A Study on Work Life Balance among BPO Employees -With reference to BPOS in Chennai

Dr.R.Shanthi (1) & Ms. V.Chitra(2),

identified. From this study I finally concluded that Motivation, Employee Performance, Health and Stress were the four major factors identified are the four major dimensions of Work Life Balance which play the vital role for employees better performance in the organization.

Key Words:

Work Life Balance, BPO

employees, Stress ABSTRACT Work life balance is the term used to refer the policies that strive to achieve a great complementary and balance between work and home. With the level of completion heightening between employees within nearly every industry and with the cost of living rising uncomfortably. It is easy for workers to find themselves working extra hours. However the overtime negatively affects numerous aspects to ones life performance at work place. The psychological stress one experience at the work place and the group morale where he performs. This research paper A study on Work Life Balance among BPO employee. The primary objective of this study is to find out how employees balance their work life. (With Reference to BPO companies in Chennai) and also this paper focuses on the work related accident especially ill health. For this purpose WLB is measured by taking into the account of Flexi timing, Job stress, Employees safety, Job performance, Motivation and Work life Balance. The sample size for this study was 30 by adopting the Judgment sampling method the data was collected among employees working in BPO companies in Chennai. Data was analyzed through chi-square and factor analysis 68.736% of problem will be
1

Introduction: Worklife balance has come to the forefront of policy discourse in developed countries in recent years, against a backdrop of globalization and rapid technological change, an ageing population and concerns over labour market participation rates, particularly those of mothers at a time when fertility rates are fallingi. A better balance between work and life is an issue for everyone, not just those with caring responsibilities. Stress levels have increased as the work environment has changed in the last decade in response to downsizing, globalization, competitive pressures and technological changeii. Stress levels have increased as the work environment has changed in the last decade in response to downsizing, globalization, competitive pressures and technological change. In addition, broader and fundamental changes in society and the family have contributed to the problems inherent in balancing competing responsibilities. The views of the individuals documented here underscore the degree to which all these changes have affected individuals at work, at home and in their personal life. Essentially, work-life

Assistant professor, Department of Commerce, University of Madras. [email protected] 2 PhD, Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, University of Madras. [email protected]

balance is about helping employees better managed their work and non-work timeiii. Review of Literature: The recent explosion of interest in the workfamily interface has produced a number of concepts to explain the relation between these two dominant spheres of life: accommodation, compensation, resource drain, segmentation, spill over, workfamily conflict, workfamily enrichment, and workfamily integration (Barnett, 1998; Edwards & Rothbard, 2000; Friedman & Greenhaus, 2000; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985; Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1999; Lambert, 1990). One term widely cited in the popular press is workfamily balance. Sometimes used as a noun (when, for example, one is encouraged to achieve balance), and other times as a verb (to balance work and family demands) or an adjective (as in a balanced life), workfamily balance often implies cutting back on work to spend more time with the family. Moreover, it is thought to be in an individuals best interest to live a balanced life (Kofodimos, 1993). Ariane Ollier Malaterre in the paper titled CONTRIBUTIONS OF WORKLIFE AND RESILIENCE INITIATIVES TO THE INDIVIDUAL/ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIP he makes contributions both on the theoretical and managerial sides. Not only should positive outcomes such as commitment be anticipated, but also negative outcomes, as well as an absence of outcomes. This article also calls for a broadening of the theoretical frameworks that work-life researchers mobilize. From a managerial perspective, this research helps supervisors

and HR practitioners better understand and predict the outcomes of the initiatives they developiv. Jeffrey H. Greenhaus, Karen M. Collins, and Jason D. Shaw in their study The relation between workfamily balance and quality of life they examined the relation between workfamily balance and quality of life among professionals employed in public accounting. Three components of workfamily balance were assessed: time balance (equal time devoted to work and family), involvement balance (equal involvement in work and family), and satisfaction balance (equal satisfaction with work and family) and also they observed similar findings for involvement and satisfaction. They identified the contributions of the study to the work family balance literature and discussed the implications of the findings for future researchv. Natalie Reiter Roy in his paper Work Life Balance: What DO You Mean? The Ethical Ideology Underpinning Appropriate Application he gave the categorizes definitions of work life balance (WLB) according to a framework of ethical ideologies. By understanding what perspective the definition of WLB is framed within, practitioners and academics will be better able to assess the suitability of that definition for a particular applicationvi. Emma Roberts in his article Time and WorkLife Balance: The Roles of Temporal Customization and Life Temporality he quantitatively proved that Two temporal themes are reported from a study which identified employees who had customized their working pattern to suit the various and multi-dimensional

