A Project Report On “work Life Balance”: Submitted To

A PROJECT REPORT ON “WORK LIFE BALANCE” Submitted to

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute Of Professional Studies (BCIPS), affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University(GGSIPU),

Under Supervision of:

Submitted by: SHAGUN PATHANIA

Head of department (management)

Roll N0. 41861203918

SESSION: 2018-2020

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional Studies DECLARATION I hereby declare that the project Report titled “Work Life Balance” has been undertaken by me and submitted to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University(GGSIPU) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the POST

GRADUATION- MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION is my original work and in the best of my knowledge the same has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.

SHAGUN PATHANIA Roll No. 41861203948

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional Studies CERTIFICATE OF GUIDE

Ms. Shagun Pathania, Roll No. 41861203918

a bonafide student of

Masters of Business Administration, Banarsidas Chandiwala

Institute of Professional Studies, an affiliated Institute of GGIPU has carried out the study on “Work Life Balance” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Business Administration under my supervision and guidance. I certify that study as a record of the work done by the candidate herself and that to the best of my knowledge the contents of this study did not form a basis of award of any previous degree of anybody else.

DR. ________________ (management)

CERTIFICATE OF HOD

This is to certify that the contents of this dissertation report, “WORK LIFE BALANCE ” by Shagun Pathania Roll no.41861203918 student of Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional Studies, an Institute affiliated by GGSIPU in fulfilment for the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration is original research work done by her under my supervision and guidance.

I certify that this dissertation report is a record of the work done by the candidate herself and that to the best of my knowledge the contents of this project has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.

Dr. Shamsher Singh Head of Department (Department of Management)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Work- Life balance is a term that refers to an individual’s perceptions of the degree to which s/he is experiencing positive relationships between work and family roles, where the relationships are viewed as compatible and at equilibrium with each other. Like a fulcrum measuring the daily shifting weights of time and energy allocation between work and family life, the term, “work-family balance,” provides a metaphor to countervail the historical notion that work and family relationships can often be competing, at odds, and conflicting. Early research on work and family didn’t necessarily differentiate where the role conflict was occurring, such as whether it was due to an inflexible job (work to family conflict) or whether it was due to not having back up child care for when a child was sick (family to work conflict) a meta-analysis reviewing decades of studies that show that life and job satisfaction for men and women is affected by the type and direction of these competing role dynamics. Given women’s traditional greater responsibility for care giving, work to family conflict was found to affect life satisfaction to a greater degree for women than for men. Job satisfaction for men and women was equally affected by family to work conflict. Understanding the type, direction, and source of the conflict can help organizations and managers design appropriate workplace interventions to support workfamily balance. Future research on work family balance will focus on differences in cross-cultural perceptions, how needs for balance shift over the life course, and how different jobs, family structures, and demographic groups may vary in their access to, perceptions of and outcomes from the level of work family balance they are afforded on and off the job. Multi-level research integrating individual and organizational perspectives and measures, and positive and negative measures is also likely to increase in future studies. This is an important concept in understanding human societies and groups for a long time culture is the heart of a particular group or society. Culture is defined as “the complex

mixture of assumptions, behaviours, stories, myths, metaphors and other ideas that fit together to define what it means to be a member of a particular society”. Organisational culture is defined as “the set of important understandings, such as norms, values, attitudes, and beliefs, shared by organisational members”. The study would be conducted by getting the questionnaire filled from the chosen sample. People will be interviewed to find out the relation to work life balance with organisational culture.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter No.

Title

Page No.

1.

Introduction of the Study

1

2.

Literature Review

28

3.

Objective of the study

39

4.

Research Methodology

40

5.

Data Analysis & Interpretation

41

6.

Conclusion and Recommendations

69

7.

Bibliography

72

8.

Appendix – Questionnaire

73

CHAPTER - 1 INTRODUCTION Work Life Balance Work/life balance (WLB) is an issue increasingly recognized as of strategic importance to organizations and of significance to employees. An organization’s need to attract and retain valued employees in a highly competitive labor market is a strong motivating factor for increased organizational awareness and action with regard to implementation and management of WLB strategies. Work/life balance (WLB) is an important area of human resource management that is receiving increasing attention from government, researchers, management and employee representatives and the popular media. WLB, from an employee perspective, is the maintenance of a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. Employees view the benefits or working conditions that they provide to help employees balance the family and work domains as work life benefits. WLB strategies in an organizational setting include policies covering flexible work arrangements, child and dependent care, and family and parental leave. In contrast, work/life conflict is defined as a form of inner role conflict in which the role pressures from the work and other life domains, such as family, are mutually incompatible in some respect, whereby participation in one role is made more difficult by the virtue of participation in the other. Initially the concept of work/life conflict was focused on the impact of family demands on work. It now extends to the impact work has on individual stress, relationships and family well being. Work-life balance in its broadest sense is a person’s satisfaction with their ability to manage the interactions between the multiple roles and activities in their life. The ability to achieve an effective work-life balance not only has an impact on employees’ wellbeing, but it can also directly affect their levels of engagement. Assisting employees to balance their work and life commitments can provide real benefits to organizations through increased productivity, organizational commitment, improved morale and job satisfaction, and reduced levels of absences and turnover. The demand for work-life-balance solutions by employees and managers is expanding at an unprecedented rate. As a result, work-life balance is an increasingly hot topic in 1

boardrooms and government halls today. Over the coming decade it will be one of the most important issues that executives and human resource professionals will be expected to manage. “Work-family balance” evolved into “work-life balance” partly in response to workers without family responsibilities who felt that employees with children were getting benefits that they were not. The term “life” applies to any non-paid activities or commitments. While the term does not generally include “unpaid work” when referring to work, it could be extended to cover that. Work-life balance issues appear to affect some groups of people more than others – those working long hours, those whose work spills over into the home as a result of modern technology, those in non-standard employment such as shift work, those on low incomes, those trying to juggle parenting and paid work, and those with cultural obligations beyond the family and paid work. According to Jim Bird, CEO of Worklifebalance.com, “Work-life balance is meaningful achievement and enjoyment in everyday life.” The primary way companies can help facilitate work-life balance for their employee is through work-life programs and training. Achievement and enjoyment at work is a critical part of anyone’s work-life balance. Furthermore, achievement and enjoyment in the other three quadrants of one’s life (e.g. family, friends and self) is critical as well. Individual factors affecting perceptions of work-life balance include orientation to work and in particular the extent to which work (or home) is a central life interest and aspects of personality including need for achievement and propensity for work involvement. Energy levels are often ignored but in the context of high demand need to be taken explicitly into account. They may be linked to issues of personal control, including locus of control and capacity for coping with pressures of competing demands. Finally, gender will often be a factor, with higher demands placed on women in the home, and age, lifestage and career-stage issues will influence willingness to tolerate certain kinds of demand at work and at home. Although they are not explicitly included in the framework, W/O psychologists may wish to incorporate social information processing,

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cognitive resource and dissonance theories to help to explain why some people perceive imbalance while others do not. 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. Work-life balance is an issue not just for individuals, but for employers, the market, the state and society as a whole. The future workforce and consumer market is dependent on women bearing, and parents raising, children. The move from a single male breadwinner family model to one where both parents participate in paid employment has made it increasingly difficult to raise children while the workplace continues to be modelled on male breadwinner workers. A set of studies focus on the process of balancing relationship between work and family, Some writers focus on compensation- how having a better role quality and higher identity in one domain such as the work role may compensate for lower role quality and investment in another domain such as family. For example, an individual who highly identifies with work might invest more in work roles to compensate for a less fulfilling family life. Much of the general analysis about the causes and consequences of work-life imbalance is speculative and based on limited convincing evidence. We need to learn more in particular about the consequences of imbalance on family and community and on changing values among younger workers. The basic factors to be focused on that affect the work life balance include orientation to work and in particular the extent to which work (or home) is a central life interest and aspects of personality including need for achievement and propensity for work involvement. Energy levels are often ignored but in the context of high demand need to be taken explicitly into account. They may be linked to issues of personal control, including locus of control and capacity for coping with pressures of competing 3

