Impact of Work Life Balance on Job Performance in the Retail Sector of UK

UNIT 11: RESEARCH
PROJECT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................3
P2 Different research methods.....................................................................................................4
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................9
Research Methodology................................................................................................................9
P4 Findings................................................................................................................................11
LO 3...............................................................................................................................................20
P5 Research outcomes and discussion.......................................................................................20
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................23
P6 Reflection.............................................................................................................................23
P7 Recommendations................................................................................................................24
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................24
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1
APPENDIX......................................................................................................................................5
Questionnaire...............................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The concept of Work life balance is a very detailed aspect that affects the overall work
completion where there are multiple number of aspects that play an important role such as the
number of working hours, holidays etc. Retail sector is a particularly strenuous sectors where the
employees have longer working hours where the breaks given are petty and much smaller. The
current research will conduct a detailed study on the overall work life balance that the employees
of the retail sector are able to integrate (Brennan, 2018). A primary as well as secondary research
will be conducted on the relevant topic and the major emphasis would be on the overall
performance of the employees. The report will also analyse the different aspects of the primary
data that has been collected by using the different data collection methods and techniques that
are relevant. Lastly the report will draw the relevant conclusions based on the findings that were
developed in the research conducted and hence the research will help in conclusively analysing
the recommendations that can be given to the different companies that are operating in the retail
sector of the UK (Braun and Peus, 2018). This will ascertain the overall manner in which the
current work life balance can be improved in the retail sector.
LO 1
P1 Research Objectives
Aims
The current research can be undertaken with the following aim:
“A study on the assessment of the impact that work life balance has on the overall job
performance of the employee in the retail sector of UK specifically.”
Objectives
The objectives of the research can be further categorised as:
 To investigate the impact of leave arrangements on job performance in the UK retail sec-
tor.
 To investigate the effects that part-time work arrangement has on the job performance in
the UK retail sector.
 To investigate the impact of job sharing on job performance in the UK retail sector.
 To recommend appropriate strategies of improving work-life balance in the UK retail
sector.

Key literature related
The related literature that will be selected for the completion of the research in a more
comprehensive manner would mainly involve the research articles and papers that have been
published in the recognised journals and books by the relevant and reliable authors. Further the
online literature if any, will also be selected after careful evaluation of the reliability of the
website, its accuracy and the ranking in terms of credibility. The literature will mainly be related
to the research that has been done on the necessary work- life balance fields, the integration of
part time jobs and the job sharing etc. on the overall performance and the special emphasis will
be on the retail sector in UK specifically (Alias and et.al., 2018). This will help in the completion
of better research.
Value of research
The current research that is being undertaken will help in the evaluation of the work life
balance aspect and the impact it has on the overall job performance levels. The research will
contribute immensely in the overall investigation that will analyse the different aspects such as
development at individual and team level, the motivation aspect and the influence of gender and
pay as well on the work hours. The research will also highlight the current policies that are
applicable in the overall retail sector related to the fostering of the overall work life balance and
providing an option of better lifestyle to the employees of retail sector (Shockley, Smith and
Knudsen, 2017). The knowledge and skills will also be analysed that can help in increasing the
overall employability chances and hence the research will help in drawing conclusions of
extreme value and relevance and also help in the better analysis of the retail sector of UK
collectively.
P2 Different research methods
This chapter of literature review collectively helps in the better analysis of the research
objective by assimilation of the relevant literature papers that have been published by the
different authors in the relevant field. The literature review will involve the analysis of both
positive as well as negative aspect and this can help in the better evaluation of the chosen
research topic (Oh, Weitz and Lim, 2016). The literature review will be done by the formation of
different themes and each theme will help in addressing the different objectives that have been
developed for the research. The segregation of the overall literature review will help in the

evaluation of the different aspects in a comprehensive manner and relevant conclusions will be
drawn related to the overall research data that has been published.
Theme 1: Impact of overall work life balance on the employee performance at workplace
As per the research papers published by Daverth, Cassell and Hyde (2016), evaluates that a
balanced work life often leads to the development of a more satisfied and happier employee who
is able to perform all the duties that have been assigned to them adequately. The concept of work
life balance came into existence in the mid- 60s where the conflict between the work life and the
personal life led to the employees becoming frustrated. This made the employers and the HR
take into consideration the importance that the concept of the work life balance holds in the
overall satisfaction and retention of the employees in the workplace.
Further expanding the point above, the Oosthuizen, Coetzee and Munro (2016), have
illustrated that the balance work life is directly related to the productivity and dedication that an
employee has towards the organisation. When the performance of the employee increases their
positivity and motivation also increases and this collectively addresses the multiple problem that
the managers might be facing regarding employee management. the authors illustrate that this is
a particularly effective technique in the management of the employees in the retail sector as it is
not easy to develop a comprehensive approach along with ensuring their retention and loyalty in
the retail sector particularly.
However, the point above has been contradicted by the Talukder (2019), who have
illustrated that this aspect might prove to be problematic if the employees in retail sector are
given too much relaxation. In the name of increasing their overall employee satisfaction and
retention rates, it might lead to the increased expense for the company and they might not be able
ensure maximum utilisation of the limited number of workhours that are available for the
employees.
Another research published by Hasan, N.A.B.B. and Teng (2017), also contradicts the
point above stating that the happiness and employee satisfaction can be encouraged through
other factors as well such as financial and non- financial incentives rather than the relaxed job
duties. This ultimately helps in the better performance of the employees in the retail sector where
they can increase the commitment without compromising on the performance and employee
satisfaction aspect.
Theme 2: Impact of leave arrangements on job performance in retail sector.

