Chapter I

INTRODUCTION
According to Richard Hudson, work life balance may be defined “as a satisfactory
level of involvement or a fit among the multiple roles in a person’s life.It is a common
phenomenon

today,that the employees experience interference between work lives and family
lives.Managing work life balance is one of the major challenges for the organizations
in the 21st century.Work life balance does not mean an equal sharing of time between
work and personal life .It is said that employees achieve work life balance when they
happily fulfill their personal lives and at the same time that are accepted and respected
at their work place.

Work- life balance is increasingly becoming significant for organizations .Durning

the ongoing covid 19 pandemic work life balance has become extremely
difficult.Work from home has impacted the efficiency,productivity of the
employees.Also many employees are

facing mental ,physical challenges durning lockdown.Work life balance is a strategy

to retain the employees in the organization.Therefore ,it is necessary that
organizations consider it as an important HRM function.

Work life balance is increasingly becoming more and more significant for the
organizations especically durning the covid 19 pandemic situation.Many employers
are reluctant to get back their employees to offices due to getting infected .Also many
employees are not fully vaccinated also. This is also causing many employees to
continue to work from home and come only if there is any emergency.Work life
balance is increasingly become significant for the companies due to reasons,such as:

1. More and more women are joining the workforce .Hence especially,the
working mothers find it difficult and challenging to balance their professional
lives and their personal or family lives.
2. In the global organizations ,business operations are carried out 24*7.hence,the
employees have to work duning odd working hours and therefore it disturbs
their family live as well as their work lives.
3. With the increasing cases of social disintegration like problems with
spouses ,children or elderly parents,employees place greater emphasis on their
families ,health and well being.
In the covid 19 pandemic, people are giving more importance to their health
and their family as all were locked up in home in lockdown.
4. Due to disturbance in work life balance,companies are providing incentives to
their employees so that the productivity,growth ,output of the employees
increases.
5. Companies need to spend a lot of money for giving them facilities but from
the prospective of the company it it more advantageous for them only.because
the company will grow,prosper only when the employees of the company
prosper.
6. Women are facing lot of challenges because of managing work life
diversity,children’s online classes, managing the health of elder people if any
one is there in the house. Also doing the daily chores of the home and then
working for 8 hours is also difficult.
7. Due to work from home scenario, many people are facing mental health
issues.

