2. !
Acknowledgements!
In completing this research, I would like to take this opportunity to firstly
thank my supervisor for all the support, patience and guidance offered throughout. I
would also like to extend by thanks to all the research participants who kindly agreed
to participate in the study and without whose contribution; the research would not
have been possible. I would also like to thank my friends for the support offered
throughout the course of my studies and making my time completing this
researchfrom feel as easy as possible.
Last but by no means least, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my
family for their love support and words of encouragement to get me through my
studies. For this I am eternally grateful.
3. !
Abstract!
Human Resource professionals play a fundamental role in organisations,
shouldering the responsibility of coordinating and managing the most valuable
resources an organisation has, its people. The capability and quality of which
organisations are dependent on the structure of the company tend to achieve its
objectives. Human resources can be both temperamental and unpredictable and
therefore it is the responsibility of human resource managers and professionals to
ensure that an organisation can get the most out of its resources. One of the major
factors that majority of the organizations fails to apply which can limit the
productivity and capability of human resources is achieving work life balance.
Addressing such issue is complicated further by both the culture within an
organisation as well as the overriding national culture. To this extent, this study looks
to analyse and evaluate organisational work life balance in my home country,
Malaysia and in particular, the ways in which human resources currently look to
address issues, which emerge between employees. The research is situated in the heart
of the capital city, which Kuala Lumpur, where the prevailing local culture looks to
‘avoid’ any discussion towards work life balance. The context of this investigation is
oil and gas firms, on the basis of which the author conducted a series of interviews
with HR professionals as well as distributed questionnaires amongst employees in
order to determine the factors which currently inhibit the resolution of applying work
life balance as well as to identify current areas of best practice.
Through an analysis of the data, the study develops a five-stage framework in
which how work life balance can be managed in a systematic and open manner and
more importantly, in a way that conforms to the social norms of the research context.
In order to implement the framework, the dissertation recommends an appraisal of
4. !
organisational culture and an encouragement of openness and dialogue, which is seen
as fundamental to the effective resolution of implementing work life balance by HR
professionals in organisations in Malaysia.
6. ! 2!
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0!BACKGROUND!
The organization scenario with regard to work-life balance methods, as
espoused simply through numerous organizations, sits about appealing to superior job
seekers as well as minimizing work-life conflict between present employees in order
to enhance organizational overall performance efficiency. This overview of the article
offers some proof to the claim about recruitment, but there may be also some
inadequate proof to guide the idea that whether the work-life methods can boost
efficiency with diminished work-life conflict.
Most of the researchers suggest that the business circumstance may be
different for the reason that need to be changed for the company in order to mirror the
number of added tracks simply by that work-life balance methods may effect
organizational efficiency, which includes to enhance sociable exchange functions,
increased cost savings, improved production, as well as diminished turnover. The
actual impression that these functions can be implemented, nonetheless, be moderated
simply by a number of aspects, which includes national context, task degree, as well
as managerial service. The benefit connected with additionally research into the
results of these methods will be discussed further in this project paper.
Considerable research had been carried out on do the job life balance and also
member of staff fulfillment inside developed countries. Developing countries likewise
has started attending on this entry to raise employee career fulfillment. The changes in
operational actions alter within the culture and also notion of the staff. Organizational
changes due to downsizing, mergers or purchases and also significant changes inside
engineering have changed the particular do the job setups. The staffs existing are
more involved in their own work compared to the last ten years. The prolonged doing
work hours, do the job stress, higher strenuous work, utilization of superior
engineering proved to be difficult in regards for staff to keep the balance between
their own career and also working obligations. Businesses are facing increasing
7. !
!
3!
demands to raise efficiency and becoming more responsive to customers and
employees. No longer is it just a matter of remuneration and promotional prospects;
job seekers are increasingly making employment decisions on how well their current
or potential workplace can support a balance between personal lives and paid
occupation (Tanvi and Fatama 2012).
Work life balance seems to be an important part of corporate social
responsibility nowadays. Good employers need to recognize their obligations so that
they can ensure employees are not working so hard to damage their lives outside of
work or lead to health problems. In fact, there are many western countries like
Australia and USA, an increasing number of family friendly policies have been
adopted in organization to achieve work-life balance (Saltzstein & Ting, 2001;
Strachan & Burgess, 1998). Organizations, which adopted the policies, will most
benefit from reducing absenteeism and improving productivity (Clifton & Shepard,
2004). Some researches also showed that employees with assess to the policies
express less intention to leave the organization and a higher commitment (Grover &
Crooker, 1995).
Where there is legitimate harmony in the middle of work and life,
representatives have a tendency to put in their earnest attempts at work, in light of the
fact that their family is glad. Most research studies have demonstrated that when there
are cheerful homes, work puts naturally get to be without clash and charming spots to
be. Expanding weakening rates and expanding interest for work-life offset have
constrained associations to look past ordinary Human Resources mediations.
Subsequently, activities, for example, adaptable working hours, option work
game plans, leave arrangements and advantages in lieu of family care obligations and
representative help projects have turn into a noteworthy piece of the vast majority of
the organization advantage projects and pay bundles.
With regard to a lot of individual, in order to perform the job makes up the
actual key lifestyle of interest. Nevertheless to perform the job however, is just the
key among the several passions that individuals practice throughout lifestyle. If your
8. ! 4!
needs associated with operate limit the actual pursuit of different lifestyle passions,
it's likely to manufacture a dilemma and also the resulting challenges in addition to
strains one of many employees. Work decreases family lifestyle in addition to vice
versa.
Managers participate in a crucial function in surrounding the type from the
difficulty in WLB. Most commonly the problem is represented jointly regarding
person situation along with decision. Alternatives revolve about establishing distinct
human being source (HR) insurance policies that include those with choice, to figure
versatile or perhaps a lesser number of hours, to online business, and so forth. This
kind of approach ignores strong institutional aids that may perform to undermine the
actual intention regarding even one of the most modern WLB insurance policies.
These systemic aspects incorporate function overburden along with inadequate
function design and style or perhaps hefty workloads, a culture regarding long hours,
damaging profession implications along with gendered function stereotypes.
Different factors possess advertised this implementation associated with WLB
procedures inside organizations, including the incorporation associated with females
into the market place and the lifestyle associated with double-career partners having
young children, staff members buying a increased quality lifestyle, troubles connected
with work–family discord, the need to deal with seniors or issues associated with
sexual category equality. WLB procedures usually are most demand today for their
prospective importance intended for each organizations and individuals.
Organizations advantage simply because may improve their particular organizational
effects as a result of enhanced staff benefits, for example motivation, motivation, skill
storage and lessened turnover motives. In contrast, staff members improve their
particular existence pleasure and general well being and decrease their particular
work–family discord.
The reactions to work and family demands differ among people across
countries and continents at various levels of economic development. Global
competition, together with growing consumerism, rapid advances in technology and
changes in the family as an institution are impinging upon and impacting the ‘time–
9. !
!
5!
money squeeze’ between family caring responsibilities and the demands of work. In
most societies, it is women who are more affected by this than men.
This is especially so in societies where the family work spillover is high for
women and in spite of the fact that women have joined paid work in large numbers.
Work life Balance (WLB) has been an issue of concern for the last few decades. The
current context of globalization and the changing nature of work have provided the
impetus for this topic. The current work scenario is marked by intense pressure,
constant deadlines, changing demographics, fast pace of change, increased use of
technology and the virtual workplace.
All in all, enhancing the nature of work life remains an intense sell.
Intuitively, numerous supervisors see the critical connections between the nature of
work life and hierarchical execution. Yet they confront boundaries to advance. So it is
important to upgrade the case for making a move to enhance the nature of occupations
and workplaces. While work-life lopsidedness and employment anxiety are not new
issues, they have gotten more consideration this decade than any time in recent
memory before. Together, these two issues posture dangers to workers’ well being
and in addition to authoritative execution.
%
1.1!STATEMENT!OF!PROBLEM!!
The study will be set against the backdrop of the South East Asia, more
specifically, will be focus on the country of Malaysia and the comparisons between
companies approach towards work life balance and family friendly policies
throughout their organization. Southeast region in general have experienced some
unprecedented economic growth and turnover in the past thirty years, going back to
the economy crisis that Malaysia had in 1999, and also how the economy has grew
immensely towards the country economic growth and development. In the 14 years of
the new millennium, Southeast Asia has had some of the fastest growing economies
in the world.
10. ! 6!
