PROJECT REPORT

ON

Work-life Balance As a Work-force Management Tool- An Empirical Study Of

B.P.O. Industry

Submitted for Partial Fulfillment for the Award of the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(MBA 2010-12)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Ms. Sangeeta Mehrolia

Assistant Professor

Submitted by

HIMANI KHATRI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic Page no.

1. Executive Summary 1

2. Chapter 1- Introduction 2

3. Chapter 2- Review of Literature 26

4. Chapter 3- Research Methodology & Design 32

5. Chapter 4- Data Analysis & Interpretation 37

6. Chapter 5- Major Findings & Discussion 61

7. Chapter 6- Conclusion 63

8. Chapter 7- Recommendations 65

9. Refrences 67

10. Annexure 68

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As work-life balance is the practice of providing initiatives designed to create a more flexible,

supportive work environment, enabling employees to focus on work tasks while at work. Many

professionals and workers have difficulty in copying with the often-conflicting demands of home

and the work place so this study seeks to ascertain how an employee can happily live both the

aspects of life.

Work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments,

which will enable employees to have balance between work and personal responsibilities and

thus strengthen employee loyalty and productivity.

The main focus of the study is to analyze work life balance of employees working in BPO’s. For

achieving this objective standard questionnaire has been designed and distributed to 100

employees of international B.P.O’s like EXL, GENPACT AND T.C.S.

The main objective of the study is to analyze the impact of Demographic factors on employees

work life balance the population or phenomenon being studied. To achieve this objective Chi-

square test. Collected data has been analyzed and interpreted with the help of graphical

representation and statistical analysis.

Main finding of the study is that there is significant impact of demographic factors on work life

balance. Employees who are working in night shifts are frustrated and having disturbed work

life.

On the basis of analysis, few recommendations have been given in the last portion of the project

like organization should provide counseling services and health facilities to their employees.

Policies like career break, flexible work, flexible time, parental leave and time-off for dependants

and child-care facilities should be used more prominently in the organization as per the

customized needs of the employees.

Chapter-1 Introduction

Work-life is the practice of providing initiatives designed to create a more flexible, supportive

work environment, enabling employees to focus on work tasks while at work or we can say that

work-life is the interaction between employers and employees, because everything that happens

at work has an impact on workers' lives.

Work-life balance for any person is having the ‘right’ combination of participation in paid work

and other aspects of their lives. This combination change as people move through life and have

changing responsibilities and commitments in their work and personal lives.

Many professionals and workers have difficulty in coping with the often-conflicting demands of

home and the workplace. When there is no balance between the work and the life activities,

stress might occur. Employees with stress loose motivation and productivity. As a common

mantra says, prevention of stress is better than cure.

From the 1950’s to the early 21st century, different socio-economic factors were identified, where

researchers significantly contributed to the work and personal life of employees. Three categories

of such factors are: Family and personal life, work and other factors. During the second half of

the 20th century, increasing work demands encroached on the time of the family and personal life

at a faster pace to recover form that situation, employees acknowledged the need of work-life

balance programes to facilitate employees to maintain a healthy balance between the conflicting

demands of their work and personal life.

The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s..In anthropology, a definition

of happiness is to have as little separation as possible "between your work and your play." The

expression "Work–life balance" was first used in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s to

describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. In the United States, this

phrase was first used in 1986.

There has been a shift in the workplace as a result of advances in technology. As Bowswell and

Olson-Buchanan stated, “increasingly sophisticated and affordable technologies have made it

more feasible for employees to keep contact with work.” Employees have many methods, such

as emails, computers and cell phones, which enable them to accomplish their work beyond the

physical boundaries of their office. Employees may respond to an email or a voice mail after-

hours or during the weekend, typically while not officially “on the job.” Researchers have found

that employees that consider their work roles to be an important component of their identities,

they will be more likely to apply these communication technologies to work while in their non-

work domain. 

Some theorists suggest that this blurred boundary of work and life is a result of technological

control. Technological control “emerges from the physical technology of an organization” . In

other words, companies utilize email and distribute smart phones to enable and encourage their

employees to stay connected to the business even when they are not in the real office. This type

of control, as Barker would argued, replaces the more direct, authoritarian control, or simple

control, such as managers and bosses. As a result, communication technologies in the temporal

and structural aspects of work have changed, defining a “new workplace” in which employees

are more connected to the jobs beyond the boundaries of the traditional workday and workplace.

The more this boundary is blurred, the higher work-to-life conflict is self-reported by employees.

Many Americans are experiencing burnout due to overwork and increased stress. This condition

is seen in nearly all occupations from blue collar workers to upper management. Over the past

decade, a rise in workplace violence and an increase in levels of absenteeism as well as rising

workers’ compensation claims are all evidence of an unhealthy work life balance.

Employee and the pressure of family obligations to the accelerating pace of technology.

According to a recent study for the Center for Work-Life Policy, 1.7 million people consider

their jobs and their work hours excessive because of globalization. assistance professionals say

there are many causes for this situation ranging from personal ambition

These difficult and exhausting conditions are having adverse effects. According to the study, fifty

percent of top corporate executives are leaving their current positions. Although sixty-four

percent of workers feel that their work pressures are "self-inflicted", they state that it is taking a

toll on them. The study shows that seventy percent of US respondents and eighty-one percent of

global respondents say their jobs are affecting their health.

According to a survey conducted by the National Life Insurance Company, four out of ten

employees state that their jobs are "very" or "extremely" stressful. Those in high-stress jobs are

three times more likely than others to suffer from stress-related medical conditions and are twice

as likely to quit. The study states that women, in particular, report stress related to the conflict

between work and family.

It is clear that problems caused by stress have become a major concern to both employers and

employees. Symptoms of stress are manifested both physiologically and psychologically.

Persistent stress can result in cardiovascular disease, sexual health problems, a weaker immune

system and frequent headaches, stiff muscles, or backache. It can also result in poor coping

skills, irritability, jumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating. Stress may also

perpetuate or lead to binge eating, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Work-life conflict is not gender-specific. According to the Center for American Progress, 90

percent of working mothers and 95 percent of working fathers report work-family conflict.

However, because of the social norms surrounding each gender role, and how the organization

views its ideal worker, men and women handle the work-life balance differently. Organizations

play a large part in how their employees deal with work-life balance. Some companies have

taken proactive measures in providing programs and initiatives to help their employees cope with

work-life balance.

Work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments,

which will enable employees to have balance between work and personal responsibilities and

thus strengthen employee loyalty and productivity

. 