facets of their lifestyles and thereby successfully improved their worklife balancevii. Linda Elizabeth Duxbury and Christopher Alan Higgins in their paper Gender Differences in Work-Family Conflict they significantly proved that significant differences were noted in 11 of 17 gender comparisons and are attributed to societal expectations and behavioural norms. It appears that the redistribution of roles within the family to match increased role responsibilities outside the home has not yet occurredviii. Need for the study: This research paper makes contributions both on the theoretical and managerial sides. Not only should positive outcomes such as commitment be anticipated, but also negative outcomes, as well as an absence of outcomes. This paper also calls for a broadening of the theoretical frameworks that work-life researchers mobilize. From a managerial perspective, this research helps supervisors and HR practitioners better understand and predict the outcomes of the initiatives based on the findings. This study helps the organization to know their employees work safety which in turn helps to take necessary measure to prevent the work place accidents. Objectives of the study: y y y To study the Work Life balance among BPO Employees. To identify the health determinants in working life among employees. To know the relationship between stress and Work Life balance.

Any research study can be restricted in scope by certain interest limitations that are participated by the choice of the research design, sampling procedure and respondent selection. This study has the following limitation. y Even though the survey was conducted among the sample of fifty employees, the research may not reflect the real opinion of the entire employees. y Because of the time constraints, the sample size is restricted to 30, which may not reflect the opinion of the entire population. Methodology: Research settings: The present study was Descriptive Nature and conducted among Lecturers working in arts and science colleges Samples: Sample size for this study is THIRTY. The judgment sampling was adopted to collect the data. Data were collected in the form of structured questionnaires and through direct Interview method. Questionnaire: QWL and its relationship with Human Resource practices variable were measured by using a self administrated questionnaire prepared by us. The questionnaire is specifically designed to perception of QWL among Lecturers. For this QWL is divided into Five groups Flexi timing, Job stress, Employees safety, Job performance and Motivation The Questionnaire was divided in to TWO parts PART: A- Questionnaire contained 30 items measuring the QWL. The items

Limitation of the study:

under each group were measured by using 5 Point Likert scale. PART: B - Questionnaire includes question about personal and organizational details such as Age, Gender, Marital status, Income and Experiences. Table 1 Age Age (In years)
No. of persons BELOW 25YRS 25YRS - 30YRS 30YRS - 35YRS Total *SOURCES : Primary data 23 4 3 30

Table 4 Income: Income (In Rs)

*SOURCES : Primary data Data were collected from THIRTY respondents and their Income composition is presented in the above table. Table 5 Work Experience: Experience (In years)
LESS THAN 3YRS 3YRS - 5YRS 5YRS - 7YRS No. of Persons 24 4 2 30

Data were collected from THIRTY respondents and their Age composition is presented in the above table. Table 2 Marital Status: Status
No. of Persons MARRIED SINGLE Total 8 22 30

Total *SOURCES : Primary data

Data were collected from THIRTY respondents and their Work experience composition is presented in the above table. Chi Square Analysis: Table 6.1 Output - 1 H0: There is no significance difference between Health and Age. H1: There is a significance difference between Health and Age.
AGE (IN YRS) Observed N Expected N Residual

*SOURCES : Primary data

Data were collected from THIRTY respondents and their Marital status composition is presented in the above table. Table 3 Gender: Gender
No. of Person MALE FEMALE Total 23 7 30

BELOW 25YRS 25YRS 30YRS 30YRS 35YRS

23

10.0

13.0

10.0

-6.0

*SOURCES : Primary data

Data were collected from THIRTY respondents and their Gender composition is presented in the above table.

10.0

-7.0

AGE (IN YRS) Observed N Expected N Residual BELOW 25YRS 25YRS 30YRS 30YRS 35YRS Total 30 3 10.0 -7.0 4 10.0 -6.0 23 10.0 13.0

Therefore there is the significance relationship between Age and Health. Table 6.2 Output - 2 H0: There is no significance difference between Work life balance and Marital status. H1: There is a significance difference between Work life balance and Marital status.
MARITAL STATUS

HEALTH Expected Observed N HYPER TENSION OBESITY DIABETES OTHERS Total 3 4 12 30 Test Statistics AGE (IN YRS) Chi-Square df Asymp. Sig. 25.400a 2 .000 HEALTH 8.667b 3 7.5 7.5 7.5 -4.5 -3.5 4.5 YES NO Total 11 N 7.5 Residual 3.5 MARRIED SINGLE Total

Observed N Expected N Residual 12 18 30 15.0 15.0 -3.0 3.0

WLB Observed N 22 8 30 Expected N 15.0 15.0 Residual 7.0 -7.0

Test Statistics MARITAL

.034 Chi-Square df Asymp. Sig.

STATUS 1.200
a

WLB 6.533a 1 .011

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 10.0. b. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 7.5.