demands. Finally, gender will often be a factor, with higher demands placed on women in the home, and age, life-stage and career-stage issues will influence willingness to tolerate certain kinds of demand at work and at home. Defining the concept: Work/life balance, in its broadest sense, is defined as a satisfactory level of involvement or ‘fit’ between the multiple roles in a person’s life. Although definitions and explanations vary, work/life balance is generally associated with equilibrium, or maintaining an overall sense of harmony in life.3 The study of work/life balance involves the examination of people’s ability to manage simultaneously the multi-faceted demands of life.4 Although work/life balance has traditionally been assumed to involve the devotion of equal amounts of time to paid work and non-work roles, more recently the concept has been recognized as more complex and has been developed to incorporate additional components. A recent study explored and measured three aspects of work/life balance: Time balance, which concerns the amount of time given to work and non-work roles. Involvement balance, meaning the level of psychological involvement in, or commitment to, work and non-work roles. Satisfaction balance or the level of satisfaction with work and non-work roles. This model of work/life balance, with time, involvement and satisfaction components, enables a broader and more inclusive picture to emerge. For example, someone who works two days a week and spends the rest of the week with his or her family may be unbalanced in terms of time (i.e. equal measures of work and life), but may be equally committed to the work and non-work roles (balanced involvement) and may also be highly satisfied with the level of involvement in both work and family (balanced satisfaction). Someone who works 60 hours a week might be perceived as not having work/life balance in terms of time. However, like the person who works only a few hours a week, this individual would also be unbalanced in terms of time, but may be quite 4

content with this greater involvement in paid work (balanced satisfaction). Alternatively, someone who works 36 hours a week, doesn’t enjoy his or her job and spends the rest of the time pursuing preferred outside activities may be time-balanced but unbalanced in terms of involvement and satisfaction. Thus, achieving balance needs to be considered from multiple perspectives. A Balance of Life and Work: In recent years, the term ‘work/life balance’ has replaced what used to be known as ‘work/family balance’. Although the concept of family has broadened to encompass extended families, shared parenting, same-sex relationships and a wide range of social and support networks and communities, the semantic shift from work/family to work/life arises from a recognition that care of dependent children is by no means the only important non-work function. Other life activities that need to be balanced with employment may include study, sport and exercise, volunteer work, hobbies or care of the elderly. ‘Eldercare’ in particular is becoming a growing issue for employers. For example, about one-third of the 600,000 Australians who provide principal care for older relatives or friends are employed. The timing of these care-giving responsibilities is important because, generally, people are established in their careers before the issue arises. Hence, eldercare has the potential to generate greater corporate interest and response than did childcare. The universal adoption of the term ‘work/life’, as distinct from ‘work/family’ has other positive consequences such as legitimizing non-standard work arrangements for a diverse range of employees. For example, although a lack of work/life balance is often associated with either working mothers or white- collar executives working long hours, there is a growing recognition that other groups too may experience less than optimal work/life balance. Recent reports suggest that as well as large numbers of unemployed people who cannot find any paid work; many workers are ‘under-employed’, preferring more paid work than is available. Blue-collar workers, the self-employed and those earning low hourly rates may also struggle to achieve balance. Work/Life Conflict: Work/life balance is out of kilter when the pressures from one role make it difficult to comply with the demands of the other. This is known as work/life conflict.9 This means 5

that if individuals do not feel they have a ‘good’ mix and integration of work and nonwork roles, they may experience negative or conflicting outcomes.° This implies a bidirectional relationship where work can interfere with non-work responsibilities (work/life conflict) and vice versa (life/work conflict). Employees who experience increased stress due to work/life conflict and decreased perceptions of control over their work and non-work demands are less productive, less committed to, and satisfied with, their organisation and more likely to be absent or leave the organisation. Individuals experiencing interference between work and personal lives are also significantly more likely to suffer from reduced psychological well-being and physical health. In one study, people who experienced life/work conflict were nearly 30 times more likely to suffer from a mood disorder (e.g. depression), 1 0 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder and 11 times more likely to have a substance-dependence disorder (e.g., heavy drinking). On the other hand, employees with lower levels of work/life conflict report higher job satisfaction overall. Organizational Policies: In addition to the development of public policies supporting responsibilities outside of paid employment, organizations have increasingly been developing formal policies that attempt to facilitate the work/life nexus. Work/life balance strategies enhance the autonomy of workers in coordinating and integrating the work and non-work aspects of their lives. Three broad types of work/life strategies have been created to help employees balance their work and non-work lives: flexible work options, specialized leave policies and dependant-care benefits. These include a range of policies and practices: These interventions are generally aimed at facilitating flexibility, supporting employees with childcare (and more recently eldercare) obligations and alleviating the negative impact of interference between work and non-work commitments and responsibilities. Public and organizational policy issues are not mutually exclusive. Rather, many legislative requirements (e.g., equal opportunity) affect organizations, while organizations voice their preferences for public policy to government. In accordance with legislation and principles of equity, public and organizational policy provides equitable, rather than identical, treatment to its recipients. That is, the pursuit of ‘equitable’, rather than ‘same’ 6

treatment is behind the efforts to enable all employees to perform well and compete effectively for employment opportunities as they arise. Why work here? In addition to staff turnover issues, organizations genuinely promoting and supporting work/life balance policies often receive community recognition as ‘good’ corporate citizens, or ‘employers of choice’. However, the extent to which organizations are concerned about public approval or disapproval may vary according to their size and location in the business environment. For example, because of their visibility, large organizations are likely to be sensitive to pressure from employees because resistance could lead to public disapproval, while for small organizations with lower economies of scale, the cost of offering formal work/life options may be disproportionately high. Like large businesses, public organizations are inclined to respond to public pressure for work/life balance measures because they are more likely to be evaluated in terms of social legitimacy norms, while private-sector organizations are more likely to be evaluated in terms of profit-related standards. Although they are represented as equally advantageous, their importance may differ among different kinds of organizations. Companies that employ large numbers of young women may experience the greatest value in early return to work following maternity leave, while those employing people with highly specialized skills may benefit most from reduced turnover and the increased availability of a talented applicant pool. The benefits may also be inter-related. Environments that support employees’ work/life balance have been found to improve organizational commitment — defined as a belief in and acceptance of organizational goals and values, a willingness to exert effort toward these goals and a desire to maintain organizational membership. A survey has demonstrated the strong relationship between employee commitment and return to shareholders, finding that companies with highly committed employees had an 11 2% return to shareholders over three years, compared with a 76% return for companies with low employee commitment, and 90% for companies with average commitment.

7

Responsibility 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 2011 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 behavior. 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 8

assuring a legal work-life balance framework, for example pertaining to parental leave and the non-discrimination of part-time workers. The Context for Work/Life Balance in India Organizations: There is increasing awareness of the benefits of providing more flexible HR strategies, reflecting increasing recognition of the fact that work and other life commitments cannot easily be separated. As organizations move towards more participative and flat structures where fewer employees are expected to manage increased workloads, the demands of the environment increase, and maintaining the balance between the demands of a career and life responsibilities becomes more difficult. The importance of WLB has increased as a corollary of increasing workforce diversity. For example, the Indian population, as in most industrialized nations, is aging. The number of employees with responsibilities for the care of family members will continue to increase. Also, the increasing participation of women in the workforce creates increasing pressure for diversity management and WLB strategies. Although work/life, and particularly work/family, conflict is well-recognized as an issue for both sexes, it continues to place additional responsibilities on working women, as they have tended to experience the major responsibility for domestic matters. We argue that there is a need for organizations in the current business environment to adopt HR strategies and policies that accommodate the work/life needs of a diverse workforce, and WLB strategies are a key element of this. Each form of diversity may present particular challenges for management and employees, and create an imperative for flexible and inclusive management strategies. The emergent challenge for Indian organizations is to develop the capability to attract, motivate and retain a highly skilled, flexible and adaptive workforce. This is particularly valuable at management and senior management levels, in order to develop the leadership skills necessary for organizations to survive. Any organization aiming to increase competitive advantage needs to develop an approach to HR and WLB strategies that cater for the diverse needs of the workforce. Management strategies which endeavor to address the apparent lack of 'fit' between work demands and the new diversity of workforce characteristics are emerging, although progress has been somewhat piecemeal. There is an increasing body of literature which documents that HR strategies are influenced by contextual influences such as those outlined above. The interests of the employee have become more central to management 9

concerns as managers seek to avoid the loss of potential creativity and commitment and threats of litigation from not addressing. Other important stakeholders may include stockholders, who expect a return on their investment; customers, who want a highquality product or service; and the community, which wants the organization to contribute to activities and projects and minimize damage to the environment, is also an important stakeholder. It is beyond the scope of the present study to include these entire stakeholder groups employ needs. The HR manager has the opportunity to play a strategic role in the adoption of strategies which deal with a variety of demands and have potential for significant positive outcomes for the organization. WLB strategies may include flexible policies such as temporal flexibility, telecommuting, part-time and job-sharing employment, leave options (e.g. paid study or parental leave), as part of a strategic approach to managing HR. Organisational Culture Organizational culture is concerned with how employees perceive the characteristics of an organization's culture, not with whether or not they like them. A strong organizational culture like that was found at ADP provides employees with a clear understanding of the way the things are supposed to be done. Every organization has a culture and, depending on its strength, culture can have a significant influence on the attitudes and the behaviors of organization members. General electric offices and people are different from the offices and people at General. Thus, the role played by organizational culture on the employee's lives could be understood by the above example. There are seven primary characteristics that in, aggregate the essence of an organization's culture. 1.

