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Introduction
Postmodern society is anchored on the emphasis on work to achieve a fulfilling life. This review analyses the center of work-life balance and explores its presence in the life of executive-level expatriate employees in Oman. According to Fapohunda (2014), work-life balance is the evenness between work and lifestyle. Work is the professional career and ambition sought by an individual, while lifestyle encompasses; pleasure, family, leisure, health, and spiritual nourishment. In today’s society, the concept of work and life is not detached; instead, they are two coexisting aspects that enable the individual to achieve a holistic life.
Introduction to Job Satisfaction
At the turn of the 20th century, the beginning of industrialisation was witnessed. Machines and new technologies were developed which managed to help perform work more efficiently. In this era, the notion of employment and job status was borne. Professionals soon grew, and individuals went to work for industries in exchange for money which could then be used to meet other individual needs. Within the professional setting, individuals are motivated to work due to several attributes (Ngozi & Chinelo, 2020). These include monetary gains, hobby satisfaction, desire to help others, and working for its own sake. All these attributes can be narrowed down to two major categories, working as a means to an end and seeking a selfless goal. In all these situations, the individual is submitting to giving a part of themselves in exchange for a more desirable facet.
However, the balance between what they are willing to forgo is delicate and often changes with the prevailing circumstances. When such sacrifices outweigh the gains, the individual is subjected to inacceptable mental health compromises their well-being. Thus, the initial satisfaction obtained from work no longer satisfies the burden of working. In these situations, the individual is subjected to job dissatisfaction. When the work invades on the individual’s space and their ability to enjoy separate life away from the duties of the position, their productivity is exponentially reduced. Employers also play a fundamental role in determining the job satisfaction of the staff (Ngozi & Chinelo, 2020). The condition of job satisfaction in the 21st century has seen a sharp turn, with most employees reporting high levels of dissatisfaction (Arif et al., 2022). Individuals are more inclined to move to other employment opportunities or seek hobbies when the workplace is toxic.
Similarly, strong online communities have produced employees who are knowledgeable of their rights and the optimum working conditions. For employers to maintain their staff and provide conducive working environments, they must focus on the employee’s experience. This is achieved through creating avenues for seamless communication between staff and management. Such channels ensure that the team can convey concerns about their mental health and other conditions to the relevant authority and optimize their work experience. From an individual standpoint, employers should give subordinates more control over working time (Hsu et al., 2019). Otherwise, the risk of developing occupational stress arises from the inability of employees to address work-life balance, which, in turn, leads to burnout and increased fatigue. Therefore, job satisfaction is a variable that directly depends on the effectiveness of the work-life balance organization.
Introduction to Telework
The Covid 19 pandemic provided a massive shift in the working environments of modern-day employees. Social distancing required individuals to be confined to their homes and avoid interaction. The provisions of these trying times would give rise to teleworking. This concept allows workers to complete their usual tasks through an internet network within the comfort of their homes (Pulido-Martos et al., 2021). Most companies provide their employees with laptops or computer systems or connectivity to home computers and an internet connection to aid the execution of tasks. As a result, the employee would manage to perform as well as they would in an office setting. The end of the pandemic then resulted in the continuation of the telework program or a hybrid. This approach allowed the employee to choose which method they preferred.
The cost of work-life balance due to telework was, however, detrimental. Individuals working online found it challenging to control the boundary between working hours and personal life. For example, staff with children would be disturbed by their infants during working hours. Similarly, some work that would have been categorised as overtime during the face-to-face working days invades the individual’s time (Pulido-Martos et al., 2021). The lack of physical separation between the workplace and home provided immense pressure on the employee. Some individuals observed that their working hours increased exponentially as their attention and ability to focus were reduced, and the geographical divide between work and life was removed (Pulido-Martos et al., 2021). At the same time, for individual employees, telework is not always comparable to the negative effects. According to Murthy and Shastri’s (2015) study, some mothers who work online see this mode as promising. The ability to establish a flexible work schedule is positively correlated with their work-time balance. However, the findings also confirm the limited opportunities for recreation due to the combination of motherhood and work, which indicates the risks of such employment.
