Impact of work life imbalance on the productivity of workers in Saudi Essay - 4

Impact of work life imbalance on the productivity of workers in Saudi public sector - Essay Example Based on recent labour surveys, about 14.9 % of the workforce in Saudi Arabia is in the public sector (Kechrid, 2012). According to the Saudi Arabia Oil and Gas Report by Business Monitor International (2009), the local workforce in Saudi includes of about 3.2 million citizens. However, recent demographic trends suggest that this number will increase in the future based on a forecast of 4% annual increase in local workforce. It is clear that Saudi Arabian people value family more than work. The situation is even more pronounced for women since they have the greatest responsibilities in taking care of family needs. The gender imbalance in the labour force in Saudi Arabia is such that women make up less than 5% of the nation’s workforce (BusinessMonitorInternational, 2009). The ‘Saudization’ programme greatly affects the working context in Saudi. The program aims to increase the number of Saudi citizens working in the private sector by compelling companies to hire Saudi citizens rather than foreign workers. In current society, organisational pressures force people to work long hours in order to achieve organisational goals. The high level of competition in the labour market forces workers to take on a higher workload than their optimal workload capacity (Greenhaus, 2011). This market effect can create an unwelcome imbalance between work and life. The culture of the people of Saudi Arabia places a high value on family in a person’s life. Therefore, work life imbalance is an important issue in the lives of workers in Saudi Arabia. Work-life imbalance refers to a situation whereby an individual fails to engage in a balanced way in family and work roles (Darcy, 2007). Work-life imbalance is a common problem among public sector workers in Saudi Arabia whereby many people become too involved in their work and consequently, their family and social lives suffer (Stephens, 2014). Because of inefficiency and poor