Innovation and risk taking- The degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks. Innovation means that employees are allowed to experiment with their jobs and allowed to take risks in the decisions that take place.

2.

Attention to details- The degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis and attention to detail. 10

3.

Outcome orientation- The degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.

4.

People orientation- The degree to which management decisions take in to consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization. People orientation is a very important aspect of an organization's culture. The employees in the organization should be satisfied with the facilities provided to them, in order to satisfy and motivate them.

5.

Team orientation- The degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals. Co-operation and working in teams helps in improving organization’s effectiveness and helps in improving the performance of the employees.

6.

Aggressiveness- The degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather than easy going.

7.

Stability- The degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status in contrast to growth.

Each of these characteristics exists on a continuum from low to high. Appraising the organizations on these seven characteristics, then, give a composite picture of organization's culture. This picture becomes the basis for feelings of shared understanding that members have about the organization, how things are done in it, and the way members are supposed to behave. Culture should be reserved for the basic assumption and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization, that operate unconsciously, and that define in a basic taken for granted fashion an organization's view of itself and its environment. Culture shows itself in a collection of rules, overt and covert, in principles and values, all strongly rooted in tradition, which influence behavior within the organization. It is the commitment to common objectives and values, which run through an organization. Organizational culture can be defined as "a system of shared values defining what is important, and norms, defining appropriate attitudes and behaviors that guide members’ altitudes and behaviors". 11

For writers and researchers who take an 'anthropological' stance, organizations are cultures describing something that an organization is thus, like national cultures, an organization comprises of: 1. A pattern of shared basic assumptions, 2. Invented, discovered, or developed by a given group, 3. As it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, 4. That has worked well enough to be considered valid, and, therefore, 5. Is to be taught to new members of the group as the, 6. Correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems In this paradigm, organizational culture is both defined and circumscribed by group parameters (e.g. language, concepts, boundaries, ideology) and by normative criteria that provides the basis for allocating status, power, authority, rewards, punishment, friendship and respect. Culture determines what a group pays attention to and monitors in the external environment and how it responds to this environment. Culture, in this paradigm, is not a separable facet of an organization, it is not readily manipulated or changed, and it is not created or maintained primarily by leaders. Over time, early leaders' beliefs and behaviors are likely to be translated into assumptions that subsequently guide the organization. Because these assumptions operate often at a subconscious level and come to be shared by all organization members, they are not easily displaced by new organizational values and beliefs articulated by later leaders. Although the use of rewards or sanctions may prompt changes in an employee's behavior to bring it into line with new stated values, it is usually a long time before these changes influence the deep assumptions held by members entrenched in the culture. The researcher infers that Organizational cultures evolve from the social practices of member of the organizations and are, therefore, socially created realities that exist in the heads and minds of organizational members as well as in the formal rules, pI8jes, and procedures of organizational structures. Culture is an ongoing process of reality 12

construction, providing a pattern of understanding that helps members of organizations to interpret events and to give meaning to their working worlds. The concept of organizational culture is defined in many ways. Much of the confusion between writings on organizational culture stem from the fundamental differences in how culture is defined. Organizational culture researchers do not agree about what culture is or why if should be studied. They do not study the sane phenomena. They do not approach the phenomena they do study from the sane theoretical or methodological points of view. Importance of Culture Organizational cultures are important to a firm's success for several reasons. They give an organizational identity to employees-a defining vision of what the organization represents. They are also an important source of stability and continuity to the organization, which provides a sense of security to its members. At the same time, knowledge of one's organizational culture helps newer employees interpret what goes on inside it, by providing an important context of events that would otherwise seem confusing. More than anything else, perhaps, cultures help stimulate employee enthusiasm for their tasks. Cultures attract attention, convey vision, and typically honor high producing and creative individuals. Culture performs a number of functions within an organization. First, it has a boundarydefining role, that is, it creates distinction between one organization and others. Second, it conveys a sense of identity for organization members. Third, culture facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than one's individual self-interest. Forth, it enhances social system stability. Culture is the social glue that helps hold the organization together by providing appropriate standards for what employees should say and do. Culture serves as a sense making and control mechanisms that guides and shapes the attitude and the behavior of employees. Culture by definition is elusive, intangible, implicit, and taken for granted. But every organization develops a core set of assumptions, understandings, and implicit rules that govern day to day behavior in the workplace until newcomers learn the rules, they are not accepted as full-fledged members of the organization. Transgressions of the rules on the 13

part of high-level executive or front line employees result in universal disapproval and powerful penalties. Conformity to the rules becomes the primary basis for reward and upward mobility. The role of culture in influencing employee behavior appears to be increasingly important in the 1900's. Organizations have widened spans of control, flattened structures, introduced teams, reduced formalization, and empowered employees, the shared meanings provided by a strong culture ensures that everyone is pointed in the same direction. Culture matters because it is a powerful, latent, and often unconscious set of forces that determine both individual and collective behavior., ways of perceiving, thought patterns, and values. Organizational culture in particular matters because cultural elements determine strategy, goals, and modes of operating. The values and thought patterns of leaders and senior managers are partially determined by their own cultural backgrounds and their shared experience. Elements of an Organization’s Culture There are some elements of culture Shared values- Culture involves shared values, or social ideas or normative beliefs about proper behavior in various situations. The strength of a culture has to do with the degree to which these shared values have been internalized by organizational members belief systems - organizational cultures are influenced by two types of beliefs - guiding beliefs and daily beliefs. The guiding beliefs give direction to practical, nitty-gritty daily beliefs. A common problem in companies is that daily beliefs are not congruent with overarching guiding beliefs. Artifacts- Symbolic artifacts of culture comprise of rituals, rites, myths, norms, symbols, legends, heroes, and ceremonies. In author's view [I'S rituals, myths, stories and so on are the effects of culture, not culture itself. These artifacts form a system of support and maintenance for the set of the prevailing beliefs. As the visible expression of the culture, they are the effect of the central cause, the shared or collective paradigm.

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Cultural strength- There also seems to be an inherent bias in the literature that a strong culture, one characterized by widespread and strong normative guides to behavior, is somehow better than a weak culture which has virtually no common values or beliefs held by a significant number of organizational members. According to the researcher, a strong culture does not have to be positive; negative or destructive values can be widely held in a strong culture. Many of the strong culture companies that Peters and Waterman (1982) declared excellent in their in search of excellence in 1982 subsequently stumbled in the marketplace, although many argued that, their declines were caused by environmental factors that were unrelated to cultural strength. According to Jones and Lockwood (1992) the main elements of the culture are its values, is heroes, its rites, rituals, and its cultural network. Values are the basis of organization culture; they provide a sense of common direction for all employees and guide their day-to-day behavior. Value defines the character of the organization and creates a sense of identity throughout the people of the organization. Heroes are the people who have been successful by sticking to corporate values. They provide a role model for other members of the organization and at the same Time illustrate that success lies within the grasp of all employees. They set out standards of behavior, they call attention to the way procedures the motivational force of organizational culture is reinforced through rites and rituals which seek to communicate to employees what they are expected to do it. They set out standards of behavior, they call attention to the way in which procedures are to be carried out and they provide opportunities for the organization to let off stam through organized events. The cultural network is the informal organization through which much of the communication of the culture takes place. It is the hidden hierarchy that which ties together all parts of the company.