Background of study
The covid 19 pandemic that occurred in all parts of the world limited the
normal activities of people.In china it started from the month of December
2019 and slowly and steadily it spread in other areas of the world like
US,Eurozone etc. In India the first covid 19 case came to notice in the month
of February 2020. The first case of covid was found in kerela.In Maharshtra
the first case of covid was detected in march 2020 where travellers from uk,
china, who had went there for studies .Then the International airport of
Mumbai started screening and testing all the passengers coming from abroad
to Mumbai . From 16th march local trains were stopped due to increasing covid
19 patients. Due to this many people were forced to work from home. Some
people tried to use their own transport like cars,bikes but the police were
checking the vehicles on all major roads in the city as well as the
suburbs.They were stopping people those who were unnecessarily going out
and allowed only those people who were in the government sector,essential
services like banks, hospital staff, police ,fire brigade,insurance sector and
other people those who had important or essential work.Mumbai’s lifeline i.e
the local trains were running only for essential service workers.Tickets and
passes were also not issued to the general public.Also wearing a mask was
made compulsory. The people who had come from abroad were quarantined in
hotels or home isolation and if symptoms of covid were there then there
testing was done.
Work from home case was a very rare phenomenon for the people as the covid
19 pandemic had never happened. After almost 100 years i.e in 1921 a
pandemic like covid 19 had struck the entire globe.Work from home became
the new normal for the people of Mumbai city.Due to rising covid cases a
lockdown of 21 days was imposed in the country from march 25.The first
wave of covid 19 made the entire country to a stand still.Businesses shut
down and many people lost jobs due to the first lockdown .
The unemployment was at the peak due to lockdown.In this period many
people faced stress,burnout ,depression,anxiety and other mental health issues.
The working class had a tough time in managing their house and the additional
work from home. Mumbai is known as the city that never sleeps.Mumbai’s
lifestyle is very fast moving like a clock.Managing work life balance in this
city with such a pace is becoming difficult day by day. Durning the pre-covid
situation the problems of the salaried persons was not all good. Due to covid
situation also, the problem got even worst.The covid 19 pandemic led many
companies and agencies to adopt work from home (WFH) policy for their
workers.Workers feel safe at home with their family at all times,especially in
uncertain situations.But on the other hand ,the busyness increases because you
have to do office and household work at the same time .This can lead to
conflict,whether work matters interfere with personal life ,or vice
versa.Maintaining a work life balance (WLB) is a challenge for workers who
work from home.
The covid 19 pandemic that occurred limited the activities of people.Durning
the pandemic government offices were also working with a 50%
capacity .Alternate day employess were given duty.Also banks were
functioning at a capacity of 50% capacity.50% of the bank staff was working
from home due to covid 19 restrictions.According to Mungkasa(2020)
working from home provides the following benefits, a balance between work
and family life, reduce travel time to work and fuel saving,can control the
work schedule and work atmosphere, can choose to work when the mood is
good ,encourage employee morale,reduce laziness and absence,reduce worker
turnover,and strengthen the company’s image as a friendly workplace.But
working from home durning a pandemic has shown no such benefit.All family
members who do all work from home actually pose challenges in the
responsibility of managing the family(Bhumika,2020).
In normal conditions ,work life balance is a benefit of working from
home ,durning a pandemic it become a challenge to balance it.Durning work
from home,coordination between work and family demands is challenging
task for every worker. The presence of all family members at home durning
working hours, parents with office jobs , and children who attend school ,from
home and have to be assisted by their parents add to the burden on
workers.When working from home,female workers who have dual roles as a
housewife tend to carry a heavier burden than men.When working from home
a mother is faced with household and work matters at the same time and
place.Apart from doing office work,mothers must be accompanying their
children to online school and prepare for other household needs.Unlike normal
conditions,durning working hours the majority of family members are at work
or school so that their needs can be fulfilled in their places of activity.Female
workers can also in the office on a normal office schedule, which minimizes
disturbance from home.
Definitions
In the year 1993 Kofodimos defined work life balance as” a satisfying ,healthy
and productive life that includes work ,play and love”
Work life balance ,in its broadest sense,is defined as a satisfactory level of
involvement or ‘fit’ between the multiple roles in a person’s life .
Although work life balance has traditionally been assumed to involve the
devotion of equal amounts of time to paid work and non-work roles ,more
recently the concept has been recognized as more complex and has been
developed to incorporate additional components.
1.Time balance ,which concerns the amount of time given to work and non-
work roles.
2.Involvement balance ,meaning the level of psychological involvement in,or
commitment to, work and non-work roles.
3.Satisfaction balance or the level of satisfaction with work and non-work
roles.
We all play many roles: employee, boss, subordinate, spouse, parent, child,
sibling, friend and community member.Each of these roles imposes demands
on us that require time ,energy and commitment to fulfill.Work life conflict
occurs when these work and non-work life roles are incompatible in respect
so that participation in one role is made more difficult by participation of
another role. (Duxbury & Higgins, Oct 2001).
This model of work/life balance, with time, involvement and satisfaction
components,
enables a broader and more inclusive picture to emerge. For example,someone
who works two days a week and spents the rest of the week with his or her
family may be unbalanced in terms of time i.e equal measures of work life
balance.Work life imbalance can also cause lot of problems .Hence work life
balance is important for a individual’s healthy lifestyle.Someone who works
60 hours a week might be perceived as not having a proper work life balance
in terms of time.However like the person who works only a few hours a
week,this individual would also be imbalanced in paid work(balanced
satisfaction).Alternatively, someone who works 36 hours a week ,doesn’t
enjoy his or her job and spents the rest of the time pursuing preferred
outside activities or hobbies like singing,dancing, cricket ,playing any
instrument etc. the individual may be time balanced but unbalanced in terms
of involvement and satisfaction.Thus, achieving balance needs to be
considered from multiple perspectives.
Features of work life balance
1.Know your values- Have some time in life for yourself,give importance to
family, have time for hobbies.
2.Practice time management- Time management is of utmost importance .Make a
diary and write down the things or to do list everyday in your personal diary. Take
decision of which things to give priority and which not.

3. Set boundaries- Set limit on your time and set aside time for other
activities.Switch off the phone and limit your acess of internet.Learn to say no to
people.

4.Focus on health- Health is of utmost impoirtance .Practice yoga for atleast 15

mins.go for a walk or take exercises . this will help to have mental health
stability.Regular exercise ,yoga helps to reduce depression,stress level,anxiety.Also a
7 hours good sleep is also important for a healthy life.