Discussion
Job satisfaction, as discussed above, provides a crucial identifier for productivity and turnover. Individuals working in high-stress environments will be burnt out faster, and their enthusiasm for work will deteriorate. An organisation seeking to reduce turnover should focus on the working conditions of its staff and engineer systems that allow for flexibility. As evident during the Covid 19 pandemic, companies can tailor their environments to enable virtual work (Kerdpitak & Jermsittiparsert, 2020). Individuals with flexible working conditions will have a proper work-life balance, improving their satisfaction and, by extension, their productivity. These employees will be content with the fulfilment of the work and will more likely stay longer in the institution than stressed-out staff. Moreover, job satisfaction is a parameter directly related to productivity. The worse the work process is organized from the standpoint of the ratio of working time and rest, the less productive the staff is. This is due to the aforementioned burnout and lack of interest in maintaining high performance. Therefore, even in conditions of remote work, attention to work-time balance is a mandatory factor that the employer should take into account.
Mechanisms of mitigating high turnover are harmonized with job satisfaction. As a result, employers seeking to cut their turnover rate must focus on the ability of individuals to feel comfortable enough in their working environment to produce quality work while being free to attend to other personal duties. For example, in working environments where the individual’s work is additive, such that working on one attribute of the work does not interfere with another, individuals can be encouraged to maintain task completion within flexible hours (Omar et al., 2020). This concept is fundamental for the banking industry, where individuals are often required to follow strict working hours. As such, job stress should not extend beyond the staff’s time. In the banking sector, job satisfaction is often directly related to how efficiently staff time is built (Murthy and Shastri, 2015). This conclusion confirms the relevance of HR specialists’ targeted work regarding the construction of flexible schedules and explains the value of work-life balance. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that employees can demonstrate their maximum potential and benefit the employer.
Critical Review
The authors provide a compelling analysis of the working environment and how work-life balance can immensely affect productivity and satisfaction. The articles show that utilising a holistic approach to employee well-being produces the most appealing results. Furthermore, it is invaluable that employers conduct a pooled analysis of the working conditions to ensure the employee is contended and effectively achieves their goal. Similarly, the authors establish that maintaining a clear division between work and personal life provides better utilization of both aspects of employee experience. When individuals can set the line between being at work and leisure, they will effectively execute their roles. As a result, work-life balance for banking expatriates in Oman will allow the employee to be more productive and enjoy life’s fulfilment while on foreign soil (Wu et al., 2022). The lack of confidence in the effectiveness of work organization, conversely, entails stressful conditions that negatively affect productivity. Therefore, the more employees are satisfied with their working conditions, the higher the likelihood of high performance in the team.
This conclusion is justified by qualitative findings proving the value of the competent organization of the labor process. From Murthy and Shastri’s (2015) list of parameters associated with work-time balance and job satisfaction, engaged participants define individual life factors involved as critical. This includes parenting, marital issues, and some other aspects related to family life. In addition, employers need to pay special attention to cultural contexts, which is particularly relevant when interacting with expatriates (Malek, Hassan, and Sabil, 2019). To successfully adapt to new conditions, these employees need time. The work environment should be supportive since attendant challenges, such as the language barrier, religious differences, and other cultural factors can affect job satisfaction (Malek, Hassan, and Sabil, 2019). Ignoring these criteria is a direct prerequisite for the development of negative attitudes among employees and is fraught with rapid burnout. Depressive moods, sleep disorders, and other mental problems can be the result of inadequately built work modes and impaired communication in the team (Hsu et al., 2019). Thus, along with work-time balance, addressing the cultural aspects of interaction in the workplace is a meaningful practice to follow when interacting with expatriates.
Conclusion
From the review, it is apparent that job satisfaction and turnover immensely affect the work-life balance. Entities within the banking industry must consider the ramification of maintaining ludicrous / difficult working conditions, especially for expatriates (Wu et al., 2022). These individuals will adapt to the new working environment and require a constant work-life balance. Focusing on the working environment also introduces an individuals’ need for proper motivation (Ngozi & Chinelo, 2020). Employees experiencing extreme working conditions may continue working if their survival needs depend on the job. However, in the slightest opportunity to find other re-employment, the company will immediately lose them. Due to such constraints as cultural differences, irregular work hours, and job dissatisfaction, expatriates may experience depressive moods. The inability to balance work and personal life, in turn, translates into low productivity, which slows down the workflow and impairs team productivity. Remote work can be associated with a variety of outcomes for expatriates, including both positive and negative ones. Consequently, the employer’s goal is to maintain a favorable working environment that ensures individuals can adequately perform their duties and encourage exploration of life activities.
References
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Hsu, Y. Y. et al. (2019) ‘Long hours’ effects on work-life balance and satisfaction’, BioMed Research International, 2019(1), pp. 1-8.
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