Effect of work life balance programs on job satisfaction of nurses in public hospitals in Kenya: A case of selected hospitals in Nakuru Town, Kenya

Abstract

Work-life balance is gaining increasing importance and considered to be the most important challenge encountered in the field of Human Resource Management. Advancement in technology, increase in the complexity of work, change in the values and attitudes of the young and energetic work-force are some of the factors that compel organizations to address the work-life balance issue. The general objective of this study was to assess the effect of work-life balance programs on job satisfaction of nurses in public hospitals in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine the effect of flexibility in work arrangements on job satisfaction of nurses; determine the effect of leave policies/arrangements on job satisfaction of nurses; determine the effect of employee support schemes on job satisfaction of nurses and to determine the combined effect of flexibility in work arrangements, leave policies/arrangements, and employee support schemes on job satisfaction of nurses in public hospitals in Kenya, a case of Nakuru Town. The study adopted descriptive, cross-section survey research design to collect data. The target population was 489 nurses working in three selected hospitals in Nakuru Town. The sample size of the study was 237 nurses randomly picked from the target population in accordance to Sample Size Determination Table by Krejcie and Morgan (1970). Questionnaires were used as the main data collection tool. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson product correlation and multiple regression) in data analysis and presentation. The study established that leave policies/arrangements and flexibility in work arrangements programmes had a strong positive relationship/effect on job satisfaction of nurses respectively, whereas employees support schemes had a moderate positive relationship/effect on job satisfaction of nurses in public hospitals. This study contributes to the existing literature dealing with WLB and job satisfaction by providing information indicating that adoption of work-life balance programmes in public hospitals is likely to significantly improve/enhance the job satisfaction of employees. This is in agreement with research done in private sectors in developed countries. The study therefore recommends that public hospitals or organizations‟ management need to implement/adopt different WLB programmes as per the needs of the employees to enable them (employees) jungle between work and family issues with ease hence enhancing their job satisfaction.