...virtual office’s impact on employee work-life balance and business sustainability Prepared for: Mr. Ray Hingst Submitted: 18 October 2013 Prepared by: Anton Tarasov 0061055930 Faculty of Business and Law In today’s world the virtual office is no more an innovation; numerous organizations have used this technology long enough to understand whether it is a helpful tool for business or just another source of complications. This paper is aimed to address practical issues related to the virtual office’s impact on employee work-life balance and business sustainability. Definitions of the virtual office, telecommuting, business sustainability, and other important terms will be given. Different pros and cons of using the virtual office for employees (work-life balance) and for organizations (business sustainability) will be presented reviewed and compared. Finally, the summarized conclusion will answer the main question of this topic: “is the virtual office a good solution for employees and organizations or not?” Since the virtual office and telecommuting are tightly connected, it is of great importance to distinguish between those two terms. Telecommuting has numerous definitions in business related literature, but they all present quite similar description. For example, Noonan & Glass (2012, p. 38) state it simply as ‘work tasks regularly performed at home’ while Thomas B. Cross (2013, pp. 7-8) specifies telecommuting as ‘performing job-related work at a site away from the...
Words: 2526 - Pages: 11
...examines why work-life balance is essential for every employee. Some of the reasons why organizations should maintain a work-life balance for all the employees include stress reduction. It increases the ability of the employees to deliver while at the work place. It creates harmony between the private life of an employee and their work-life. It raises employee commitment in the organization, therefore, increasing productivity. It enhances flexibility among employees in the work place. A proper work-life balance also helps an organization attract and retain employee competitive employees in the organization. The paper also examines the different strategies that can be used by organizations to ensure better work-life balance for the employees. They include offering employees adequate vacation. Organizations can offer flextime for the employees as it enables them, enjoy their vacations. Proper staffing also ensures employees are not over worked. Introduction Work-life balance refers to a concept that entails prioritizing between career and lifestyle where lifestyle includes family, leisure or pleasure. The work-shy refer to the employees who are never inclined to work. It refers to a concept in Human Resource Management (HRM) that enables employees to manage their energy and time between work and other aspects of life. It involves efforts by an employee to create time for personal activities and the workplace. It is not true to state that work-life balance is...
Words: 1160 - Pages: 5
...Employee Engagement Employee Engagement has been quite a buzz activity and heavily marketed by the Human Resources Consulting firms. An engaged employee is a person who is actively involved in, demonstrate great energy about his or her work. It is about how an employee commit to someone or something in there organization, how hard they work, how long they stay as a result of their commitment, investing efforts towards achieving job and tasks. It is also about the feeling empowerment, positive affectivity, the feeling of pride. An Engaged Employee puts that an extra efforts/voluntary efforts to do something better than expected, expands his role and broaden his areas of expertise. Employee Engagement could be described as a construct of three below components. * Trait Engagement - Positive view of life * State Engagement – Feeling of energy, absorption * Behavioral Engagement – Extra role behavior Employee engagement is a top priority and is an asset and could be a key competitive advantage in this global ever changing nature of work. Many companies has understood the reasons for making talent stick and have employee engaged with more compensation, benefits and more fun events. Many studies has proven that opportunities for career advancement, learning opportunities and mentoring & coaching tend to be factors that talent really looks for in an organization. This has been true irrespective of the workforce generation. Below tree summarizes it all. One of...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...between an organisation and the employee. It increases when the individual feels responsible to work for the benefits offered and by being loyal to his or her employer. Up to the point that even when are pressured by others to leave the organisation, they still feel strongly about working in the organisation. Further, Mohamad Zaid, Farah and Yahya (2014), normative commitment refer to emotion of responsibility to continue employment in an organisation. Those employee that have strong normative commitment, they still stay work with organisation because they feel responsible towards organisation. The feeling of commitment was influence...