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Layers Of Organizational Culture

Artifacts

Visible by Often Unpredictable

Greater level Of Awareness

Values

Assumptions

Taken for Granted Assumption

Figure 1.1 Layers of organizational culture (Source: Jones and Lockwood, 1992) Like other commentators, differentiates number of levels of organizational cultures. The first level is a visible artifact, which consists of technology, art and visible and audible behavior. The second level-values focus on why people behave as they do, and the nature and role of values in determining employee’s actions. Underlying values are basic assumptions-the third level. These assumptions are typically unconscious but actually determine how group members perceive, think and feel. The researcher feels that culture consists of a variety of elements, which can occur on different levels; symbols, myths, ideologies, and rituals. Symbols provide meaning and evoke emotions. Languages are a collection of symbols. Cultures also consist of knowledge and assumption-cognitive systems, models and frameworks that structure what members know and how they think, reason, argue and decide. Culture is the unwritten, taken - for- granted, feeling part of the organization. The 16

purpose of the organization's culture is to provide members with a sense of identity and to generate member's commitment to beliefs and values that are larger than them. Culture also enhances the stability of the organization and provides members with understanding that can help them make sense out of organizational Is and activities. Nature of Organizational Culture Organizational culture is a collection of shared beliefs, values, rituals, stories, myths and specialized knowledge that foster a feeling of community among organization members. Culture, although based on taken for granted or "invisible" factors exert a powerful influence on behavior. Organizational culture is the social glue that binds an organization’s members together. Without the appreciation for the cultural aspect, an organization is just a meaningless collection of charts, tasks and people. Organizational cultures can vary widely from one organization to the next. A good organizational culture should possess the following characteristics: 

Collective- Organizational culture is social entities. While an individual may exert a cultural influence, it takes collective agreement and action for an organization‘s culture to take life of it's own.



Emotionally charged- The employees tend to find their organization' culture a comforting security blanket that enables them to deal with their insecurities and uncertainties. Employees develop a strong emotional attachment to their aIua1 security blanket.



Historically based- Shared experiences, over extended periods, bind groups of people together. Two key components of culture are earned by consistently demonstrating predictable patterns of words and actions.



Inherently symbolic- Actions may speak louder than words. But some words or slogans have a great symbolic meaning that shape an organization's entire culture and entity.

The organizational culture is the main reason why total quality management is required for companies to meet the competitive challenge by focusing on employee's 17

requirements. In his view, any company could have an internally or externally focused organizational culture. Internally focused companies are: 

Unclear who the customers are



No performance measures reflecting customer requirements



No good personal relationship with customers

Whereas an externally based organizational culture companies are 

Proactive attempts to define customer's requirements through understanding of the customer's business



Clear mission statement and business drivers



Positive approach towards problem solving



Clearly defined performance measures reflecting employees needs

An organizational culture should help to define the following 

Norms- Standards of behavior to which people in the culture are expected to adhere. Organizations have an intricate set of norms



Folkways- The customary and, habitual ways in which people act in a given culture. These are unconscious ritual acts, such as shaking hands when meeting.



Symbols- They are things or events that have special meanings in a given culture. Ceremonies, rites and stories are symbols of deeply held values in the culture.



Ceremonies and rites- Elaborate planned events held to celebrate organizational values. These are dramatic in nature so that they reinforce specific cultural values, creating a bond of shared understanding and anointing cultural heroes and heroines.



Myth- Frequently told stories about the organization, based on true or imaginary events. These narratives are often shared among employees and mid to new comers. 18

Organization culture is visible from the way people behave, their interactions internally and with outsiders, and the systems or rituals they establish. All members of an organization share values in question. He focuses not on the organization but on the group. He notes that when people work together they develop a sense of what they are doing and why, of how they should relate to each: in short a system of meanings. However, he does not assume that cultures are necessarily positive, or integrating or shared. Pettigrew sensibly objects to the assumption that cultures are unitary, consensual and consistent. He prefers to argue that culture is a source of a family of concepts, all of which have their use: symbol, ideology, ritual, belief. According to him organization’s culture becomes perpetuated by its tendency to attract and retain people who fits its values and beliefs. This results in a good fit between the employer and the employee. In view of the researcher, organizational culture is a system of values, attitudes and symbols that grows up within organization because of the activities of its members and the interaction of an organization with the external environment. Modern discussions on organizational culture have tended to center on the 'in search of excellence’ thesis, which is concerned with the effect of the correct organizational culture on organizational success. Organizational cultures are a symbolic representation of underlying beliefs and values. Each organization has its own history, patterns of communication, systems and procedures, mission statements and visions, stories and myths that, in their totality, constitute its distinctive culture. There is no best culture for the firm; it clearly depends on the organization’s goals, industry, nature of competition, and other factors in its environment. Cultures are more recognized when they are more consistent with each other. Formation of Organizational Culture Philosophy of organization founders and corporate philosophy statements

19

Selection criteria

Top Management

Organizational culture

Socializatio n

Figure 1.2 Formation of org Organizational Culture Impact of Culture on Employee Performance Organizational culture serves as a control mechanism in directing the behavior of the employees. Closely linked to effective control is the use of the norms to guide behaviors. These expectations regarding appropriate and inappropriate behaviors are greatly influenced by culture, and strong cultures have both consensus and intensity regarding these norms. In weak cultures consensus may be present but at the initial stages is not present in view of the researcher organizations that have strong culture often have great difficulty in changing their strategies and behavior. The norms that dictate these actions are reinforced so strongly that the personnel are reluctant to abandon them in favor of other behaviors. Organizational culture has its impact on the performance and satisfaction 'of the organizational members. There is a strong relationship between culture and satisfaction, but individual needs and the culture moderates this. Satisfaction is the highest when there is congruence between the individual needs and the culture. Job satisfaction varies according to the employee's perception of organization's culture. If the culture is informal, creative and support risk taking and conflict, performance will be higher if the technology is non-routine. The formally structured organization's that are risk aversive, that seems to eliminate conflict. In addition, that are prone to more task oriented leadership will achieve higher performance when routine technology is utilized. 20

Figure 1.3- the researcher infers that organizational culture encompasses both the managerial functions and organizational characteristics. Management is both a cause of and part of organizational culture. The existing culture of an organization reflects past and present managerial planning, organizing, leading and controlling activities. These mangers evaluate employee performance in terms of accuracy. Employees who are not well matched with the organizational culture will exit voluntarily or involuntarily. The members of the organization are involved in making up of the culture of an organization. This culture is reflected in the management processes and the behaviors of the people in the_ organization. The culture of the organization in turn leads to organizational effectiveness. The researcher infers that in order to have a positive, sustained impact on satisfaction and performance, culture must be valuable, rare, and inimitable. If a culture can be imitated, then adoption of the culture by the competitors will slowly eliminate the competitive advantages of the culture. Culture has impact on control, normative behavior, innovation and member performance and satisfaction. Culture is an important aspect of organizations, especially for the persons working in them. An employee is unlikely to be unhappy if he/she is fundamentally at odds with the organizational culture. In view of the researcher, the appeal of culture in corporate analysis stems from the high level of concern among mangers and some scholars with the importance of employee commitment for corporate performance. . Interest in the excellent performance of Japanese corporations has led to a prevalent view, in managerial circle is the result of Japanese's workers 'deeply held shared values and beliefs. The argument about organizational culture is that: 

Organizations have cultures



They become more effective when they develop the right 'strong' cultures



These cultures create consensus and unity and motivate staff



Cultures have an effect on organizational performance 21

Employee's norms, beliefs and values can and should be changed so that they contribute the appropriate behavior, commit themselves to the organization, support management and strategy. The researcher feels that the norms and values shared by the members of the organization create consensus induce unity and when appropriate generate appropriate behavior. Cultures help integrating the organization. The right culture helps in reaping a return on investment that averages nearly twice as high as those firms with less efficient cultures. The author is of a view that organizational culture is the formula for success that determines an organization's success or failure. Managers are promised a culture of productivity if they understand that the elements of all cultures of productivity have in common. In excellent companies employees are committed to their organization's and to it's goals, and that it is a firmer basis for achieving competitive excellence rather than the traditional determinants of behavior- structures, procedures and rules.

