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Work-Life Balance with Work-Life Balance with Focus on Family LifeFocus on Family Life

Saviour RizzoSaviour Rizzo

Workers’ Participation Development Centre (WPDC)Workers’ Participation Development Centre (WPDC)University of MaltaUniversity of Malta

In collaboration with In collaboration with Malta Employers Association (MEA)Malta Employers Association (MEA)

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Work-Life balance stems from the fact that Work-Life balance stems from the fact that workers as human beings have other workers as human beings have other needs beside the economic ones.needs beside the economic ones.

The metaphor implies that there should be The metaphor implies that there should be an equilibrium between work and non-an equilibrium between work and non-work domainswork domains

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Relationship between work and non-work Relationship between work and non-work domains is defined in terms of :domains is defined in terms of :

the significance people assign to specific the significance people assign to specific domainsdomains

meaning and values that shape and meaning and values that shape and influence one’s perception of timeinfluence one’s perception of time

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MethodologyMethodology

Focus Group DiscussionFocus Group Discussion

Questionnaire to members of the Malta Questionnaire to members of the Malta

Employers Association about working time Employers Association about working time

arrangements of their employeesarrangements of their employees

A questionnaire to 480 workersA questionnaire to 480 workers

A questionnaire sent electronically to A questionnaire sent electronically to

employers asking them to explain the rationale employers asking them to explain the rationale

of the working time arrangement of their firmsof the working time arrangement of their firms

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Points that emerged during focus group discussion:Points that emerged during focus group discussion:

Work Schedule involving irregular hours can Work Schedule involving irregular hours can reduce joy and satisfaction family life can offer reduce joy and satisfaction family life can offer

Instrumental orientation towards working time was Instrumental orientation towards working time was evidentevident

They are able to manage time to make it They are able to manage time to make it commensurate to their psycho-social needscommensurate to their psycho-social needs

Relative deprivation is felt more during summer Relative deprivation is felt more during summer when there are more occasions for fun late at when there are more occasions for fun late at nightnight

They are conscious of some positive aspects They are conscious of some positive aspects about their working time scheduleabout their working time schedule

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Work and Family LifeWork and Family Life

(a) Enjoyment of family life and pressure of work. Do the (a) Enjoyment of family life and pressure of work. Do the exigencies of work allow workers to enjoy family life?exigencies of work allow workers to enjoy family life?

Enjoyment of family life

60%

38%

2%Can enjoy familylife

Not as much as Iwould like to

Cannot enjoyfamily life

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Most significant variables:Most significant variables:AgeAge

16- 24 25- 39 40- 49 50+

60% 56% 54.3% 74%

Occupational statusOccupational status

Prof/Technical

Administrative Executive/ Clerical

Skilled/ Semi

Unskilled

81.1% 64.5% 62.3% 59.4% 51.5%

Working Time ArrangementWorking Time Arrangement

Standard Working Week

Shift Basis No fixed starting and finishing time

Work on Saturday

Work on Sunday

67.5% 54.2% 37.1% 50.6% 46.5%

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Family Life Family Life

(b)  Work- Family Commitments: Can these two be (b)  Work- Family Commitments: Can these two be reconciled or do they lead to a feeling of being reconciled or do they lead to a feeling of being squeezed between the two?squeezed between the two?

Work-Family Commitments

64%

32%

4%Do not createproblems

Feel squeezedbetween the two

No response

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Feeling squeezed between Work and Family – Gender Feeling squeezed between Work and Family – Gender and Civil Statusand Civil StatusFemale 41.8% Male 27.2%

Married 37.0% Unmarried 22.2%

Married with Children 37.9% Childless married persons 28.0%

Work- Family Squeeze by AgeWork- Family Squeeze by Age

16-24 25-39 40-49 50+

31.6% 37.0% 40.2% 20.7%

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Work- Family Squeeze by SectorWork- Family Squeeze by Sector

Services Manufacture State Run or Owned

41% 30.5% 32.2%

40 hours per week 40 - 48 hours per week More than 48 hours

29.4% 30.2% 53.3%

Work-Family Squeeze Working Hours per week Work-Family Squeeze Working Hours per week

Work-Family Squeeze – Working Time ArrangementWork-Family Squeeze – Working Time Arrangement

Standard Week Shift Work No fixed starting and Finishing Time

31.1% 29.5% 55.9%

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Family LifeFamily Life

(c) Participation in Home-Based Social Activities.(c) Participation in Home-Based Social Activities.

Does your work make you miss family-based social activities?

