Vol.04,Special Issue 07, (RAISMR-2019) November 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
A STUDY ON WORK LIFE BALANCE OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
1Meenakshi Maheshwari,
Research Scholar, Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University Jaipur
2Dr. Mini Amit Arrawatia,
Professor, Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University Jaipur
Abstract:- The paper titled “A Study on work life balance of women employees in information technology industry” is a study of work life and family life balance of women employees.With increase in demands at work place and at home, the work- life balance of women employees is at stake. Employees working in various sectors are having a disturbed work-life balance leading to increasing number of divorces, strained relationships among the family members, conflicts in the organizations and suicides.
Keywords:- Women employees, Information technology industry, Work life balance.
1. INTRODUCTION
It is agreed that work life balance is importantfor an individual’s psychological wellbeing, and that self-high esteem, satisfaction and overall sense of harmony in life can be regarded as indicator of a successful balance between work and family roles.
However there is a lack of consensus on how work life balance should be defined, measured and researched and thus the theorizing of what constitute work-life-balance , how it develop and what factor enable or hinder it. Work-life-balance always leads to favorable outcomes since according to them this is an empirical question which has not yet been firmly answered due to miscellaneous definition of work life balance.
2. WHAT IS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY?
Information Technology (IT) is a business sector that deals with computing, including hardware, software, telecommunications and generally anything involved in the transmittal of information or the systems that facilitate communication. IT involves many things. Take, for instance, an IT department in a company. There are many people with many jobs and varied responsibilities.
These responsibilities range from keeping systems and data secure to keeping networks up and running. There are people who input data, people who manage databases and people who do programming. There are also the decision makers, such as Chief Information Officers (CIOs), who decide how an IT department will operate and what components will be purchased.
additional resources to deal with them. More realistically, you probably need to reassess the goals and responsibilities you currently have.
Work life balance in I.T. industry – present scenario- Information Technology Industry is the sun rising sector where the long working hours and work overload are typical of the IT industry, according to many human resources managers.
Though most of the IT firms have a five-day week, the workload is going up.
Companies that downsized did not always hire more people after business picked up. This means that being called to work on weekends and 14-hour working days have become synonymous with the sector. There are also long intervals between projects when many software professionals are sent to training sessions to keep them occupied. They react to such breaks negatively; many feel that they are not competent enough or that their potential is not adequately used. There is also disappointment among newcomers, especially in the Information Technology sector.
Other studies have revealed that I.T. executives suffer from deep feelings of inferiority owing to factors such as working during nights and not really using their soft skills. The skewed work-life balance affects their health and family life.
Why work life imbalance in I.T. industry?- The world has recognized India’s competitive advantage in software services and today India is a magnet for software clients owing to the quality of its skilled software manpower (NASSCOM, 2010).
India has gained a lot of interest as a source of software and has emerged as a leader in the software industry. Indian firms develop software for more than three fourth of the Fortune 500 companies and at least half of the Global 2000 corporations (NASSCOM, 2009). The role of women has been changing substantially over the last decade and half, both inside and outside homes. In addition to their role within households, they are now having a larger role in the outside world also, especially in the labor market. Though women are found in all fields, their participation in the I.T. industry is more. Unlike other sectors, this fast growing business sector is looking for knowledge only. Hence, they do not discriminate the gender. As a result, there is significant number of women employees in this sector.
NASSCOM Survey reveals that 38 per cent of the employees are women. When compared to the manufacturing sector, I.T. Industry includes all knowledge based activities. Both men and women are attracted by this rising sector for the lucrative pay. But this job requires profound contribution at job environment, psychological attachment of mind and good physical fitness. There is also a pressure to complete the task in time due to cut throat competitions. Also they have to work for both Indian and foreign companies/clients/projects which need different work climate, timings etc., which leads to work life imbalance in this sector. An attempt is made in this analysis to examine the work life imbalance of the women employees across the various categories of employment.
Vol.04,Special Issue 07, (RAISMR-2019) November 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
Factors causing Work life Imbalance in Information technology industry- The concept of stress is of central importance when examining how the psychosocial work environment affects health and well-being. Stress is defined as being an interaction between the individual and the situation. When the individual experiences a mismatch between perceived demands and the perception of his capability to meet the demands, stress occurs. Another factor that affects whether stress is experienced is the perceived cost of not coping. For stress to occur, a person must, in part, feel that the demand is beyond her capabilities, and also that the consequences of not coping are serious. The experiencing of stress is thus determined by the cognitive appraisal of both the situation and one's capabilities rather than any objective view of the situation or capabilities in question. If the person manages to cope with the situation, no negative stress reaction will occur.
Stress triggers a biological reaction by activating different biological systems which increase a person's ability to perform and adapt to new situations. When these systems are repeatedly activated without the opportunity for recovery or rest, there is a risk for both physical and mental stress-related ill-health. The fact that employees in the private and public sector partly are exposed to different environmental demands and conditions may also have an influence on their psychological work climate experiences. The other factors like unsupportive supervisor and subordinates, long duration of working hours, unreasonable perks and workplace harassment are also affecting the balance of one’s work and life outside work.
