Doctoral Business Adminstration Prospectus WK5

Prospectus

Work-Life Balance strategies for Improving Employee Productivity and Retention

by

Doctor of Business Administration Prospectus

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

of

Doctor of Business Administration

Problem Statement

Many organizations face increasing levels of job dissatisfaction, high employee turnover, and poor performance because organizational leaders have overlooked the significance of work-life balance (WLB) of their employees (Kar & Misra, 2013). According to Poulose and Sudarsan (2014), 2 out of every 15 workers in the United States resign from their positions in part due to WLB issues, forcing organizations to incur excess costs of maintaining the desirable level of productivity as well as filling the vacant positions. The general business problem is that organizations without a WLB program have increased employee turnover rates and business costs. The specific business problem is that some retail managers in lack WLB strategies to improve employee productivity and retention.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative single case study is to explore WLB strategies that retail managers use to improve employee productivity and retention. The target population of the study consists of managers from a home improvement superstore in Atlanta, Georgia who have implemented a WLB program for their employees. The contribution to social change in this study is that the findings in this study may be helpful in implementing a WLB program at workplaces, which may foster employee friendly, stress-free environments, and may promote a healthy, quality of life for employees, their families, and the community. An additional social change contribution may be increased employee productivity and retention.

Nature of the Study

I will use the qualitative research methodology because researchers use this method to produce a thick description of the phenomena under study (Alshenqeeti, 2014). The purpose of this study is to provide a thick description of WLB strategies that managers use for improving employee retention and productivity. The quantitative research method is not suitable for this study because researchers use a quantitative method to test hypotheses and the relationship among variables (Bryman, 2015). I do not intend to test any hypotheses or any relationships among variables in this study. The mixed method is not appropriate for this study because this study will not include the use of the quantitative method in the collection and analysis of data. The mixed method tends to be burdensome to a single researcher; especially, if he or she is doing both qualitative and quantitative research concurrently (Bryman, 2015).

Researchers use the case study design to explore what, how, or why research questions to provide an indepth, multi-faced exploration into complex issues that exist in real life settings (Alshenqeeti, 2014). A case study design is suitable for this study because this design will answer the research question, what WLB strategies do retail managers use, for improving employee retention and productivity? Researchers use the phenomenology design to investigate the perceptions and feelings of individuals toward an occurrence (Padilla-Díaz, 2015). Therefore, phenomenology is not suitable for this study because I will not address individual perceptions and feelings. Similarly, researchers use the narrative design to collect and chronologically tell stories of persons or communities (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). Therefore, the narrative design is not suitable for this study because I will not be collecting chronological stories of individuals or communities. Researchers use the ethnographic design to study culture and cultural themes (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). The ethnographic design is not appropriate because I will not study culture and cultural issues.

Research Question

The overarching research question for this study is: What WLB strategies do retail managers use to improve employee productivity and retention?

Interview Questions

The interview questions for this study are:

1. What WLB strategies do you use at your company?

2. Describe the policies and procedures that support WLB and explain how the program works?

3. What type of response did you receive from employees using the WLB programs?

4. How have you measured the success of your companies WLB strategies?

5. How did your WLB strategies affect employee retention and quality of life?

6. If you could, what would you change to improve your company’s WLB strategies?

7. What additional information is relevant to your companies WLB program have you not shared already?

Conceptual Framework

Poulose and Sudarsan (2014) created the work-family border theory, also known as the work-life spill-over theory. The authors postulated that the role of every individual varies with the particular realms of life including work and life aspects as separated by temporal, physical, and psychological borders (Poulose & Sudarsan, 2014). Based on the work-family border theory, individuals’ cross borders daily, as they move from their homes to their places of work, and the flexibility and permeability of these boundaries significantly influence their integration. The emotions, skills, attitudes, and behaviors emanating from one sphere of life flows to the next field, and this behavior exhibits both positive and adverse effects (Bell, Rajendran, & Theiler, 2012). The work-family border theory applies to this study because I will use this approach as the theoretical lens to explore and describe various forms of work-life balance programs to improve employee productivity and retention.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant in several ways. The findings, conclusions, and recommendations from this study may be useful for retail managers in planning and implementing WLB programs in their business. By implementing WLB strategies, business managers may reduce turnover, improve employee productivity, and improve retention (Yadav & Rani, 2015).

Contributions to Businesses and Business Practice

Company managers may benefit from this study through improved employee productivity and retention. Thus, reducing turnover, cost of recruitment and maximizing profitability. The findings from this study may be helpful for managers in planning and implementing a WLB program in their organizations. Thus, contributing to the opportunity for increasing efficiency and productivity, whereby impacting positively on the actual business practice. Managers are individuals making critical decisions regarding nearly every element in the firm. The biggest gain for managers from this study may be insights on how to listen and use the best judgment in working towards fostering better work-life integration. Results from this study will be critical in not only designing but also implementing an effective work-life integration plan.

Contribution to Social Change

Implementation of an effective WLB program may foster an employee friendly, stress-free environment, promoting a healthy, quality of life for employees, families, and the community. Business employees are vital members of their family and the community. As such, when business employees’ work-life integration is improved, their contribution to the community and family is equally enhanced. For instance, parents working busy schedules can reduce stress and live healthier lives but also have more time to spend with their families, thus improving bonding. Societal integration may also be boosted, resulting in improved family, friends, and general social interactions. An additional contribution may be improved employee productivity and retention.

References

Alshenqeeti, H. (2014). Interviewing as a data collection method: A critical review. English Linguistics Research, 3(1), 39-45. doi:10.5430/elr.v3n1p39.

Bell, A. S., Rajendran, D., & Theiler, S. (2012). Job stress, wellbeing, work-life conflict among Australian academics. Electronic Journal of Applied Psychology, 8(1), 25-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.7790/ejap.v8i1.320.

Bryman, A. (2015). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.

Kar, S., & Misra, K. C. (2013). Nexus between work life balance practices and employee retention: The mediating effect of a supportive culture. Asian Social Science, 9(11), 63-69. doi:10.5539/ass.v9n11p63.

Kumar, H., & Chakraborty, S. K. (2013). Work life balance (WLB): A key to organizational efficacy. Aweshkar Research Journal, 15(1), 62-70. Retrieved from http://www.welingkar.org.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Padilla-Díaz, M. (2015). Phenomenology in educational qualitative research: Philosophy as science or philosophical science? International Journal of Educational Excellence, 1(2), 101-110. doi:10.18562/ijee.2015.0009.

Poulose, S., & Sudarsan, N. (2014). Work life balance: A conceptual review. International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, 3(2), 1-17. Retrieved from http://www.managementjournal.info.

Srinivasan, V. (2012). Multi generations in the workforce: Building collaboration. IIMB Management Review, 24(1), 48-66. doi:10.1016/j.iimb.2012.01.004.

Yadav, T., & Rani, S. (2015). Work life balance: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Applied Research, 1(11), 680-684. Retrieved from http://www.allresearchjournal.com.