Toyin Ajibade Adisa is Senior Lecturer in HRM and Organisational Behaviour at the University of East London, UK. Currently, he is a course leader for HRM undergraduate course at UEL. His research interest covers areas of flexible working practices and gender equality. Toyin has published in high-impact academic journals. 

Gbolahan Gbadamosi is Associate Professor Organisational Behaviour and HRM, Bournemouth University Business School, UK. He has over 100 academic publications, most in scholarly academic journals. Gbola at different times has been affiliated with 6 universities in 5 countries. He has completed several Ph.D. supervisions and about 20 doctoral examinations. 

Chapter One

The Myth and the Reality of Work-life Balance in Nigeria

(By Gbadamosi, G. and Adisa, T.)

Abstract

This chapter examines the myth and the reality of work-life balance in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country with a population of over 190 million out of which more than 120 million are engaged working in formal and informal sector of the economy. The country is often seen as a beacon of African economic progress, Nigeria represents both the hope and the despair of Africa. At least one out of every five black people on earth is a Nigerian. The chapter will examine the various issues affecting employees' work-life balance in Nigeria. It will draw on qualitative and quantitative scholarly outputs, embedded and grounded in empirical evidence to inform conclusions and recommendations to be drawn.

Chapter Two

The Work-life Balance of Minority Women Managers in Corporate South Africa

(By Nasima Carrim and Eileen Koekemoer)

Abstract

Research related to work-life balance of minority women on the African continent is sparse. The aim of this chapter is to fill this gap by examining how Indian women (a minority group in South Africa) managers balance their work and home lives and how they succeed in reaching senior and top management posts in the process. The chapter will first focus on the literature related to work-life balance of women in Africa more broadly. Thereafter the qualitative research methodology will be presented. Then the results extracted from interviews with Indian women managers will be highlighted.

Chapter Three

The Nexus between Work-life Balance and Gender Role

(Ghada El-Kot and Sarah Fahmy)

Abstract

This chapter aims to highlight the critical role of gender in achieving work-life balance in Egyptian organisations. This chapter is divided into four main parts. It begins with a description of the Egyptian business context by highlighting the importance of socio-culture. It will emphasize the main factors required to achieve work life balance in Egypt, by examining gender role and other factors in the research context. Additionally, it will reflect on the importance of HRM practices in enhancing employee well-being and the significance of changing workplace cultures in support of women. Furthermore, the government role in women empowerment will be explained by shedding light on current work-life balance programs in Egypt. Finally the chapter will examine the key challenges and opportunities for achieving work life balance in Egypt.

Chapter Four

The Role of Culture in the Work-life Border Management: An Insight from Ghanaian Workers (Kwame Adom)

Abstract

It is true that work is seen as an integral component of the survival of mankind. It is also true that family life is equally important to people's existence. Ensuring a balance between work and family life for many is a herculean task. This becomes even more critical for women especially in most Sub Saharan Africa countries where the woman is labelled as the carer for the family and thus tends to be seen as housewives than actively engaging in economic activities. Until now, most of the studies in this area tend to focus on work and family life balance with little attention paid to the role of culture in work-life border. This study, therefore, aims to fill this gap by investigating the role of culture in the work-life border management.

Chapter Five

Work-life Balance/Work-life Conflict in China

(Fang Lee Cooke).

Abstract

With the rapid growth of economy and the informalisation of employment, work intensification has been a common experience shared by many workers in China across industrial sectors and occupational groups. This chapter critically examines sources of work-life conflicts at macro, organisational and individual levels, organisational strategy and practices of work-life balance to address this issue, and individual coping mechanisms. It also investigates how work-life balance practices may contribute to improving organisational performance and other outcomes through enhanced employees' organisational citizenship behaviour, creativity and so forth. The chapter shows how issues related to work-life balance in China may differ from the western context that requires different conceptualisation, social policy intervention and organisational solutions. Understanding the Chinese phenomenon of work-life issues will be beneficial to foreign multinational firms operating in China. The chapter also highlights research gaps and provides a number of research avenues which may be used for dissertation topics.

Chapter Six

Work-life Balance in India: Policy, Practices, and the Road Ahead

(V. Chandra).

Abstract

With businesses focusing on emerging economies, Indian business landscape during the last two decades has undergone swift transformations. Demographic shifts, generational and cultural differences mark today's workforce. Given the heterogeneity terms of nature of work and workforce, huge variations may be observed in how work-life balance is viewed. This paper aims to explore the work-life balance policies and practices in the changing institutional contexts. It also attempts to identify gaps, if any, between policies and practices, causative factors and consequences. The paper is descriptive in nature based on secondary data with an effort to understand the current status of work-life balance initiatives and road ahead. The literature throws light on how gender still acts as major societal driver.

Chapter Seven

Pakistani Women and Traditional Values: The Implications of Culture in Work-life Balance

(Ibrahim Noorani and Khurram Shakir).