Words: 1321 - Pages: 6
...1999 BAXTER HEALTHCARE CORPORATION Work & Life Strategic Initiative What is the initiative? Baxter’s Work & Life Strategic Initiative formally began with an 18-month extensive employee-needs assessment that provided a far better understanding of how the company could benefit by championing greater work-life balance for all its employees—for women as well as men. Baxter has succeeded at integrating its business case for worklife balance into a new corporate culture that is supported from the top down, demonstrated by strong CEO commitment and role modeling. A major result of this strategic assessment has been that Baxter redefined and expanded the work-life experience to encompass more categories of conflicts experienced by employees. Baxter, in conjunction with MK Consultants, developed the four-level The Work and Life Pyramid of Needs, which rests on a base of Respect (the company’s attitude toward the employee’s needs) and rises through Balance (the employee’s goal) to Flexibility (what the company wants to help the employee attain) to Programs (the supports that the company provides). The study refocused Baxter’s strategy, giving increased importance to and emphasis on respect for the “whole” person, including his or her responsibilities and interests outside of work. The initiative has since added work-life to Baxter’s shared values, employee satisfaction tools, performance standards, and other existing HR initiatives. In addition, the study’s findings...
Words: 1318 - Pages: 6
...Impact of Work Life Balance on Employees Performance of Public Sector Organizations of Pakistan ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is identification of work life balance (WLB) dimensions which significantly contribute in enhancing the performance of the employees of the public sector organizations (PSOs) of Pakistan. This study has identified six dimensions of work life balance: organizational commitment, employee wellbeing, work family conflict, decision authority, care for family demands and job stress. The views of 131 public sector employees working at different tiers were collected to identify the impact of work life balance on employee’s performance in public sector organizations of Pakistan. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used for drawing samples from population. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. This study indicates that a statistically significant positive relationship exist between each of identified dimension of work life balance as each of the dimension if catered for, help in enhancing the performance of the employees in PSOs. Importance of employee’s wellbeing and care for family demands as key dimension of work life balance is also emphasized by this study. Consequently this study contributes in providing guidelines to introduce various dimensions of WLB to enhance employee’s performance in PSOs of Pakistan. Keywords: WLB, employee’s performance, public sector...
Words: 9654 - Pages: 39
...Employee Retention Research Question - To what extent does job attitudes and work-life balance influence workers towards retention in hospitality industry? Literature Review Introduction Managing a steady labor force is an important factor in retention but still it has become a challenge for the employers to retain talented workers in the hospitality industry. Researchers has done various studies on employee retention. According to Miler and Walker (2010) organizations should keep their employees from leaving the organization. This is further supported by Eskildesen and Hammer (2000) employers have to manage workers from leaving the organization to other work places as it involves high overheads in employing and retaining fresh employees. The objective of this literature review is to determine the factors that lead for employee intention to remain in the organization and also the reasons for leaving an organization in the hospitality industry using various models and methods using different journals, reviews and internet. In this review the focus is on 2 themes they are in the part of job attitudes such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment, the aspect of work life balance in employees intention to stay in the the organization and also the factors that influence turnover. Theme 1: Job attitudes Job satisfaction is a significant requirement for an employee to be happy, prosperous and productive, it is a sense of fulfillment that is...
Words: 1492 - Pages: 6
...Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyse the argumentative issue between the times spent working in the workplace and their work performance. This study is not specifically mentioned which relevant industry it’s referred to. The initial perception of being in this study is there is a positive correlation between the times spent working in the workplace and the work performance. This study also analyse about the working productivity between the two countries which possess a very distinct working culture - Japan and Malaysia. There are some factors that influence the employee behaviour in the workplace, and this includes the influence from social media and the work-life balance of the respective employees. Apart from that, the factors such as job satisfaction and remuneration, career growth and job satisfaction are chosen as the main motivators for the employees in this study. Background of the Issue Hardworking is being associated as an attribute in which every employer crave in every of their employees. Hardworking in the eyes of the employer means the employee must be willing to do the extra mile on their job - means their working hours being extended beyond their usual. But along this case lies the question underneath. Is the extra hour spent in the workplace increase the work performance of the employee? Or employee can just simply stay around in their workplace for the sake of showing that they are hardworking, whereas they are not doing anything productive...
Words: 2864 - Pages: 12
...comprehensive, adaptable solutions package that helps them address their most critical business challenges in driver, vehicle and law enforcement, and Strengthen AAMVA’s financial foundation to increase long-term value to members.” With these goals in place the organization and its employees are working together to accomplish one goal, that is making its employees and customers happy. By having these goals in place , employees have a better understanding of what the organization is trying to accomplish, so therefore each employee know what specific role they play in accomplishing the mission that is before them. AAMVA has also implemented values that they expect each employee to abide by, these values has proven to be very beneficial not just to the organization but to the employee as well. There are four main core values that the organization has in place; they are Integrity, Customer Service, Accountability and Innovation. Integrity within the association means that each employee...
