A study of work life balance among employees in banking sector with special reference to Bhubaneswar (Odisha)

The main aim of the current research is to explore how characteristics of the work and non-work environments might collectively contribute to the dynamics of work-life balance. To that end, employees from selected banks, situated in Bhubaneswar, were invited to participate in an on-line survey on work-life balance. Data was collected from 150 participants. However, it should be noted that because of the small sample size, the results of this research should not be interpreted as a representative sample of all banking sector employees. In summary, the results of the current research reflect a group of professionals who are working long hours with very little flexibility over where and when they work. However, participants reported high levels of autonomy and control. While workplaces appear to be offering a number of benefits that assist employees to balance their work and personal lives, a number of respondents indicated that they would use benefits such as flexitime, and telecommuting if they were available to them. Results from the current survey reflect that work interferes with home life more than home life interferes with work life, when it comes to time and energy. On the other hand, home life enables participants to regain energy lost from working. Half of the employees surveyed in the current study were satisfied with their job and career. Interestingly, the number of employees in the current study who felt that they were able to successfully balance the different aspects of their life is almost equal to the number of employees who reported not feeling that way.