CHAPTER-2 COMPANY PROFILE

Established in 1998 in New Delhi, India, International Women Polytechnic (IWP) under the aegis of KLGR Educational Society registered with Govt. of NCT Delhi. has been dedicated to Women Empowerment through Skill based Education and is among the leading educational institutions in the country focussing on skill development. 22

We are known for our tireless effort towards addressing diversity and inclusiveness, in sync with the policy makers of the nation to not just raise the standards of Women in the country through making them better skilled. Today the Society under the able leadership of Shri Vishal Nijhawan, President KLGR Educational Society and Managing Director International Women Polytechnic is spanning its wings to serve the Nation and Society at large on a broader platform. KLGR Educational Society is proud to be associated with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), India as an approved Training Partner and becoming a part of fulfilling NSDC’s mission of skilling 150 million people in India by the Year 2022. On Successful Completion of their study program at international women polytechnic (IWP) Students recieve professional Diploma.Our fashion Designing, Dress Designing, Beauty Hair & makeup, Retail management is NSDC approved. International Women Polytechnic is not a degree-granting institution and is not accredited by UGC, AICTE or any other regulatory body. India is a country of 1.25 billion people of which 54% are below the age group of 25 years. In India, we have just 2-3% skilled workforce. China, at a population of 1.4 billion people, has around 45 per cent of people who are skilled. UK has 68 to 70 per cent skilled people, Japan at about 80 per cent, Germany 74 per cent and Korea at 96 per cent. NSDC is a Public Private Partnership promoted by the Union Ministry of Finance, with 49% equity held by the Government of India. NSDC was formed to achieve the target of skilling / up- skilling 150 million people by 2022 by fostering private sector initiatives in the skill development space. In line with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of making our country a ‘Skilled Nation’ and also support “Make in India”, it is today, our endeavour to promote skill development for the youth of our country so as to increase their skills and employability, and also garner growth for the nation. If ever, there was a time to reap India’s demographic dividend – it is now. International Women Polytechnic is a critically-acclaimed educational institution based in Delhi. Dedicated to providing aspiring young women with amazing opportunities, IWP is a beacon of excellence in many sectors. Since 1998, IWP has led the charge for women’s education and liberation in many important fields. As a premier institution for women’s education in 23

India, IWP has had been at the forefront of this field. As the scope for women’s education has grown in the country, so has the range of courses offered by IWP.

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CHAPTER - 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Lazăr, Ioan; Osoian, Codruţa; Ratiu, Patricia, (2010), The purpose of this study is to establish whether work-life balance initiatives and practices can be considered as strategic human resource management decisions that can translate into improved individual and organizational performance. The results of a number of studies reviewed in this paper show the outcomes and the benefits of implementing worklife balance practices not only for employees themselves, but also for their families, organizations and society. Despite the fact that work-life conflict has significant business costs associated with lack of engagement, absenteeism, turnover rates, low productivity and creativity or poor retention levels, there are some factors of organizational work-life culture that may compromise availability and use of these practices. What are the challenges for research and practice in the future? In the end of the article we propose several suggestions (guidelines) in order to improve our understanding, choice, implementation and effectiveness of work-life practices. Work-life balance practices are deliberate organizational changes in programs or organizational culture that are designed to reduce work-life conflict and enable employees to be more effective at work and in other roles. The transition from viewing work-life balance practices solely as a means of accommodating individual employees with care giving responsibilities to recognizing their contribution to organizational performance and employee engagement is an important paradigm shift that is still very much ‘in process.’ Competing and multi-faced demands between work and home responsibilities have assumed increased relevance for employees in recent years, due in large part to demographic and workplace changes, such as: a greater numbers of women in the workforce (dual-career couples), transformation in family structures (a rise in the number of single parents), a growing reluctance to accept the longer hours culture, the rise of the 24 per 7 society, and technological advancements. In response to these changes and the conflict they generate among the multiple roles that individuals occupy, organizations are 25

increasingly pressured to design various kinds of practices, intended to facilitate employees' efforts to fulfill both their employment related and their personal commitments. The way of how work-life balance can be achieved and enhanced is an important issue in the field of human resource management and has received significant attention from employers, workers, government, academic researchers, and the popular media. In order to encourage the improvement of implementing such practices this article addresses the following questions: What does work-life practices mean? Why do organizations apply work-life practices?, What is the effectiveness of these practices?, Why do not work-life practices really work?, What are the challenges for research and for the practice in the future? Changing demographics are behind the move to embrace work-life programs. The decline of the traditional family, an increase in dual-career couples, and a rise in the number of single parents mean that employees are juggling more responsibilities outside work. We want to enhance that everyone benefits from good practice in work-life balance. For instance: business, through easier recruitment, improved the economy, as the labor market grows moreretention, and easier service delivery; parents and careers, who canskilled and experienced people are available to work; spend quality time at home as well as providing financial support through work; the workforcepeople with disabilities, through improved access to work; and generally where they are better able to balance their work with other aspects of their lives. The more control employees feel they have over their lives, the more able they are to balance work and family An overall conclusion of much of the research is that work-life balance practice are most effective when they enhance employees’ autonomy and increase their capacity to perform well in work and in family situation In summary, a successful convergence between work and non-work aspects can be a win-win situation for employees and employers alike. The ability to achieve satisfying experiences in all life domains enhances the quality of personal relationships and a range of organizational outcomes. Availability and use of 26

work-life balance practices, when provided in the context of supervisor and organizational support can reduce work-life conflict and increase positive appraisals of one’s organization. These effects are often associated with employee attitudes such as increased job satisfaction and enhanced control over their work schedule. The results are: reduce absenteeism, intend to turnover, job stress levels and work-life conflict and increased productivity. A lower turnover intentions means: lower recruitment and training costs, increased retention of valuable employee and increased organizational commitment and loyalty. All of these aspects are associated, in turn, with costs savings, higher customer satisfaction and implicitly higher levels of organizational performance. This report argues that building an organizational culture which supports work-life balance is a long term process for large organizations. It involves changing the way people think and talk about their work and about work-life balance so that using flexible working options and other work-life initiatives becomes accepted and normal for everyone regardless of their gender, seniority within the organizational or personal commitments. Kossek, Ellen Ernst; Lewis, Suzan; Hammer, Leslie B, (2010), This article examines perspectives on employer work–life initiatives as potential organizational change phenomena. Work–life initiatives address two main organizational challenges: structural (flexible job design, human resource policies) and cultural (supportive supervisors, climate) factors. While work–life initiatives serve a purpose in highlighting the need for organizational adaptation to changing relationships between work, family, and personal life, we argue they usually are marginalized rather than mainstreamed into organizational systems. We note mixed consequences of work–life initiatives for individuals and organizations.While they may enable employees to manage work and caregiving, they can increase work intensification and perpetuate stereotypes of ideal workers. In order to advance the field, organizations and scholars need to frame both structural and cultural work–life changes as part of the core employment systems to enhance organizational effectiveness and not just as strategies to support disadvantaged, non-ideal workers. We conclude with an overview of the articles in this special issue. Growing organizational resources are being devoted in many contexts to ‘work–life initiatives’ that aim to adapt employment settings to the workforce's changing work–life 27