5.Have a down time-Rest periods are just as important to success since they
‘recharge your batteries’. Schedule regular time off for yourself each week to read a
book, play sport, spend time in nature or just do nothing. Choose any activity you
enjoy.

6.Build relationships:- Positive realtionships and social support help built resilence
and help you cope with stress.Prioritise time with your family,friends,neighbours or
loved ones.

7.Enjoy your work-“Do what you love and love what you do”.While some work can
be stressful and monotous ,if you really hate your job or it’s making life
impossible ,consider changing

8.Outsourcing :-Delagate or outsource time consuming work to other individuals.It

serves two purposes, first the work gets done and the other is person can focus on
other things which can align more with skills and knowledge and may be stressful.It
also helps grooming other employees.

9.Leaving out activities that waste time and energy:-Individual should judiciously
avoid wasteful activities which demand large time and energy and in return not
produce output for either the work life balance.
10.Providing childcare: This could be in the form of onsite childcare options or
discounts at nearby childcare centres.  If the stress of taking care of children or
worrying about them is removed, then t he parents can focus on their work.  

Work-life balance is not an impossible dream.  With a little bit of sensitivity and
thought, a lot can be achieved towards this goal.

Brief history

Defining work life balance is not easy.digital integration encourages an always on

culture blurring the line between work and personal life.Modern work life balance
may need to look beyond balancing time to balancing energy.

.Its the late stages of the Industrial revolution and people are overworked.In the
United kingdom,it’s common for the average worker to work 14-16 hours a day, 6
days a week .These long hours had social and health costs,especially for young
people who were working.Labour reformers drew the attention of the UK government
and requested them to reduce the working hours .After so many agitations,protests the
UK government finally agreed for few hours for women and children. Around the
same time, the US begins tracking the hours worked by its workers and discovers that,
on average, its workers performed more than 100 hours a week. These hours worked
posed serious health and safety risks for the entire country.On October 24,1940 after
decades of worker movements ,the US officially amends the Fair labour Standards
act and adopts the 40 hour work week.this was the first move in giving workers back
more time. The actual term work life balance first appeared in the U.K in the 80’s as
a plank in the Women’s liberation movement .The movement advocated for flexible
schedules and maternity leave for women.But while men were socially encumbered to
pursue their career goals without worrying about housekeeping,managing their small
children at home,working women were expected to work and responsibility for
housekeeping and family rearing.The idea that people would have to balance between
their professional lives and personal lives ,more flexibility in managing their
schedule ,and presumptively increase satisfaction from work and life became a key
concept in the late 20th century.
In 1986,the term work life balance was identified ,but it’s usage in everyday language
was still sporadic for a certain number of years .Although,interestingly work life
programs existed in the 1930,but people did not recognize it.Before the second
war,the W.K.kellogg company some flexible work hours shifts for their employees
who replaced the traditional daily hours and the new shift resulted in increased
employee turnover .It helped the employee morale boosting.In 1977,Rosabeth Moss
Kanter,for the first time in his influential book ,Work and family in the United
States:A Critical Review and Agenda for Research and Policy ,raised the issue of
Work life conflict and brought it infront of organizations and researchers.this concept
gave importance to work life conflict to follow.But in 1980’s the importance of work
life balance acknowledged all over the world and many MNC introduced the policies
and measures to secure the rights of the workers and tried to maintain a right balance
in their culture.The first of these programs introduced were mainly focused on
working women and having children at home.Now-a-days ,many work life balances
programs have been introduced which are less gender specific and identify other
obligations as well as those of family. By the mid of the 1990s work-life balance
became a fundamental issue for individuals and it became a necessary part of the
strategies of all the organizations all over the world. This growing awareness of the
central importance of the issue resulted in major growth in attempted work-life
solutions during this decade and many new studies and ideas emerged.Work life
balance is a very broader term in Human resource management. During the last
decade technological revolution has stormed all aspects of life and there were
different debates about the future of work. Different scenarios predicted a rising trend
in un-employment and economic insecurity. Industrial restructuring and emergence of
latest technology no only affected the importance of workforce but it was also felt that
employees will be treated as superfluous overheads.

During the 1960s and 1970s, employers considered work-life mainly an issue for
working mothers who struggled with the demands of their jobs and raising children.
Throughout this period and into the mid-1980s, the U. S. government had the major
impact in the field, as reflected by the Presidential Conference on Families, the
Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Quality of Employment Survey.
Durning the 1980’s ,recognizing the value and needs of their women
contributors,pioneering organizations such as Merck,IBM,Deloitee & Touche began
to change their internal work place policies.The changes include maternity
leave,crèche facility,work fromhome, flexible work hours,employee assistance
programs,counseling services,mentoring services.By the end of the decade,work life
balance was seen as more than just a women’s issue,affecting
men ,family,cultures,organizations etc.