Words: 2105 - Pages: 9
...level of employee commitment, job satisfaction and motivation (Greene, 2001). In this regard, it is important for companies to take into consideration the impact of employee needs, morale and expectations and to negotiate appropriate work arrangements for motivating employees as part of performance recognition. The following paper presents a discussion on the importance of employee motivation in the workplace. The discussion is mainly based on literature review and points that employee motivation is necessary for improved work performance. The paper has explored the important contributing played by work-life balance and financial incentives in improving employee motivation. The research indicates that the two factors foster loyalty by employees, increased performance and commitment, which are essential indications of motivation. The concept of Employee Motivation and Rewards Most discussions of motivation begin with the concept of individual needs – the unfulfilled physiological or psychological desires of an individual. Content theories of motivation use individual needs to explain the behaviours and attitudes of people at work. The basic logic is straightforward. People have needs. They engage in behaviours to obtain extrinsic and intrinsic regards rewards to satisfy needs (Schermerhorn et al, 2011). According to Jenkins, Mitra, Gupta and Shaw (2001) employee motivation is an intrinsic drive and enthusiasm to successfully accomplish tasks related to work. Greene (2001)...
Words: 2388 - Pages: 10
...VATSAL POPAT - 25 MCOM PART 1 VATSAL POPAT - 25 MCOM PART 1 WORK LIFE BALANCE WORK LIFE BALANCE Abstract THE NEED TO MAINTAIN BALANCE IN WORK AS WELL AS LIFE FOR A HAPPY AND A SUCCESFUL LIVING Abstract THE NEED TO MAINTAIN BALANCE IN WORK AS WELL AS LIFE FOR A HAPPY AND A SUCCESFUL LIVING CONTENTS 1.0 – INTRODUCTION 2 2.0 - WORK LIFE BALANCE 4 2.1 - WHAT’S IN IT FOR EMPLOYERS? 6 2.2 - BOTTOM-LINE BENEFITS 7 3.0 - HOW SHOULD THE ORGANIZATION WORK TOWARDS IT ? 8 3.1 - FLEXIBLE TIMINGS. 8 3.2 - FLEX THE PLACE 12 3.3 - FLEX THE JOB 14 3.4 - FLEX THE BENEFITS 17 3.5 - OTHER IDEAS BASED ON PUBLIC SURVEYS 24 4.0 - EMPOYER AGENDAS TO IMPROVE WORK LIFE BALANCE 27 4.1 - STEP 1 CHECK IT OUT 27 4.2 - STEP 2 FIGURE IT OUT: PLAN THE RIGHT MIX 28 4.3 - STEP 3 TRY IT OUT: IMPLEMENTATION 30 4.4 - STEP 4 SPELL IT OUT: COMMUNICATION 31 4.5 - STEP 5 WORK IT OUT: LEAD BY EXAMPLE 32 5.0 - 10 TIPS TO THE HR MANAGER 33 6.0 - ARGUMENT AGAINST THE HYPE FOR WORK LIFE BALANCE 35 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - HRM is the process of managing people in a company as well as managing the existing inter-personal relationships. These two processes are key in the success and growth of a business. When viewing HRM from the point of ensuring that structures and processes are...
Words: 6542 - Pages: 27
...economic is growing rapidly, managing business in an international market where it is highly influenced by technology and strong competition among competitor. In such type of economic it has become very common that HR Manager should handle the group of working people in such a way that they should be engaged in their work and are motivated to improve their performance. Now a day’s organization have looked at Human Resource Management as a denote to contribute to profitability, quality, maximum utilization of resources and other organization goals (Noe, Hollenbeck, Grehart, & Wright, 1994). There are many ways by which employee can be low morale or disengaged with their work like no job security, downsizing in the organization, not satisfied with their work etc. HR Manager should take major steps to increase morale and should always try to motivate employee. Disengaged and demotivated worked directly affect to the goals and success of an organization. This essay aims on motivating performance and engaging worker in his work through job design, recruitment, selection, diversity, etc and the ways by which HR manager can reduces disincentives of an employee from their work. This essay focuses on the morale, motivation and enthusiasm of workers in organisations will be a much bigger challenge in the future so what human resource strategies a company can adopt to meet these challenges. Firstly the essay will identify the reason of low morale and disengagement of worker. Then how they...