Numerous studies have been conducted on work-life balance. According to a major Canadian

study conducted by Lowe , he observed that 1 in 4 employees experience high levels of conflict

between work and family, based on work-to-family interference.

Of all the job factors that influence work-life conflict, the amount of time spent at work is the

strongest and most consistent predictor. The higher levels of work-to-family conflict reported by

managers or professionals often are a function of their longer work hours. Other reasons

include: job security, support from one’s supervisor, support from co-workers, work demands or

overload, work-role conflict, work-role ambiguity, job dissatisfaction, and extensive use of

communication technology that blurs the boundaries between home and work

. Today’s workers have many competing responsibilities such as work, children, housework,

volunteering, spouse and elderly parent care and this places stress on individuals, families and

the communities in which they reside. Work-life conflict is a serious problem that impacts

workers, their employers and communities and it seems that this problem is increasing over time

due to high female labour force participation rates, increasing numbers of single parent families,

the predominance of the dual-earner family and emerging trends such as elder care.

 

The Negative Effects of Work Life Conflict

Long work hours and highly stressful jobs not only hamper employees ability to harmonize

work and family life but also are associated with health risks, such as increased smoking and

alcohol consumption, weight gain and depression. Work life conflict has been associated with

numerous physical and mental health implications

.  According to a study, women are more likely than men to report high levels of role overload and

caregiver strain. This is because women devote more hours per week than men to non-work

activities such as childcare, elder care and are more likely to have primary responsibility for

unpaid labour such as domestic work. Furthermore, other studies show that women also

experience less spousal support for their careers than their male counterparts. Although women

report higher levels of work-family conflict than do men, the numbers of work-life conflict

reported by men is increasing

. Work-life conflict has negative implications on family life. Employees especially the younger

generation who are faced with long hours, the expectations of 24/7 connection and increasing

pressure of globalization are beginning to demand changes from their employers. Also, people

in the elderly employee segment are working longer now than in the past and are demanding

different work arrangements to accommodate their life style needs.

 

OUTSOURCING:

Outsourcing is the process of contracting an existing business function or process of an

organization to an independent organization, and ceasing to perform that function or process

internally, instead purchasing it as a service. Though this practice of purchasing a business

function--instead of providing it internally--is a common feature of any modern economy, the

term outsourcing became popular in America near the turn of the 21st century. An outsourcing

deal may also involve transfer of the employees involved to the outsourcing business partner but

it doesn't have to. It is sometimes confused with off shoring, though a function may be

outsourced without off shoring or vice versa. However, a function may be outsourced offshore,

but not vice versa. The opposite of outsourcing is called vertical integration or in sourcing.

However, a business function can be brought in house without involving vertical integration.

Two organizations may enter into a contractual agreement involving

an exchange of services and payments. Outsourcing is said to help firms to perform well in their

core competencies and mitigate shortage of skill or expertise in the areas where they want to

outsource.

An often-overlooked benefit of outsourcing is greater budget flexibility. Outsourcing lets

organizations pay for only the services they need, when they need them. It also reduces the need

to hire and train specialized staff, brings in fresh engineering expertise, and reduces capital and

operating expenses When maintenance needs change, so can the amount of outsourcing

provided.

One of the biggest changes in the early twenty first century came from the growth of groups of

people using online technologies to use outsourcing as a way to build a viable service delivery

business that can be run from virtually anywhere in the world. The preferential contract rates

that can be obtained by temporarily employing experts in specific areas to deliver elements of a

project purely online means that there is a growing number of small businesses that operate

entirely online using offshore outsourced contractors to deliver the work before repackaging it to

deliver to the client. One common area where this business model thrives is in provided website

creating, analysis and marketing services. All elements can be done remotely and delivered

digitally and service providers can leverage the scale and economy of outsourcing to deliver

high value services at vastly reduced end customer prices.

Current Practices

Employers are becoming increasingly aware of the cost implications associated with over-

worked employees such as: operating and productivity costs, absenteeism, punctuality,

commitment and performance. There are five main reasons why companies participate in work

life balance programs: high return on investment, recruitment and retention of employees,

legislation, costs and union regulation

.

There are a wide variety of practices currently being used to help employees achieve work-life

balance. It is important to note that some work-life balance programs help employees handle

stress and otherwise cope more effectively while other programs help to reduce the absolute

stress levels by rebalancing work life. A growing number of employers have implemented

wellness programs or pay for their employees’ gym membership as part of a benefits package.

Some companies invite fitness trainers or yoga instructors into the office to hold lunchtime

sessions. 

Many employers are offering longer vacation times than the mandatory 2 weeks per year

imposed by Canadian legislation. Additionally, some companies offer “flex” days. Interestingly,

sick days tend to go down once some is “entitled” to three weeks or more a year of holidays.  

Human resources policies that can be used to increase work-life balance include implementing

time off in lieu of overtime pay arrangements, providing a limited number of days of paid leave

per year for child care, elder care or personal problems, or having policies around weekend .

There are some issues that arise when employees have flexible work hours such as lack of face-

time with other staff and not being as available to clients.

Formation of the “Ideal Worker” and “Gender Differences” :

Work-life conflict is not gender-specific. According to the Center for American Progress, 90

percent of working mothers and 95 percent of working fathers report work-family conflict.

However, because of the social norms surrounding each gender role, and how the organization

views its ideal worker, men and women handle the work-life balance differently. Organizations

play a large part in how their employees deal with work-life balance. Some companies have

taken proactive measures in providing programs and initiatives to help their employees cope

with work-life balance.

 

Responsibilty of the Employer :

Companies have begun to realize how important the work-life balance is to the productivity and

creativity of their employees. Research by Kenexa Research Institute in 2007 shows that those

employees who were more favorable toward their organization’s efforts to support work-life

balance also indicated a much lower intent to leave the organization, greater pride in their

organization, a willingness to recommend it as a place to work and higher overall job

satisfaction.

Employers can offer a range of different programs and initiatives, such as flexible working

arrangements in the form of part time, casual and telecommuting work. More proactive

employers can provide compulsory leave, strict maximum hours and foster an environment that

encourages employees not to continue working after hours.

It is generally only highly skilled workers that can enjoy such benefits as written in their

contracts, although many professional fields would not go so far as to discourage workaholic

behaviour. Unskilled workers will almost always have to rely on bare minimum legal

requirements. The legal requirements are low in many countries, in particular, the United States.

In contrast, the European Union has gone quite far in assuring a legal work-life balance

framework, for example pertaining to parental leave and the non-discrimination of part-time

workers.