Despite this rapid development, the research arena is fraught with gaps
relating to Malaysia and the region itself, particularly as far as Human Resources and
organizational behavior are concerned. These research gaps only serve to contribute
further to the lack of understanding of Asia culture as far as the general public,
foreign governments and scholars are concerned. In light of this, there is considerable
merit to investigate and ultimately propose a framework to better address
organizational conflict. The findings will not only be of use to firms in the region, but
also to HR professionals within industry sectors across the globe, given that this is an
area highlighted as being the most lacking in terms of work life balance resolution
(Woods 2012).
1.2!PRESEARCH!OBJECTIVES!
The objective of this specific research can be examine to consider the effect
associated with family friendly policy in employees’ satisfaction in addition to
turnover purpose. Link between this kind of research will probably be helpful for
firm to determine and make a decision on the policy to work with, therefore
assisting the organization to boost the productivity and efficiency in addition to
retain the talents. Besides, this kind of study can also seek to expand family
friendly work environment in Malaysia, subsequently to help the employee to
achieve work function while maintaining the right fair of lifestyle balance and
stability.
!1.3!RESEARCH!QUESTIONS!
!
There are two research questions that will be analyze and discussed in detail in
this research, which consists the questions of:
a) Whether there is a positive relationship between family friendly policies and
employees job satisfaction.
b) Whether there is a positive relationship between family friendly policies and
employees turnover intentions.
11. !
!
7!
!1.4!RESEARCH!OBJECTIVES!AND!EXPECTED!OUTCOMES!
Objectives Expected outcomes
• Identify and analyse the types of
policies on the relationship
between family friendly policies
and employees job satisfaction
• To examine what are the types of
policies that can be connected
between family friendly policies
and job satisfaction.
• Determine how the policies can
contribute towards organisational
goals
• To identify which factors of
family friendly policies have more
influence on achieving the
company’s plans.
• Determine how employee
turnover intention is currently
managed in order to negate its
impact upon organisations.
• To identify employees’ turnover
intention challenges on the
circumstances towards the
company.
• Develop a work life balance
resolution framework
• To find the right framework that
can applied within the
organizations in Malaysia.
!1.5!RELEVANCE!AND!SIGNIFICANCE!OF!RESEARCH!!
The proposed is research will contribute to an already existing research gap,
relevant to a rapidly developing region, namely the South East Asia and focusing on
the developing nation such as Malaysia itself. At present, the a research will be made
towards the organizations within the country of Malaysia, on which will have the
comparisons of how the private sector companies operates whether it has any
differences in terms of their approach on achieving work life balance in the workplace
having compare with the government sector companies throughout.
Practical contributions of the research therefore include the development of
guidelines to assist HR managers to better manage conflict within organizations.
12. ! 8!
Furthermore, the research will also contribute to management theory both within the
context of human resources as well culture.
!1.6!DISSERTATION!STRUCTURE!!
The study will follow a structured and sequential approach in order to address the
aim and objectives highlighted in the previous section, in order to facilitate better
understanding, the following section provides an overview of the purpose and content
of each chapter:
Chapter Two- Literature Review:
The chapter will open with a brief definition of conflict, before narrowing focus to the
work life balance and the companies’ objectives in order to achieve full job
satisfaction namely, Malaysia. The purpose of the chapter is to equip the reader with
an understanding of issues within an organizational setting, its impact as well as
highlight common of family friendly policies.
Chapter Three- Methodology:
The third chapter of the dissertation will lay out the way in which the research will be
designed, providing justification for the choices made. The research will follow an
inductive approach, whilst questionnaires and interviews will be used to gather the
primary data. The research will also rely on a mixed method, as qualitative and
quantitative techniques will be used to elicit and analyze the primary data gathered
from employees work in private and government sectors to have the knowledge on
what are the approaches used by the company that leads to work life balance.
13. !
!
9!
Chapter Four-findings and analysis:
The primary research findings will be provide within this chapter as the results of the
interviews and questionnaires will be both reported and analyzed.
Chapter Five- Discussion and Conclusions
The key findings that emerge within the previous chapter will be discussed further
within the context of the literature review. The key aim of the chapter is to not only
identify the implications of the findings but also determine the degree to which real
world practice mirrors academic theory. Upon doing so, the objectives and aims of
the research will be reviewed in order to determine the extent to which they have been
successfully fulfilled, before a final conclusion will be provided.
14. ! 10!
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Chapter!overview
Having introduced the reader to the purpose of the study and the context under
investigation, this next chapter will look to examine current knowledge and theory in
the area of conflict management. The chapter will therefore open with an overview of
the organizational approaches and policies, before highlighting the nature and impact
of the method in the sector under investigation, namely the workplace sector. Focus
will be narrowed in subsequent sections of the chapter, as common sources of policies
will be highlighted before further relating this to the sector in question. The latter part
of the chapter will focus on work life balance and management in within the
organization in Malaysia, with reference to specific studies and models. Upon
completion of the literature review, the author will be able to identify current themes
and approaches to work life balance management; this information will contribute
towards the formulation of the primary research and ultimately the development of
the final framework.
2.1!Family!friendly!policies!
Family Friendly Policies is defined as any benefits and working conditions
that an organization has in place to assist an employee balance their work and life
(Bardoel, Moss, Smyrnios & Tharenou, 1999). Literatures revealed family friendly
policies that are in place to help employee achieve a balanced work life. It can be
effective tools in promoting job satisfaction, productivity and company loyalty among
employees. Also, it seemed to generate continued support within the business
community (Saltzstein & Ting, 2001). Some researches showed the impact of family
friendly policies on employee’s turnover intention. Employees who had access to
family-friendly policies showed significantly greater organizational commitment and
expressed significantly lower intention to quit their jobs (Grover & Crooker, 2005)
15. !
!
11!
Moreover, social justices predict that employees will have more positive
attitudes toward organizations that are perceived as treating employees fairly
(Greenberg, 2000). For instance, employees will be more committed to the
organizations when they were treated with an equitable management system. As a
result, the following hypothesis is tested.
Hypothesis 1: Family friendly policies will be positively related to employees’ job satisfaction
Hypothesis 2: Family friendly policies will be negatively related to employee’s turnover
intention.
In order to get a better understanding of which component of family friendly
policies has shown the greatest impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention. The
four main components below are tested individually. They are:
a) Five day workweek,
b) Flextime,
c) Family leave policies and
d) Employee assistance programs.
a) Compressed Workweeks (Five-day work week)
A new compacted work function for 1 week or 7 days can be an arrangement
where by an employee performs the standard amount of hours within a couple of
weeks period of time interval, but compresses individuals time in to fewer perform
times and thus operating lengthier time at work. This article proposed that compress
workweeks are suitable for representatives who don't have to manage approaching
deal with a regular routine or there are a few representatives doing likewise work. It
uncovered that association can decrease stress; worker non-appearance and turnover
along these lines expand representative confidence and unwaveringness.
Since there is only a few literature review about five day work week which as
a new practice start implementing in Malaysia’s workplace. According to the report of
Malaysia Institute of Human Resource Management, 80% of majority of Human
16. ! 12!
Resources professionals in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur particularly support the
implementation of five-day workweek policy in the workplace. The reason was that
they trusted it would help representatives accomplish superior work-life parity.
Likewise, a shorter working week is accepted to improve representatives' execution
and profitability (MIHRM, 2012).
Many of the employees also respond towards this approach by stating that
they believed a five-day work week would help them better manage their private
matters, while half of respondents said it would allow them more time with family
and improve their quality of life. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed.
Hypothesis 1a: Five-day workweek will be positively related to employees’ job satisfaction.
Hypothesis 2a: Five-day workweek will be negatively related to employees’ turnover
intention.
b) Flextime
Flexible working arrangements take a number of forms. These include the
flexibility in working time arrangement, the number of hours worked and with regard
to place of work (Papalexandris & Kramar,1997). These days’ associations receive
different sorts of strategic scheduling approaches, for example, adaptable booking
system, employment sharing, low maintenance work, and teleworking and so forth in
work environment. Former inquires about on strategic scheduling analyzed that non-
appearance and turnover could be decreased and representatives' occupation
fulfillment was enhanced when actualizing such adaptable projects.
For employees, adaptable working course of action can encourage the
compromise of work and family needs and permit people to adjust both obligations
and consequently accomplish personal satisfaction. The advantages of adaptable work
strategies were exhibited in a bank within South East Asia with enhanced client
benefits and lessened turnover and truancy. Besides, Grover and Crooker (1995) also
reported a negative relationship between this policy and turnover intention. In this
17. !
