AMOR

Article Details

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2022): November

Demystifying work-related outcomes and life satisfaction of Bangladeshi working women during the COVID-19 pandemic

https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v4i2.1535
25 Jul 2023

Abstract

Purpose: The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on working women’s personal and professional lives is overwhelming. This paper aims to demystify the intervening role of work-life balance in the association of life satisfaction with work-from-home and workplace flexibility during a covid emergency.

Research methodology: To follow this aim, 196 working women coming from different occupations enjoying work-from-home arrangements during COVID-19 have been selected based on convenience as respondents. After confirming the reliability-validity and fitness of the proposed model, the responses have been further examined for testing the hypotheses.

Results: The findings demystify strong associations of independent variables (work from home and workplace flexibility) with the dependent variable (life satisfaction) as well as with the mediator (work-life balance). The mediating role of work-life balance between the independent and dependent variables has also proved significant.

Limitations: This study has limitations, such as mainly focusing on Chattagram, Bangladesh, selecting respondents based on convenience, and needing more research to analyse the effects of variables on male workers.

Contribution: Regulatory authorities, corporate bodies and HR practitioners will get strong insights while formulating strategic HR guidelines in regular situations as well as in emergencies in this study.

Novelty: In a patriarchal country like Bangladesh, where women's contributions to the economy are increasing day by day, the government and other regulatory authorities should consider working women's work-life equilibrium and well-being when drafting legislation regarding HR practices.

Keywords

Working Women in Bangladesh During Covid-19 Work-Life Balance Work from Home Workplace Flexibility Life Satisfaction

How to Cite

Mahmod, S. (2023). Demystifying work-related outcomes and life satisfaction of Bangladeshi working women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 4(2), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v4i2.1535

