Challenges in the Era of Globalization - iaabd

Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference © 2011 IAABD
I would love to balance my family work and life but not many organizations offer such
opportunity and with the high unemployment rate in the country I don’t have any alternative than
do the long hours. (Manager).
Work life balance is a Luxury that only available in MNC not Banks (customer relationship
officer).
Weak unionism:
Another problem is the lack of union voice on the issue of work life balance and welfare of bank workers.
Many of the banks with unions are now increasingly derecognizing the unions. Often the unions are just
weak in actively challenging management on some of the onerous conditions of work which increase
work life conflicts among their members.
Conclusion and Recommendation
In summary, the institutional dynamics propelling work life balance in the western hemisphere is weak in
developing countries such as Nigeria. There is an urgent need to put in place regulatory systems and
effective implementation structure in place to help managers reorganized and design work in such a way
that it would be more humane. If the Nigerian private sector will compete effectively with the developed
world, management would need to pay some more attention to the managing issues pertaining to work life
balance, particularly in an African society where roles are ascribed to people based on their gender. There
must be a move from the growing conception that human resources are assets to be maximally exploited
and disposed off without being considerate to creating an enabling environment where the workers life is
balance with work.
The perpetuation of this hybrid of traditionalist approach and sophisticated paternalist management
approaches used by many Nigerian banks may be counter-productive and may unlikely produce
commitment, quality and continuity. Employers are quick to point out the issues of cost in not being able
to offer more work life balance initiative. This unitary managerial goal has led to the creation of structures
which over the years have led to an atmosphere of job insecurity, fear, and stress among workers. There is
a need to over haul the way work is designed to accommodate the contemporary issues such as work life
balance. Work-life policies can allow organization gain competitive edge by enabling it to attract and
retain people, particularly women, with the best skills and experience and also result in low staff turnover
and give the organization the reputation as a good employer (Epie, 2006). A review of the existing
policies is required to ensure it suits every one and ensure employees are not over worked and given
reasonable and realistic deadlines. HR mangers play a key role in ensuring the success of a WLB policies
and practices. They should train the employees so that they can be aware of the policies available and also
monitor the implementation of policies to ensure equality across the board.
In closing, these studies make four important recommendations: First, there is an urgent need to
improving Communication: There is a need to clearly communicate the bank’s WLB policies and
practices to employees, to further raise awareness and improve the knowledge and understanding of
relevant policies. This can be done by sending updated versions of WLB policies via the banks intranet
with names and details of individuals to contact for any further advice on WLB policies and practices at
the Bank. Secondly, consider implications for work-life balance in relation to workloads: guidelines
should be developed which ensures that employees are given duties which have realistic deadlines and
commensurate rewards should be given for extra hours. Thirdly, consider potential demand for further
flexibility within working patterns such as flexible hours, compressed hours or work from home. It should
be considered, subject to operational requirements, whether such practices could be extended. Hence, a
pilot scheme could be carried out to test the feasibility of having more flexible working arrangements and
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