!
13!
manner, it is trusted that representatives are more inclined to stay in the association
when they were embraced adaptability work routine.
Hypothesis 1b) Flexible working schedule will be positively related to employees’ job
satisfaction.
Hypothesis 2b) Flexible working schedule will be negatively related to employee’s
turnover intention.
c) Family Leave
Family leave policies allow employees to be away from the workplace for
varying period of time in order to deal with family responsibilities (Bond & Wise,
2003). On the other hand, some particular arrangements for time far from work for
maternity, paternity, or reception are at the caution of the superintendent in diverse
associations. In Hong Kong just maternity law propels leave, different types of
families leave are diverse in the middle of head honchos and bosses. Female workers
are qualified for have at least 10 weeks maternity leaves if there should arise an
occurrence of pregnancy. Like flextime policies specified above, family leave
arrangements help representatives increase the balance to perform so as to accomplish
an equalization of work life work fulfillment and lessening the goal to leave the
association. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed.
Hypothesis 1c) Family leave policy will be positively related to employees’ job
satisfaction.
Hypothesis 2c) Family leave policy will be negatively related employee’s turnover
intention
18. ! 14!
d) Employee Assistance Programs
Employee assistance programs (EAP) are intended to perceive the cooperation
between individuals' household and working lives and to offer secret guiding to staff
to address individual or different issues, including business related anxiety that may
be influencing their execution (Clemmet, 1998). The way of today EAPs is not quite
the same as associations to associations. The normally samples of EAPs included
giving help with the regions of individual issues, relationship issues, eldercare,
childcare, child rearing issues, badgering, substance misuse, occupation anxiety,
adjusting work and family, monetary or legitimate and family brutality.
Some EAPs suppliers are likewise ready to offer different administrations
including retirement or lay-off help, and wellbeing and wellbeing advancement and
wellness while others may offer guidance on long haul diseases, handicap issues,
directing for emergency circumstance. In this manner, EAPs does not simply restrain
on advising administrations and may incorporate life abilities projects and work out
schedules. It can help representatives in overseeing push and determining individual
issues too.
Carolyn & Cooper (1994) reported that EAPs are an important to improve
employee mental and physical well-being so that they have better performance at
work and enhanced job satisfaction and reduced turnover intention. Therefore, the
following hypothesis is proposed.
Hypothesis 1d) Employee assistance program will be positively related to employees’
job satisfaction
Hypothesis 2d) Employee assistance program will be negatively related to employee’s
turnover intention
19. !
!
15!
2.2!Turnover!intention!!
!
Turnover intention can be describe as the thought of quitting, the intention to
search for another job elsewhere, and the intention to quit as assessed briefly in the
turnover model of Mobley et al. (1978). It is accepted that representatives with high
level of turnover expectation from an association will subjectively survey that they
will be leaving the association sooner rather than later had investigated the
relationship between different family friendly policies and turnover intention.
2.3!Job!satisfaction!!
!
Job satisfaction is the overall summary evaluation a person makes regarding
his/her work environment. Spector (1997) defined job satisfaction as an individual’s
cognitive, affective and evaluation reactions towards his or her job. Cranny et al.
(1992) additionally characterized occupation fulfillment is a mix of subjective and full
of feeling responses to the differential impression of what a worker needs to get
contrasted with what he or she really gets.
2.4!Job!satisfaction!and!Turnover!intention!!
!
A few literary works exhibited that representatives' occupation fulfillment and
workers' responsibility are indicators of turnover likewise demonstrated the nearby
relationship among occupation fulfillment, hierarchical responsibility and diminished
turnover, and exhibited the unmistakable impact that employment fulfillment had on
the turnover expectation of building staff Ostroff (1992). Spector (1997) has also
investigated the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions.
Therefore, the following hypothesis is tested.
Hypothesis 3: Employees’ job satisfaction will be negatively related to employee’s
turnover intention.
20. ! 16!
2.5!Meditating!effect!of!job!satisfaction!!
!
Base on the above literatures reviews closely supported the relationship
among family friendly policies, job satisfaction and turnover intention. It should be
interesting to examine that the mediating effect of job satisfaction between family
friendly policies and turnover intention. Therefore, the following hypothesis is
proposed.
Hypothesis 4: The mediating effect of job satisfaction between family friendly policies
and turnover intention.
2.6!Conceptual!model!of!hypotheses!!
DV
IV MV
Family Friendly Policies
1) Five day work week
2) Flextime
3) Family leave
4) Employee Assistance
Programs
Job Satisfaction
Turnover Intention
21. !
!
17!
2.7!Chapter!Summary!!
!
Work life balance adopts a number of guises within an organizational context,
and manifests in issues directly relating to operations or those relating to human
interaction and personality. Interestingly, ever-present factors such as culture also
play a role in how to get the right balance in the workplace and back home as well as
how it is managed. . In fact, the WLB is a global phenomenon and influences the
organizations worldwide.
Contemporary research has been carried out in the Europe and UK as well as
other countries, which supports its global relevance. (Gambles, 2006) included seven
countries, including UK and USA, in their research on three different generations of
women who showed signs of experiencing WLB challenges. The researchers
suggested that difficulties men and women experience when combining paid work
with other parts of life that can no longer be considered as purely personal, familial,
employer-based, or even national issues, these are global in nature and attract global
attention.
By exploring both the interior privacy orientations and exterior privacy
orientations created by these rules, we are able to explore the relationship between
privacy orientations and family and work-related outcomes. From theory to reality,
the concept becomes much more complex as contextual circumstances change the
landscape and alter the work life dynamic. For example, previous discussions of work
life balance for women typically revolved around balancing work demands with those
of raising children. People regulate the permeability of their privacy boundaries in a
given situation through an array of access and protection rules (Petronio, 2002).
Families with moderately permeable collective privacy boundaries enact a
wider range of behaviors related to privacy and disclosure, while often making
conscious choices about what information they share and whom they share it with.
Families who have high or low permeability orientations tend to employ more rigid
patterns of behavior, favoring either high disclosure or high privacy (Serewicz &
Canary, 2008). By exploring both the interior privacy orientations and exterior
privacy orientations created by these rules, we are able to explore the relationship
between privacy orientations and family and work-related outcome.
22. ! 18!
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.0!Chapter!Overview!
!
The purpose of the following chapter is to guide the reader through the design
of the research process that underpins this thesis. The chapter will firstly outline and
justify the chosen research philosophy, before providing insight and justification into
the data collection methods and analysis techniques that will be employed in the
completion of the overall research. Prior to doing so however, the first section of the
chapter will provide a brief insight into the framework that the author has selected;
the chapter is therefore structured in line with the chosen framework.
3.1!Research!design!
The research framework advocated by Saunders et al (2012) will inform the
design of the study’s underpinning methodology. The framework in question is the
'research onion' framework; the framework itself dictates that the research paradigm,
or philosophy, be the first 'layer' to be determined, with each subsequent layer
superseding the next, akin to an onion – hence the framework's name. In that respect,
the chosen research philosophy should be selected in line with the overall objectives
of the research, to maintain a cohesive and reliable piece of research. Ultimately, the
framework allows researchers to adopt a planned and structured method to academic
research, allowing for a greater sense of academic integrity and validity (Saunders et
al, 2012)
Figure 3.1: The Research 'Onion' adopted from Saunders et al (2012)
Research(Philosophies%
Research(
Approach%
Data$collection$
method%
23. !
!
19!
3.2!Research!philosophy!!
!
Upon conducting a thorough examination and evaluation of competing
philosophies within the research arena, an Interpretivist paradigm has been identified
as being the most suited to the aims and objectives of the study. Interpretivism differs
drastically from its more traditionalist sister philosophy, Positivism, in that is rejects
the notion of hard facts and figures and instead places primary importance on more
qualitative, rich data (Crotty 1998).
As such, Interpretivism is best suited to this study seeing as the research
revolves around the study of human behaviour and responses such as anger,
confusion, misunderstanding and frustration and the impact this has on the work life
balance policy by the HR professionals within the context of Malaysian organisations.
Such emotions are typical of those, which arise during workplace conflicts, especially
within more social contexts, such as projects (Jones and Deckro 1991). In this regard,
the research will aim to develop an understanding of the issues which contribute
towards the work life balance implementation within Malaysian organisations, as well
as the implications of said issues. More so, the resolutions, or lack thereof, of these
components by human resources professionals will be appraised and determined.