The 1990’s solidified the recognition of work life balance as a vital issue for
everyone-men,women,children,family.The 1990’s saw a rise in the working women
and men also .A second family configuration,the lone parent household also became
prevalent in the 1990s. mothers who struggled with the demands of their jobs and
raising children. This growing awareness of the central importance of the issue
resulted in major growth in attempted work-life solutions during this decade.
Numerous studies showed that the generations from babyboomers to new college
graduates were making job choices based on their own work-life issues and
employers’ cultures.

Unfortunately, although companies were adopting family-friendly policies, employees

and managers were not implementing them. Many of the policies put into place in the
1980s failed to have a significant impact on most managers’ and employees’ real-
world work-life-balance results. Americans still reported feeling even more
overworked and out of touch with their non-work lives much of the time. (Duxbury
& Higgins, Oct 2001)

Arnold Deutsche, in his book entitled The Human Resource Revolution:

Communicate or Litigate noted that today’s “knowledge workers” hold work attitudes
that differ in many ways from those of the factory and production workers that
preceded them. Key differences include rising expectations for a more rewarding
career, more humane working experiences and a greater “democratization” of the
workplace. Today’s employees are more likely to want a career not “just a job” and a
meaningful life outside of work. Many have high expectations about gaining
satisfaction from their work now and in the future, and want a say in decisions
affecting their jobs and their employment. Researchers are also seeing a different set
of attitudes in individuals just entering the workplace.
 Definitions

Now-a-days the concept of Work life balance is not new,because of its importance it
has been discussed extensively.It has been conceptualized as an individual’s
orientation across various life roles and inter roles phenomenon.Different scholars
have all different opinions on how they perceive the concept of Work-life
Balance.some of the important definitions are:

 Kofodimos has defined work life balance as ‘a satisfying,healthy and

productive life that includes work,play and love, that integrates a range of life
activities with attention to self and to personal and spiritual development,and
that expresses a person’s unique wishes,interests and values’
 Kirchmeyer has viewed Work life balance as ‘achieving satisfying experiences
in all life domains,and to do so require personal resources such as
energy,time,and commitment to be well disturbed across domains’
 Clark views work life balance as ‘satisfaction and good functioning at work
and at home with a minimum of role conflict’
When defining work life balance ,literature on this topic reveals a lack of
equality among the scholars that there is not a broadly accepted
definition(kalliath &Brough,2008). Devi & Ravi (2013) noted that most
definitions suggest the need to give equal priority to work and life demands.
However, understanding work-life balance is the starting point for both
individuals- who need to manage their resources- and companies, because of
the need to implement programs enabling balance and therefore satisfying the
demands from their employees (Reiter, 2007).The definition of work life
balance has undergone several changes in the 90’s then 2000’s also.Work style
has also changed from several decades.Also authors and scholars have defined
the concept of work life balance based on the time frame and current
conditions.Most of the definitions of Work life balance share number of
common elements like all highlight the balance between work and non-work
domains and equality of inputs and outcomes.
On the other hand,work life conflict is a form of inter role conflict in which the
demands of work and family roles are incompatible in some respect so that
participation in one role is more difficult because of participation in the other
role’(Voydanoff,2004,p.399).In short ,work life balance is conflict between work and
family responsibilities.

Cambridge dictionary defines work life balance as the amount of time spend doing a
job,as compared to the amount of time spent with your family and on things you
enjoy. As defined by Forbes, work life balance is the most important elements of a
healthy work environment.The publication further describes work life balance as
essential to reducing stress and preventing burnout in the workplace.

Finally, Wikipedia defines work-life balance as the “lack of opposition between work
and other life roles.” The site further describes it as a “state of equilibrium in which
demands of personal life, professional life, and family life are equal.”Wikipedia goes
on to state that work-life balance consists of “flexible work arrangements that allow
employees to carry out other life programs and practices.”

What work life balance is not?

When defining what work life balance is,the question comes in the mind that what is
actually not the work life balance?the balance between work and life is rarely
equal ,which most of the people strongly agree. Striving for a balance between both
sides of equation is essential of course.But trying to equate both the sides is difficult.
It is important to realize that there is no magic pills or one size fits all
strategy.Everyone’s perception towards work life balance is different.