needs, and to respond to government regulations for fostering labor force gender integration and protecting working families. Although concepts such as ‘work–family policies’ and ‘employer work–life supports’ are increasingly part of everyday discourse in employing organizations and in most industrialized societies, they are complex, ambiguous in meaning, and evolving in practice, rationales, and cultural acceptance. The goal of this special issue is to advance our understanding of the impact of work–life initiatives designed to foster workplace structures and cultures that are supportive of the interface between work, family, and personal life. Work–life initiatives ideally are based on rationales of jointly benefiting the well-being and effectiveness of employers, and employees on and off the job, including their families. We argue that despite increasing practitioner and scholarly attention, significant gaps remain between the promise of work–life initiatives and their reality. Much remains to be done to foster increased mainstreaming of work–life initiatives as ‘core’ human resource and management prerogatives. Work-life initiatives as organizational structural and cultural support Work–life policies and practices are geared to enhance organizational structural and cultural/relational support for work, family and personal life. Structural work–life support alters human resource policies and practices and job structures to enhance flexibility to increase worker control over the location, place or amount of work, or provide additional instrumental resources such as information and direct services to enable individuals to be able to combine employment with caregiving or other important non-work roles. Examples of structural support include job redesign to enable flexible work schedules, teleworking and virtual arrangements, reduced workloads or other nontraditional work arrangements; occupational safety and health initiatives to reduce job and family stress; formal policies on absenteeism, vacations, and sick time that support work–life needs; and enhanced childcare and eldercare benefits (vouchers, care assistance). Cultural work–life support is defined as informal workplace social and relational support, for example, from supervisors and co-workers together with organizational cultural norms that increase an individual's perceptions that employees who are jointly involved 28

in work and family roles are fully valued. Examples might include change efforts such as training to increase social support of supervisors and co-workers for employees' nonwork demands, and foster positive group and organizational norms. Cultural support operates at two interactive levels: the work group level, where one receives relational support from managers or co-workers; and the organizational level where resources and overarching cultural values and norms are engendered. The integration of these systems within an organization is critical in moving work–life supports into the mainstream of organizational functioning. Cultural and relational support is proving to be a critical factor influencing whether or not workers make use of work–life policies. Informal supervisor support for family is a critical determinant in whether or not workers have access to formal work–life policies. Cultural supports also include culture change initiatives that support the legitimacy of ‘good employees’ being seen as dually involved in caregiving and other non-work roles while sustaining employment and pursuing a career. Support can also include enabling one to slow down a career for non-work needs, such as reducing hours, taking a job leave, or allowing opportunities to re-enter the workforce without a career penalty. Such cultural changes challenge the hegemony of the ideal worker who is expected to place the work role ahead of the family or personal life role at all times. The ideal worker myth is deeply rooted in historical workplace norms based on the ‘myth of separate worlds’ referring to employment settings that were enacted and designed as if workers did not have families competing for time and identities during working hours. Even when work-family policies are well established, workplace norms based on the idea of ideal workers who always place work ahead of family can undermine their utility in supporting the dual agenda of workplace effectiveness and gender equitable work–life integration. Research suggests perceptions of ideal workers can serve to perpetuate gender stereotyping that differentially affects men and women professionals where female professionals are perceived as less flexible and rated lower in performance than male colleagues who reported similar involvement in work and family roles. Moving work–life initiatives to the mainstream

29

The emergence of work–life initiatives in many contexts around the globe highlights the need for organizations and societies to adapt in order to better support diversity in family and work role integration needs. While it is increasingly accepted that some employees (mainly though not exclusively women with children) do not wish to or are unable to work traditional less flexible and sometimes excessive work hours and schedules, the myth of the ideal worker, conflated with hegemonic masculinity in work styles lives on. Indeed, contemporary ways of working in the global economy increase the time greediness of employing organizations. These competing trends sustain the mixed messages and implementation gaps between work–life policies and practices, and the marginalization of work–life initiatives. In sum, many mixed messages and ambiguities remain about the employer role in work– life integration. Until work–life initiatives become more mainstream; a right and not a privilege limited to those individuals most in needs of caregiving assistance, they will continue to be marginalized. At one time it might have been assumed that changes in workplace policy would lead to fundamental changes in practice and ideology but such changes have been, at best, slow and uneven. It is unlikely that work–life initiatives can achieve systemic change without making visible and challenging basic assumptions about the ideal worker who is ‘unencumbered’ by family or other non-work commitments; assumptions that are embedded in taken for granted everyday working practices across many contexts that purport to support the integration of work and family. The next evolutionary phase will be to bring work–life initiatives from the margins where they support those who do not conform to the increasingly outdated ideal worker norm, towards mainstreaming work–life considerations as ongoing business practice. In mainstreaming work–life, organizations and scholars would view this as another core employment practice. Managing work–life issues and ensuring good work–life practice are seen as standard employment operational approaches. If and when this happens perhaps there may no longer be a need for a separate work–life field of study, but work– life would be subsumed under another organizational function such as compensation, career and performance management, and organizational development. This calls for a systems view of organizations where the functions and systems are interrelated and complement one another. 30

Taking a systems approach to manage transitional systemic tensions Social systems change constantly and impact on other systems, so changes affecting work and personal life will happen whether organizations adapt to them or not. Change is often associated with resistance, time lags and transitional tensions, for example, managerial resistance to non-traditional ways of working, and tensions at work and at home about men's involvement in unpaid work and care, or societal ambivalence over the need to support single parents or elder caregivers (often female). But tensions can be productive. They can create learning, such that actors in some social systems adapt and innovate more easily than others. Tension may thus be a sign of progress. For example, in a crossEuropean study of the transition to parenthood, there was more tension among couples in Norway who were struggling to achieve gender equality as parents, than among those in more traditional societies where a gendered division of domestic labor was taken for granted. Recognizing and collaboratively addressing tensions between the perceived needs of some employers and employees in relation to work–life initiatives can therefore be a necessary step towards collaboration to find mutually beneficial solutions. Nevertheless, power imbalances can undermine or prevent processes of productive tension management. Current issue focus on the mixed messages of work–life initiatives While work–life initiatives have become more readily available, all of the contributors identified some aspects of the persistence of considerable cultural ambivalence about how to implement them, and who they must ultimately benefit. Questions are raised such as the feasibility of benefiting different types of workers and organizations at the same time and how to reconcile competing interests between employees and employers. Crosscutting themes pervading all authors' work are the tensions in implementing work–life initiatives in ways that ultimately truly benefit both employers and employees, and the problem of how to reconcile multiple stakeholder agenda and identify a nexus of common good. Some strengths of the articles in their totality are their reflection of variety of interdisciplinary perspectives (from psychology to sociology), methods (qualitative and quantitative) and cultural views (critical and appreciative perspectives) that cross 31

disciplinary boundaries on work and family, which is essential to ensure their ‘successful’ adoption. They also implicitly recognize that views of success can balance stakeholder views and multiple lenses. These are examples of the type of research that is needed for the future. More importantly, these articles identified problems more than solutions on how to improve the implementation of work–life initiatives. More research is needed on what's working with current policies and practices and how to implement interventions that improve both structural and cultural support simultaneously. None of the articles examined both structural and cultural issues and we suggest that these different types of work–life initiatives are necessarily intertwined. Within each subarea there were gaps as well. Far more research under structural support examined flexible working in terms of alternative work arrangements, with little or no research on basic supports such as time off work for sickness, leaves for caregiving and health, and direct services to help with caregiving or other work–life needs such as time to exercise or engage in preventative care to improve physical and mental health. It is also surprising that we received few submissions on work–life benefits such as childcare and eldercare, which provide additional resources for care and which are critical as long-term care becomes increasingly important with the aging demography of the industrialized countries. In some countries such as the US, increasingly public support for caregiving is especially critical as institutional resources supporting child and eldercare are declining and have not risen substantially in the past decade. The availability of caregiving supports is not enough; it must be of good quality delivered in a stable social system. For example, in some Latin American countries, while there are improving economic opportunities for working mothers and available public care support, concerns over the quality of public childcare and the possibility of street violence make some mothers reluctant to leave their neighborhoods to go to work or put their children in public care. Effective caregiving systems are increasing critical for the economic and social development of future generations of workers. Within cultural support, we found very little research at the supervisory and co-worker level, another gap. There was also very little cross-level research on how relational support at the supervisor or work group level relates to organizational level cultural 32

support and the inter-relationships between these various sources of workplace cultural support Overall, it is clear that to advance the field we must examine both formal policies and cultural acceptance at the same time as we recognize that norms and values about their ‘success’ may vary from country to organizational context and for different workers. Tolerance of this diversity will enable increased implementation of work–life and work– family initiatives as new ways of working into the future as a core employer policy and practice to bring them into the organizational and societal mainstream. They believe that a women’s place is at home and the men should work, such beliefs prevent the provision of WLB schemes because its relevance to women is not appreciated. Furthermore, in most Asian cultures work is considered a sacred institution and not going to work may be frowned upon. As such individuals who prescribe to this ‘ideal work norm’ would be less committed to their family priorities and more committed to their work and thus would not utilize WLB schemes. Similarly, age also influences whether one would choose to utilize work-like-balance policies. Those who are just beginning their career i.e. those in the age group of18-39 are less likely to utilize WLB polices because they want to impress their supervisors and are afraid of the repercussions of utilizing such policies. Whereas, those in the age groups of 40-49 and 50+ are at the peak of their career, and do not have anyone to impress nor do they fear the repercussions; as such they are more likely to utilize WLB schemes. Nevertheless, one can only utilize such as cheme if it were provided. As such, the provision of WLB schemes

depends

on

the supervisor

and organization

culture. For instance,

senior managers and supervisors may not be understanding towards the employees cause, they may not listen nor care. Consequently, such supervisors/managers make it hard for WLB policies to be implemented or even used by employees. Moreover, the organization culture should be conducive of WLB. Without a top down approach to WLB none of the lower level managers or supervisors will be willing to implement or offer WLB. Organizational Culture & Work Life Balance The literature on the relationship between WLB and organization is sparse. Nevertheless, the literature does equate organizational culture with the provision of WLB policies. 33