The proposed research occupies itself with the observance of a social
phenomenon, mainly, the factors behind, and the implications of work life balance
and the resolution of said approach by HR professionals. Said issues in this research
context are most commonly within groups such as projects, within a Malaysian
organizational background. In that respect, Jones and Deckro (1991) claim that it is
imperative to understand the make-up of groups, cultural differences and barriers, as
well as the assigned roles given to individuals within professional contexts in order to
fully gain an understanding of conflicts within groups, and their ultimate through the
development of conflict resolution frameworks (Jones and Deckro 1991). Human
resources professionals must therefore be appraised and assessed in regards to both
the development and application, of said conflict resolution frameworks.
24. ! 20!
In light of the above, Interpretivism as a research philosophy has been
chosen in keeping with the data collection techniques and methods of analysis that the
research proposes. As a major part of the research must be conducted with human
participants, primarily human resources professionals in order to understand and
analyse the approaches and implementation of work life balance within Malaysian
organisations, without human interaction the research objectives would be impossible
fulfil. Therefore it has been concluded that Interpretivism suits both the study and
the research context to the greatest extent.
3.3!Research!Approach!
!
With the research philosophy chosen, the Saunders et al's (2008) research
onion next layer consists of a research approach. Two of the most prominent research
approaches are that of qualitative and quantitative techniques (Myers 2007, Oates
2006). For the sake of this study, qualitative research suffices in the sense that
qualitative data is rich in insight and understanding, unlike quantitative data that
occupies itself with numbers and hard raw data materials (Willis 2007).
Qualitative techniques therefore provide a detailed, deeper understanding of
the research domain, with the ability to extract richer data (Myers 2007). Furthermore,
Oates (2006) suggests that qualitative techniques are suited to both primary and
secondary data. The current study will use both primary and secondary data collection
techniques, in order to collect data from a vast array of sources.
The primary sources that will be used within this study will be mainly
interviewees and questionnaires. Secondary sources include online publications,
journals, industry publications, core academic primers and newspapers also, as they
provide contemporary insight in to the research domain. It is prudent to note that all
secondary sources consulted are those that are available within the public domain.
25. !
!
21!
3.4!Data!Collection!!
!
In order to address the objectives of the study the researcher intends to engage
in a mixed methods study. This will involve both qualitative and quantitative
research approach resulting in the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data.
Myers (2008) states that a mixed method approach allows the researcher to engage in
a more detailed investigation, collecting data that can be effectively compared and
contrasted. Furthermore, such an approach can lead to a more reliable investigation,
as the researcher is forced into collecting and analyzing data from a number of
different sources, using a number of different data collection techniques (Myers
2008).
The blended strategy examination will be encouraged and bolstered through
essential and auxiliary exploration. The last will be sourced from information and data
accessible in the general population area and will be basically encouraged through the
Internet. The creator will likewise hope to get reports, where conceivable, from the
associations partaking in the essential exploration. As this information will
fundamentally be in content configuration, it will require subjective investigation the
points of interest of which is provided in the next section.
Primary research will center upon collecting data from multinational
organizations in Malaysia, which will be focusing more within the Kuala Lumpur
area, a breakdown of which is provided in the next chapter. Bryman and Bell (2011)
refer to the use of a mixed approach, comprising of qualitative and quantitative data,
as triangulation, which they assert, provides the research with greater validity and
credibility. The data collection techniques that will be used to collect the quantitative
and qualitative data will be a combination of questionnaires and interviews. The
former will be used to elicit data from employees within firms in Malaysia, whilst in
depth interviews will be used specifically to obtain data from HR managers and
professionals from the same organizations.
These firms will be sourced through the researcher's contacts in his home
country of Malaysia, as well as through friends, family and other acquaintances in the
country as well. The reason of setting this examination in the development area has
been given somewhere else in this exposition, however to condense, this is a
26. ! 22!
connection in which there are various partners inside of the association all with their
own particular hobbies and motivation. Such a situation is interested in misconception
and struggle, particularly given the inside and outer weights, and in this manner
speaks to a brilliant setting in which to investigate the issues of society upon peace
promotion.
The author will hope to use a snowballing procedure through which every
meeting will serve as a stage for the following. This will include returning to the past
interviewee where essential with a specific end goal to further investigate issues
raised, and in addition giving bearing to the following arrangement of meetings.
Meetings will be semi organized in nature, in this way permitting the interviewee to
manage the majority of the meeting. Admissible the author will record the meetings
and interpret it verbatim later, with respondents needed to sign an assent structure
affirming their intentional investment in the study.
!
3.5!Data!Analysis!!
!
The research will however adopt a dual pronged approach to data analysis
given that in addition to interviews; a questionnaire will also be administered to
employees within the organizations in question. The questionnaire will therefore be
analyzed using quantitative techniques; a statistical approach will therefore be
employed to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaires. Statistical software
package such as SPSS will therefore be used to examine patterns and correlations that
are present in the data. The dependence upon statistical analyses has therefore played
a fundamental role in informing the author’s decision when developing the
questionnaire.
As a result, to facilitate more effective data collection, the questionnaire will
wholly consist of close questions, whereby respondents will be presented with
multiple-choice questions. Closed questions are therefore regarded as being the mode
effective in generating workable and valid quantitative data (Dunsmuir and Willis
1992, Myers 2007). A thematic approach will be employed to analyse the interview
data; thematic analyses are most suited to qualitative data, which is devoid of figures,
numbers and statistics (Creswell 2012, Bryman and Bell 2011).
27. !
!
23!
Qualitative data, unlike its quantitative counterpart tends to require a greater
degree of interpretation, as it is not always possible to ‘spot’ correlations and patterns
due to the lack of numerical focus. A thematic approach therefore allows researchers
to note common themes and pattern that emerge amongst interviewees; these themes
are subsequently presented in a case study whereby each theme will be expounded
further. This research expects to use the idea of information "canisters" or categories,
which are gotten from the information itself, as the exploration participates in an
iterative procedure of recognizing subjects and patterns from the information and
allocating them to these classifications. This will permit the key issues identifying
with society and struggle to rise specifically from the information gathered, as
opposed to for issues to falsely surface through a more organized, controlled
examination approach (Bryman and Bell 2011). The research will therefore be more
data driven, with the author engaging in a simultaneous process of analysis and
interpretation.
In addition, the data will be analysed using principles from Grounded Theory.
Grounded Theory is a research approach in which the researcher looks to let the data
determine the direction of the research (Myers 2008). It varies from different
methodologies in that it is does not take after an organized or successive methodology
in which the scientist has a reasonable arrangement of targets, got from a hypothetical
position distinguished from the writing and hopes to assess this position through the
information gathered. Grounded Theory operates in reverse, allowing the 'theory' to
emerge from the data itself and is therefore less structured (Myers 2008).
In keeping with the snowballing interview approach stated previously,
utilizing a Grounded Theory approach will involve the results and interpretation of
one interview dictating the direction of the next and will continue until either the
researcher has exhausted his interview options or until new relevant data cannot be
generated (Myers 2008). This is referred to as the saturation point.
28. ! 24!
3.6!Chapter!Summary!
!
Now that the research methodology has been established and justified, the
next section will look to present the empirical findings of the research. Said findings
will be presented within a case study format, which will allow the themes that arose
from the interviews to be explored and analysed. In addition to the interview data the
data derived from the questionnaires will also be presented within the two-part case
study.
29. !
!
25!
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
4.0!Chapter!Overview!!
!
The fourth part of this study will exhibit the key discoveries that have risen up
out of the essential exploration endeavors. The opening segment of the section gives a
brief foundation into the examination members taking after this; the discoveries from
the meetings will firstly be exhibited, by unmistakable topics that have risen as an
exploration's consequence. These themes in turn mainly center on the attitudes
relating to family friendly policies as well as current approaches employed by the
organizations in managing and addressing work life balance. The later part of this
chapter will detail the findings of the questionnaire and provide perspective to the
overall research findings as the questionnaires will provide insight into employee
opinions and attitudes towards conflict.
!
4.1!Background!to!research!participants!
!
The interview sample was made up of a total of 6 participants, from a total of
3 companies. Prior to the data collection process, a total of 6 companies were
contacted, from which only 3 agreed to take part in the study. The interviews were
conducted in person and arranged at the convenience of the research participants.
Each interview lasted approximately 10 minutes and both the companies and research
participants have been granted anonymity due to their requests whilst personal details
relating to specific locations and specific job titles have been withheld. It is once
again important to note that all the companies contacted and those who agreed to take
part in the study were based in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur area. Total duration of
interviews conducted was therefore 30 minutes (See Appendix One for Interview
questions)
30. ! 26!