The research conducted by Haar, Roche and ten Brummelhuis (2018), illustrates that the
leave arrangements is a significant aspect in the comprehensive job evaluation and performance.
The leave arrangements indicate the flexibility that is available in the organisation regarding the
retail sector leaves. When an employee has the flexible working options such as work from
home, compensatory leaves etc., they are automatically able to create a better and improved
balance in the overall work and personal life. When the work life is balanced then ultimately the
overall performance level also increases and hence the overall organisation growth and
productivity increases.
Another research paper published by Lewis and Beauregard (2018), indicates that in retails
sectors there is often the prevalence of working in shifts or doing compensatory overtime against
which leaves can be taken later. This helps the employers working in the retail sector in
increasing the flexibility that is given by the overall employers and managers. This increases
their performance as the number of working hours are already very high and exhaustive in the
retail sector.
However, contradictory to the concept above, the research paper published by Glasgow
and Sang (2016), also illustrates that the overall increased leave arrangement options can also
create the increased complexity as the manager may find it difficult to source adequate number
of employees in the organisation when the situation of emergency workload or requirement
arises. This can affect the organisational performance especially in the retail sector where the
overall work flow cannot be predicted accurately or closely.
The research paper by Huang, Xing and Gamble (2019), further criticize the leave
arrangement stating that in the retail sector the frequent leave arrangement can lead to creation of
an ambiguous system where manager might not be clear on the number of work hours and days
that are being completed by the employees of that organisation collectively. The challenges can
also arise in the form of completion of better and more effective training schedules for the
employees which can help in the evaluation of the different performance levels of the employees.
Theme 3: Impact of part- time work arrangement on job performance in retail sector
Authors, Chan and et.al. (2016), state that the work arrangement that is done in the
different situations particularly in the retail industry has a significant impact on their
performance and overall understanding. The benefits of the part time work flexibility are an
extremely favourable opportunity for the workers in the retail sector as the ones who are in need

of financial sources can engage in multiple jobs at the same time and overall revenue generation
for them can be increased.
Further, Suifan, Abdallah and Diab (2016), have also stated in their research paper that the
flexibility of part time working is also the excessively used employment facility for the students
who can earn adequate money to repay their school and university bills and also help in bridging
up the financial and economical gap they might be facing. collectively this helps in creation of a
hard working workforce which can help in the creation of the better and more productive work
force overall.
Another research paper by Taylor (2019), further presents the negative aspect of the
concept above stating that in the retail sector of UK specifically there are too many part time
students who work in the shifts and if they repeatedly been given the flexible of the arranging
their leaves in the manner that they want then this can specifically give rise to multiple problems
for the managers of such retail industry stores overall.
Further, another research paper published by Perrigino, Dunford and Wilson (2018), leads
to the development of the concept that the part time working can often lead to the development
of irregular working hours where the employees might be coming and going as they please and
this can lead to the increased irregularities of the working rules and regulations that have to be
complied with. This can create difficulties for the overall compilation and creation of salary slips
and measurement of the performance levels as well.
Theme 4: Impact of job sharing on the job performance in retail sector
Beham and et.al. (2020), have illustrated that the concept of job sharing is an evolved
aspect of part time working where 2 or more different workers complete their allotted time of
work and hence altogether more than one employee complete the job hours of entire day. The
authors have illustrated that this creates an immensely positive impact on the overall job
performance of the employees where the employees who are selected must be extremely talented
and skilled in their own fields and this can help in the increase in the overall productivity.
Another research paper published by Bagley, Abubaker and Sawyerr (2018), also supports
the multiple benefits that the job sharing has on the overall job performance as the amount of
absenteeism and employee turnover declines as the overall flexibility of working increases and
this collectively helps in the better and increased performance. This also increases the overall

satisfaction level since the employees are able to fulfil their other responsibilities and personal
duties as well.
However, contradicting to the point above, the Shukla and Srivastava (2016), have stated
that this can create a frequent change in the partners with whom the employees are paired up and
frequent change can impact their overall mind set negatively. The employees who work in this
manner also tend to change the employment often and this ultimately affects the productivity
negatively.
Further the research paper published by Bryan and Sevilla (2017), also indicates that the
recruitment can become an increasingly complex process under this type of hiring systems
especially in the retail sector where work pressure is already high enough. This can further add
on in the administrative costs incurred by the management where they tend to repeatedly give
training to the employees who do not have a long working period or term. Therefore the negative
aspect on the overall job performance in the retail sector industry is comparatively much lower.
Theme 5: Recommendations on improving the overall work- life balance in UK
The authors, Wiß (2017), have recommended that there are a variety of strategies that can be
collected in order to integrate and enhance the overall work life balance where the use of a
proper schedule was the most effective recommendation. The development of a proper schedule
with fixed number of working hours and the appropriate breaks as well helps in ensuring that the
target work is well matched with the overall time flexibility that is available and hence the work
life balance is maintained adequately. This will help the workers in living and fulfilling their
personal responsibilities as well and hence the balance between the two can be achieved.
Another research paper published by Arlinghaus and et.al. (2019), helps in concluding that the
overall strategy for working is to work in a smart manner rather than unnecessarily increasing the
working hours. In the retail sector specifically the work is usually based on the shift hours that
have to be completed and apart from that there are several other smaller duties as well. The
worker can try to accomplish and complete as many tasks as possible within the fixed number of
hours so that the overall delay and extension of the working hours can be avoided.
The overall literature review done above on the selected research topic i.e. the important and
impact of work life balance and different attributes on the overall job performance indicates that
each factor affects the performance differently. The retail sector specifically involves a very
complex job structure for the employees but the emphasis can be laid on the fact that the