Effective work/life strategies that meet the needs of an organisation and its employees are vital in

maintaining a competitive edge in today's rapidly changing business environment. Organisations

with a corporate culture that values the diversity within its workforce and offers a range of

flexible work/ life options achieve increased productivity through:

Attracting talented and skilled employees

Increased staff retention

Better management of stress, health and wellbeing issues

A reduction in sick leave and absenteeism

Increased staff motivation

Retention of mature aged workers

Being an employer of choice

Compliance with current legislation.

Flexibility in the work place

"Flexibility in where, when and how work is undertaken is a priority for most employees at

different times in their careers if employers are to attract and retain staff they need to offer and

support flexibility at their workplace".

Workplace flexibility is about when, where and how people work. It is increasingly an essential

part of a creating an effective organisation. This article defines what 'workplace flexibility'

means for an organisation, managers and employees, and highlights some common types of

flexible work arrangements.

Workplace flexibility can benefit employees and businesses if it is implemented effectively. 

What are flexible work practices?

There are a range of creative and practical ways to change when, where and how work is

organized:

 

When people work:

Flexible working hours - altering the start and finish times of a working day, but

maintaining the same number of hours worked per week (for example, 8am to 4pm

instead of 9am to 5pm). It can also mean condensing standard hours per week into fewer

days (for example, four days per week at ten hours per day).

Part-time work - generally speaking, working fewer than the standard weekly hours. For

example, two days per week, 10 days over four weeks or two days one week and three

days every second week

Variable year employment - changing work hours over the month or through the year,

depending on the demands of the job (for example working more hours during busy

periods and taking time off in quiet times)

Part year employment - also called purchased leave, this means that an employee can

take a longer period of leave (e.g. a total of 8 weeks per year) by averaging their 48 week

salary across 52 weeks. It's sometimes called 48/52

Leave - varying from leave in single days or leave without pay, to special or extended

leave. For example, parental leave, family leave, study leave, cultural leave and career

breaks.

How people work:

Job-sharing - two people sharing one full-time job on an ongoing basis. For example,

working two and a half days each, a two/three day split or one week on and one week off

Phased retirement - reducing a full-time work commitment over a number of years (e.g.

from 4 days to 3 days per week) before moving into retirement. It can also mean

becoming an "alumni", i.e. that a "retired" employee returns to the workplace to cover

peak work periods or to provide specialist knowledge

Annualised hours - working a set number of hours per year instead of a number of hours

per week.

Why is flexibility important to business?

Flexibility is important to business in following ways:

To attract talent

To retain valued employees

To raise morale and job satisfaction

To improve productivity

To reduce stress or burn-out

The value to employers of satisfactory work / life balance for their employees should not be

underestimated in both a social and economic context. It is vital that employers are equipped

with the tools necessary to assist them to grow and expand successful businesses, especially if

unemployment rates are low and / or there are skills shortages in areas relevant to the business.

Work / life balance is about providing employees with flexible work arrangements to enable

them to both participate in the workforce and fulfill their family and lifestyle commitments and

desires.

The willingness of a business to accommodate an employee’s work / life balance may be a

deciding factor in them accepting a particular position, or remaining in a current workplace.  This

makes work / life balance a key attraction and retention strategy and a business imperative.

Why a work / life balance strategy is important to the employer

Lower recruitment and training costs, associated with reduced turnover

Becoming an employer of choice

Increased return on investment in training as employees stay longer

Reduced absenteeism and sick leave

Improved morale or satisfaction

Greater staff loyalty and commitment

Improved productivity

Reduced staff turnover rates

Why a work / life balance strategy is important to the employee

Improved work-life balance – a reduction in the impact of work on home and family

life

Reduced stress levels

Control over time management in meeting work-life commitments

Autonomy to make decisions regarding work-life balance

Increased focus, motivation and job satisfaction knowing that family and work

commitments are being met

Increased job security from the knowledge that an organisation understands and

supports workers with family responsibilities

How to assess the needs of the business

Identify the organisation’s key operating requirements such as client contact hours,

equipment operating needs, minimum staffing requirements, workflow and workload and

peaks .

Determine which work / life balance policies and practices might suit these operational

needs.

How to assess the needs of the employee

Provide employees with a list of work / life balance policies which the business may

consider making available

Ask for feedback from employees individually (this may work best in small workplaces)

or in open discussion in staff meetings, focus groups, through a formal work-life balance

survey, or through their managers and supervisors

How to assess the cost to the employer

A cost / benefit analysis of proposed initiatives should be conducted to ensure that the benefits

will outweigh costs. Any costs associated with the development and implementation (e.g.

additional equipment in setting up a family room or working from home arrangements) should be

offset against savings associated with productivity of employees, and retention of skilled

productive employees, less absenteeism, less sick leave, lower turnover, and increased length of

service.

Small business work / life balance ideas

It may be sometimes hard for small business owners to accommodate employees’ work / life

balance however, there are various initiatives that business owners can undertake that are

relatively cheap, easy to implement, and would not limit their capacity to run their business:

Considering that an employee may have family commitments when planning meetings,

overtime, travel, relocation or planning days

Discussing work, family and life style issues in staff meetings

Informing employees about local childcare services close to your business

Developing keep-in-touch programs for employees on maternity, parental or any other

form of extended leave.

Recognising the importance of families by organising open days or social events (e.g.

family picnic) that encourage the participation of families

Providing employees with access to a telephone to check on the health and safety of

family members

Ensuring that employees take their annual leave every year

Introducing flexible work hours

Introducing make-up time providing employees with the opportunity to attend personal

matters without the organisation losing work hours

Allowing staff to take some of their annual leave in single days

Discouraging employees working on weekends or staying back late if not necessary

Introducing a workplace policy for breastfeeding mothers

Providing information on the organisation’s work-life balance policies as part of the

induction of new employees

Benefits of Work-life Balance:

Good work-life balance policies and practices are good for business. Some of the benefits are as

follows:

Getting and keeping the right staff : Finding and keeping good staff can be difficult

especially in a tight labour market. Employers who can offer work-life balance and

flexible work options are likely to have the competitive edge, gain access to a wider

recruitment pool, and are more likely to hold onto existing staff. 

Getting the best from staff : Poor work-life balance can lead to stress and absenteeism,

and low output.  Helping employees achieve work-life balance is integral to their general

health and wellbeing, increasing their work satisfaction and motivation.  They are likely

to be more committed, more flexible and more responsive to the business and customers’

needs. 

