Work-Life Balance : a Comparative Study of South-East Asian Countries

Work-life balance has been a popular topic for employees across all age and occupations for years, representing a rising concern of contemporary human resource management and labor policies. This topic has attracted the attention from the millennium generation, who is stepping into the market and beginning to grow a career. Therefore considering the increasing demand, well-designed workforce planning with diverse scheduling options offered to employees appears to be extra credits for most companies. This research paper aims to communicate the positive effects of four-day workweek, and providing support for why employers should adopt this schedule for employees and themselves through 1) introducing background and history of four-day workweek as a work schedule option and 2) demonstrating benefits of four-day workweek from both employer and employees’ perspectives.

Thirty-eight percent of Americans report some tension between their work and home lives. Today’s highly publicized work/life balance conflicts are multiple, and their nature differs significantly depending on the jobs individuals have and on their family situations. Tensions between work and family life clearly have implications for the well-being of individuals and their children and ramifications for society in general. Yet because the personal needs, desires, motivations, and economic circumstances of Americans are so varied, there appears to be no single way to resolve these tensions, no universal best practices with regard to work/life balance. For example,

However, “all work makes an economic contribution, but the unpaid work activities related to the home have been marginalized in economic rendering of production” According to Riane Eisler (2007:16 as cited in Lindsey, 2011, pg. 277). Meaning that for human survival, and human development to be successful women’s work needs to be valued, while women are taking on the responsibilities of caregivers to others; as well as their own. In addition to the many task these women provide such as their contribution to their household chores, managing the household income, childbearing; and caring for the elderly; these jobs are all considered unpaid work to which these women will never receive any form of income for the work they provided. In the United States alone more than 40, 000 dollars annually would be paid out yearly, if these women were being paid for services rendered in those areas; such as cooking, cleaning, ironing, care givers; and financial advisor. Meaning, “at the global level, if the unpaid work of women were added to the world’s economy, it would expand by one-third, but on the positive side, the economic reality of women’s unpaid productive work is gaining public and government attention (Lindsey, 200. Pg.

Women tend to spend more time doing unpaid work than men such as being home taking care of kids, housework, preparing for food and also taking care of the elders. About 70 per cent of women with children have done double duties (going to paid work and then coming home doing some housework too). A lot of women tend

The theme of overemployment is a current problem in the United States. Americans are overworked. Workload has increased and society has experienced a loss of leisure. Overemployment and overworked can be defined as negative effects that occur when individuals are required to work more hours than they want to work. “Personal perceptions of workload are critical, as individuals have diverse reactions to the number of hours worked depending on their needs, lifestyle, expectations, and experiences. Individuals have different tolerances for demands and stress. While many, including professionals

Work-life balance is a generalised term in which an individual is able to manage or

Barnes took a lot of heat when she stepped down from Pepsi-Cola to raise her children. However, She believed that “Today’s business world calls for a flexible environment that provides opportunity for work-life balance. It empowers employees to do their work on a schedule that works for them” (Finn, 2010). This environment requires diversity of

It can also become challenging to achieve work-life balance when not all employers offer employees benefits which our textbook outlines as ‘stress removers’. This includes - flexible and limited work time, job sharing, telecommuting, personal leave, and child care support (McShane & Glinow, 2017). The article also stressed that many employees face being penalized or terminated stating, “Most people do not believe that their workplaces truly support flexibility or that they could work an alternative schedule without career risks” (Chan,

Understanding this fact is critical in understanding how true work-life balance can benefit not just the employees but the company as well. When employees are in better control of their lives, are motivated and are able to manage stress better, the attendant productivity will ultimately, positively affect the organization within which these employees work. Achieving optimal work-life balance is critical to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the degree to which people enjoy their work. (Spector 1997). Singh 2013 identifies that job satisfaction reflects how well an individual is happy with various aspects of his job to which work-life balance is an aspect. The following factors make up a Work life Balance plan that should be implemented by the Jones Bank of Canada and caters to the varying needs of Baby boomers, Generation X and Millennials.

It is important for employers to ensure that their staff can maintain a work-life balance and this will provide its own benefits for them, such as:

Work-life balance is a combination of interactions among different areas of one’s life; the advantages and disadvantages associated with that balance/imbalance are countless and can affect multiple levels of society (Schoenfeld, 2005).

Thesis: When there is a cohesive balance between work and family life, it leads to a more productive working environment and family atmosphere.

In today’s world many people are trying to balance their work and their personal life which can be a huge challenge. There have been studies showing that having a poor work life balance can cause an unhealthy level of stress; unhappiness and it can actually reduce productivity. Also many people suffering from poor work life balance can find it impacts their relationships and ability to actually enjoy and value their lives.

Roles of gender refer to the expected behavior of individuals based on their sex (Harris, & Firestone, 1998). Thus, during the Industrial Revolution, women were expected to remain at home while keeping care of the children and the house whereas men would work outside and bring money to maintain the household (Frone, Russell, & Cooper, 1992). After the Second World War, women started leaving the housewife role to get into the work labor (Allen, 2001). However, instead of creating a more egalitarian view of gender roles, society still keeps very diverse expectations for men and women regarding family and work duties (Frone, Russell, & Cooper, 1992). Then, women are supposed to be the caregivers of the children and do the housework, even when they also have a full-time job (Allen, 2001). However, men are only expected to work outside the home but they are not required to perform “feminine roles” (Allen, 2001). Thus, the myth of the SuperWomen Syndrome appeared when women tried to perform several roles and do perfect in all of them. Women are assuming multiple roles (such as mother, wife, housewife, caregiver, and full-time worker) and try to manage their work with their family duties, resulting in great amounts of stress besides other physical and mental health

According to The Center for Reproductive Rights (2005), women’s reproductive rights are the framework offers a powerful tool for advancing women’s reproductive health and empowering women to address the social conditions that jeopardize their health and lives. In global, they include two key principles: that all persons have the right to reproductive health care and to make their own decisions about their reproductive lives. More specifically, they encompass a broad range of internationally and nationally recognized political, economic, social, and cultural rights that include the