Exploratory study on relationship between work life balance and career success of KPO women employees in Chennai

 

M. S. Hudha ¹, S. Nafeesa ²

 

¹ Research Scholar, The Quaide Milleth College for Men, BHEL Nagar, Medavakkam, India

² Assistant Professor and Research Supervisor, PG & Research department of Commerce, The Quaide Milleth College for Men, BHEL Nagar, Medavakkam, India

 

1. INTRODUCTION

The concept of work life balance has been evolved for both the women and men employees in the organization. Later it was excessively continued to post for the female over the male. Women employees are working for the full time in the organization but at the same time they manage their work at home, their children and spouse too. It can also be applicable for all the employees working full time who has family. It assumes that the women have more responsibilities and multiple roles outside of their jobs.

The important thing is to know how the women get the success in career from their struggles towards work and family. Women satisfy many things in her life to achieve the career success. Most probably they were sharing their experience that how they suffer with their work life balance to get the success in her career growth. Social institution like family, schools, media, government, religious establishments, etc., are needs to play an important role to influence the support for the female employees.

 

2. Need for the study

·        This study is based on work life balance of women employee along with the career success achieved by them.

·        Every women employee has an emotional and sentimental background behind their success.

·        Women employee can be supported with such people surrounded by them.

 

3. Objectives of the study

·        To study the factors of work life balance of women employees.

·        To examine the relationship between work life balance and career success.

·        To suggest strategies for better work life balance and achieve career success

 

4. Review of literature

Tamang (2020) identified that there is no significant difference between male and female employees in terms of subjective career success, but the difference in gender is found to be significant for the objective career success of male and female employees.

Makarem and Wang (2020) Identified that female in mathematics (STEM), science, engineering, technology and fields face different obstacles in the profession encounters, specifically orientation generalizations, absence of coaches, authoritative culture, and work-life conflict.

Mittal and Singh (2020) stated that, as they (women) have to navigate their attention between office work and household activies, are stood up to with fears of adverse evaluations of performance and face a high risk of unemployment  and expanded dangers of brutality, harassment and exploitation.

Kapur (2019) mentioned that generally women employees are not given the rewards and recognitions by their superiors and society.

Rath (2019) Stated that the preventers to the career advancement of women employees were identified, gender inequalities, lack of networking and mentoring, etc., But on the other hand if they get the appreciation from their higher official as a strong facilitator that can guide female employees to overcome the challenges in their career.

Glass and Cook (2016) explained that there are several opportunities of female employees to get promoted for the managerial positions or other high level and also receiving the support from the organization to meet their goals in the successive manner.

Bharathi and Bhattacharya (2015) stated that the women employee should maintain the work life balance in the KPO, how it becomes challenging to work long hours, take care of additional work, maintain the travel time and afterward feeling remorseful for not dealing with kids and elderly folks at home. The issue is that there are a couple of women found in the governing body in Indian associations and female employees are under-addressed at administrative levels and at decision making stages.

Seema and Sujatha (2015) mentioned that tutoring positively impacts of female employees, proposing that they get necessary amount of mentoring in their profession stepping stool in Indian organisation, they like to get their success in career comparing with the others who do not receive success.

Ismail and Ibrahim (2008) mentioned that career progression of female employees is hampered by family, organizational, and societal obstacles in which family or personal obstacles are related to women in the family work or duty; societal obstacles relate to societal culture and norms; and organizational obstacles related to the supervisor support, peer support and organizational culture.

Budhwar (2005) mentioned that Female employee’s career progression encounters on the social pre-dispositions against them which control them from reaching the medium or higher-level positions.

 

5. Research gap of the study

Based on the reviews of literature, there are lots study has been done for the work life balance of women employees but at the same time there is no study has been done along with career success or growth of women employees. This study is focused on the research gap of work life balance and career success which can influence the women employees for their growth in the organization. Hence in this study, we have concentrated on the relationship between the work life balance and career success of women employees.

 

6. Data Analysis

Collection of data:

In this study, the survey was conducted through online with questionnaire based on the convenience sampling method. The questionnaire has been divided in three different parts. The first one covers demographic profile; second one is based on work life balance of women employees and last one covers the career success of them. This has been circulated among the female employees of KPO sector through online method. The study sample size is 100 respondents.

 

7. Survey results

Descriptive Analysis:

Table 1

Table 1 Age Group Wise Distribution of Respondents
Age Group
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Below 25	9	12.0	12.0
25-30	27	36.0	48.0
30-35	30	40.0	88.0
35 and above	9	12.0	100.0
Total	75	100.0

 

As per the above the table maximum number of responses received from the female respondents aged between 30-35 which is 40%, followed by the respondents 25-30 years at 36%, followed by 12% as least number of responses from both the respondents below 25 years and 35 years & above, followed by 18.8% from 30-35 years old employees as least number of responses.

Table 2

Table 2 Marital Status Wise Distribution of Respondents
Marital status
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Married	50	66.7	66.7
Unmarried	25	33.3	100.0
Total	75	100.0

 

As per the responses on the basis of marital status, the highest response received from married female respondents with 66.7% and 33.3% of the respondents are unmarried.

Table 3

Table 3 Work Experience Wise Distribution of Respondents
Work experience
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Below 3 years	14	18.7	18.7
3-5 years	24	32	50.7
6-8 years	22	29.3	80
8 years and above	15	20	100
Total	75	100

 

As per the responses based on work experience maximum response received from respondents of 3-5 years with 32%, followed by respondent from 6-8 years with 29.3%. followed by respondents with 8 years and above with 20%,followed by respondents of below 3 years with 18.7% as the least once.