Being an ‘employer of choice’ and future proofing : Being an ‘employer of choice’ can

give you the competitive edge for attracting talent.  Employees who are positive about

their workplace help to foster a positive attitude in the wider community.  Increasingly

businesses are adopting practices that make a positive difference for the environment and

society.  Staff are a vital business resource, so it makes sound business sense to develop

and protect this resource.

Improving productivity : Getting and keeping the right staff and getting the best from

them will help to increase productivity.  Costs associated with recruitment, training and

absenteeism will reduce and employees will be more engaged motivated and committed. 

Stress management refers to a wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at

controlling a person's levels of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for the purpose of

improving everyday functioning.

Stress produces numerous symptoms which vary according to persons, situations, and severity.

These can include physical health decline as well as depression. According to the St. Louis

Psychologists and Counseling Information and Referral, the process of stress management is one

of the keys to a happy and successful life in modern society. Although life provides numerous

demands that can prove difficult to handle, stress management provides a number of ways to

manage anxiety and maintain overall well-being.

COMPANY’S PROFILE

EXL

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading provider of Transformation and Outsourcing services to

Global 1000 companies in multiple industries including insurance, banking, financial services,

utilities, transportation and travel. Our solutions integrate our knowledge and experience in

Decision Analytics, Financial & Risk Management, Operational & Process Excellence, Re-

engineering and Integrated Transaction Processing to provide our clients with immediate

business impact and long term financial value. We customize our solutions to improve the

economics of business performance, transform organizations to be leaner and more flexible and

provide a competitive edge in the marketplace. EXL leverages its highly qualified and

experienced professionals at its offshore, near-shore and onshore locations to address our clients’

present challenges and prepare them to Go next.

 

EXL is a U.S. company that was been in operations since 1999. Our headquarters are based in

New York City and we operate over 20 state-of-the-art delivery centers in India, the

Philippines, US, Czech Republic, Romania, Malaysia and Bulgaria with sales offices in New

York, New Jersey and London.

 

EXL is a company that constitutes of highly skilled professionals with strong ethics and values.

Our culture is a reflection of individual goals aligned with EXL’s vision.

Vision 

To be the partner of choice in business practice outsourcing and transformation services for

companies in selected domains.

Mission 

To provide a competitive edge to our clients by transforming and outsourcing their business

processes.

EXL partners with leading technology and services providers to offer business process solutions

that maximize value for our clients. EXL partners complement the capabilities and allows to

develop competencies that are better aligned with client needs in an ever changing market place

and address a wider spectrum of challenges faced by organizations. Their strategic relationships

are focused on providing superior results to our clients.

Outsourcing involves providing a full spectrum of business process services from offshore

delivery centers that require ongoing process management skills.

EXL helps companies augment their top-line in a cost effective manner while enabling the

organization to develop effective collections strategies, mitigate risks and improve process

efficiencies.

GENPACT

Genpact began as a business process services operation of GE Capital and began an independent

company in 2005. It manages finance and accounting, collections and customer service,

insurance, supply chain and procurement, analytics, enterprise application, IT infrastructure and

management functions. It caters to the Banking /Finance, Insurance, Manufacturing,

Transportation, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive, CPG/Retail and Business Services

domain. 

Cadbury-Schweppes, Cartus, Ceridian, Diebold, DJ Ortho, GE, Gen worth Financial,

GlaxoSmithKline, Hercules, Invensys, Kimberly-Clark, KION Group, Liberata, Penske, Polo

Ralph Lauren and Serco and Wachovia are some of Genpact’s key clients. It is rated as the No.1

Best Performing BPO and No.3 leader in Human Capital Development by Global Services

magazine in 2008. It is also named the No.1 ITES-BPO Company in India by NASSCOM, 2006-

08.

The company provides an open, honest and transparent culture to its employees. It invests in

development of employee skills and competencies of our employees as well as to enhancing their

personal growth and development. We provide our employees with the opportunity to enroll in

world-class training, ranging from learn-while-you-earn programs to international leadership

development programs.

A global leader in business process and technology management, Genpact is the company of

choice for clients, partners and employees across the world. With many pioneering firsts to its

credit Genpact has always led the way in powering the intelligent enterprises to outperform.

Genpact, a global leader in business process management services, uses process to help its clients

power intelligence across their enterprise to run smarter operations, make smarter decisions and

use smarter technology. Genpact’s Smart Enterprise Processes framework, its unique science of

process combined with deep domain expertise in multiple industry verticals, leads to superior

business outcomes.

TCS

Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) is a global IT services,

business solutions and outsourcing company headquartered in Mumbai and India and is a

subsidiary of the Tata Group conglomerate. It is the second-largest India-based provider of

business process outsourcing services.TCS has been ranked #20 in the list of top companies of

India, by Fortune India 500 magazine. It is the largest technology service company in India

by revenue and market capitalization.

TCS has 142 offices across over 47 countries and generates around 30 per cent of India's IT

exports.

TCS was established in 1968, Tata Consultancy Services has grown to its current position as the

largest IT services firm in Asia on the basis of its outstanding service record, collaborative

partnerships, innovation and corporate responsibility.

TCS is a part of the Tata Group, which was founded by J.R.D Tata in 1868 who is one of India’s

most respected institutions today.

They values Leading change, Integrity, Respect for the individual, Excellence, Learning and

sharing.

Their ability to deliver high-quality services and solutions is unmatched. We are the world’s first

organization to achieve an enterprise-wide Maturity Level 5 on both CMMI® and P-CMM®,

using SCAMPISM, the most rigorous assessment methodology. Additionally, TCS’ Integrated

Quality Management System (IQMS) integrates process, people and technology maturity

through various established frameworks and practices including ISO 9001:2008, ISO 27001, ISO

20000, ISO 14001 and Six Sigma.

Chapter-2 Literature Review

Byrne(2005) conducted a study on “Generation and Gender in the Workplace”. This

research was conducted to find out that generation X and multinational generation workers

are more likely to place equal priority on both career and family and less likely to put

work ahead of family than their previous generations. These employees do not want to

give priority to work over family, friends and recreation. The Job Demands-Resources(JD-

R) model shows 2 separate processes. First, high job demands could lead to exhaustion.

Second, a shortage of job resources could lead to frustrations and disengagement.