1 .273

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 15.0.

The observed and expected frequencies are given in output 1. The asymptotic significance is less than 0.05; the difference between observed frequencies and expected frequencies is significant. Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected.

The observed and expected frequencies are given in output 2. The asymptotic significance is less than 0.05; the difference between observed frequencies and expected frequencies is significant.

Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore there is the significance relationship between Work life balance and Marital status. Table 6.3
EXPERIENCE (IN YEARS) Expected Observed N LESS THAN 3YRS 3YRS - 5YRS 5YRS - 7YRS Total 4 2 30 10.0 10.0 -6.0 -8.0 24 N 10.0 Residual 14.0 Chi-Square df Asymp. Sig.

Test Statistics EXPERIENCE (IN YEARS) 29.600a 2 .000 STRESS 8.533b 1 .003

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 10.0. b. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 15.0.

The observed and expected frequencies are given in output 3. The asymptotic significance is less than 0.05; the difference between observed frequencies and expected frequencies is significant. Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore there is the significance relationship between Experience and

Output - 3 H0: There is no significance difference between Stress and Experience. H1: There is a significance difference between Stress and Experience.

STRESS Observed N YES NO Total 23 7 30 Expected N 15.0 15.0 Residual 8.0 -8.0

Stress.

Factor Analysis: Factor analysis is one used to analyze the inter relationships between independent variables with metric data. The analysis summarizes a majority of the information in the data set in terms of relatively a few new categories- known as factors. The main applications of factor analytic techniques are: (1) to reduce the number of variables and (2) to detect structure in the relationships between variables, that is to classify variables. The present study uses the factor analysis to analyze the statement responses in the questionnaire and the results were presented in Table - 7ix
Total Variance Explained

Test Statistics EXPERIENCE (IN YEARS) Chi-Square df Asymp. Sig. 29.600

STRESS 8.533
b

2 .000

1 .003

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 10.0.

Extraction Sums of Squared Initial Eigenvalues Co mpo nent 1 Total % of Cumu Loadings % of Cum Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings % of

through maximizing the significant loadings of a variable on a single factor. The goal of rotational strategies is to obtain a clear pattern of loadings, that is, factors that are somehow clearly marked by high loadings for some variables and low loadings for others. This general pattern is also sometimes referred to as simple structure. Typical rotational strategies are varimax, quartimax, and equamaxx.
Rotated Component Matrixa 56.599 1 F4 HS1 HS2 HS3 WLB5 JP1 JP2 JP4 M1 M3 -.076 -.061 -.127 .675 .007 .075 .372 .125 -.777 .913 Component 2 .580 -.013 .086 .196 .777 .862 .165 -.267 .036 -.031 3 -.187 -.115 .753 -.327 .141 -.083 .607 .765 -.198 .088 4 -.490 .896 -.063 .377 .019 .011 .036 -.070 .126 -.037

Varianc lative Tot Vari ulativ Tota Varia Cumulati e % al ance e % l nce ve % 20.798

2.219 22.193 22.19 2.2 22.1 22.1 2.08 20.79 3 19 93 93 0 8

1.964 19.638 41.83 1.9 19.6 41.8 1.83 18.30 1 64 38 31 0 2

39.100

1.690 16.896 58.72 1.6 16.8 58.7 1.75 17.49 7 90 96 27 0 9

1.001 10.009 68.73 1.0 10.0 68.7 1.21 12.13 6 01 09 36 4 7

68.736

.873

8.729 77.46 5

.776

7.759 85.22 4

.551

5.509 90.73 3

.418

4.178 94.91 1

.274

2.741 97.65 2

10

.235

2.348 100.0 00

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 5 iterations.

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

The above table shows that the statements explain about 68.736% of the problem studied. The loading of the factors are presented below. Rotated Component Matrix: Perhaps the most important tool in interpreting factors in factor rotation. The term rotation means the reference axes of the factors are turned about the origin until some other position has been reached. Factor rotation assists in the interpretation of the factors by simplifying the structure

Table: 7 contain the information regarding possible factor and their relative degree expressed by their values. The rotated identified Grouped the 10 statements into five factors and on the basis of loading the statement they were given names and explained below. These statements explained about 68.736% of the problem studied.

Factor 1 Motivational factor: Major statement loaded in this factor shows the importance of Employee motivation to achieve the organizational goal. y I feel comfortable to work with the latest technologies in the organization. Health problem caused me to be absent from work.

and recognition employees.

to

motivate

your

Factor 2 Performance factor: Major statement loaded in this factor shows the importance of Employee motivation to achieve the organizational goal. y I am able to get the necessary information to perform my job efficiently I have been given my expected promotion I would have not been able to concentrate on my further education.