What is stress?- Progress and excellence is a hard thing to achieve. We all know this, and with a 9 to 5 job, it is even harder to achieve. Deadlines, meetings, last- minute updates make this working life stressful at times, especially for the women.
While it is true that women strive to be perfect in all areas of their lives, they lack only one ability that hinders their growth and success—the ability to deal with workplace stress. Stress at workplace is a very real thing and is largely responsible for the low motivational levels experienced by women across the world. According to some official estimates, women aged 25-54 experience more stress than their male counterparts at workplace and there are plenty of reasons for that. Let’s explore the reasons behind the trigger of stress that women feel at their workplaces and how can these be overcome.
3. WORKPLACE STRESS REASONS FOR WOMEN
The Burden of Responsibilities- When women work, they handle more than just
The Glass Ceiling- Ever heard of “glass ceiling effect”? The term is commonly used to denote an invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing up the levels in a corporation. It is a pervasive resistance to the advancement of women that prevents them from attaining higher levels of positions at their workplace. Although this effect has somewhat dimmed with the passage of time and with greater number of women joining the working ranks, it is still present in large conglomerates and corporations. As a means to dampen the effect of this barrier against women advancement at workplace, more corporations are now focusing on providing women with perks such as job leaves, flexible working hours and better pay. Despite that, glass ceiling effect is still prevalent in the rapidly localized and globalized world of today, and a 2003 study showed that only 7 to 9% of upper management at Fortune 1000 were females—a fact that demands due attention and remedial measures.
Inflexible Work Environments- The inflexible work environment plays a huge role in triggering the stress that women feel at workplace. Many companies have a tough routine of 9 to 5 job with 1 hour of break in between that leaves little room for relaxation. These inflexible working hours, combined with the pressure to fulfill responsibilities at home leaves women drained and exhausted, triggering stress and frustration. The inflexible work environments is not just related to the inflexible working hours, but also include pervasive issues such as discrimination, sexism and gender stereotypes that plague the progress of women at workplace. Men are given higher ranks at workplace; they are appreciated more and are given a higher priority during the board meetings. This discrimination is the main cause behind the resentment that women feel which not only hinders their progress, but also lowers their spirits and performance.
The Pay Gap- Apart from the discrimination that women face at work, one other thing that lowers their motivation and leads to stress is the pay gap. The pay gap refers to the income differences that women face which leaves them lagging behind on the pay scale as compared to their male counterparts. This pay gap, although of an unjust nature, is a big contributor to the stress that women face at workplace and is even prevalent in large corporations and firms. According to Official for National Statistics (ONS), in 2013, this pay gap was found to be almost 15% on average across the globe, with estimates of average
Vol.04,Special Issue 07, (RAISMR-2019) November 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
3.1 Solution
Flexibility- This type of burnout is partly in the hands of employees, but organizations can play a part and make a positive impact. Don’t allow employees to take work home on a regular basis. Discourage them from constantly connecting by establishing tech curfews and setting clear expectations about response times to help manage workloads. Prevent telepressure by helping employees set specific moments in the day to check correspondence, instead of constantly addressing each notification instantly. Additionally, provide flexible scheduling, like permitting flextime or telecommuting. This allows employees the chance to get work done on time, but according to their personal schedule. They won’t miss out on things like family events or stop engaging in personal hobbies, and they can still be productive.
The Last Word- Workplace stress is a generally broad term that affects individuals irrespective of the gender. But it is one of the main things that affect the women in workplace owing to a number of factors that are responsible for affecting their morale. Although many companies and corporations now recognize the need to provide more open and flexible work environment to women, they are still far away from eradicating the discriminations and biases against women at workplace. As we advance to tougher times where technology and business advancements are taking control, we must not leave our women behind in the race to achieve greater business growth. It is high time we recognize the trigger factors that lead to stress for the fairer sex, as this group does not leave any stone unturned in the advancement of corporations.
4. CONCLUSION
The various life programmers implemented by I.T. firms in Chennai reveal that work life programmers implemented satisfy different categories of employees differently. In other words the set of factors facilitating work life balance is different for different groups. The overall satisfaction of the respondents across the various work life balancing parameters points to the fact that 55 per cent of the employees are highly satisfied with the current work life initiatives. Therefore the management of I.T. companies surveyed has to find out the reasons for moderate satisfaction and dissatisfaction prevailing among the rest of the 45 per cent of employees across the cadre and seek to address the issues of dissatisfaction among the dissatisfied employees.
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1. Cooper, C.L. (1999). Can we live with the changing nature of work? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 14:
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2. Kenny D.T., Carlson, J.G., Mc Guigan, F.J., & Sheppard, J.L. (2000). Stress and health: research and clinical Applications. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers.