Professor Robert Karasek(2010) of the University of Massachusetts conducted a research

on “Work-life Stress” and he developed a method for analyzing stress-producing factors

in the workplace. It has been widely employed to examine workplace pressures and their

relationship with research data on coronary heart disease, musculoskeletal illnesses,

psychological strain and absenteeism. He explains, “In situations where an individual has

high demands on him and low control, the undesirable stress of work and other situations

becomes problematic.”

Judith K. Sprankle and Henry Ebel(2005) conducted a study on “The Workaholic

Syndrome” in which they developed that sheer numbers and the consequently narrowing

opportunities at every upward run of the organizational ladder, the baby-boomers have

been compelled to do more, to move faster, to compete harder. They, in turn, have set the

pace for other age groups.

Kathleen Gerson(2008) conducted a research on “Young Generation views on Work-life

Balance”. In this research, he developed that young people are searching for new ways to

define care that do not force them to choose between spending time with their children and

earning an income and are looking for definition of personal identity that do not pit their

own development against creating committed ties to others.Young adults believe that

parents should get involved and support the children both economically and emotionally,

as well as share labor equally. Young people do not believe work-life balance is possible

and think it is dangerous to build a life dependent on another when relationships are

unpredictable. They are looking for partners to share the house work and family work

together. Both men and women believe that women should have jobs before considering

marriage; for better life and to be happy in marriage. Young people do not think their

mother’s generations were unhappy. They also do not think they were powerless because

they were not economically dependent.

Stewart Friedman (2009) conducted a study on “Work/Life Integration Project” in which

he stated that "one size fits all” mentality in human resources management which often

perpetuates frustration among employees. Friedman’s research indicates that the solution

lies in approaching the components of work, home, community, and self as a

comprehensive system. Although employees are offering many opportunities to help their

employees balance work and life, these opportunities may be a catch twenty-two for some

female employees. Even if the organization offers part time options, many women will not

take advantage of it as this type of arrangement is often seen as “occupational dead end”.

Sylvia Hewlett(2006) conducted a research on “Gender Differences”. In this research she

developed that at the top of the organizational hierarchy, the majority of individuals are

males, and assumptions can be made regarding their lack of personal experience with the

direct and indirect effects of work-family conflict and if a woman takes time-off to care

for children or older parents, employers tend to see these people as less than fully

committed, though their identity is transformed.

Dennis Mumby(2009) conducted a study on “Work place Policies” . In this study he

found that Workplace policies regarding the balance between family/life and work creates

an organizational norm in which employees must fall into and this type of organizational

behaviour in some ways is to structure the organizational reality and hence organizational

power.”.The reality is what employees experience, specifically in regards to work-life

balance, is a direct result of power operating covertly through ideological controls.

Jeffrey Peffer and Cuddy(2010) conducted a study on “Working Women- An Empirical

Study”. In this study they stated that working mothers often have to challenge perceptions

and stereotypes that evolve as a working woman becomes a working mother. Working

mothers are perceived as less competent and less worthy of training than childless women,

They found in their empirical study that mothers were 79 percent less likely to be hired

and are typically held to a higher standard of punctuality and performance than childless

women.

Guest(2011) conducted a research on “Organization Culture”. In this, he developed that

a change in organizational culture is crucial to support the integration of work-life balance.

Life and work should not be seen as a separate entities. Employees should have space to

share their emotional, psychological and spiritual needs because trust is needed for

creating a place in which people can do their job well and share their common goals and

managers should show trust by paying attention to their employees. They should show

commitment to them and communicate regularly. Lastly, he said that pride and good-

fellowship is needed to transform the organisation to a community in which people feel

home.

Naithani and Jha(2007) conducted a research on “Work-life Policies” in which they

stated that a big pay-roll is no more a a motivational tool for young generation but work

life policies matter much to attract educated intellectuals especially women and to retain

employees. A group culture is more supportive than a culture in which one achieves

targets individually , making their role of managerial crucial. Thus, an organization can

become a better place for the employees, which will benefit the well-being of the

employees and thereby, benefit the overall performance of the company.

M E. Jeffrey, Hill Brent , Miller ,, Weiner and Joe Colihan(2009) conducted a research on

“Virtual Office- An Empirical Study”. They developed that millions of employees now

use portable electronic tools to do their jobs from a “virtual office” with extensive

flexibility in the timing and location of work. Qualitative analysis revealed the perception

of greater productivity, higher morale, increased flexibility and longer work hours due to

telework, as well as an equivocal influence on work/life balance have a negative influence

on teamwork.

Azize Ergeneli, Arzu Ilsev, Pınar Bayhan Karapınar(2009) conducted a study on “ Work-

force Conflict- An Empirical Study”. This study revealed the effects of gender and

interpretive habits on the relationship between work–family conflict (WFC) and job

satisfaction. The results of the analysis of the data collected from 286 academic personnel

suggests that interpretive habits moderate the relationship between WFC and job

satisfaction such that the negative effect of WFC and job satisfaction is stronger for

employees focusing highly on deficiency, with high necessitating, and low skill

recognition, referred to as stress-predisposing interpretive habits. Furthermore, gender was

found to have an influence on the role of interpretive habits in the WFC–job satisfaction

relationship. They also found that WFC has a negative association with job satisfaction for

stress-predisposed male employees while no relationship was found between WFC and job

satisfaction for men with a low focus on deficiency, low necessitating and high skill

recognition namely, stress-resilient interpretive habits. Although WFC had a negative

association with job satisfaction for female employees, this relationship was even stronger

for stress-resilient females.

Lockwood(2010) conducted a study on “ Work-life Balance”. In this study, he revealed

that work life friendly policies can improve productivity and quality of work. The

employees of today put their commitment to organsations only if the management

recognizes the importance of their personal and family life. Work life balance has gained

its own domain in the society as well as in politics.

Reed and Clark(2005) conducted a research on “Work-life Imbalance”. They observed

that the lack of time was not a reason for a dissatisfied life. They explored some

contributing factors to a disappointing personal life such as being extensively afraid of

confronting conflict and taking a tomorrow-based approach to a problem. When there is

no balance between between work-life activities and personal life than stress might occur.

Rees and Thapar(2009) conducted a study on “Stress”. They revealed that the stress is a

significant problem which occurs across occupational groups and the stress management

solution has to be tailored to the needs of each group. They noted various cause of stress

such as personal, relational , occupational and external.

Lewis, Gamble and Rapaport(2008) conducted a study on “Work-life Balance”. They

developed that balance is 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.

Work life balance is more usefully described as the absence of unacceptable levels of

conflict between work and non-work demands.