Whilst personal information relating to the interviewees has been withheld, the
following table presents a brief summary of the interview participants containing
information that was deemed permissible by the research participants.
Table 4.1: A summary of the interviewed participants
Participant
Number
Company Nationality Gender Job level
1 Company A Malaysian Male Senior Human
Resource
Coordinator
2 Company A Malaysian Female Supply Chain
Executive
3 Company B American Female HRM Support
Specialist
4 Company B Malaysian Male Business
Development
Associate
5 Company C German Female Training and
development
Executive
6 Company C Malaysian Female HR Generalist
31. !
!
27!
4.2!Analysis!of!Interview!
4.2.1!Attitude!towards!a!balance!working!system!
The first set of interview questions sought to determine the participants
towards work life balance, from the responses given, a discernable divide emerged
amongst the respondents. The divide was not necessarily clear initially and came to
light during discussions with participants who were originated here in the Malaysia.
In this respect, during engagements with interviewees 1 and 2, it emerged that work
life balance was not necessarily regarded as being a pressing issue, as the interviews
believed that often, employees would overcome any differences and resolve any
dissatisfaction amongst themselves within the organization, in their opinion, work life
balance was a minor issue and rarely required intervention.
The above opinion and attitudes were not necessarily restricted to the same
company, rather similar interviewees 5 and 6 exhibited views. In this respect, when
prompted and asked about how they manage work life balance within the company,
both these interviews suggested that it is not necessarily foremost concern for them.
Statements such as further evidence relate to this:
____________________________________________________________________
“Work life balance is not really a huge problem for us, I am not saying it does not
being implemented but on the whole we are very laid back and this is reflected in both
our organizational and national cultures. Our company works and operates in a
unique way; we don’t have very rigid rules or required employees to abide by a strict
code of conduct. We have an open door policy here and I think our employees reflect
our core values. In working place, when we do encounter different job requirement
and over workloads, we do rely or arbitration and intervention from third parties,
such is the nature of our industry”
Interviewee 5
32. ! 28!
This view whilst common, was not necessarily ubiquitous amongst the
interviewees, interestingly, alternative opinions were provided by interviewees 3 and
4 who stated that work life balance, much to their dismay, occurred within their firms
however by the time they were made aware of it, intervention was futile. When
prompted, both the interviewees, who incidentally were interviewed at the same time,
added that details relating to specific occurrences of work life balance commonly
emerged when there are turnover intentions from the employees themselves that they
felt dissatisfied and contributes towards the morale of the particular individual, which
is not up to the task. Therefore, it will eventually affect his or her department
performance within the organization. When prompted, it was stated that:
____________________________________________________________________
“In all honestly, we as HR professionals are often brainstorming and figuring out the
best possible way to implement when it comes to work life balance. What I mean by
this is that details relating to interpersonal conflict on projects or between staff
members have commonly been brought to our attention once it has occurred. For
example, in my last exit interview, where one of our very promising young talent sat
down with me for his exit appraisal revealed that his decision to leave the company
had been promoted due to a unresolved conflict with another staff member, which
occurred during one of our projects. The conflict had a lasting impact on this
employee who revealed that it was never actually addressed. I mean this is such as
shame and we were quite disappointed that it was never really brought to our
attention”
Interviewee 3
__________________________________________________________________
Interviewee 4 also offered an interesting perspective as he added that when he
has ‘gotten wind’ of the conflict, often there appears to be a sense of reluctance
amongst employees to address this immediately. This apparent reluctance as also
touched upon by interviewees 2 and 5 who state that they have a considerable amount
of experience with managing human resources and they found that the employees
were often uncooperative when HR professionals sought to intervene. This latter
factor relating to a lack of employee cooperation and feedback when it came to
33. !
!
29!
conflict management, relating to job satisfaction was a common theme amongst
Malaysian employees.
Attitudes towards a balance work life system were therefore distinct in this
regard as HR professionals did not necessarily regard finding the right balance as
being a major issue, whilst having a more harmony and unity among the employee
themselves could really played vital part on establishing a more solid unit and morale
in terms of their job satisfaction. Furthermore, Malaysians employee are also likely to
be indirect in their communication styles, further exasperating the management
process and complicating matters for HR professionals who are not necessarily
familiar with this aspect of local culture.
4.2.2!Common!sources!of!turnover!intentions!
Whilst attitudes to a balance work life differed, the interviewees did
acknowledge that they were aware of some common sources of turnover intentions
and added that for them, interpersonal conflict between members of staff were not
necessarily common, rather it was projected related conflicts that most commonly
impacted the organization. Furthermore, some interviews stated that in the event that
interpersonal conflict did occur, there was a possibility that the source was a
disagreement relating to the working operations or the management of the company in
terms what they can offer.
The HR professionals however provided opinion, which clarified a number of
stances taken previously and provided greater clarity into passive views taken on
work life balance. In this respect, interviewee 2 stated that the company had a
feedback channel in place that staffs were able to express views; this feedback
channel was available on the Internet however it was seldom used. The researcher
sought clarification and asked if the feedback channel allowed for anonymity to be
held, however this was not the case.
34. ! 30!
From the staff that had used the channel, the HR professional stated that she
noticed that younger, less experienced members, to whom she referred as juniors,
often displayed hesitancy in providing their opinions on operations and how they
should be executed. The interviewee went on to provide clarity, stating that;
____________________________________________________________________
“In my opinion I feel that the current approach to work life balance and turnover
intention is not one that is particularly healthy. From the feedback I received, it
seems as though younger members are reluctant to voice their opinions out of fear
offending more experienced members in the organization. I think what has happened
is that in many cases, the organizational structure mirrors that of a family, whereby
senior members are likely to be correct and know what is best, however with this
attitude we will miss out on new solutions and innovations as ideas are important to
us. For example, a younger member held back recently on providing important info as
it countered what the resource manager had said. The resource managers himself is
a very agreeable person and would have had no issue in hearing this feedback as we
work towards what is best for our firm. Reluctance stemming from cultural practices
unfortunately impact on employee interactions and contribute to tension in the
organization which later contributes towards turnover intention among the
employees”
Interviewee 2
As far as the present research is concerned however, it emerged that the HR
professionals as issues did not necessarily regard issues, which they felt contributed to
or were responsible for the turnover intentions. In this respect, the interview
participants were in consensus with one another in that hard conflicts would not
necessarily emerge due to cultural reasons as Malaysians were more likely to let
things ‘go’ rather than confront one another, particularly senior staff members on any
issues or procedures that they felt were not necessarily correct. On this matter,
interviewees 1,2,3,4, offered interesting insight; the participants added that despite
having long standing experience in human resource management, they had
encountered a considerable number of challenges during their roles within the
35. !
!
31!
organization. The participants stated that they had experienced several challenges
when it came to managing and addressing turnover intentions as the result from
dissatisfaction from the employees. The participants referred to instances when an
employee had raised concern regarding certain procedures, only to be met with
tension and silence. Interviewee 5 who added that provided further insight, which is:
____________________________________________________________________
“Some of the expats in the company are not necessarily fully aware of the cultural
protocol present in the country. Malaysians value of politeness and civility very
highly and have a very different approach to addressing conflict and intentions. You
will not get anywhere kicking and screaming and instead learn the hard way.
Malaysians enjoy conversation and negotiation and the concept of being direct or
painfully blunt, is not necessarily one that is favored in this country. Expats are not
often aware of this and may therefore make statements or voice discontent in a
manner which offends their colleagues, however the nature of the culture means that
employees are less likely to engage in discourse around disagreement”
Interviewee 5
“I myself have tried to use an approach to resolving or addressing employees on their
turnover intention when I have been made aware of it and found that a direct
approach, such as those favored in the States and Western Europe are not necessarily
appropriate here. There is a risk that even more conflict may be created as a result.
I think an important lesson to learn from this is that it is integral that we has human
resource professionals consider the context and environment in which our operations
take place”
Interviewee 3
In this respect, from the discussions with the research participants, it emerged
that culture and working environment was prominent area as far are sources of were
concerned. The presence of culture meant that when emerged, turnover intention was
likely to be avoided and unresolved conflict contributed high levels of tension.