34.5

51.8

13.7

Never Rarely Often

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Often Rarely Never

40-48 hours per week 13.4% 46.8% 39.8%

48+ hours per week

12.5% 63.5% 24.0%

Standard working week

2.3% 48.8% 48.9%

Shift Work

29.6% 57.4% 13.0%

Hours not fixed

30.6% 52.8% 16.6%

Work on Saturday

26.0% 57.1% 16.9%

Work on Sunday 34.9% 54.0% 11.1%

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Family LifeFamily Life

(d) Child –Parent Interaction(d) Child –Parent Interaction

Time workers can spend with their children:

51.9

44.4

3.7

Enough time Not as much as I would like No time

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Enough Not enough

No Time

40 hours per week 55.3% 4,3% 40.4% 40-48 hours per week 50.0% 1.7% 48.3% 48+ hours per week 34.5% 6.9% 58.6% Less than 40 hours* 100% 0 0 Regular working week 53.0% 5.0% 42.0% Shift basis 56.3% 1.4% 42.3% No fixed hours 26.7% 6.7% 66.7%

*There were only 6 respondents who work less than 40 hours per *There were only 6 respondents who work less than 40 hours per week week

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Workers’ Perception of Working TimeWorkers’ Perception of Working Time

Workers’ perceptions of working time were Workers’ perceptions of working time were analysed in terms of :analysed in terms of :

  (a) Time for leisure(a) Time for leisure

  (b) Belief in the concept of management of time(b) Belief in the concept of management of time

  (c) Attitude towards working time(c) Attitude towards working time

  (d) Advantages perceived in work time schedule(d) Advantages perceived in work time schedule

  (e) Willingness to change job for one with (e) Willingness to change job for one with a better working time arrangementa better working time arrangement

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Workers’ Perception of Time Workers’ Perception of Time

(a) Time for Leisure (a) Time for Leisure 

Workers claiming that they Workers claiming that they do not havedo not have enough enough time for Leisuretime for Leisure

Overall Percentage 37.1%Overall Percentage 37.1%

Working Time Schedule

40 hours per week 26.4% 40 -48 hours per week 38.9%

Shift Basis 32.5% 48+ hours per week 47.8%

Regular working week 28.6% No fixed hours 52.9%

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Workers’ Perception of TimeWorkers’ Perception of Time

(b) Management of Time(b) Management of TimeManagement of time is a determinant factor in achieving Management of time is a determinant factor in achieving work-life balancework-life balance

Agree Disagree 61.4% 38.6%

  Workers over 50 years of age (70.3%).Workers over 50 years of age (70.3%).

  Workers who work 40 to 48 hours of work per week (70.9%).Workers who work 40 to 48 hours of work per week (70.9%).

Workers who work in the state run or owned enterprises Workers who work in the state run or owned enterprises (71.2%).(71.2%).

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Workers’ Perception of TimeWorkers’ Perception of Time

(c) Instrumental Orientation to Working Time.(c) Instrumental Orientation to Working Time.

(i) A job with long hours of work but with a very good pay that (i) A job with long hours of work but with a very good pay that would enable one to indulge in some lavishness (kapriċċi). would enable one to indulge in some lavishness (kapriċċi).

(ii) A job with regular hours of work but with a pay that would not (ii) A job with regular hours of work but with a pay that would not enable one to indulge in lavishnessenable one to indulge in lavishness

  25.3% chose option (i) - the instrumental25.3% chose option (i) - the instrumental74.7% chose option (ii) – the non instrumental.74.7% chose option (ii) – the non instrumental.

Instrumental Attitude among :   Males 31%Instrumental Attitude among :   Males 31% Females 17%Females 17%

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Professional Technical

Administrative Managerial

Executive/Clerical Skilled/Semi Unskilled

18.2% 33.3% 28.4% 17.9 24.7

Instrumental Attitude to working time by Occupational Instrumental Attitude to working time by Occupational CategoryCategory

Instrumental Attitude towards working Time Instrumental Attitude towards working Time

40 hours per week 40 - 48 hours per week 48 + hours per week

19.0% 30.2 46.5%

Regular working week Shift No fixed hours

21.3% 32.2% 29.4%

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Workers’ Perception of TimeWorkers’ Perception of Time

(d) The Positive Aspects or Working Time(d) The Positive Aspects or Working Time

It enables me to do my errands It enables me to do my errands

without any hasslewithout any hassle 56.7%56.7%

The free time it provides meThe free time it provides me 39.7%39.7%

It enables me to do my shopping It enables me to do my shopping

without any constraints and urgency without any constraints and urgency 30.1%30.1%

The flexibility it providesThe flexibility it provides 29.6%29.6%

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Workers who scored a relatively high Workers who scored a relatively high percentage in three of the four aspects:percentage in three of the four aspects:

Run an errand without hassle

Free time it gives

Do shopping with less constraints

Flexibility it provides

Workers in Service Sector

65.5% 26.4% 40.2% 43.7%

Workers on Shift basis

68.4% 29.0% 45.2% 41.9%

Workers who work on Sunday

68.3% 30.7% 47.2% 41.7%

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Workers’ Perception of TimeWorkers’ Perception of Time

(e)  Willingness to change job for one with better working time(e)  Willingness to change job for one with better working time

YES Will think it over Will stick to job

12% 35.5% 52.5%

Most willing to change job Least hesitantMost willing to change job Least hesitant

andand

Those who work on SundayThose who work on Sunday 47% 47% 1.6% 1.6%

    16-24 age bracket workers16-24 age bracket workers 36% 36% 6.7% 6.7%

LeastLeast likely to answer YES: Administrative/Mngt (3.2%) likely to answer YES: Administrative/Mngt (3.2%)

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Employers’ Views ( 35 responses)Employers’ Views ( 35 responses)

- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Making optimum use of machinery

Saving on overtime

Maintaining level of production to reach targets

The policy of the parent company

Considered to be normal

Rationale of working time schedule of worker

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OthersOthers::

Company has to operate within business hoursCompany has to operate within business hoursCompany has to operate according to requirements of Company has to operate according to requirements of clientsclientsMini busesMini busesFlexi timeFlexi timeFlexibility and to meet exigencies of employeesFlexibility and to meet exigencies of employeesTo offer highest possible standard of service based on To offer highest possible standard of service based on guest requirements.guest requirements.A compromise reached between preferences of A compromise reached between preferences of employees and production targetemployees and production target

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Changing working time arrangement to Changing working time arrangement to suit exigencies of employeessuit exigencies of employees::

- 5 10 15 20

Would definitely beharmful to the firm

Might be harmful tothe firm

Would have noadverse effect on the

firm

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Employers’ ViewsEmployers’ ViewsFlexi Time and Reduced HoursFlexi Time and Reduced Hours  

16 managers think that flexi time is unsuitable to their firm16 managers think that flexi time is unsuitable to their firm25 managers think that reduced hours of work would create 25 managers think that reduced hours of work would create problemsproblems

Reasons :Reasons : the disruptive element it would cause to production and the disruptive element it would cause to production and organisation of workorganisation of workAdded cost due to the additional workers who have to be Added cost due to the additional workers who have to be recruited for replacementrecruited for replacement

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Employers’ ViewsEmployers’ Views

Attempts made to change time scheduleAttempts made to change time schedule::

Cleaners to provide better serviceCleaners to provide better service

To reduce overtimeTo reduce overtime

To remove people from shift To remove people from shift

Made life easier for employees and did not harm the Made life easier for employees and did not harm the companycompany

On request by employees, starting time changed from On request by employees, starting time changed from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m.7.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m.

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ConclusionsConclusions

The family occupies a very large part in the The family occupies a very large part in the non-work domain of individualsnon-work domain of individualsReconciliation of work with non-work domain:Reconciliation of work with non-work domain:

– 40 to 49 age bracket consistently negative40 to 49 age bracket consistently negative– 25 to 29 age group not so consistently 25 to 29 age group not so consistently

negative but problematicnegative but problematic– The over 50 age group overwhelmingly The over 50 age group overwhelmingly

positivepositive– The young age group (16 to 24) moderately The young age group (16 to 24) moderately

positivepositive

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ConclusionsConclusions

Females tend to find it more difficult than men Females tend to find it more difficult than men to strike the ideal balance because of the to strike the ideal balance because of the motherhood mandate which culture imposes motherhood mandate which culture imposes on the female parent.on the female parent.Workers working more than 48 hours per week Workers working more than 48 hours per week and those with no fixed starting and finishing and those with no fixed starting and finishing time tend to share the same problems about time tend to share the same problems about the relationship between work and non-work.the relationship between work and non-work.Ambivalence tends to prevail among a number Ambivalence tends to prevail among a number of workers especially those in the service of workers especially those in the service sector and those on a shift basis.sector and those on a shift basis.

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ConclusionsConclusions

The imperatives of the market leave little room The imperatives of the market leave little room for managers to manoeuvre. Very few firms for managers to manoeuvre. Very few firms can afford to go beyond the minimum can afford to go beyond the minimum provisions laid down in labour legislation.provisions laid down in labour legislation.

Will globalisation move people nearer to or Will globalisation move people nearer to or further from the ideal work-life balance where further from the ideal work-life balance where the elements related to paid work and non-the elements related to paid work and non-work enable them to find ways of combining work enable them to find ways of combining working life with personal life?working life with personal life?

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Thank youThank you