Skinner and Pocock(2008) conducted a study on “Stress Management” which states

that employees need to develop fall-back positions, by which the authors mean an

alternative course of action, if the current job fails. In developing a fall-back position,

people should understand and tap their behaviour.

Moncrief, Babakus, Cravens and Johnstor(2008) conducted a research on “Job Stress”.

They found that productivity pressures on sales persons, job uncertainties due to

corporate re-structuring, outsourcing of sales operations growing international

competition and changes in sales strategies had generated extraordinary level of job stress

in marketing organizations.

Manshor, Fontaine and Choy(2009) conducted a study on “Influence of Stress on the

Productivity”. They observed that demographic variables did influence the level of

stress among the employees. They examined how the perceived performance and

satisfaction on the intention to leave the job was affected by employee’s role stress. They

found that increased role stress was associated with lower level of perceived job

performance and job satisfaction. However, the influence of stress on the intention to

leave was not found significant.

Kanter(2007) conducted a study on “Programmes conducted for Employess”. In this

study he developed that employers should offer a range of different programmes and

initiatives such as flexible working arrangements in the form of part time, casual and tele-

communicating work to the employees. More proactive employers can provide

compulsory leave, strict maximum hours and foster an environment which encourages

employees to not to continue working after hours.

CHAPTER-3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

&

DESIGN

Type of Research:

The following research comes under the head of QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH.

Quantitative research is used to measure how people feel, think or act in a particular way. In this

research the aim is to determine the relationship between one thing (an independent variable) and

another (a dependent or outcome variable) in a population. Quantitative research designs are

either descriptive (subjects usually measured once) or experimental (subjects measured before

and after a treatment). A descriptive study establishes only associations between variables.

Research Design:

The type of research design followed for in project is the DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN.

Descriptive research is also known as Statistical Research which describes the data and

characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive research answers

the questions who, what, where, when and how.

Descriptive research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects

another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal

validity.

Sampling Design- A Sampling design is a definite plan for obtaining a sample from the

sampling frame.

Sample Size- This refers to the number of items to be selected from the universe to constitute a

sample.

Universe- All the items in any field of inquiry constitute a “Universe” or “Population”

Sample- Sample is defined as the selection of some part of an aggregate or totality on the basis

of which a judgment or inference about the aggregate or totality is made.

Objectives of Study:

1. To examine the influence of employees demographic variables on their work efficiency.

2. To assess the employee’s inner feelings about the work culture of the organization with

respect to the time spent.

3. To ascertain the employees expectations from their work place in their work-life balance.

Scope of Study:

As the survey was only confined to Delhi Region, results may vary if research is conducted in

other parts of India. If the survey is conducted allover India, results may substantially differ.

Hypothesis:

H01 –Age does not have any impact on work life balance of the employees working in BPO’s.

H02 –Marital status does not have any impact on work life balance of the employees working in

BPO’s.

Data Collection Procedure:

The data is collected using purposive sampling technique from the employees of B.P.O. A

standardized questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 100 employees working in BPO s.

they were asked to give responses on scale of 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly

agree). Data has been analyzed graphically with bar and pie charts and statistically with help of

chi- square test. .

CHAPTER-4

DATA ANALYSIS

&

INTERPRETATION

4.1 GRAPHICAL INTERPRETATION

1. How many males and females were there in survey?

The Table 1 showing: -

o Genders of the respondents.

Gender No. of respondents

Percentage

Males 58 58Females 42 42Grand total

100 100

Males Females0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

No. of respondents

No. of respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of 100 respondents 58 are males and 42 are females so it means

that males are more than the female who works in B.P.O’S.

2. What is the age of the respondents?

The Table 2 showing: -

o Age of the respondents.

Age Respondents Percentage17-25 28 2825-30 48 4830 -35 24 2435 and above 0 0Grand Total 100 100

17-25 25-30 30 -35 35 and above

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 28 belong to age group of 17-25 Years,

48 belong to 25-30 age group, 24 respondents belong to 30-35 Years and 0 respondent belong to

age group of above 35 Years. So, we interpret that 25-30 age group people works maximum in

B.P.O.’S.

3. What is the marital status of the respondents in survey?

The Table 3 showing: -

o Marital status of the respondents.

Marital status

Respondents Percentage

Married 37 37Unmarried 63 63Grand total 100 100

Married Unmarried0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 37 are married and 63 are unmarried

and herbu we interpret that unmaaried people works more in B.P.O’s than married people.

4. How many children does the respondents have?

The Table 4 showing: -

o Number of the children of the respondents

.

Nil 1 2 3 4 and above0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 66 are having no child, 30 are having

1 child, 4 are having 2 children and no one is having more than 2 children.

No. of children

Respondents Percentage

Nil 66 661 30 292 4 53 0 0

4 and above

0 0

Grand total

100 100

5. How much time the respondents spent with their family?

The Table 5 showing: -

o The time spent with the family.

Time spent with family

Respondents Percentage

Less than 2hrs 3 32-3hrs 14 143-4hrs 29 294-5hrs 24 24More than 5 hrs

30 30

Grand total 100 100

Less than 2hrs

2-3hrs 3-4hrs 4-5hrs More than 5 hrs

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 3 respondents spent less than2 hrs with

their family,14 spent 2-3 hrs, 29 spent 3-4 hrs, 24 spent 4-5 hrs and only 30 respondents spent

more than 5 hrs with their family. So, we can say that maximum number of people spends more

than 4 hrs a day with their family in which more are married people.

6. How many days the respondents work?

The Table 6 showing: -

o The working days of the respondents.

Working days/weeks

Respondents Percentage

Less than 5 days

1 1

5days 82 826days 17 177days 0 0Grand total 100 100

Less than 5 days

5days 6days 7days0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 1 respondent is working less than 5

days, 82 respondents work for 5 days, 17 respondents work for 6 days and 0 respondents work

for 7 days.

7. How many respondents work in what shifts?

The Table 7 showing: -

o The working time of the respondents.

Work timings Respondents PercentageGeneral shift 45 45Night shift 31 31Alternative shift 24 24Grand total 100 100

General shift Night shift Alternative shift0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 45 respondents work in general shift,

31 respondents work in night shift and 24 respondents work in alternative shift. So, we can say

that maximum of the employees work in general shift.

8. How the respondents feel about the time they spent at work?

The Table 8 showing: -

o The feeling about the time spent at work.