In addition to this, circumstances change for everyone over time.Even if you feel you
have the perfect work life balance now,there is a high possibility that you will have to
make some adjustments.
 Why work-life balance so important?

Over the past few decades, there has been a greater increase in stiff competition in
the global markets and increasing pressure on employees . Over the past decades,
organizations expectations from the employees has increased tremendously but the
employees expectations like job security and compensations in return is very little.
For many employees today including both male and female their lives are becoming
more complex and difficult with an increased burden of family and other
responsibilities and interests. Therefore, to retain employees it is necessary for
organizations to recognize this balance.

This increased pressure has affected the life of worker at an organization in many
ways. Some employees feel that there is only work and no life left while working.
Due to disbalance and difficult to adjust the work-life conflict people are facing
physical as well as psychological issues . Stress,burnout, heart problem, weak
immune system, stiff muscles, back pain are few of the reasons between it. Mental
health problems like depression,anxiety,ocd have increased tremendously. The sleep
time has reduced and the screen time has increased due to work overload, unsuitable
working hours. Increased working hours means there will be very less time to spent
with family and community. Due to increased working hours the quality of work gets
affected .The efficiency of the employee reduces which indirectly affects the
productivity of the company. Also employee’s performance also degrades .If any
employee is not mentally satisfied or balanced, he will not be able to perform his
duties and responsibilities with due diligence and care.

Also due to work overload the employees morale reduces and he needs
motivation .This affects on the company’s revenue and the overall performance.It has
become an important issue as people deal with shrinking work place and time
pressure.It has become a hot topic because it’s about improving people’s quality of
life and aims to widen access to career opportunities and paid employment. Work life
intiatives offer a win-win situation to both employees and empolyers and affect
business progress and performance in many ways as improving work life balance
practices increase productivity, employee well-being, reduces costs, lead to improve
retention and recruitment and better motivation and morale for employees.
Now, however things have changed slowly and steadily. Employees quality of work-
life has become a burning issue all over the world. For a human being, home is like a
shadow of heaven on the earth where the employee goes and takes rest but due to
imbalance structure between work and life it has become an additional place of work
with plenty of office tasks and assignment. Any human being will be able to perform
his duties and tasks with full dedication only if the employee enjoys right work life
balance . A balanced and happy employee is likely to perform better than the other
employees. A balanced and happy employee will be able to provide many tangible
benefits for any organization or business . There are new ways to make work ‘Work’
that benefit both employers and employees. In fact ,research shows that flexibility is a
crictical component of work place effectiveness and that employees who work in
flexible and effective work places are more likely to :

a) Be engaged in their jobs and commited to helping the company succeed

b) Plan on staying with their employers
c) Be satisfied with their job, which translates to good customer service
d) Exhibit better mental health and well-being .

A happy and well balanced employee will not only perform his daily operation
with utmost care but will also be able to avoid different complex social
problems. Work-life programs will not only help to boost employees morale,
reduce absenteeism, preventing the outflow of valuable information of the
organization in difficult economic situations but will also reduce the cost and
affect the overall performance of the company. It is very important for the
human resource professional to understand the critical issues of work-life
balance. Be it employees whose family members and/or friends are called to
serve their country, mothers who are trying to raise their children and make a
living .

Studies have shown that work force that is out of balance faces stress and the relations
with the employer also get bitter. It also a major reason for job dissatisfaction which
reduces family and work engagement. Work life balance
issues are one of the main reasons for which people quit their jobs. Large
companies are more likely to give flexible work hours, sabbatical leave , paid
parental leave, paid maternity leave. Firm size also the next best predictor of
the presence of thework life balance policies. In short, firms have recognized
that creating a balance work and family life of employees is the only solution
of all the problems faced by the organizations.Hence, now the top management
has recognized the importance of work-life programs . The senior management
has become more proactive towards the employee welfare,health and have
started implementing work life policies in the organization. Slowly other
companies also are following the same suit of these global organizations.Even
small firms which are localized business have known the importance of work-
life and have started introducing them in their firms also.