Intrinsic, meaning internal motivation is a technique to feel a driving force which will lead towards accomplishment of your goals. In common terms, intrinsic motivation is a passion or interest in doing a good job. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation comes from outside, i.e, from the environment. Money, competition, awards and accolades, appreciation and praise are all examples of extrinsic motivation. While both forms of motivation are important for employees to put in their best in an organization, employees who are intrinsically motivated will work because they derive pleasure from their work. If they do not like a particular job they will not be motivated to do it even if they are offered better salary than other employees. All employees are motivated to work harder for their rewards, incentives, bonus etc. However, managers must remember that money is not everything. One needs to understand the need of the employee and reward him or her accordingly. Along with rewards, recognition is something that can be a huge source of motivation for most employees. Recognition and appreciation is greatly valued when it is received on time. You can keep your employees motivated by simply saying good work. Organization is a place that is full of opportunities for employees to grow and widen their knowledge. Employee development is as important as rewards

y y

Relationships between job performance and well-being also varied as a function of time commitment to work. The data suggest that low levels of job performance may depress marital adjustment and quality of life for employees who work long hours. Perhaps poor performance despite an extensive time commitment to work intensifies feelings of failure as an employee and as a spouse. Again, these results highlight the need for considerably more research on the meaning of job success under different circumstances. Factor 3 Health factor: Major statements loaded in this factor show the importance of the employees health in performing the individual and organizational task. y y y I never felt depressed because of my work. I am having enough time to enrich my knowledge to perform my task I have been given my expected promotion

There is also some evidence that high job performance may detract from quality of life in non supportive environments and from marital adjustment in inequitable

environments, although since these latter two findings did not reach conventional levels of significance, they are in need of further investigation. It is possible that achieving high levels of job performance in conflict-producing, non supportive and inequitable environments increases the sacrifices, compromises, and feelings of emptiness that ultimately take their toll on employees personal and family wellbeing. It is also possible that job success in these environments exacerbates employee stress which, in turn, spills over into the nonworking sphere of life. Factor 4 Stress Factor:

conflicts experienced, the time committed to the work role, and the perceived inequity and non supportiveness of the work environment. The present study provides evidence that initiatives that employees interpret as supporting their worklife balance can have consequences for the organisation. Work quantity may reduce as a consequence of less time committed to work and also this study significantly proved that Motivation, Employee Performance, Health and Stress were the four major factors identified as the dimension of Work life balance of BPO employees. References

Major statement loaded in this factor show the impact of the stress in organizational relationship. y y Health problem caused me to be absent from work I experienced arguments, heated conversation with colleagues

Workplace stress is often caused among employees through their idea about new requirements and new procedures in a company. This can severely pull down productivity levels of employees. Hence, it will be a good idea to inform your employees in advance through mails and seeking their participation through feedback. It will also assist in building a healthy relation between employee and employer. Conclusion: Families enactments of the organization as environment must display sufficient variety to accommodate employee-familymembers (evolving) needs for both organizational involvement and family participation. The relationship between job performance and personal and family wellbeing may depend upon a number of factors, including the gender of the employee, the extensiveness of role

Editorial: Worklife Balance: A Matter of Choice? Abigail Gregory and Susan Milner, Gender, Work and Organization. Vol. 16 No. 1 January 2009 ii WORK-LIFE BALANCE: A STRATEGICAPPROACH FOR EMPLOYEES by S.Solamalai, JIMS, October December 2008 iii WORK-LIFE BALANCE: A STRATEGICAPPROACH FOR EMPLOYEES by S.Solamalai, JIMS, October December 2008 iv CONTRIBUTIONS OF WORK-LIFE AND RESILIENCE INITIATIVES TO THE INDIVIDUAL/ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIP by Ariane Ollier Malaterre CENTER ON AGING AND WORK, BOSTON COLLEGE, Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings v The relation between workfamily balance and quality of life by Jeffrey H. Greenhaus, Karen M. Collins, and Jason D. Shaw - Journal of Vocational Behavior 63 (2003) 510531 vi Work Life Balance: What DO You Mean? - The Ethical Ideology Underpinning Appropriate Application by Natalie Reiter Roy Morgan Research - Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 2007, Vol. 43 No. 2, June 2007 273-294 vii Time and WorkLife Balance: The Roles of Temporal Customization and Life Temporality by Emma Roberts Gender, Work and Organization. Vol. 15 No. 5 September 2008 viii Gender Differences in Work-Family Conflict by Linda Elizabeth Duxbury and Christopher Alan Higgins, Journal of Applied Psychology -1991. Vol. 76, No. 1,6074 ix Marketing research, C.N.SONTAKKI, Himalaya publishing house2006,pp.201
x

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