Table 4

Table 4 Showing Opinion on “Important Things to Keep in Mind to Balance Both Work and Family”
Important things to keep in mind to balance both work and family
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Health	10	13.3	13.5
Commitment	22	29.3	43.2
Time management	42	56	100
Total	75	100

 

Based on the above data “Important things to keep in mind to balance both work and family”, the highest response received for “Time management” with 56%, followed by response for “Commitment” with 29.3%, followed by response for “Health” with 13.3% as the least response.

Table 5

Table 5 Showing Opinion on “The Kind of Issues Women Can Face While Managing Both Family and Work”
The kind of issues women can face while managing both family and work
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Personal Problem	15	20.0	20.0
Work pressure	17	22.7	42.7
Family Issues	28	37.3	80.0
Others	15	20.0	100.0
Total	75	100.0

 

As per the above data based on the kind of issues women can face while managing both family and work, The maximum respondents agreed for “Family issues” with 37.3%, followed by “Work Pressure” with 22.7%. followed by “Personal problem” and “Others” with 20% as the least one.

Table 6

Table 6 Showing Opinion On “Women Come Across Lot of Pressure to Undertake”
Women come across lot of pressure to undertake
	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Yes	50	66.7	66.7
No	25	33.3	100.0
Total	75	100.0

 

As per the above data based on Women come across lot of pressure to undertake, the maximum respondents agreed as “Yes” with 66.7%, followed by “No” with 33.3% as the least one.

Table 7

Table 7 Showing Results for Chi-Square Test on Age with Woman Support Another Woman in an Organisation
	Value	df	Asymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	22.774a	12	.030
Likelihood Ratio	23.227	12	.026
Linear-by-Linear Association	0.256	1	.613
N of Valid Cases	75

          

Since the P Value is lesser than 0.05, null hypothesis is rejected at 5% level with regard to woman support another woman in an organisation. There is significant association between Age with woman support another woman in an organisation. It is the normal tendency of women to mutually support and share knowledge in the organisation.

Table 8

Table 8 Showing Results for Chi-Square Test on Work Experience with Woman Support Another Woman in an Organisation
Chi-Square Tests
	Value	df	Asymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	56.360a	12	.000
Likelihood Ratio	58.146	12	.000
Linear-by-Linear Association	18.831	1	.000
N of Valid Cases	75

          

Since the P Value is lesser than 0.05, null hypothesis is rejected at 5% level with regard to woman support another woman in an organisation. There is significant association between work experience with woman support another woman in an organisation.

Table 9

Table 9 Showing Results for ANOVA For Significant Difference Among Work Experience with Respect to Between the Groups and Within the Groups
ANOVA	Work experience
	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Between Groups	3.766	4	.441	1.116	.328
Within Groups	72.981	70	.395
Total	76.747	74

 

Since the P value is greater than 0.05, null hypothesis is accepted at 5% level with regard to woman support other women in an organisation. There is no influence among work experience with woman support other woman in an organisation.

Since P value is less than 0.01 the null hypothesis is rejected at 1% level of significance, there is a significant difference among work experience with woman support another woman in an organisation. Hence, work experience with woman supports another woman in an organisation significantly differ from one another.

 

8. Findings

·        This study reveals that the maximum working women have belonged to the age group of 30 to 35 with the percentage 40%.

·        Comparing with the unmarried female employees, married female employees are higher with the percentage of 66.7%.

·        Career in KPO sector helps women on work life balance by supporting financially and to act individually.

·        Women employees in KPO sector are able to face the work pressure given by the organization.

·        Women employees in KPO sector helps other women in the organization to support each other.

 

9. Conclusion

This study confirms that the women can balance the work life and career success by facing the challenges like work pressure, lack of family support, working place adjustment, personal problem, taking care of children, commitment to the family, etc. The female employees seemed to feel that they can't use their total potential and now and again they needed to make profession compromises in light of family obligations. This could likewise be a direct result of the way that they accepted that putting profession in front of family prompted social dissatisfaction.

 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None . 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

REFERENCES

Bharathi, V., & Bhattacharya, S. (2015). Work Life Balance of Women Employees in the Information Technology Industry. Asian Journal of Management Research, 5(3), 323–343.

Budhwar, P. (2005). Women in Management in the New Economic Environment: The Case of India. Asia Pacific Business Review, 11(2), 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360238042000291199

Glass, C., & Cook, A. (2016). Leading at the Top: Understanding Women's Challenges Above the Glass Ceiling. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.09.003

Ismail, M., & Ibrahim, M. (2008). Barriers to Career Progression Faced by Women: Evidence from a Malaysian Multinational Oil Company. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 23(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410810849123

Makarem, Y., & Wang, J. (2020). Career Experiences of Women in sCience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields: A Systematic Literature Review. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31(1), 91–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21380

Mittal, S., & Singh, T. (2020). Gender-Based Violence During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, 1, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2020.00004

Kapur, R. (2019). Challenges Experienced by Women Employees in Career Development in India. International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature, 1(4), 1–7.

Rath, B. N. (2019). An Alternative Career Progression Model for Indian Women Bank Managers: A Labyrinth Approach. Women’s Studies International Forum, 73, 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2019.01.005

Seema, A., & Sujatha, S. (2015). Impact of Mentoring on Career Success: An Empirical Study in an Indian Context. International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research, 2(2), 29–48.

Tamang, G. B. (2020). Gender Differences on Objective and Subjective Career Outcomes: Evidence from Nepalese Civil Service. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 22(1), 56–66.