Importance of work life balance for employers

Many employees struggle to achieve the right balance between their work and
their personal life. But in doing so, some succeed but some don’t and increase
their stress, tensions in their lives. Some employees have a minimum
expectation from there employers that they help them to cope with a healthy
balance between personal life and work. A balancerd culture/environment in
any organization will not only be helpful for the employees in various ways but
also beneficial to the business. A balanced environment/culture in any
organization will provide many tangible benefits to the organization.
Employers can gain from these well-balanced employees as they are a valuable
asset in the company’s growth and development. Implementing work life
balance provides an excellent opportunity to consult with staff to review the
job design and develop innovative and supportive work practices . this sort of
consultation will ensure the needs of individuals are met and a more agile
workplace is achieved .It will also lead to a greater level of employee
commitment to the success of the organization. By minimizing the employees
turnover in organization you will not only boost your repute as a good
employer but it will also help to achieve the quality standard of products out
prevent the outflow of valuable inside information to other organizations
because if skilled worker will leave the organization it will take a hell lot of
 time any money to replace him some other suitable person. Some of the
strategies that employers can look for to get work life balance among their
employees –
A. Promote healthy lives

Prioritizing your worker’s health is an integral part of work-life balance. So long

working hours force employees to sacrifice fitness and health. Some big global
organizations have set up gyms and fitness centres in the premises of the organization.
Some companies have spa and massage centers also which take care of the physical
health. In countries like Usa, employers care for their employees and these facilities
like paid gym memberships are given. In india also employers have recognized this
need.

B. Support Telecommuting
You can consider allowing your staff to work from home at least
occasionally. However, you might be bothered that your employees won’t
be productive from home, which is not true. So many companies around the
world allow their employees to telecommute, and they are reaping the
rewards. Telecommuting can also be an opportunity for employees to get
things done at home that might have required your workers to take a full
day off of work.Employees can work while on maternity or paternity
leave,stay connected with their children,family. Along with the concept of
telecommuting the concept of telework is also gaining importance. To
telework means working from home or working from a remote location by
using internet ,telephones.For eg- Working from a café like starbucks
where people work from their laptops or can have important business
meetings online. Over the past 20 years this concept has become much
more common .The term remote working is also called as teleworking.The
main advantages of telecommuting are
 The employee need not commute to the office place or warehouse or store.It helps
to save time of commuting,money and effort in travelling.
 The employee,worker can maintain healthy work life balance
 Such employees have reduced carbon footprints, as there is limited or no
travelling.
 Employees enjoy job satisfaction ,become more productive in their job and also
become more loyal to the employers.
 The employee or worker can save office space of the employer , which can be
utilized for some other productive purposes.
 Such worker employee can work according to his own pace and get paid for the
services accordingly.

C. Embrace flexi time

Flexitime means allowing allowing your employees to have flexible working
hours or days. Flexitime is an excellent way to encourage work life conflict. The
employers can give their employees an hourly range of 35 to 40 hours a week and
allow them to space the time out. Flexitime like this will let your workers have a
life outside office and increase their productivity.One of the major benefits of
flexi time is the cost to the organization is minimal. Many organizations that have
implemented it have found that it has reduced employee absenteeism .It has also
helped to reduce tardiness among employees because employees can rearrange
work hours to accommodate family responsibilities.
D. Educate employees
Another way to promote healthy work life balance is to teach your employees
everything they need to know about work life balance .Offer seminars about
work-life balance , why it’s important and things they can achieve through it. You
can host a workshop on this.The employer can hire a professional to come and
give the presentation .Educating your employees about work life balance gives
them the tools they need to help themselves.

E. Implement short breaks

Short breaks durning working hours helps to reduce fatigue .The body was not
meant to sit down on a chair and continuously stare at the screen for hours. The
employers must ensure that employees take breaks regularly that they are entitled
to take by law. Taking breaks at work allows employees to do their job better, less
burned out, be more focused, and more productive in the long-term. Short breaks
are essential at regular intervals durning working hours for good mental and
 physical health. Taking breaks helps employees to reduce stress and issues like
burnout,be more focused and more productive in the long term.
F. Lead by example
Finally, it is essential to practice what you preach. If you tell your employee to
close by 5pm each day, but you still send them emails when they got home, then
it’s not ideal. It is vital to lead by example and respect the working time as well as
the privacy of your employee when they are not in the office. It would help if you
can avoid contacting them outside of office hours to allow them to switch off, and
recharge from everyday work stress.

Gender differences in work life balance

Many differnces are there between male and female work life balance. Female work
life balance differs from that of males as females have more responsibilities. Men
across the world struggle with achieving a work-family balance just as much as
women do, irrespective of the level of gender equality in their country, a study has
found it. Employees of all genders and backgrounds deserve to feel respected and
valued. Period. But there are several hardships in the workplace that are specific to
folks who identify as female. Here are just a few of the obstacles.