Organizational culture can influence the provision of WLB policies simply because it dictates the philosophy within an organization and is reflective of larger societal values of the nation in which it operates. Moreover, organizations that are more flexible will be more likely to offer WLB policies than organizations that are rigid. However, the focus (external/internal) of the organization does not influence the provision of WLB policies, as the provision of such policies are determined more by the structure of organization rather than its focus. Furthermore, the implementation of WLB policies requires a topdown approach which is only possible with a conducive organizational culture. Additionally, the culture within an organization is also reflective of the beliefs of the executive personnel within an organization. As such, if the executive personnel within the organization believe in an internal focus (employee motivation, satisfaction etc), they will be more likely to implement policies and techniques that will help increase not only the satisfaction and motivation of their employees but their performance and corporate citizenship as well. Accordingly, the views and beliefs of the personnel within an organization are important not just because they influence organizational culture but because they can in fact influence the provision of WLB. All in all the different categorizations of organizational culture influence how an organization operates and in turn what polices it will implement.

34

Thus, in order to achieve WLB, the organization needs to breed a culture of empathy, have an internal focus and a flexible structure. By having a flexible and empathic organizational culture managers and executives will be more likely to offer/provide WLB polices that will ultimate improve the overall wellbeing of the organization. As such, managers and executives need to be educated on the merits of WLB so they can see the value in implementing such polices; moreover, this important because the personnel within a firm form the cornerstone of the organization’s culture. Consequently, managers and executives should manage by objectives so as to allow more structural flexibility, which complements the provision of WLB. Finally, the organization should allow for training programs to help all employees balance their lives and work as well as provide certain services or fringe benefits to help them do so. All in all, it is critical that the organization as a whole from its culture to its employees works towards achieving/providing WLB so as to ensure its effectiveness.

35

CHAPTER - 3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To identify work-life balance and its relation to organisational culture.

To identify the influence of imbalance work-life practices on organizational culture

To identify ways of enhancing proper work-life balance practices amongst employees.

To study the relationship of work life balance and study factors

To study the association between employee work life balance and outcome variable.

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CHAPTER-4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research is‘re-search’, meaning a voyage of discovery. ‘Re’ means again and again, and ‘search’ means a voyage of knowledge. Research facilitates original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge, making for its advancement for the betterment of this universe. Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking, and it promotes logical habits of thinking and organizations.

A research design is one, which simplifies the framework of plan for the study and adds itself in the quick collection and analysis of the data. It is a blue print that has been filled in completing the study. The Title was taken in order to work life balance its relation to organisational culture.

It is an act of scientific investigation. The advanced learner’s dictionary of current English lays down the meaning of research as “a careful investigation or enquiry specifically through search, for new facts in any branch of knowledge”. Every research must have a particular methodology, through which it is easy to define what the problem actually is and how it can be resolved. The research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem.

Research methodology involves the following steps:    

Defining the research problem. Extensive Literature Review. Formulation of Hypothesis. Preparing Research Design. Determining Sample Design. 37

     

Collection of Data. Execution of Data. Analysis of Data. Testing of Hypothesis. Generalization and Interpretation. Preparation of the Report or Thesis.

RESEARCH DESIGN A research designs the overall plan or program of research. It is the blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of the data. It acts as a standard and a guidepost. It is the framework, which determines the course of action towards the collection, allocation and analysis of required data, accurately in an economic manner. It is a set of instructions outlined rightly at the beginning of the research. It is a map that is usually developed to guide the research. It is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure.

The research design of my study is exploratory as it involves the opinion survey of the employees of IOCL.  Purpose of Research Design-

 Minimize the Expenditure.  Facilitate Smooth Scaling.  Collecting the Relevant Data and Technique.  Blue Print for plans.  Provides Direction.

38

 SAMPLE SIZE AND TECHNIQUE Researchers usually cannot make direct observations of every individual in the population they are studying. Hence quite often they select only a few items, which represent the characteristics of the entire cross section of the population. The items so selected constitute what is called a Sample.

SAMPLE SIZE:- The use of appropriate sampling methods and an adequate response rate are necessary for a representative sample but not sufficient, in addition, the sample size must be evaluated. Sample size depends upon:1. Methodology selected. 2. Degree of accuracy required for the study. 3. Extent to which there is variation in the population with regard to key characteristics of the study. 4. Likely response rate. 5. Time and money available. Moreover in this sample the employees from grade ‘A’ to grade ’F’ among officers are included. Thus after looking at all factors on which the sample size depends, for this project, I have chosen the following departments at IOCL: Time Office. Finance Department. Purchase and Maintenance Department. Engineering Service Department. Quality Control Department. Fire and Safety Department. H.R. Department. Training Department. Project Department. Main Control Rooms. Porta Cabins. Workshop..

39

“In my survey sample size was 60”.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Quota sampling has been used for the purpose of selecting the sample. Firstly quotas are set up according to the grade and respondents are then selected within the quota on the basis of availability and willingness to participate. Primary Data: In this study the primary data was collected from the employees of different organizations in Delhi NCR mainly thorough questionnaires and also personal and telephonic interview. Secondary Data: The secondary data in this research will be collected through news paper, articles, journals, magazine, peer reviews and published databases. Type of Research: The data will be presented with the help of bar graphs and charts. Quantitative data can also be analyzed through statistical tools. Target Respondents: Employees of different organizations at Delhi NCR Sampling Method: Random Sampling

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CHAPTER-5 DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

1.male and female ratio:-

The above mentioned graph shows that 53% respondents were male however 47% respondents were female 2. Age Group:

33% respondents were from 36-45 years age group however 21% respondents were from 26-35 years age group. Present Marital status: 41

This grapgh represent the marital status of the workers in the organisation, according to this graph 36% of the total worker are married and rest 64% are non-married. Health

This graph represents the three stages of a worker health while working in organization. Blue represents the person who are stressed, Red represents the one who loose their temper easily and Green represents those who worry about work.

Relationships

42

This graph represents the people and their relationship among themselves and others.

Self Management

Self-management skills are important because it makes the worker more organized and it becomes easier to work. Through these skills worker get a chance to work better. This graph shows the skill of self-management of workers. Working Environment

43

This graph represents the working environment of organisation and opinions of the workers about the organisational environment. ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE QUESTIONNAIRE 

Is people respects the rights of workers in the organization?

In this graph 33% of the people do agree with above mention question, 20% disagree and rest 47% neither agrees nor disagree.



Is Your supervisor is friendly and easy to approach ?

44

According to this graph 47%of the workers think that their supervisor is friendly and will approach to listen their grivences. 17% disagree with the question and rest 36% are neutral. 

Are Members of the organization trust each other?

48% of the total workers agree with the statement that members of the organization trust each other. 13% disagree with this and rest 39% says neither yes nor no.



Is training important in the organization or not?

45

According to this graph, 43% of the people agree with the training in the organisations as training is very important in any organisation. 19% people disagree with this question and rest of 38% are neutral. 

Are incentives given for good performance ?

This graph shows the percentages of people who agree or disagree with the above question of incentives. Out of total 40% agrees that incentives are being provided by the organization, 19% disagree whereas, 41% have given no response.