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

References

  1. Adler, P. S. (2012). Perspective—the sociological ambivalence of bureaucracy: from Weber via Gouldner to Marx. Organization Science, 23(1), 244-266.?
  2. Amegayibor, G. K., and Korankye, C. O. (2022). Customer satisfaction and the influence of quality service aspects: A case study of a cooperative union in Cape Coast, Ghana’s Central Region. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 2(4), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v2i4.906
  3. Ahmed, S., & Islam, M. M. (2022). Impact of home office on job satisfaction and work-life balance of female employees in Bangladesh during Covid-19. International Journal for Research Publications (IJRP).
  4. Anderson, D., & Kelliher, C. (2020). Enforced remote working and the work-life interface during lockdown. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 35(7/8), 677-683.
  5. Andrade, M. S., Westover, J. H., & Kupka, B. A. (2019). The role of work-life balance and worker scheduling flexibility in predicting global comparative job satisfaction. database, 9(2), 80-105.
  6. Anomsari, S., Handaru, A. W., & Ahmad, G. N. (2021). The influence of work from home and work discipline on the performance of employees with Work-Life balance as mediating variable in the COVID-19 outbreak period. Oblik i finansi, 94, 91-98.
  7. Attieh, H. (2022). The effect of new normal leadership and workplace flexibility on employee burnout and work-life balance during COVID-19 era. Lebanese American University.
  8. Avkiran, N. K., & Ringle, C. M. (2018). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: Recent advances in banking and finance (Vol. 239): Springer.
  9. Aziz-Ur-Rehman, M., & Siddiqui, D. A. (2019). Relationship between flexible working arrangements and job satisfaction mediated by work-life balance: Evidence from public sector universities employees of Pakistan. Available at SSRN 3510918.
  10. Basak, S. (2021). Factors affecting work-life balance of women in Bangladesh: a study during COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Journal of Business and Information Studies, 3(3), 38-48.
  11. Basak, S., & Akter, K. (2022). Work-life balance of female university teachers during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Work, 14(4).
  12. Bellmann, L., & Hübler, O. (2021). Working from home, job satisfaction and work–life balance–robust or heterogeneous links? International journal of manpower, 42(3), 424-441.
  13. Best, S., & Chinta, R. (2021). Work–life balance and life satisfaction among the self-employed. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 28(7), 995-1011.
  14. Bjärntoft, S., Hallman, D. M., Mathiassen, S. E., Larsson, J., & Jahncke, H. (2020). Occupational and individual determinants of work-life balance among office workers with flexible work arrangements. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1418.
  15. Caringal-Go, J. F., Teng-Calleja, M., Bertulfo, D. J., & Manaois, J. O. (2022). Work-life balance crafting during COVID-19: Exploring strategies of telecommuting employees in the Philippines. Community, work & family, 25(1), 112-131.
  16. Clair, R., Gordon, M., Kroon, M., & Reilly, C. (2021). The effects of social isolation on well-being and life satisfaction during pandemic. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1).
  17. Collins, C., Landivar, L. C., Ruppanner, L., & Scarborough, W. J. (2021). COVID?19 and the gender gap in work hours. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, 101-112.
  18. Davis, M. A., Ghent, A. C., & Gregory, J. M. (2021). The work-from-home technology boon and its consequences. Retrieved from
  19. Demirba?, K. ?., & Demirba?, O. (2022). Who said there is no place like home? Extending the link between quantitative job demands and life satisfaction: a moderated mediation model. Personnel Review, 51(8), 1922-1947.
  20. Deutrom, J., Katos, V., & Ali, R. (2022). Loneliness, life satisfaction, problematic internet use and security behaviours: re-examining the relationships when working from home during COVID-19. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(14), 3161-3175.
  21. Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of personality assessment, 49(1), 71-75.
  22. Direction, S. (2008). Flexible working as human resources strategy: Benefits to the organization and its personnel. Strategic Direction, 24(8), 9-11.
  23. Driscoll, C. (2019). Flexible Work Arrangements and Parental Life Satisfaction.
  24. Dymecka, J., Gerymski, R., & Machnik-Czerwik, A. (2021). Fear of COVID-19 as a buffer in the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction in the Polish population at the beginning of the global pandemic. Health Psychology Report, 9(2), 149-159.
  25. Ekasari, N., Harsasi, M., Priyati, R. Y., & Qomariah, N. (2022). The Effect of Work from Home (WFH) and Work Discipline on Employee Performance Through Work-Life Balance (WLB) in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Explanatory Study at BPKAD Office, Bondowoso Regency. Paper presented at the Journal of International Conference Proceedings.
  26. Fahmi, P., Saluy, A. B., Safitri, E., Rivaldo, Y., & Endri, E. (2022). Work Stress Mediates Motivation and Discipline on Teacher Performance: Evidence Work from Home Policy. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(3), 80-80.