Feeling about the time spent at work

Respondents

Percentage

Very unhappy 18 18Unhappy 31 31Indifferent 7 7Happy 29 29

Very happy 15 15Grand total 100 100

Very un-

happy

Unhappy Indifferent Happy Very happy0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 18 are very unhappy because of the

feeling spent at work, 31 are unhappy, 7 dont know what they feel about their work, 29 are happy

and 15 are very happy.

9. How many respondents feel tired or depressed while working in night shifts?

The Table 9 showing: -

o The respondents who feel tired or depressed while working in night

shifts.

Tired or depressed during night shifts

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree

1 1

Disagree 2 2Unsure 3 3Agree 7 7Strongly agree 18 18Grand total 31 31

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

02468

101214161820

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 31 respondents, 1 respondent feels that he doesn’t feel

tired or depressed during the night shifts while 2 feels that they are unhappy, 3 are unsure, 7

others agree but 18 respondents strongly agree that they feel tired or depressed during the night

shifts.

10. How many respondents suffered from family problems while working in night shifts?

The Table 10 showing: -

o The respondents who suffered from family problems while working in

night shifts.

Family problems during night shifts

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree 1 1Disagree 1 1Unsure 0 0Agree 12 12Strongly agree 17 17Grand total 31 31

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

02468

1012141618

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 31 respondents, 1 respondent strongly disagrees that he

doesn’t face any family problems because of the night shift and only 1 respondent disagrees

while 0 respondent is unsure, 12 agrees that they face family problems and 17 strongly agrees

that they face problems.

11. How many respondents are affected by health problems during their night shift?

The Table 11 showing: -

o The respondents are affected by health problems

Night shifts affects health

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree 2 2Disagree 11 11Unsure 4 4Agree 27 27Strongly agree 56 56Grand total 100 100

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 2 strongly disagrees that they don’t

face any health problems because of the night shift, 11 disagrees while 4 are unsure , 27 agrees

that they face health problems and 56 strongly agrees that they face health problems.

12. How many respondents feel that their organization should provide counselling services?

The Table 12 showing: -

o The respondents feel that their organisation should provide

counselling services.

Orgainsations should provide counselling services

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree 7 7

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Respondents

Respondents

Disagree 5 5Unsure 2 2Agree 9 9Strongly agree 77 77Grand total 100 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

0102030405060708090

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 7 respondents strongly disagrees that

their organization should provide counseling services, 5 disagrees , 2 are unsure, 9 agrees and 77

respondents strongly agrees that their organization should provide counseling services to the

employees.

13. How many respondents feel that their organization should have a separate policy for

work-life balance?

The Table 13 showing: -

o The respondents feel that their organisation should have a separate

policy for work-life balance.

Orgainsations should have separate policy for work-life balance

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree 11 11Disagree 3 3Unsure 19 19Agree 24 24Strongly agree 43 43Grand total 100 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

05

101520253035404550

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 11 respondents strongly disagrees that

their organisation should have separate policy for the work-life balance, 3 respondents disagrees,

19 are unsure that their organisation should have or not the separate policy for the work-life

balance, 24 agrees and 43 respondents strongly agrees that their organisation should have a

separate policy for the work-life balance.

14. How many respondents feel that if their employees have good work-life balance then the

organization will be more successful and effective?

The Table 14 showing: -

o The respondents feel that their if their employees will have good

work-life balance then their organisation will be more effective and

successful.

Good work life-balance will lead to more successful organization

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree 29 29Disagree 17 17Unsure 16 16Agree 18 18Strongly agree 20 20Grand total 100 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 29 respondents strongly disagrees that

good work-life balance will lead to more effective and successful organisation, 17 disagress , 16

are unsure, 18 agrees and 20 strongly agrees that if employees will have good work-life balance

then their organisation will lead to more effective and successful organisation.

15. How many respondents feel that holidays/paid-offs will lead to balance their work-life?

The Table 12 showing: -

o The respondents feel that holidays/paid-offs will lead to balance their

work-life.

Holidays/paid-offs will lead to balance work-life Respondents PercentageStrongly disagree 13 13Disagree 9 9Unsure 7 7Agree 15 15Strongly agree 56 56Grand total 100 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 13 respondents strongly disagrees that

holidays/paid-offs will lead to balance their work-life and personal life, 9 disagrees, 7 are unsure,

15 agrees and 56 strongly agrees that holidays/paid-offs will lead to balance their work-life.

16. How many respondents feel that they are able to balance their work-life?

Table 12 showing: -

o The respondents feel that they are able to balance their work-life.

Balance their work-life

Respondents Percentage

Strongly disagree

27 27

Disagree 23 23

Unsure 11 11Agree 20 20Strongly agree

19 19

Grand total 100 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Respondents

Respondents

Interpretation:

The above table showing that out of the 100 respondents, 27 respondents strongly disagrees that

they are able to balance their work-life, 23 disagrees, 20 are unsure, 20 agrees and 29 strongly

agrees that they have balanced work-life.

4.2 HYPOTHESIS TESTING

Hypothesis 1:

H01 –Age does not have any impact on work life balance of the employees working in BPO’s.

Test Applied – Chi Square Test

30

70

12 88

OF EF (OF –EF)2/EF

5 3.6 1.4

25 26.4 1.4

7 8.4 1.4

63 61.6 1.4

Chi – square = 5.6 Degree of freedom =1

Level of significance = 0.05 Tabulated chi square = 3.841 at 0.05 significance level.

Which is less than the calculated chi-square value thus reject null hypothesis and accept the

alternative hypothesis i.e. there is a impact of age on Work-life Balance of the employees.

Interpretation

There is a significant impact of age on work life balance. Employees who are in upper age group

are having more unbalanced life than employees from age group of 20-25.

Balanced Work-life

Un-Balanced Work-life

18-25 5 25

26-30 7 63

Hypothesis 2

H02 –Marital status does not have any impact on work life balance of the employees working in

BPO’s.

Test Applied – Chi Square Test

30

70

32 68

OF EF (OF –EF)2/EF

15 9.6 3.03

15 20.40 3.03

17 22.4 3.03

53 47.6 3.03

Chi – square = 12.12 Degree of freedom =1

Balanced Work-life

Un-Balanced Work-life

Unmarried 15 15

Married 17 53

Level of significance = 0.05 Tabulated chi square = 3.841 at 0.05 significance level.

Which is less than the calculated chi-square value thus reject null hypothesis and accept the

alternate hypothesis i.e. we can say that marital status of the person affects the Work-life

Balance of the employees.

Interpretation

Marital status has significant impact on work life balance life balance. Married employees are

having unbalanced work life and feel more frustrated.