 Sexism. Women still face absurd and frustrating challenges due to cultural
attitudes and stigmas. This sexism can lead to poor-perceived health, mental
health concerns, and the all-too-real glass ceiling.
 Lack of affordable care. Many folks aren’t able to go back to work after
having kids due to a lack of support or financial hardship. And that doesn’t
just impact their current earnings. An extended work absence can impact
future earnings and opportunities.
 Sexual harassment. The #MeToo movement was sparked by the collective
experience of generations of women. It brought a spotlight to the issue, but
many female employees face abuse at work place.

Maintaining work life balance for a women is so much difficult .A women

struggles to meet both the ends .Her struggles are endless.Maintaining work
life balance for a women is like juggling a hundred things.She has to be a
 professional at work and at home she has to play the role of a mother or a
daughter or wife depending on the situation. A women’s role has evolved to
become that of a provider plus care giver while men still continue to be the
provider in most households. Since women are equally sharing the earning
duty for the welfare of their families, the work-life balance of women
employees has become a major topic. Women are gaining employment and
continuing to work after marriage. In caring for small children and families, a
married woman bears more duty than a male. Working women, by their
commitment and perseverance, successfully overcome adverse situations.
Women's participation in income-generating activities allows them to meet
their domestic demands to a larger degree.The following are the factors that
affect on female employees:

 Women in a variety of roles

 Work place stress
 Taking care of children
 Work family conflict
Women’s role in wlb

Women are typically involved in full time job and have minimum 8 working hours
per day , 5 days per week and face tremendous work loads. Today’s fast pace life has
a lot of expectations like talent,tact,expertise,caution etc.Women must balance high
job expectations, office commitments, tight meeting schedules, and life's duties and
responsibilities. Women in high ranking positions are expected to be on
time,cook,look after their parents and children which puts a huge burden on them.It
leads to stress which impacts mental health .Working mothers are compelled to put
their child in daycare or care of the housekeeper.A working women will feel some
relief if there are grand parents to look after their children. In many cases both the
parents i.e mother and the father are working and not able to give time to their
children .They put their child in day care or baby sitting. In some companies however
crèche facility is available. Although in India this concept has not yet developed.
Since women are equally sharing the earning duty for the welfare of their families, the
work-life balance of women employees has become a major topic. Women are
gaining employment and continuing to work after marriage. In caring for small
children and families, a married woman bears more duty than a male. Working
women, by their commitment and perseverance, successfully overcome adverse
situations. Women's participation in income-generating activities allows them to meet
their domestic demands to a larger degree. Organizations must implement human
resource strategies and policies to address the present corporate environment’s
challenges related to women’s work life balance. In every country around the
world ,women(even full time) working women spend more time than men on
household responsibilities.The maternity benefit act 2017 makes crèche facility
mandatory for every establishement employing 50 or more employees(women
employees would be permitted to visit crèche four times durning the day) including
the rest intervals. The crèche facility can be availed to keep the children below the age
6. The Act says the facility must be within a distance comfortable for employees to
pick up, drop and nurse the child. Some of the crèche facilities has given benefits that
is reduction in stress levels,increased productivity,reduced absenteeism,increased
loyalty to the work place, increased attachment to the work. Many companies are also
doing tie-ups with these day care centers in the office premises or near the office
places. A professionally-managed daycare facility might be a small trade-off for an
organisation to retain its talent. Organisations provide facilities and benefits
regarding maternity. Women employees are having paid maternity leaves and
after childbirth facilities in the organisations so that they can take care of
themselves as well as their child during this period.Organisations should ensure
to create a support group to link women planning maternity leave with those
who have recently returned from maternity. (University of Reading)
Organisations ensure a lighter workload for women returning from maternity leave
and help them to achieve a work-life balance and re-establish their base. (University
of Nottingham and University of Bristol). Man prioritize their work for financial
assistance ,whereas women prioritize family. Women abandon their careers at a stage
where they have to raise children, aswomen do the majority of domestic and childcare
work. If organisations want to retain highly skilled talent, they need to create a
supportive working environment and provide measures for women employees to
maintain a healthy work-life balance. Most experts believe that to reduce stress and
improve work life balance should be management. Women employee in India faces
biasness because of their gender. They are considered less productive because of their
roles in the family. This conception is now changing and management is taking steps
to improve flexibility in work-life of a women employee. Organizations can organize
educational programmes like on stress management,time management. The
organization can organize any guest session on yoga and meditation programmes.

