The work-life balance is an indispensable condition for improving the individuals's quality of life and the performance of organizations in contemporary society. The employee satisfied with one's work and life within the organization is physically and...
The work-life balance is an indispensable condition for improving the individuals's quality of life and the performance of organizations in contemporary society. The employee satisfied with one's work and life within the organization is physically and psychologically healthy and perform one's job with positive attitude. Providing the job autonomy such as decision-making, work method, work schedule can be a useful resource. By controlling one's energy input into the work, the employee can maintain the work-life balance. At the same time, the employee show job attitude with high motivation and a sense of responsibility towards one's job. Therefore, the human resource management and development department must understand the relationship among job autonomy, work-life balance and work engagement. Also it is important for them to act to the practical ways.
This study aims to identify the influential relationships among job autonomy, work-life balance and work engagement in order to present significant theoretical and practical implications. Based on the purpose of this study, the research questions are set. Frist, how does the employee’s job autonomy affect the work-life balance? Second, how dose the employee’s work-life balance affect the work engagement? Lastly, whether the employee's work-life balance has a mediated effect related to the relationship between job autonomy and work engagement?
To provide answers to these questions, survey was conducted targeting incumbent employees in domestic enterprises in the ways of direct survey method and questionnaires through an internet website for about three weeks from October 27th to November 13th in 2015. A total of 305 copies were collected and except the 15 copies of untrustworthy questionnaire responses, total 290 copies were used to statistical analysis. Through the analysis processes, the results were as follows.
First, the job autonomy has a positive effect on work-life balance. When the employee has job autonomy such as decision-making, work method, work schedule on the job, one's work-life balance improves.
Second, the work-life balance has a positive effect on work engagement. The employee has work engagement as a positive and optimistic attitude when satisfied with family life, enjoying leisure time and achieving self-development plan.
Third, the result as mediating effects of work-life balance has an partial effect on the relationship between job autonomy and work engagement. The job autonomy can directly affect the work engagement, and with work-life balance, the effects can increase.
Those research results have implications as follows.
First, a company must take measures to enhance the job autonomy to respond flexibly to environment for employee. It should not only support employee to exert one's job autonomy with various programs but also do the best to help employees understand decision-making, work method, work schedule.
Second, a company is required a multi-dimensional practice for employee to achieve the work-life balance for work engagement. Based on the characteristics of a company and preferences of the employee, a company should promote efficient job structure, practical and useful program and organizational culture together.
Finally, a company should recognize that the employee's work engagement can be greatly improved when job autonomy and work-life balance affect together. It is important to set the direction for the overall human resource management and development strategies to increase both job autonomy and work-life balance.