46



For solving your problems and giving suggestions you have to follow a proper line of authority



You work in collaboration with others



There is a spirit of co-operation with co-workers 47



Proper care of employees is taken in the food given, salary and work environment

48

1(b). From the following, four questions tick any one of the options 1. Work is performed out of:

2. Basis of task assignment is:

3. Decisions are made by: 49

4. One person’s controls the others activities when:

50

CHAPTER-7 CONCLUSIONAND RECOMMENDATION CONCLUSION On the principle that it takes many attractions to holds the best, many companies today are generously distributing so called soft benefits, comfort promoting the elusive work/life balance, hence there is proliferation of such apparently frivolous perks as on site hairs cuts and shoes repair, concierge service and free breakfasts. In reality, they allow time formally squandered on errands and chores to be developed to family and work. Benefits like these give corporation a human face, something that the resplendence surveys on balance of work/personal life often said they cherish, when companies set out to recruit today’s stars, they are not only offering a job and some knockout benefit’s: they are also selling an identity. Organization culture is the emergent result of the continuing negotiations about values, meanings and proprieties between the members of that organization and with its environment. It is the fabric of meaning in terms of which human beings interpret their experience and guide their action. An organization's assumptions about the way the world works, it's member's individual values, and the declared and operational values of the organization as a whole and its philosophy of operations all come together to produce the organization's culture. The organization's culture is what gives meaning and purpose to the work lives of its members. The scope of this particular dissertation is to study the organizational culture and it's relationship to employee performance. Every organization has its own culture. It need not be created but it may involve on its own through human interaction. Employee performance is to do with the application of effective effort. Employees must be putting the right amount of effort in to their work. This, effort will be ineffective however, if the employees does not have the skills and the abilities to carry out the task to the standard required. There are proper systems, which are set in the organization for appraising the employees. There are no biases in evaluating the employees. The information in a organization is 51

communicated through important means like interdepartmental memos and mails and not through the grapevine. There are too may people an employee has to consider before making an important decision .he cannot take decisions on his own. The level of empowerment, which is given to the employees, is not too high. They have to refer to their immediate supervisor before taking a decision. On the contrary they have the freedom to meet the top most management and given their suggestions or complaints. The employees in the organization are very cooperative towards each other and are always keen on helping their employees. There is a role type of culture, which is followed in the organisation. The organization follows a role type of culture because the strength of a organisation lies in its functions or specialties, which can be thought of as a series of pillars, which are coordinated and controlled, by a small group of senior executives. Departmental functions are delineated and empowered with their role e.g. the finance dept., the design dept etc. Work within and between departments (pillars) is controlled by procedures, role descriptions and authority definitions. There are well-defined communication structures and products. Also certain traits of power culture are also present in the organization. This lead to a conclusion that if the culture is not in congruence with there needs it might affect their performance in a negative way. If the culture is in congruence with the needs of the employees, the organization is said to have a strong culture. A strong culture will have a great influence on the behavior of its members because the high degree of shared ness and intensity creates an internal climate of high behavioral control one specific result of a strong culture is lower employee turnover. A strong culture demonstrates high agreement among members about what the organization stands for. Without culture, an organisation internally would stand to loose its identity. It is very much an integral part of an organisation and its importance cannot be undermined. In the next millennium it will not only be the balance sheet that will take an organisation forward but also its Human Resources. As we know culture is nothing but people therefore it will be the cultural strength of an organisation which be of great importance and will take its goals.

RECOMMENDATION 52

The provision of a multitude of work-life benefits is desirable, initiatives can be expensive for companies to implement. Because of this, organizations tend to offer different work-life benefits to reflect the particular needs of employees Employee voice presents as an important resource for managers and policy-makers in determining work-life balance policies for industry, workplaces and individual employees’. Information retrieved from employees can provide valuable insight for companies who wish to understand the needs and preferences of their workforce If an organization wants to provide effective and usable work-life benefits, it is extremely important to ensure that the organizational culture, managers and supervisors show support for such initiatives. Employee perception of organizational support for an individual’s work-life balance has been related to increased job satisfaction and reduced work pressure, both of which reduce leaving intention There is some work-life conflict associated with working long hours and weekend work. It is important that the company continues to address these issues in order to find a balance that is suitable to employees, companies, and the industry as a whole, so as to provide and maintain sustainable working environments.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Brough, P., Holt, J., Bauld, R., Biggs, A. and Ryan, C. (2008) ‘The ability of worklife balance policies to influence key social/organisational issues’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 46, 261-274 Casper, W.J. and Buffardi, L.C. (2004) ‘Work-life benefits and job pursuit intentions: the role of anticipated organizational support’, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 391-410 Gagne, T. (1995) Designing Effective Organizations, London, Sage Publications, Pg. 125-126, 91, 369-383. Kurmayeva, Xeniya et.al. (2014), Organizational Culture’s influence on Work Life Balance, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vo. 24, No. 12, UK. Lazăr, Ioan; Osoian, Codruţa; Ratiu, Patricia, (2010), The Role of Work-Life Balance Practices in Order to Improve Organizational Performance, European Research Studies, Volume XIII, Issue (1), Romania. Rao, V.S.P. (2001) Human Resource Management, New Delhi, Excel Books. Internet

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APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE WORK LIFE BALANCE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Gender: Female

Male

2. Age Group: Below 26

26-35

36-45

46-55

Over 55

3. Company: 4. Designation: _________________ Department: _________________ 4. How man hours per week do you spend at work? 40-50

51-60

5. Present Marital status:

61-70

71-80 Single

S.No

Statement

1.

Health

a.

I sometimes feel stressed &

b.

depressed because of work. I loose my temper very easily.

c.

I worry about work after work

2.

hours. Relationships

a.

People that I care about feel that I

b.

spend adequate time with them. My partner takes unfair share of

c.

domestic work/child care. My working life has played a

Over 80 Married

Strongly Agree

major role in adding conflict to my relationships.

55

Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

3. a.

Attitude towards work I cancel holidays or cut them

c.

short due to work. I am so busy that I come to work

d.

even when I am ill. When I go on a holiday, it takes me several days to settle down.

4. a.

Self management My workload is generally well-

b.

planned & under control. My work place is organized and I

c.

find what I need. I would like to control the hours I work but not know how.

5. a

Working Environment I am subjected to unacceptable be

b.

behavior ( eg. Bullying) at work I have flexible start and finish

c.

time. Conflict resolution helps me to perform better.

6. a.

Leisure I have at least one hobby outside

b.

of work. I spend a portion of each week away from work in solitude/

c.

relaxation. I hang out with my colleagues/ friends during leisure time.

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. This part of the questionnaire asks you to evaluate your current organization. 56

Some attributes will describe your organization and some will not. Please circle the number that describes how characteristic that item is of your organization. 1 Agree

2 Neither

3 Disagree

agree nor disagree Is there a respect for the individuals right in the organization

1

2 3

Your supervisor is friendly and easy to approach

1

2 3

Members of your work group trust each other

1

2 3

Training is given a lot of importance in the organization

1

2 3

Are incentives given for good performance

1

2 3

Communication takes place through proper formal means like written documents and interdepartmental memos

1

2 3

There is a lot of emphasis on customer and service quality

1

2 3

There are too many layers of decision making within the Organization

1

2 3

For solving your problems and giving suggestions you have to follow a proper line of authority

1

2 3

The organization lets the employee experiment with their tasks

1

2 3

Risk taking is an important part of the organization

1

2 3

You work in collaboration with others

1

2 3

There is a spirit of co-operation with co-workers

1

2 3

Proper care of employees is taken in the food given, salary and work environment

1

2 3

2(a). From the following, four questions tick any one of the options 1. Work is performed out of: 

Hope of reward 57



Respect for contractual obligations



Satisfaction



Enjoyment of the activity

2. Basis of task assignment is: 

Personal needs



Formal divisions of functions



Resource and expertise



Personal wishes and need for learning

3. Decisions are made by: 

Higher authority



Required person with the job description



Person with expertise



Persons most personally involved

4. One person’s controls the others activities when: 

Has more authority



Role prescribes for directing other



More knowledge about the task



Other accepts that his help can make him learn

58