Page 87 - Petelin, Ana. 2020. Zdravje delovno aktivne populacije / Health of the Working-Age Population. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 87
loyee attitudes towards work-life balance: A case study ohranjanje in krepitev zdravja | maintaining and promoting health
Maja Krajnc
Srednja elektro-računalniška šola Maribor, Smetanova 6, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Background and Purpose: Workplace stress is one of the most important de-
terminants for individual‘s well-being and health. The purpose of our paper is
to carry out a case study of employees in one of the work organizations in Po-
dravje region. We analysed work-life balance, sick leave and employee’s pro-
posals for workplace stress.
Content: It is becoming increasingly realized by employers that work-related
stress and coping strategies have a major impact on employees’ health and
quality of their work. Since it is in the interest of both employers and the state
that employees perform high-quality work and that employees do not have a
large number of (long-term) sick leaves, various measures have been taken to
ensure appropriate work conditions and to equip employees with effective
strategies for coping with work stress. Important determinants that contribute
to reducing workplace stress and better mental and physical health are work-
place relationships (Argyle, 1992) and successful work-life balance. It is also im-
portant for companies to be aware that employee satisfaction is key to success-
ful business development (Hartman et al., 2015).
Case Study: We conducted a survey of 55 employees in a work organization in
the public sector. The sample consisted of 60% of women. 65% of respondents
were 51 years of age or older. 27% of respondents indicated that they had diffi-
culties reconciling family and professional life. Interestingly, gender differences
were not detected. 32% of respondents said that they often cannot participate
in family activities because of the amount of time they spend on work-related
responsibilities, and 37% because they return from work feeling too exhausted.
In the last 12 months, 46% of respondents did not take a sick leave, 46% were
absent for 1-5 working days, and 8% for more than 20 days. There were no dif-
ferences between those who said that they had difficulty reconciling family and
professional life and those who did not face this issue. 70% of the respondents
cited education programmes on stress reduction and on effective reconcilia-
tion of family and work life as important measures for reducing and coping with
stress. 72% of those surveyed saw activities for reduction employee stress car-
ried out within the organization as an important measure (e.g., stress manage-
ment workshops, sports activities, etc.).
Conclusion: The organization of the work process is an important determi-
nant of mental and physical health of employees. Everyone gains when as opti-
mal as possible working conditions are provided, and when employee-friend-
ly work organizations are set up: the state, employers, employees and users
of work organizations’ services. The cooperation of all stakeholders and the
efficient response to the changing social conditions of work are essential for
achieving this goal.
Key words: work-life balance, health, employee well-being, stress
85
Maja Krajnc
Srednja elektro-računalniška šola Maribor, Smetanova 6, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Background and Purpose: Workplace stress is one of the most important de-
terminants for individual‘s well-being and health. The purpose of our paper is
to carry out a case study of employees in one of the work organizations in Po-
dravje region. We analysed work-life balance, sick leave and employee’s pro-
posals for workplace stress.
Content: It is becoming increasingly realized by employers that work-related
stress and coping strategies have a major impact on employees’ health and
quality of their work. Since it is in the interest of both employers and the state
that employees perform high-quality work and that employees do not have a
large number of (long-term) sick leaves, various measures have been taken to
ensure appropriate work conditions and to equip employees with effective
strategies for coping with work stress. Important determinants that contribute
to reducing workplace stress and better mental and physical health are work-
place relationships (Argyle, 1992) and successful work-life balance. It is also im-
portant for companies to be aware that employee satisfaction is key to success-
ful business development (Hartman et al., 2015).
Case Study: We conducted a survey of 55 employees in a work organization in
the public sector. The sample consisted of 60% of women. 65% of respondents
were 51 years of age or older. 27% of respondents indicated that they had diffi-
culties reconciling family and professional life. Interestingly, gender differences
were not detected. 32% of respondents said that they often cannot participate
in family activities because of the amount of time they spend on work-related
responsibilities, and 37% because they return from work feeling too exhausted.
In the last 12 months, 46% of respondents did not take a sick leave, 46% were
absent for 1-5 working days, and 8% for more than 20 days. There were no dif-
ferences between those who said that they had difficulty reconciling family and
professional life and those who did not face this issue. 70% of the respondents
cited education programmes on stress reduction and on effective reconcilia-
tion of family and work life as important measures for reducing and coping with
stress. 72% of those surveyed saw activities for reduction employee stress car-
ried out within the organization as an important measure (e.g., stress manage-
ment workshops, sports activities, etc.).
Conclusion: The organization of the work process is an important determi-
nant of mental and physical health of employees. Everyone gains when as opti-
mal as possible working conditions are provided, and when employee-friend-
ly work organizations are set up: the state, employers, employees and users
of work organizations’ services. The cooperation of all stakeholders and the
efficient response to the changing social conditions of work are essential for
achieving this goal.
Key words: work-life balance, health, employee well-being, stress
85
