Comprehensive Study: Work-Life Balance in New Zealand Organizations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of work-life balance in New Zealand organizations. It examines the prevalence of work-life balance, highlighting its benefits for both employers and employees, such as increased productivity and a wider recruitment pool. The report delves into the legal framework, particularly the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), emphasizing the importance of leadership and collaboration between government, businesses, and workers. It also explores the impact of workplace relationships and flexible work arrangements on employee satisfaction, drawing on survey data. The report discusses relevant theories like the spillover and enrichment theories to understand the dynamics of work-life balance. Recommendations include promoting healthy lifestyles, offering flexible work schedules, and supporting telecommuting to improve employee well-being and organizational culture. The report underscores that maintaining a good work-life balance can enhance employee commitment and responsiveness to business needs.

Running head: WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
Work Life Balance in Organizations of New Zealand
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
Executive Summary
The primary purpose of this report is to elucidate on the work-life balance that is prevalent in
the organizations of New Zealand. The report states that the employers in New Zealand who
are instrumental in offering work-life balance along with the flexible work option can enjoy
the competitive edge and they can gain the access to that of a wider recruitment pool. The
report talks about the legal framework pertaining to the work-life balance in the companies
existing within New Zealand. The report has talked about the fact that government, business
along with the workers should establish the better leadership that can safeguard the health of
the employees. The report has brought out that the employees within the boundaries of New
Zealand having good relationship with that of the work colleagues have been found to have
higher levels of the satisfaction in relation to work-life balance as compared to the employees
who had bad relationship with the workers. The report states that the workers should be
communicated about the importance of a healthy lifestyle that can prove to be useful for the
company. The report recommends that the holding of the seminars and letting the employees
in selecting the work schedule can help in the maintenance of the work-life balance in a
company. The report suggests that the workers can be provided with the opportunity of
working from home which can improve the overall productivity of the workers. The report
states that supporting of the telecommuting can help the employees in taking care of the
personal needs.

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Introduction
Work-life balance refers to lack of the opposition prevailing between the work and the
various life roles for an individual. It is indicative of state of the equilibrium where the
demands of the personal, professional along with the family life of a person can be said to be
equal. It talks about the flexible work arrangements which provides opportunity to the
employees in carrying out the life programs along with the practices. It helps in describing
balance which a working individual needs in between the time that is allocated for the work
along with other aspects of life (Hone et al., 2015). Work-life balance is indicative of level
of the prioritisation in between the personal and the professional activities in the life of a
person. The advent of the innovations in the field of technology have removed significance of
the physical location that can gravely harm the health of the workers. State Services
Commission has stated that the work-life balance can create a work culture that is productive
in which potential for the tension in between the work and the other parts of the lives of the
people are minimised. The report throws light on the work-life balance that prevails in the
organizations of New Zealand. The report discusses about the legal framework along with the
health requirement in the context of the organisations of New Zealand.
Work-Life Balance in New Zealand
Improvement of balance in between the working lives and the lives of the people
outside the arena of work can help in bringing real benefits for the employers along with the
employees. It can help the workers in improving the productivity and the ability of managing
the work along with the home responsibilities in a more balanced fashion. The people should
be able to find a balance in between the paid work and the other aspects of the lives. The
people have the tendency of suffering from the stress and the anxiety in the event of lacking
the work-life balance (Hone et al., 2015). The long hours of the working can compromise the

3WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
work-life balance of the individuals within the broader society. The conflict taking place in
between the work demands and the home life can create the way for the lost productivity
(Agarwal & Lenka, 2015).
Work-life balance is indicative of managing of the professional and the personal
activities that helps in retaining the mental health of a person. According to a survey that was
carried out in between October and the December of the year 2018 it was found that three
quarter of the people who are working with New Zealand are satisfied with that of the work-
life balance. The survey asked the employed people regarding the work arrangements, job
satisfaction along with the employment conditions (Chan et al., 2016). 76 % of the people
who were surveyed mentioned that they were satisfied with the work-life balance prevailing
in the organisations of New Zealand (Newzealandnow.govt.nz., 2019) There was relatively
small amount of difference in between the various groups within the framework of the
society. There were 75 % men and 77 % of women who showed the similar kind of
satisfaction pertaining to the work-life balance. It was found that the more amount of time
that the people spend in their work the less satisfied they became in relation to work-life
balance. There are different aspects of the working life which can have negative
repercussions on the satisfaction which includes feeling stressed in the workplace, poor
workplace relationship along with lack of the flexible hours (Chmiel, Fraccaroli & Sverke,
2017). It has been brought out that one out of the five employees said that they used to feel
stressed in the workplace and 15 % of the people stated that they were tired owing to the
work which prevented them from enjoying the things that were outside the work life. There
were 96 % of the people who felt that the workplace relationships were good and on the other
hand there was 91 % of the people who reported that they had good relationship with that of
the manager (Stats.govt.nz., 2019). It was found that 51 % of the employees had flexible
start along with the finish times. The people having flexible hours had higher level of the job

4WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
satisfaction pertaining to work-life balance when compared to the people who did not have
the flexible hours.
Work-life balance can help an organization in having a good workplace culture. The
work-life balance being poor paves the path for stress, absenteeism along with the low output.
The general health along with the well-being of the employees can be improved in the event
of implementation of the work-life balance within a company. The workers becomes more
committed that helps them in being more responsive to the needs of the business along with
the customers (Oludayo et al., 2018). The employees who are positive in relation to their
workplace helps in the creation of positive attitude within the framework of the wider
community. It helps in increasing the productivity in a company and this can help in engaging
the employees in a company.
The ecology systems theory that was propounded by Grzywacz and Marks talks about
the fact that the work-life balance refers to the joint function of the methods and the processes
that has an effect on work life experiences of an individual. This theory was later developed
into that of person-in-environment theory which talks about the fact that the individuals
should have vibrant relationships with the social along with the natural environment in which
people co-exist (Adisa, Gbadamosi & Osabutey, 2017). The spill over theory elaborates on
the fact that the employees carry feelings, emotions along with the attitudes which are
established in the workplace into their family life. Spill over helps in considering the
multidimensional aspects in relation to the work along with the family relationships. Positive
spill over is indicative of the fact that the satisfaction within one domain helps in bringing the
satisfaction in the other domain. Negative spill over talks about the fact that the despair and
the problem in the life of a person can bring on same emotion in the other domains. Research
has brought out the fact that spill-over of the mood, values along with the skills takes place
from one role to that of another role. There exist two interpretations in relation to the spill

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over- positive association in between the life and the work satisfaction and the transfer of the
skills in between the different domains. The fatigue that an individual feels in the workplace
is experienced within the home or in the event of the family demands interfering with the
work demands of a person (Kibozi & Michael, 2018). The working parents brings the work-
related emotions with the home instead of transferring the family related emotions to that of
the workplace. The enrichment theory discusses about the fact that experience in the
workplace or the family role can help in enhancing quality of the life in that of the other role.
This model helps in explaining positive effects pertaining to work-family relationship.
Enrichment theory is indicative of degree to which the experiences from the instrumental
sources improves quality of other domains (Agarwal & Lenka, 2015). The employees think
that the work along with the life roles can helps in enriching each other. The good outcomes
within the workplace can pave the path for positive personal life outcomes. This theories
point out to the fact that the employees should be provided with the right amount of the work-
life balance that can be instrumental in bringing about improvements in their productivity in a
company.
The latest survey that was brought out by global HR consultants Mercer has ranked
Auckland to be third best city within world on the basis of quality of the living. The country
has uncrowded communities along with the relatively low rate of the crimes that makes life
less stressful in the country. The workers in New Zealand find the time that they can spend on
the finer things in life that helps the people in the country in enjoying the right balance in
between the work and the family life (Sirgy & Lee, 2018). The people can experience the
outdoor adventures in New Zealand that helps the workers in maintaining their mental
equanimity. This helps the people in leading a relaxed life which provides them with the right
amount of the job satisfaction.

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It was found with the help of the social report that the females were more satisfied
with the work-life balance in the years 2008 and 2012. It was found that in the year 2012,
there were 78.6 percent of the females when compared to that of 77.5 percent of the males.
The females have the higher tendency as compared to the males of being dissatisfied with
that of the work-life balance in the year 2012. In the year 2012, the employed people above
the age of 65 years were satisfied with the work-life balance which was followed by the
people who were in the age group of 15-24 years (Socialreport.msd.govt.nz., 2019). The
people who belonged to the age group of 35-44 years had the less chances of being satisfied
pertaining to work-life balance.
Legal Framework and Work-life balance in New Zealand
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) refers to the new law in the country
that helps in offering protection to the health of the workers. It helps in the introduction of the
new responsibilities that helps in the management of the risks which can cause serious injury
to a person. HSWA stipulates the fact that improvements can be brought about in the health
of a person in the event of people working together (Morris, 2019). HSWA states that the
safety system is dependent on the elements of participation, accountability along with the
leadership by the business and the workers. It helps in setting out principles along with the
rights pertaining to the workplace safety (Giovannone, 2016). The workers should take care
of the fact that they work on the basis of the safety duties that can ensure that the actions do
not have a detrimental effect on health of the other people (Whiston & Cinamon, 2015). The
people in New Zealand want to work hard and they want to make the best use of time which
is outside the work. The employers in New Zealand are sympathetic to demands of
employees having the families. A survey that was brought out by New Zealand Families
Commission has talked about the fact that 90 % of the people have said that their employers

7WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
provide them with the right amount of time that can help them in taking the time off from
their work. It can help them in enjoying the special events with their families.
New Zealand has the comprehensive set of the employment laws that helps in
ensuring that there are fair practices in the company. The employers along with the
employees have rights along with the obligations in the event of working in various
organizations of New Zealand (Okun, Guerin & Schulte, 2016). The workers are provided
with the fair amount of time that helps them in spending their time with their families. They
are provided with the leave and the holidays that helps them in exploring the new country or
going back to their home for visiting their family. The employers in New Zealand lends its
hand in offering support to the working parents. The new parents are given the parental leave
that helps them in spending the much needed time with their families.
The workers in the present age want sufficient time so that they can pursue work and
the personal interests. There are many employment cases in New Zealand in which the courts
have been instrumental in considering work demands along with demands of the personal life
(Deery & Jago, 2015). There are employment agreements in New Zealand that say that the
ordinary hours of the work in between Monday and the Friday is forty hours that provides
opportunity to the employees in enjoying their personal life (Legg et al., 2015). The workers
in the companies of New Zealand are provided with the adequate time that helps them in
following their creative pursuits that provides them with relaxation in life.
In the current employment legislation of New Zealand, onus rests on individual
employees for negotiating the flexible arrangements with the managers. The support of the
managers in the companies of New Zealand plays a role in enabling the employees in
accessing the flexible working arrangements. The legislation can be said to apply to all the
workers however the favourable conditions are offered to the value staff in the companies.

8WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
Amendment that has been made to Employment Relations Act in the year 2007 has provided
the mechanism for the negotiation of the balanced working arrangements (Agarwal & Lenka,
2015). Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment within the framework of New
Zealand have talked about the benefits that the individual and the business gets in the event of
having a sound work-life balance. The employers can benefit with the help of the policies that
helps in retaining the higher qualified staff in a company. It helps in decreasing the turnover
cost which improves the organizational performance of a company.
Practical Recommendations
 The managers in a company can ask the employees to fill out a survey pertaining to
the balance-related factors in the company like the flexible scheduling and the support
that is given to the working parents. It can help a company in the identification of the
specific areas in which the company should improve that can pave the path for the
improvement in lives of the workers (Chan et al., 2016). It can help a company in
laying stress on the implementation of the achievable solutions that can help in
benefitting a company.
 The employees in a company can be taught about the work-life balance that can help
the employees in leading a fuller life. The seminars can be hold in a company which
can inform the employees regarding the healthy work-life balance practices in a
company. The education of the employees can provide them with the tools that can
help them in living a happier life.
 The employees should be allowed to let the employees in setting their work schedule
that can provide relaxation to the employees of the companies in New Zealand. The
employees should be allowed to telecommute that can help the managers of a
company in getting the rewards (Legg et al., 2015).

9WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
 The companies should prioritize the health of the workers that can improve the quality
of the work that is delivered by the employees of a company. The long hours of
working make the employees sacrifice the health along with the fitness. The
employees can be given discount gym memberships in relation to a fitness center that
can help the employees in regaining their health.
Conclusion
The improving of the balance in between working lives and that of lives of people can
bring real benefits for employers. It can increase productivity of employees and help them in
managing the home responsibilities. The managers within New Zealand offers the flexible
work options to the employees that helps them in gaining the competitive edge when
compared to the other organizations. It can help in the creation of a good workplace culture
within the framework of a company. New Zealand has employment laws that takes care of
the fact that there exist fair practices within the framework of a company. The employers are
endowed with rights and they have the obligation of taking care of the health of the workers.
The workers are given the time so that they can relax and spend time with their families.

10WORK LIFE BALANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS OF NEW ZEALAND
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