Words: 2649 - Pages: 11
...Best Practices in Implementing Work-Life Balance Programs Srirang Jha Apeejay School of Management, New Delhi E-mail: sjha.asm@gmail.com Swarn Kant Mishra Footwear Design & Development Institute, Noida E-mail: mishra.swarnkant@gmail.com Abstract Work-life balance programs are important for contemporary organizations not only for ensuring long-term wellbeing and good health of the employees but also to attain long-term competitiveness. There have been a number of researches establishing relationship between work-life balance and organizational effectiveness. However, not many researchers have attempted to capture or review best practices in implementing work-life balance programs. This paper is a humble essay to explore if there are indeed any best practices in implementing work-life balance –a catchphrase which most of the companies love to swear by –and whether a holistic model for efficient work-life balance program can evolve from what the companies at the top are following on the ground. The authors have also tried to present a critique of gaps in current work-life balance programs. The paper raises more questions than it answers and thus provides enough fodder for the intellectual investigation on the theme. Keywords: Work-life balance, Best Practices, Organizational Excellence Introduction Work-life balance programs have attracted the attention of corporate leaders in recent times thanks to significance of such initiatives in augmenting organizational...
Words: 2990 - Pages: 12
...[pic] Work-life balance, employee engagement and discretionary effort A review of the evidence March 2007 Literature review by Dr Mervyl McPherson of the EEO Trust. Extracts from this publication may be copied and quoted with acknowledgement. ISBN No: 0-9582233-4-3 Equal Employment Opportunities Trust PO Box 12929 Penrose Auckland New Zealand Phone: 64 9 525 3023 Fax: 64 9 525 7076 Table of Contents Preface 3 Executive summary 4 1.0 Introduction 6 2.0 Definitions and evidence of relationships 6 2.1 Work-life balance 6 2.1.1 Productivity 7 2.1.2 Relationship between work-life balance and productivity 8 2.2 Workplace/work-life culture 11 2.2.1 Relationship between work-life balance and workplace culture 12 2.3 Discretionary effort and employee engagement: going the extra mile 16 2.3.1 Relationship between discretionary effort/employee engagement and productivity/profitability 20 2.3.2 Relationship between work-life balance and discretionary effort 21 2.3.3 Relationship between workplace culture and discretionary effort 23 2.4 Summary of inter-relationships of key factors 24 3.0 Changing a workplace culture 26 3.1 Case studies of culture change 27 4.0 Conclusion 29 5.0 References 30 Preface Employee engagement has been identified as critical to competitive advantage in a labour market where skilled, committed...
Words: 10548 - Pages: 43
...1999 BAXTER HEALTHCARE CORPORATION Work & Life Strategic Initiative What is the initiative? Baxter’s Work & Life Strategic Initiative formally began with an 18-month extensive employee-needs assessment that provided a far better understanding of how the company could benefit by championing greater work-life balance for all its employees—for women as well as men. Baxter has succeeded at integrating its business case for worklife balance into a new corporate culture that is supported from the top down, demonstrated by strong CEO commitment and role modeling. A major result of this strategic assessment has been that Baxter redefined and expanded the work-life experience to encompass more categories of conflicts experienced by employees. Baxter, in conjunction with MK Consultants, developed the four-level The Work and Life Pyramid of Needs, which rests on a base of Respect (the company’s attitude toward the employee’s needs) and rises through Balance (the employee’s goal) to Flexibility (what the company wants to help the employee attain) to Programs (the supports that the company provides). The study refocused Baxter’s strategy, giving increased importance to and emphasis on respect for the “whole” person, including his or her responsibilities and interests outside of work. The initiative has since added work-life to Baxter’s shared values, employee satisfaction tools, performance standards, and other existing HR initiatives. In addition, the study’s findings added up to a...
Words: 1318 - Pages: 6