Burnout and work life balance

Employee burnout is negatively related to job satisfaction as it adversely affects well

being ,job satisfaction,undesirable behavior at workplace ,cynical attitude resulting in
poor performance. Burnout is caused by long-term involvement in highly stressful
situations.Burn out affects the employee as well as the organization adversely.From
the organizational perspective,the damage will be from the negative attitudinal aspects
or from the behavioral aspects of job performance of employee and eventual turnover.
Job burnout is mainly due to excessive stress .It’s emotional and physical exhaustion
which leads to loss of happiness. It also leads to job dissatisfaction. Burnout at your
workplace usually creeps in subtly, over time, impacting workers in a way that they
almost don’t notice.

Signs and symptoms include chronic fatigue, insomnia, physical symptoms like
headaches and stomach aches, anger, isolation, irritability, depression, and more.

Causes of burnout-

The symptoms of burnout are different for every person due to emotional
quotient.But some of the issues which are faced are as follows-

 A feeling of little control. Not being able to make decisions about your
schedule or workload can lead to job burnout.
 Being unsure about your expectations. If you don’t know what your manager
will expect of you, you’re likely going to be frustrated with your work.
 A poor work culture. The attitude and morale of people around you will
directly impact your satisfaction with your job. A boss who micromanages
you, cliquey coworkers, and a lack of friends at your office can lead to job
burnout.
 A lack of work-life balance. If you’re giving a lot of your energy and time to
work, your personal life can suffer, which can lead you to resent time at the
office.
 High involvement with work can cause stress. Being over engaged can lead to
work overload and stress which in turn leads to burnout.
Effects of Job burnout

Physical effects

 Headache
 Increased likelihood of high blood pressure
 Increased fatigue
 Excessive stress
 Increased risk of heart disease
 Risk of any respiratory diseases

Mental health issues

 Depression
 Anger
 Anxiety
 Increased risk of getting mental health problems which can also lead to
hospitalisation

PERSONAL CONSEQUENCES

 Alcohol or addiction of harmful substances like gutka, pan masala,

cigarrates,tobacco
 Addiction to drugs
 Isolation with friends
 Irresponsibilty with finances
 Anger towards family members
 Inability to fulfill responsibilities
 Professional consequences

 Job dissatisfaction
 Inability to do job
 Drain on company resources
 Withdrawing from friends and colleagues.

Job burnout should be taken seriously and should not be ignored.The issues that
stress in the job create are strenuous and require attention to correct,before it’s too
late.

Job burnout prevention

Exercise- Regular exercise can help to relieve stress .Exercise also helps to boost
emotional issue.Doing yoga also helps in this issue

Balanced diet- Eating a healthy diet everyday can help to give the mood a boost.

Sleep time- A good sleep of atleast 7 hours in a day is essential.Our body requires
time to reset and rest is required.Hence healthy sleep habits are required for the
well-being

Talk to someone- A person facing burnout should not hide his feelings and should
speak to his family or friends so that he feels better.Sharing the emotions will help
to reduce stress and also he/she can ask for solutions to get out of it.Also the
employee can consult a counseller who can guide him/her to come out of this
difficult path.

Burnout can be avoided by making self care and a balanced diet.Try going for a
walk,talking with some friend,watching a good movie.Small gestures can help and
stop stress to turn into a bigger problem like burnout.
 CHAPTER 2- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Significance of the study

The present research is being taken with a aim to “study the impact of work life

balance on pandemic with reference to Mumbai region.”

 This study is taken to find the relation of stress and work life balance and

how the covid 19 pandemic made a imbalance in the work life

conflict .Work life balance was a important topic before pandemic but in

the covid 19 pandemic it become a burning issue.

Work from home which was totally a different concept in every

individual’s life in the covid19 pandemic also played a major role in the

imbalance of work life conflict

 Objectives of the study

The present study is undertaken with the following objectives

1. To find out the relation between Work from home and covid 19 pandemic.
2. To find out the problems faced by individuals to balance work life conflict
durning covid 19 pandemic
3. To examine the reasons behind work life imbalance
4. To evaluate the
5. To provide suggestions/recommendations.

Hypothesis

H0 : There is no significant relation between covid 19 pandemic and work life

balance

H1 : There is a significant relation between covid19 pandemic and work life

balance.

Data collection

Primary data is collected in the form of survey’s done through Questionaire from
the people of Mumbai who are working

Secondary data is collected through websites on internet,books,news paper

articles,magazines,journals.

Sample size

Sample size taken is 50 respondents which are currently working in Mumbai

Limitations of the study