Furthermore, it emerged that culture also influenced communication, as channels of
communication were likely to be impacted due to unresolved conflict. Interestingly,
36. ! 32!
the interviewees did not necessarily point to specific issues such as resource and
knowledge related to the intentions. Rather culture remained the predominant issue as
far as the firms operating in this country were concerned. This is very much in
keeping with the likes of Qu and Cheng (2013), Liang et al (2012) and Dada (2012).
More specifically, Behfar et al (2006) add that the highly projective firms as well as
those who employ individuals from a wide range of backgrounds will fore mostly
experience challenges relating to culture.
4.2.3!Turnover!intention!resolution!strategies!!
From the literature, a number of turnover resolution strategies emerged
including mediation and logrolling. When asked about resolution strategies, the
participants revealed that they were aware of the available resolution strategies
however these were not necessarily applicable to the context in which they operated.
It was stated that for mediation to be effective, it would be necessary for the
parties involved to be present and both voice their concerns and views. It emerged
that the model itself was not popularized within the organization in the country and
knowledge was relatively scant as far as the existence of the model was concerned. A
number of participants did however state that an appropriate turnover resolution
model would have to take into account the diverse and growingly multicultural work
force in the organization itself. To elaborate, interviewee 3 stated that:
____________________________________________________________________
“Whilst the model such as the one you just mentioned would certainly be useful, it is
necessary to note that the globalized nature of the world means that we are constantly
looking to develop and grow through the input and ideas from people from all walks
of life. I just feel that such as model, whilst useful, may alienate members from
difference cultures”
Interviewee 3
37. !
!
33!
At this stage, it is prudent to note that the author then provided the interviewee
with a brief insight into the proposed model and upon doing so, the interviewee
appeared to have become more accepting of the model, adding that it had ‘some
potential’. More specifically, the interviewee stated that the model would have to be
incorporated into company policy however certain factors would have to be
emphasized across the organization in order to focus on the importance of
communication. Ultimately, the interviewee felt that for issues need to be
appropriately addressed, as it would be necessary for employees to be educated into
turnover strategies, its impacts as well as the potential it holds to bring about positive
change. This is further evidenced in statement such as:
“I agree we do need an overhaul and at least a new set of guidelines to help us
overcome the current difficulties that we continue to experience. Ultimately, we need
to incorporate this into our organizational policy, and perhaps in the long run,
organizational culture. If not, I envisage that these challenges will be compounded
further if something is not done to address this as we have a growingly international
body of staff, who are likely to butt heads if they are not on the same page as far as
issues is concerned”
Interviewee 2
____________________________________________________________________!
The interviewees did reveal that the company did have a distinct set of
turnover resolution strategies relating to specific issues that were likely to occur
including cost and resource conflicts as well as administrative issues. It emerged that
these issues were likely to emerge during project or when the task was given out to
the team and department. But however despite having a resolution policy in place, HR
was seldom changed expected to resolve such issues. Reasons for this centered on the
fact that there was an implicit sense of agreement within the department or team,
which reflected on the task of the project manager and the project manager alone.
38. ! 34!
In this respect, it emerged that often project managers would contact HR to
gain a broader insight into policies and procedures as far as turnover resolution was
concerned. When asked if these issues highlighted by the project manager were
documented, a number of interviewees revealed that they did not necessarily officially
log these events. This is further revealed in statements such as:
____________________________________________________________________
“Project managers or the supervisor are expected to deal with the minor issues that
occur within the team, if the issue is with stakeholders outside the organization, we
are likely to involve our legal teams for advice in order to ensure minimal disruption.
I do think however that it would be useful to not only document these issues when they
occur but potentially ask the manager or the supervisor to provide insight into how
she or he dealt with the situation. At the moment, we focus a lot on turnover
resolution but however I do feel that issues within the management requires more
attention”
Interviewee 4
Over half the interviewees made the distinction between turnover resolution
and issues within the management. Turnover resolution according to these interviews
was just as integral issues of the management in their view. Interviewee 4 in
particular elaborated that whilst turnover resolution helped to minimize conflict
within the organization, issues within the management was effective in bringing about
change and ideas.
The interviewee went on to clarify that conflict was healthy to some degree
and that current policy did not necessarily address this. Instead policies focused on
minimizing and resolving conflict. In keeping with this, interviewee 3 also agreed
and stated that conflict management was an integral component to turnover resolution
but however this thinking was yet to make its way into company policy. Both
interviewees provided insight from their own departments and experience, adding
that:
39. !
!
35!
“Our department does not necessarily follow a very rigid structure. In HR we all
have an immense amount of appreciation and mutual respect of one another. We
regard ourselves as being agreeable and understanding and having spent over 4
years working together, we are not afraid to make our views and opinions known.
What I mean by this is that our department is not necessarily reflective of the
organization as a whole however in my experience, hearing out differing and
contrasting views and not taking these personally plays a huge part in problem
solving. For example, I may decide to approach a task in a certain way, but my
colleague who has prior experience of the task I am undertaking may some input my
sharing his past experience, which would help me better understand the task at hand.
We may butt heads at first- who knows but at the end, at least we had several options
from which to choose. In an age where costs, time and quality rule and in an industry
where these factors are heightened, I would say that arguments can be very positive,
however the challenge lies in managing these issues for successful outcomes. ”
Interviewee 4
In addition to this, interview participants 5 and 6 also stated that they felt that
turnover resolutions could yield positive outcomes but however the participants stated
that they felt that not all issues would be able to facilitate positive outcomes. The
participants were therefore keen to highlight the fact that it was necessary to
recognize or at least delineate between constructive and destructive conflict, adding
that certain sources of issues could bring about positive change whereby negative
arguments may impact on entire departments negatively if not addressed instantly and
efficiently. It was later clarified that this meant that inter-personal issues such as
those relating to personality clashes were more likely to have negative consequences.
40. ! 36!
4.3!Questionnare!Analysis!!
As mentioned previously, a total of 100 usable questionnaires were collected
from the 3 organisations that took part in the study. The author made use of Google
Forms to developed the questionnaire and ensures successful distribution; the online
survey tool was chosen due to the ease in which it facilitated the delivery of the
questionnaire. A total of 100 responses were initially returned to the author however
10 of the questionnaire were deemed to be unusable due to them being incomplete, as
certain questions had been skipped. The results below have been analysed using
statistical software package SPSS (See Appendix Two for Questionnaire).
Satisfaction working in The Company (Overall)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Dissatisfied 6 10.0 10.0 10.0
Neutral 38 30.0 30.0 40.0
Satisfied 52 53.3 53.3 93.3
Very satisfied 4 6.7 6.7 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
In order to determine whether how the employees viewed the issue of
satisfaction differently, I decided to analyse whether there were any difference based
on the choices from the scale of dissatisfied up to very satisfied within the data. The
first test sought to determine the percentage on wether there was any link between job
satisfaction and the family friendly policies relate positively extent to which their
motivation was effected by the variable. As the Table 4.2 illustrates, there’s a very
high response from the employee on how they felt on their company and based on the
table it showed that majority of them are satisfied on what they have been offered and
treated on their respective companies.
41. !
!
37!
Correlation between Family friendly policies and the morale affecting the
employees
Family policies Morale Effect
Family Policies Pearson Correlation 1.00 .128
Sig. (2-tailed) .328
N 100 100
Morale Effect Pearson Correlation .128 1.00
Sig. (2-tailed) .328
N 100 100
Similar results were shown when determining if the Family friendly policies
were ikely to indicate the extent to which morale are being affected. The results to
the two above tests indicate that the policies of the company towards the employees
working within the organization, or more specifically, a person working in company
with an different organisational culture, is unlikely to have any significance on the
way in which they view and react to the policies in an organisation.
Correlation between job satisfaction and employee turnover intention
Job satisfaction Turnover intention
Job satisfaction Pearson Correlation 1.00 -.158
Sig. (2-tailed) .229
N 100 100
Turnover intention Pearson Correlation -.158 1.00
Sig. (2-tailed) .229
N 100 100
42. ! 38!
Having established the fact that family friendly policies has no real
significance, the next test sought to establish whether there is a link between how a
person perceives on their job satisfactory and the extent to which he or she able to
work in a conflicting environment that leads to turnover intention. Through a
Pearson's Correlation it is possible to see that there is a strong link between these two
factors thereby leading this analysis to conclude that people who perceive their job
scope as negative are more likely to find it difficult to work when there is conflict
occurs.
This has implications upon their productivity if the majority of people
perceive conflict to be negative which will eventually led to turnover intentions.