Abstract

Significant assumptions can be drawn from initial observation of this phenomenon that are likely to be explored in this study, such as expectation from working women to act as men, influence of inappropriate nutritional, maternity and commuting facilities for women and role conflict where working women compromise their professionalism to safeguard their cultural values and implications, troubling work-life balance. The study will employ phenomenological interpretive approach in its attempt to explore the factors that influence women's work-life balance in the face of embedded Pakistani traditional values. Unstructured interviews, and survey questionnaires will be used to gather data. This is aimed to give the research a blend of qualitative and quantitative reasoning.

Chapter Eight

The Implicit and explicit influence on Work-life Balance in Malaysia (Au Wee Chan)

Abstract

Building on capabilities approach, the paper discusses the relevance of examining contextual elements to better understand the experience of work-life balance in a non-western context, Malaysia. Specifically, macro- and micro-environmental factors that influence employees' work-life balance in Malaysia are discussed. A detailed attention is given to the impact of these contextual elements, as well as the within-level and between-level contextual influences, in shaping work-life balance experience of Malaysian workers. This paper contributes to the work-life studies by extending the multi-level perspective to an eastern and developing nation context, which is outside the dominant and often normative Western paradigm. It also highlights the needs for further empirical investigation in non-western contexts to verify the capabilities approach which has been established and commonly used in western settings.

Chapter Nine

Managing Work-Life Boundaries Fits: The Distinct Effects of (IN) Congruences on Women's Emotional Exhaustion and Career Development in Brazil

(Bruno Felix and Juliana Mansur)

Abstract

Recently, increased attention has been given to the importance of congruence between employees' boundary management preferences and boundary management supplies provided by the work environment in relation to employee attitudes and behavior, as well as the idea of work-nonwork boundary management fit. However, literature has not devoted effort on examining what is the effects of different combinations of multiples aspects of boundary management fit. Also, most of the literature ignores emerging countries. Based on the Boundary Theory and Person-Environment Fit Theory (P-E Fit), we explore how different instances of boundary management fit - person-organization boundary fit and person-family boundary fit - have distinct effects on women's career and emotional well-being in Brazil. In particular, assuming the gendered role of women, the study explores the specific impact of fit (in) congruences on emotional exhaustion, work-family objective conflict, and perception of career advancement.

Chapter Ten

Towards Achieving a Meaningful Balance between Work and Private Life: Insights from Argentina Workers (Gisela Delfino and Camila Botero).

Abstract

For more than three decades researchers have pointed out the importance of work in adult life and its relationship with other aspects of life. It has been argued that making work a number one priority over other aspects of life, can be detrimental to physical, mental and social health. In regions where unemployment is high and there are still differences and preferences in the job opportunities that men and women have, it is important then, to analyse the work-life balance according to and based on gender. Using a representative sample of adults ages 18 to 96, classified in age, gender, education, and region (N = 5729, 53% women, Mage = 44.14), we intend to examine how employee are able to achieve meaningful balance between their work and private lives. This is particularly important in Argentina where women are the main caretakers at home. The chapter would examine if women could achieve the same level of balance as men.

Chapter Eleven

Work-life balance in Saudi Arabia: The Generational Challenges

(Arun Subbarayalu and Devalapalli Masthan)

Abstract

Work-Life balance is one of the important constructs of quality of working life of employees, irrespective of the type of industry they work. Work-life conflict occurs when work interferes with family life (work-to-family conflict) and when family life interferes with work (family-to-work conflict). So, it is paramount to optimize these two components to have a better quality of life. This book chapter examines the influence, challenges, and perceptions of various generational cohorts on work-life balance in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the world's twentieth-largest economy on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP) and the labor force rose to 6.3 million in the year 2015. There are four common sectors of workforce in Saudi Arabia i.e. health, education, public administration, and defense. Besides, there are many private sectors which primarily focus on manufacturing, production and other service-related areas. This chapter address the challenges faced by education and health sector employees in Saudi Arabia in managing their work-life balance and how it varies with regard to different age groups, gender, ethnicity, marital status, and organisation culture, and job security, autonomy of work, supervisory support and workplace support (Relation and co-operation).

Chapter Twelve

Utilisation of Work-life Balance Policies in Colombia: The Feasibility and the Challenges (Jean David Polo Vargas, Milton José Zambrano Curcio, Alejandra Ali Nieto, and Melissa Guerra Orozco).

Abstract

The work-life conflict in developing countries has focused on the arduous hours of work and, in most cases, few opportunities to develop family spaces. The Colombian government has tried to diminish these conflicts with laws and state policies. However, these policies have had complex applications, because companies do not apply it or pay little attention to state recommendations. From the analysis of gender, role, and institutional conditions, psychology seeks the improvement of quality of life, negotiation of meanings with people and influencing mental health. Finally, relationships are built within a constant dynamic, where situations such as machismo mediate those structures.