CHAPTER-5

MAJOR FINDINGS

&

DISCUSSION

After analysing the data of survey following points were found out:-

Maximum number of people spends more than 4 hrs a day with their family in which more

are married people as they have responsibility of their family and children.

Marital status and age of the employees have impact on their work life balance.

Maximum of the employees work in general shift in which number of married people and

females are more as compared to the males. Females who are working in night shift

having disturbed work life balance.

People who works in night shifts feel more depressed and tired as they were not taking

proper sleep.

Employees working in night shifts people face more family problems as compared to the

others who work in general shifts.

Health problems are more common in the people who are not taking proper sleep as they

are doing night shifts.

Many respondents feel that they should be provided counselling services so that the

problems of the employees can be known and corrective actions can be taken afterwards.

Maximum number of the employees feels that they should have separate policy for the

work-life balance.

Respondents have given the mixed response when they were asked that good work life-

balance will lead to more effective and successful organisations or not.

Many respondents feels that if they were given holidays/paid-offs then they will able to

balance their work life and personal life.

Many respondents said that they are not able to balance their work-life as well as personal

life .

CHAPTER-6

CONCLUSION

The work-life programs in an organization provide the flexibility and support that help

individuals to navigate through the increasing complexities of modern life. It is set up for the

employers and the employees so that they can work together to facilitate the acculturation of

work-life balance into the organization. Working longer hours does not necessarily contribute to

decreased job security, but does contribute to decreased work-life balance. Moreover, lower

work-life balance is correlated with increased dissatisfaction at work. The disadvantages of

having dissatisfied employees should be a motivating factor behind the acculturation process.

CHAPTER-7

RECOMMENDATIONS

Employees with supportive work environment reported greater job satisfaction and

organizational commitment. So organizations should introduce schemes like paid and

unpaid parental leaves to balance work life and personal life.

Organizations should also introduce schemes life time-offs for family emergencies.

Employees should be provided various counseling services so that they can discuss their

problems with their employers.

Health facilities provided to the employees is considered important.

Separate work-life policy should be introduced by the organizations.

REFERENCES

JOURNALS:

Byrne, U.)2005), “Work-life balance: Why are We Talking About it at Ail?” Business

Information Review, Vol;22, No. 1.

Greenhaus, J.H., and N.J. Beutell(1985), “Sources of Conflict between Work and Family Roles,”

Academy of Management Review, Vol.10.

Greenblatt, Edy (2002). “Work-life Balance: Wisdom or Winning”’ Organistaional Dynamics’

Vol.31.

Gest, D.E.(2002), “Perspectives on the Study of Work-life Balance”, Social Science Information,

Vol.41.

BOOKS:-

Naithani and Jha, “work and family-life spheres and emergence of work-life spheres and

emergence of work-life balance initiatives” 8th Edition “Prentice Hall, Pearson”

Chavan , R. “Work-life Balance of B.P.O Employees”, “The McGraw Hill Companies”

Andrew J , Newman and Clark, “Stress Management” 4h Edition, “Cengage Learning

EMEA”

Websites:

http://economictimes.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/the-real-truth/stressmanagement ac-

cessed on 10th April 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/work-life balance accessed on 10th April 2012

http://www.sourcingmag.com/content/what_is_bpo.asp accessed on 12th April 2012

http://www.microsoft.com/business/en-us/resources/management/leadership-training/

need-work-life-balance-7-tips.aspx?fbid=AO5BRNafW3q accessed on 10th April 2012

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-04-06/news/31300211_1_work-life-

balance-work-and-family-coffee-shop accessed on 10th April 2012

ANNEXURE

Esteemed participant,

I have undertaken the research project on the topic “Work-life Balance” under the guidance of Ms.

Sangeeta Mehrolia, Assistant Professor, GIBS, Delhi.

One of the aim of this research is to analyze the balance between work life and family life commitments.

Looking forward for your favorable response.

With warm regards,

Himani khatri

Questionnaire

Name ___________________

Designation: (Please tick):

o Executive

o Team Leader

o Manager

Age (in year):

o 17-25

o 25-30

o 30-35

o 35 above

Gender

o Male

o Female

Company Name &Address ______________________________________________________________________________

E- mail ID ____________________________________________________________________

Contact No.:

SECTION-A

(a. Demographic profile of Respondents:

Distribution by Age

18-30 years31-40 yearsAbove 40 years

Distribution by Marital Status

MarriedUnmarried

Distribution by number of Children

Nil 1234 and above

(b. Other features of the Respondents:

Helping hands to take care of Children

SpouseIn-lawsParentsServantsDay care centres

Time spent with family

Less than 2hrs

2-3hrs3-4hrs4-5hrsMore than 5 hrs

Working days/weeks

Less than 5 days5 days6 days7 days

Work Culture

Attitude towards work

‘Never’‘Rarely’‘Sometimes’‘Often’‘Always’

Work Timing

General shiftNight shiftAlternative

Feeling about the Amount of Time Spent at Work

‘Very unhappy’‘Unhappy’‘Indifferent’‘Happy’‘Very happy’

SECTION-B

Rate the following statement on the scale of 1 to 5.

1- Strongly disagree

2- Disagree

3- Unsure

4- Strongly agree

5- Agree

S.N

O

PARTICULARS STRONGLY

DISAGREE

DISAGRE

E

UNSURE AGR

EE

STRONGLY AGREE

1. Have you ever feel tired or

depressed about your

work?

2. Have you ever worked in

night shift?

3. Does night shift cause

problems with your family

responsibilities?

4. Do you think that night

shifts affects your health in

any way?

5. Do you feel that your

organization should

provide counseling

services for employees?

6. Do you feel that your

company should have a

separate policy for work-

life balance?

7. Do you think your

organization should have

social functions at times

suitable for families?

8. Do you feel work life

balance policy in the

organization should be

customized to the

individual needs?

9. Do you think that if

employees have good

work-life balance then the

organization will be more

effective and successful?

10. Do you feel that long

working hours will hinder

you in balancing your

work and family

commitments?

11. Do you feel that support

from colleagues at work

will help you balance your

work and family

commitments?

12. Do you feel holidays/paid-

offs will help you to

balance your work life?

13. Do you feel that time-off

for family emergencies

will help you in balancing

your family and work life

commitments?

14. Do you feel that

compressed working

week/ fortnight will help

you in balancing your

work and family

commitments?

15. Do you feel thar support

from manager/supervisor

will help you balance your

work and family

commitments?

16. Do you feel you are able to

balance your work life?

Thanks for your kind co-operation