Unfortunately for the local working culture here in Malaysia, the majority of people
surveyed stated that they see job satisfactory as being a subjective thing, saying that it
really depends on how the company or the management really handle and taking a
good care of their employees welfare while avoiding away from turnover intentions
from the employees. Thereby indicating that they will find it easier to quit when there
is satisfactory on their job.
In order to establish the implications of Family friendly policies job
satisfaction, and thereby highlight the importance of addressing conflict by HR, the
next test examined the extent to which people acted postiviely or the opposite towards
to policy and the extent to which there motivation and satisfaction are effected when
the needs are being fulfilled. The majority of respondents (96%) stated that they were
satisfied on what they have received so far from their company.
As such, there is a very strong correlation between family friendly policies and
impact on job satisfaction and motivation, thereby indicating that most people aim to
satisfied with the policies given and it arises when it is being fulfilled as it was a
significant impact upon their motivation and job satisfactory throughout.
43. !
!
39!
Correlation between Family friendly policies and job satisfaction
Family policies Job satisfaction
Family policies Pearson Correlation 1.00 -.148
Sig. (2-tailed) .260
N 100 100
Job satisfaction Pearson Correlation -.148 1.00
Sig. (2-tailed) .260
N 100 100
4.4!Implication!of!Findings!!
!
From the findings, it could be concluded that overall the HR professionals
consulted during the primary research phase were revealed to have a somewhat
‘passive’ approach and strategy to work life balance management. More interestingly
however, the lack of involvement of HR in area such this was mainly seen as the role
of the supervisor or the manager. Initial research into the area of study revealed that
HR professionals across the globe called for greater skills on managing work life
balance management, as this was regarded as being even more of an challenge for HR
professionals in the professional sector, who felt that this was an area that was
considerably unbalanced and need some solid guidance to it. The findings of the
present study thus echo those of global recruitment as it emerged that work life
balance management was an area which HR professionals were relatively have to be
selective from.
The results revealed from the questionnaire, further supported this notion as a
number of staff felt that work life balance was crucial to increase the levels of
motivation experienced whilst an alarming number of professionals also revealed that
they had at one point in their careers considered leaving their employers due to a
dissatisfaction that emerged from lack of management. In addition to this, the
interviews revealed that the latter was a major fear and concern amongst the
professionals as often, insight into the impact as well as existence of work life balance
44. ! 40!
in their organisation start to sent a wake up call to the employer to realized once
employees had decided to leave the organisation. These findings in particular echo
the opinion presented by the likes of Jiang et al (2013) and Liang et al (2012) who
stated that conflict had a tendency to ‘spiral’ out of control if not addressed and
managed effectively. Furthermore, Binder (2012) states that conflict cannot simply
be ignored as within an organisational context, it has the ability to impact upon
motivation and productivity as well as the overall health of an employee (Binder
2012).
As a result, conflict was more likely to be ignored than addressed. Liang et al
(2012) offer an interesting insight, adding that conflict is likely to be avoided in
homogenous cultures, however as teams and groups become more culturally
heterogeneous, the likelihood of conflict is likely to increase (Liang et al 2012). The
findings provided within this chapter are highly reflective of the above assertions as it
emerged that the Malaysians home to a growing number of expats, who as highlighted
within the primary research are likely to counter issues in their own manner in line
with their cultural framework. This in itself is likely to compound challenge within
organisations in which cultural avoidance is the norm. This is aptly reflected in
statements made by Liang et al (2012) who add that “social interaction among diverse
individuals can lead to the emergence of new insights and effective learning that
elevate team performance or add to detrimental conflict that detracts from effective
performance of tasks” (Liang et al 2012:732). This further highlights the relative
disenchantment between HR and the work life balance management as HR
professionals in the region themselves are not homogenous in their make-up, it is
interesting to note that 40% of the interview participants were non-local.
45. !
!
41!
4.5!Chapter!Summary!!
The fourth chapter of the study has sought to provide an in depth insight into
the attitudes and opinions of HR professionals in the Malaysian generally on oil and
gas sector. From the key themes that emerged, it can be regarded that family policies
has played a key role in not only determining job satisfactory towards turnover
intention, but also how these intentions are being managed and addressed. Despite
this, it has come to light that work life balance can be positive however prior to
identifying effective strategies, it would be necessary to bring about change to
existing culture within the organization firms in question.
Having provided the key themes that emerged from the research efforts, this
next chapter will seek to draw the entire research to a close by outlining the
limitations of the study as well as areas of further research, before doing so however,
the study will seek reflect upon the initial objectives set in order to determine the
extent to which they have been fulfilled successfully.
46. ! 42!
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
5.0!Chapter!Overview!!
!
This chapter will outline the limitations of the present research as well as
examine how the research can be furthered in future. Prior to doing so however, a
brief reflection of the research objectives will be provided in order to examine the
extent to which these have been achieved.
5.1!Review!of!Objectives!!
!
• Identify and analyse the types of policies on the relationship between
family friendly policies and employees job satisfaction:
From the literature it emerged that a number of factors were likely to contribute
towards conflict within organisations. These factors are covered extensively in
organisational behaviour and project management related literature and can
commonly be delineated into hard and soft issues. The hard issues typically relate to
process and operations, and emerge as a result of different opinions on schedules,
budgets, resources and more specifically, work processes. Softer issues on the other
hand were directly related to humanistic issues and included knowledge of policies as
well as those arising from clashes in opinion and a lack of communication or in many
cases, miscommunication. More recent streams of literature revealed that culture also
played a considerable role in work life balance and this was a growing phenomenon
as a result of globalisation. The oil and gas sector, given its highly projectised nature
is susceptible to all these issues however unlike other sectors, the nature of the sector
is likely to heighten the occurrence of work life balance management.
• Determine how can the policies contribute towards organisational goals:
The outcome of this study shows comparative finding with different past
inquires about. The whole family amicable arrangements were observed to be
absolutely identified with occupation fulfillment and to be contrarily identified with
47. !
!
43!
turnover aim. The idea of "mental contracts" by Rousseau (1995) may offer a
clarification of this finding. Since mental contracts allude to convictions that
individual hold with respect to guarantees made, acknowledged and depended upon in
the middle of themselves and another.
Aside from that, Crooker and Grover (1993) additionally exhibited that giving
family advantages to representatives absolutely impacts their connection to work
through the typical activity. Since boss gave strategies that were receptive to
representatives’ need. Workers may contribute with more noteworthy dedication to
the association and better confidence in light of the offering of such family agreeable
arrangements. Based upon the thought that family amicable arrangements speak to a
part of the agreement in the middle of worker and business in the past writing, it is
normal the view of family well-disposed approaches to be identified with occupation
fulfillment. In this way, the above noteworthy relations are clarified.
• Determine how employee turnover intention is currently managed in
order to negate its impact upon organisations:
The projectised nature of the sector means that project managers are expected
to deal with internal conflict to the organisations, whilst HR follow company policy
when it comes to the management of issues with external stakeholders. That said
however, overall attitudes towardswork life balance emerged as being relatively
passive. A number of factors contributed to the passive stance adopted, the most
prominent of which related to the context. The organisations were situated in the
South East Asia and influenced by the local culture, which in turn is a challege to
achieve work life balance due to the mentality and mindset. In addition to high levels
of avoidance, the literature review revealed that the oil and gas was charactersied by a
highly culture which increased the likelihood of conflict decreased work life balance
to achieve. The interview participants who added that they felt that the current
organisational culture was not necessarily conducive to the effective management of
culture, as this was dependent on a more open and communicative culture picked this
up.
48. ! 44!
• Develop a work life balance resolution framework by HR professionnals:
Developing a work-life balance policy and practices is a strategic change process.
There are five suggested stages of intervention:
1. 1 Undertake work-life balance assessment and needs analysis. ("Where are we
now?")
2. Develop a strategic approach to work-life balance. ("Where do we want to
be?")
3. Plan and implement a work-life balance plan. ("How do we get there?")
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of work-life balance initiatives. (Review of "How
we got there".)
5. Review the work-life balance needs and develop strategic approach. (Review
of "Where are we now?" and "Where do we want to be?").
49. !
!
45!
The model founded on the principles of the conceptual model from New
Zealand State Service Comission of achieving the right approach towards work life
balance. It begins with the stating phase in which the HR representative undertake and
asess the grievances of each party, without judgment and without making either party
feels as though they are in the right or wrong, a neutral position is thus always
maintained. This is followed by the stage in which you develop the right formula and
strategy on where the company want to be with a strategic approach of the framework
towards work life balance whereby is acknowledged by both parties, and that both
parties have played a role in facilitating the concept and idea. The next stage is the
central aspect of the framework in which each party will then plan and and eventually
implement the concept throughout the organization on the review of how the
company tend to be as a whole in terms of the working process and productivity.
