and
academicians in the field of research.

A feeling of satisfaction among the employees will lead to better performance among
the employees. It is found from the study that work life balance has positive influence
on job satisfaction. So in order to improve job satisfaction and thereby increase
productivity an organisation has to give due consideration on achieving the work life
balance of its employees.

36
Bibliography

37
JOURNALS AND ARTICLES

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Satisfaction: Environmental and Genetic Components,” Journal of Applied
Psychology, 74, pp. 187-192

2. Gruneberg, M.M. (1979), Understanding Job Satisfaction, Wiley, New York.

Hackman, J. R., and Oldham, G. R. (1975), “Development of the Job
Diagnostic Survey,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 60.2, pp. 159-170.

3. Hughes, J., and Bozioneles, N. (2007), “Work-life Balance as Source of Job

Dissatisfaction and Withdrawal Attitudes-An Exploratory Study on the Views
of Male Workers,” Personnel Review, 36.1, pp. 145-154. Hyman, J. and
Summers, J. (2004),

4. Brayfield, A.H. and Rothe, H.F. (1951), “An Index of Job Satisfaction,”
Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, pp. 307-311.

5. Locke, E.A. (1976), “The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction,” in M.D.
Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, John
Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 1297-1349

38
6. Lockwood, Nancy R. (2003), Work/life Balance: Challenges and Solutions,”
SHRM Journal, 48.6, pp. 81-90.

7. Sparks, K., Cooper, C., Fried, Y. and Shirom, A. (1997), “The Effects of Hours
of Work on Health: A Meta-analytic Review,” Journal of Occupational and
Organisational Psychology, 70, pp. 391-408.

WEBSITES

 http://www.napier.ac.uk/randkt/rktcentres/eri/projects/Documents/WorkL
ife.pdf

 http://www.worklifebalancecentre.org/

 http://www.naukrihub.com/hr-today/work-life-balance.html

 http://www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/workplace-project/worklife-
project_08.asp

 http://www.health.wa.gov.au/worklifebalance/docs/10017%20Retention
%20tot.pdf

39
Annexure

40
41
 QUESTIONNAIRE

I am pursuing my Masters in Human Resource Management at Rajagiri Centre for

Business Studies, Kakkanad, Cochin. As part of my course I am doing a research on the
relationship between Work life balance and Job Satisfaction. I request your kind cooperation in
filling the following questionnaires and assure you that any information provided here would
be kept confidential and used purely for academic purposes.

(Please indicate your response with a tick mark)

1=strongly disagree; 2= disagree; 3= slightly disagree; 4= neutral; 5= slightly agree; 6=

agree; 7=strongly agree

No Statements  

1 Personal life suffers because of work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2 Job makes personal life difficult 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3 Neglect personal needs because of work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4 Put personal life on hold for work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

5 Miss personal activities because of work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6 Struggle to juggle work and non-work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Happy with the amount of time for non-work
7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
activities
8 Personal life drains me of energy for work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

9 Too tired to be effective at work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10 My work suffers because of my personal life 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

11 Hard to work because of personal matters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12 Personal life gives me energy for my job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

13 Job gives me energy to pursue personal activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

14 Better mood at work because of personal life 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

15 Better mood because of my job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

42
 (Please indicate your response with a tick mark)

1=strongly disagree; 2= disagree; 3= slightly disagree; 4= neutral; 5= slightly agree; 6=

agree; 7=strongly agree

No Statements  
1 I feel fairly satisfied with my present job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2 Most days I am enthusiastic about my work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3 Each day of work seems like it will never end 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4 I find real enjoyment in my work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

5 I consider my job rather unpleasant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

PERSONAL DETAILS

1) Name:
2) Male: Female:
3) Age group:
a) Below 30
b) 31-50
c) Above 51
4) Are you married?
a) Yes
b) No
4(a) If yes, is your partner employed?
a) Yes:
b) No:
4(b) Do you have children?
a) Yes, no. of children____________.
b) No:

THANK YOU

43