  27. Fisher, M. H., Sung, C., Kammes, R. R., Okyere, C., & Park, J. (2022). Social support as a mediator of stress and life satisfaction for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities during the COVID?19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 35(1), 243-251.
  28. Haar, J. M., Russo, M., Suñe, A., & Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2014). Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(3), 361-373.
  29. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24.
  30. Happy, K. (2021). The mediating effect of job satisfaction between the dimensions of work-life balance and work engagement: A study on faculty members of private universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University Journal of Management Research, 4, 119-142.
  31. Hayman, J. R. (2009). Flexible work arrangements: Exploring the linkages between perceived usability of flexible work schedules and work/life balance. Community, work & family, 12(3), 327-338.
  32. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115-135.
  33. Hill, E. J., Hawkins, A. J., Ferris, M., & Weitzman, M. (2001). Finding an extra day a week: The positive influence of perceived job flexibility on work and family life balance. Family relations, 50(1), 49-58.
  34. Intesar, A. (2021). An Untold Pandemic: Triple Burden of Working Women during COVID-19 Pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS, 5(5).
  35. Irawanto, D. W., Novianti, K. R., & Roz, K. (2021). Work from home: Measuring satisfaction between work–life balance and work stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Economies, 9(3), 96.
  36. Islam, M. A., Abbott, P., Haque, S., Gooch, F., & Akhter, S. (2022). The impact of Covid-19 on women workers in the Bangladesh garment industry. The University of Aberdeen and the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC), UK.
  37. Jeffrey Hill, E., Grzywacz, J. G., Allen, S., Blanchard, V. L., Matz-Costa, C., Shulkin, S., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2008). Defining and conceptualizing workplace flexibility. Community, Work and Family, 11(2), 149-163.
  38. Karsili, H., Yesiltas, M., & Berberoglu, A. (2021). Workplace flexibility for sustainable career satisfaction: case of handling in the aviation sector in North Cyprus. Sustainability, 13(12), 6878.
  39. Kashyap, S., Joseph, S., & Deshmukh, G. (2016). Employee well-being, life satisfaction and the need for work-life balance. Journal of Ravishankar University, Part-A, 22, 11-23.
  40. Kim, S., Chai, D. S., Kim, J., Kim, S., & Song, Y. (2022). Between work conditions and job outcomes: Testing a nomological network of life satisfaction. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-25.
  41. Kossek, E. E., & Lautsch, B. A. (2018). Work–life flexibility for whom? Occupational status and work–life inequality in upper, middle, and lower level jobs. Academy of Management Annals, 12(1), 5-36.
  42. Kumar, P., Kumar, N., Aggarwal, P., & Yeap, J. A. (2021). Working in lockdown: the relationship between COVID-19 induced work stressors, job performance, distress, and life satisfaction. Current Psychology, 1-16.
  43. Lee, M.-H., & Tsai, H.-Y. (2022). A study of job insecurity and life satisfaction in COVID-19: The multilevel moderating effect of perceived control and work–life balance programs. Journal of Men's Health, 18(1), 21.
  44. Mukherjee, S., & Narang, D. (2022). Digital economy and work-from-home: The rise of home offices amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in India. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-22.
  45. Nanthini, S., & Nair, T. (2020). COVID-19 and the Impacts on Women.
  46. Neufeld, D. J., & Fang, Y. (2005). Individual, social and situational determinants of telecommuter productivity. Information & Management, 42(7), 1037-1049.
  47. Noda, H. (2020). Work–life balance and life satisfaction in OECD countries: A cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(4), 1325-1348.
  48. Palumbo, R. (2020). Let me go to the office! An investigation into the side effects of working from home on work-life balance. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33(6/7), 771-790.
  49. Pasla, P., Asepta, U., Widyaningrum, S., Pramesti, M., & Wicaksono, S. (2021). The effect of work from home and work load on work-life balance of generation X and generation Y employees. Journal of Economics, Finance and Accounting Studies, 3(2), 220-224.
  50. Putri, A., & Amran, A. (2021). Employees work-life balance reviewed from work from home aspect during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology, 1(1), 30-34.
  51. Putri, A., Amran, A., Suparwo, A., Kurniawan, A., Rahayu, Y. S., & Suryana, S. (2021). The Importance of Perceived Organizational Support and Work From Home to increase Work-Life Balance During The Covid-19 Pandemic. Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Education (APJME), 4(3), 10-21.
  52. Rahman, K. T., & Arif, Z. (2021). Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: Satisfaction, challenges, and productivity of employees. Int. J. Trade Commer.-IIARTC, 9, 282-294.