However, it is usually at this stage that it is anticipated that things may get heated but
HR’s role is to ensure that each part listens to the other party and ensure that there is
engaged dialogue.
Next stage, after the implementation is being done the company will then have
to evaluate on how the framework has effected the job satisfaction from the
employees. Surveys or interview can be done to receive opinions from the employees
and based on this result the company can evaluate the effectiveness of the concept
wether it is to be taken forward or change the strategy and approach towards work life
balance. Lastly, the HR professionals from respective companies will then sit down
and discuss on the process on the framework on wether it impacted the employees
behavior and morale towards their working productivity. The HR personnels will also
review on where they are now as the concept take place and how can they move
forward from there.
This is vital since the HR personnel will then make a analysis on the relating it
towards the company objectives and also finding the right balance of the employees
turnover intentions and welfare. The model is therefore grounded in both the findings
of the literature review as well as the opinions presented by the interviewees. The
foremost variable accompanying the framework however the separation of the
50. ! 46!
national culture from organisational culture as this is is seen as being a major inhibitor
within the region as far as the resolution and management of work life balance is
concerned.
!
5.2!Limitations!of!the!research!!
!
Whilst we have discussed the ways in which the research has addressed its
objectives and therefore addressed its aims, it is not to say that this research is
ignorant of this potential limitation. These predominantly centre on the data
collection, on the basis of which the conclusions are draw. The South East Asia, and
Malaysia in particular, are subject to significant investment, which in turn has resulted
in a spate of oil and gas projects. The sheer volume of petroleum projects initiates,
and the corresponding number of companies makes the sample size of this research
look relatively small. A potential limitation of the research therefore is the extent to
which generalisations can be made about the HR departments of the oil and gas firms
in the sector on the basis of 6 interviews and 60 questionnaires.
More specifically, it is possible to draw generalisations from a dataset
originating from 3 companies? This may potentially be considered a limitation, as the
survey has done just this, however it is supported insomuch that has interpretivist
study in which conclusions are developed on the basis of the researcher's own
understanding and insight. Nevertheless this may be considered a limitation of the
study and one, which confines the conclusions to a narrow band of organisations.
Another potential issue centres on language. The author’s first language is Malay,
whilst so is that of a number of the research participants. The interviews where
therefore conducted and transcribed in Malay and later translated into English by the
author. Additional interviews of non Malaysian nationals were conducted in English,
therefore the results of the interview process was two sets of transcripts, one capturing
the comments of the interviews as they were expressed and the other converted into
English by the author thereby leaving scope for mistranslation or misrepresentation.
51. !
!
47!
5.3!Areas!of!further!research!!
Whilst the focus of the study was on solely Malaysia, there will be space doe
other countries in the South East Asia region can be examine too in order to have a
larger view of working towards the right balance in the work place. As such it would
be useful to gain more robust insight into the research area by examining more than
one country alone in the region in order to determine if there is a degree of
convergence between the regions in keeping with this study. Additionally, the study
could be furthered by looking to pilot the framework developed in a small
organisation in order to continue its evolution and refinement and determine its
effectiveness.
5.4!Overall!Conclusion!!
This study has examined the HR approach to work life balance resolution and
management in the South East Asia with specific focus on Malaysia, and on the basis
of which it has sought to understand and evaluate how culture in particular underpins
the way in which conflict is managed. As such, it has emerged that in order for work
life balance to be managed successfully, it is necessary to limit the influence of
variables such as culture upon the organisation.
The finding of this study shows family friendly policies to have a significant
positive relation with job satisfaction and negative relation with turnover intention.
The significant impact of whole family friendly policies to job satisfaction is mainly
from five day workweek policy and employee assistance programs. There is no
support for flextime and family leave polices even they are two components of entire
family friendly policies. The finding of this study indicates that the relationship
between family friendly policies and turnover intention were partially mediated by job
satisfaction. The benefits to the organization for adopting more family friendly
policies are clear, to gain a healthy and productive workforce. The findings of this
study support and encourage more family friendly workplaces in Malaysia. It serves
as reference for organization to propose more effective policies in the future.
52. ! 48!
In light of this of however, upon completion of the research, the author is
filled with immense pride and fulfillment having countered and overcome all the
challenges faced during the completion of the study. By completing the research, the
author has been able to develop a range of new skills as well as hone existing ones,
which he feels will be invaluable during the next phase life as throughout. Throughout
this sort of the particular organizational fact, each HR department associated with
modest as well as major organizations would need to fully grasp the benefit associated
with WLB along with begin any aggressive technique towards institutionalizing any
WLB system to increase the particular achievement along with determination between
their personnel. The idea ought to include those positive aspects in it's system, that
make the organization more attractive along with help support the nearly all skilled
personnel.
WLB is usually a growing reason for problem for those stakeholders in
addition to there's a must do this more religiously in the firm levels to be able to
search for a mutually advantageous option to the corporations as well as the workers
over time. The actual change inside operating behavior in addition to modifying
thought patterns in the workforce require a in-depth investigation to build a
comprehensive comprehension of the theory in addition to by using your WLB like a
strategy and so that will not complete as being a gimmick however stay a ingredient
in the people management policy framework. Using a arranged WLB framework in
the firm levels, since recommended in this particular report, will really help to make
your initiation regarding these kinds of attempt inside right path.
53. !
!
49!
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Appendix I: Interview Questions
Interview Questions
1. What is your job title/ role?
2. Based on your experience, how would you define work life balance?
3. What are common types of policies in your organisation?
4. Do you think culture plays a role towars achieving work life balance system as
a whole?
5. How do you describe your job satisfory?
6. What are the factors that could impact towards turnover intentions upon your
organisation?
7. Can work life balance be positive?
8. What do you think needs to be done to ensure more effective management of
employee’s welfare if not already effectively managed?
58. ! 54!
Appendix II: Questionnaire
Work life balance on job satisfaction and turnover intentions
This questionnaire has been made using google forms, which will have the
respondents to answer the questions online. Below are the questions that have been
allocated to the respondents:
1) Gender
o Male
o Female
2) Age
o 18 - 25
o 26 - 32
o 32 - 40
o 41 and above
3) How long have you worked for (Company)
o Less than 3 months
o 3 months - 1 year
o 1 - 3+ years
o 4 - 6+ years
o 7 - 10+ years
o 10+ years
4) Select your department
o Sales
o Human Resource
o Marketing
o Customer service
o General Administration
o IT & Engineering
o Other:
5) Salary (Estimation)
o 2000 - 2500
o 2600 - 3200
o 3300 - 3800
o 3800 and above
59. !
!
55!
6) Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree
Strongly
agree
a) The Company
clearly conveys its
mission to its
employees.
c) I have tools and
resources I need to do
my job.
d) I am aware of the
advancement
opportunities in The
Company for me.
e) The amount of work
expected of me is
reasonable.
f) It is easy to get along
and adapt with the
working culture and
colleagues.
g) The morale within
the company is high.
h) There is a good
communication
between employees to
managers in The
Company.
i) There is a good
communication
between managers to
employee in The
Company.
7) Overall, how satisfied are you working in The Company?
o Very dissatisfied
o Dissatisfied
o Neutral
o Satisfied
o Very satisfied
8) Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements:
Strongly
disagree
Somewhat
disagree
Neutral
Somewhat
agree
Strongly
agree
a) The Company
working days are
standardise for five
days a week.
b) I am flexible with the
working protocol and
procedures.
60. ! 56!
Strongly
disagree
Somewhat
disagree
Neutral
Somewhat
agree
Strongly
agree
c) My job gives me the
opportunity to learn.
d) I receive the right
amount of leaves
(family leave, annual
leave, etc.)
e) I am given a
reasonable assistance
and resources
(consultation, etc.)
9) Does the family friendly policies above affects your morale to work?
o Extremely disagree
o Disagree
o Neutral
o Agree
o Strongly agree
10) Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements:
Completely
dissatisfied
Somewhat
dissatisfied
Neutral
Somewhat
satisfied
Completely
satisfied
a) Your base pay?
b) Your bonus and
increment?
c) The retirement
plan?
d) Your possibilities
for future career
progression at The
Company?
e) The process used
to determine
promotion?
f) The vacation time
receive?
g) Other benefits
offered by The
Company?
