Work-Life balance in Emirates Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Work-Life balance in Emirates Group - Essay Example This implies a point of equipoise or stability between two equally demanding things – in this case, work life and family life. People have a natural inclination to seek challenge and achievement as much as the desire to enjoy family relationships and the leisurely company of other people they have an affinity for. WLB is now considered as one of the most important qualities of the workplace, second only to the pay rate, because the physical and psychological stability of workers and employees directly impact on the performance of business firms. The usefulness of WLB in enhancing the operations of firms has been the topic of many academic researches, with varying outcomes. WLB has been known to impact positively on workers’ levels of job satisfaction and morale, reduce stress in both work and family life, enhanced organisational efficiency and effectiveness, and reduction in problems experienced in both areas (Kumar & Chakraborty, 2013). As beneficial as WLB sounds, the practice, while gaining legitimacy as a general principle, has received less than enthusiastic response at the execution level. WLB has not been effectively implemented in many organisations; the causes were determined in a survey conducted by Kumar & Chakraborty (2013), some of which are as follows: Negative or indifferent attitude on the part of top management Lack of faith of supervisors in the effectiveness of WLB benefits Uncertainty and reluctance among employees in adopting WLB in their work schedules Stringent work schedules Dictatorial behaviour of supervisors and top management, and their refusal to plan out flexible work schedules Unavailability and inaccessibility of WLB tools and techniques for workers to implement flexible work schedules. Unsupportive organisational culture for the implementation of WLB Bureaucratic procedures and delay in the formulation and execution of WLB policies and practices. Poor structural framework of the planned WLB programme Inconsistency in infrequency of interaction between management and workers in order to assimilate WLB as a transformative element in organisational life. The foregoing enumeration of impediments to what should be an effortless adoption of WLB is evident in many companies, and will likely continue to pose obstacles to its implementation. According to Smith (2010), however, each succeeding generation of workers tend to come to a greater understanding and acceptance of WLB, thus as they advance in the organization into the supervisory and managerial levels it is expected that the attitude of management towards WLB will also eventually change. So far, what has not appeared to be evident to management is the strategic usefulness of WLB as a competitive advantage, in terms of improved quality of work, improved job performance, ethical decision-making and long-term job satisfaction (Smith, 2010). Four areas for flexible work or leave arrangements Industrial Relations Victoria (IRV), a government sub-uni t under the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, is tasked with monitoring industrial relations in the State’s public and private sectors, and with supporting innovations to address the increasingly competitive business environments without engendering additional industrial (IRV, 2013). According to the IRV, a compilation of the research of several government agencies have identified 27 model family friendly clauses that were directly included in various collective agreements. The 27 clauses (which represented the best practices in the industry) may be classified into four based on their nature and subject. They are as follows Services – This refers to the provision of service options by the employer organisation for the