  53. Ravand, H., & Baghaei, P. (2016). Partial least squares structural equation modeling with R. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 21(1), 11.
  54. Ravi, N., & Anulakshmi, M. (2021). Work from Home and Employee Productivity during COVID-19. Asian Basic and Applied Research Journal, 150-157.
  55. Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Mitchell, R., & Gudergan, S. P. (2020). Partial least squares structural equation modeling in HRM research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(12), 1617-1643.
  56. Saifuzzaman, M., Rahman, M. M., Shetu, S. F., & Moon, N. N. (2021). COVID-19 and Bangladesh: situation report, comparative analysis, and case study. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 2, 100034.
  57. Saraceno, C., Olagnero, M., & Torrioni, P. (2005). First European Quality of Life Survey: Families, work and social networks: Luxembourg.
  58. Saxena, R. (2018). Achieving work life balance through flexible work schedule: A conceptual study. Asian Journal of Management, 9(1), 307-312.
  59. Shagvaliyeva, S., & Yazdanifard, R. (2014). Impact of flexible working hours on work-life balance. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management.
  60. Shammi, M., Bodrud-Doza, M., Islam, A. R. M. T., & Rahman, M. M. (2021). Strategic assessment of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: comparative lockdown scenario analysis, public perception, and management for sustainability. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23, 6148-6191.
  61. Smith, E. F., Gilmer, D. O., & Stockdale, M. S. (2019). The importance of culture and support for workplace flexibility: An ecological framework for understanding flexibility support structures. Business horizons, 62(5), 557-566.
  62. Sousa, L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Life satisfaction Encylopedia of women and gender: Sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gende (J. Worell ed., Vol. 2, pp. 667-676). San Diego: CA: Academic Press.
  63. Srimulyani, V. A., & Hermanto, Y. B. (2022). Work-Life Balance Before and During Work from Home in a Covid-19 Pandemic Situation. Jurnal Manajemen Indonesia, 22(1), 31-46.
  64. Stankevi?i?t?, Ž., & Kunskaja, S. (2022). Strengthening of work-life balance while working remotely in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Human Systems Management, 41(2), 221-235.
  65. Su, Y., Zhu, Z., Chen, J., Jin, Y., Wang, T., Lin, C.-L., & Xu, D. (2021). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of university students in China: integrating the perceived university support and theory of planned behavior. Sustainability, 13(8), 4519.
  66. Subramaniam, A. G., Overton, B. J., & Maniam, C. B. (2015). Flexible working arrangements, work life balance and women in Malaysia. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 5(1), 34.
  67. Sutarto, A. P., Wijayanto, T., & Afiah, I. N. (2021). A Conditional Process Analysis on the Relationship between Work-Life Balance, Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Work from Home Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  68. Ta?delen-Karçkay, A., & Bakal?m, O. (2017). The mediating effect of work–life balance on the relationship between work–family conflict and life satisfaction. Australian Journal of Career Development, 26(1), 3-13.
  69. Tomohiro, T. (2021). Working from home and work-life balance during COVID-19: the latest changes and challenges in Japan. Japan Labor Issues, 5(33), 21-33.
  70. Trzebi?ski, J., Caba?ski, M., & Czarnecka, J. Z. (2020). Reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic: The influence of meaning in life, life satisfaction, and assumptions on world orderliness and positivity. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(6-7), 544-557.
  71. Uddin, M. (2021). Addressing work?life balance challenges of working women during COVID?19 in Bangladesh. International Social Science Journal, 71(239-240), 7-20.
  72. Uddin, M., Ali, K., & Khan, M. A. (2020). Impact of perceived family support, workplace support, and work-life balance policies on work-life balance among female bankers in Bangladesh. International Journal of Economics, Management and Accounting.
  73. Veenhoven, R. (1996). The study of life-satisfaction.
  74. Vyas, L., & Butakhieo, N. (2021). The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy design and practice, 4(1), 59-76.
  75. Wong, K. K.-K. (2013). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) techniques using SmartPLS. Marketing bulletin, 24(1), 1-32.
  76. Yasir, M., Majid, A., Yasir, M., & Khan, N. (2019). Boundary integration, work/family enrichment and life satisfaction among female nursing staff. Management Research Review, 42(6), 740-759.
  77. Yavorsky, J. E., Qian, Y., & Sargent, A. C. (2021). The gendered pandemic: The implications of COVID?19 for work and family. Sociology Compass, 15(6), e12881.
  78. Žnidarši?, J., & Mari?, M. (2021). Relationships between work-family balance, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and work engagement among higher education lecturers. Organizacija, 54(3), 227-237.

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors

Shajjad Mahmod
Department of Management, Rangamati Science and Technology University, Bangladesh

Downloads

View PDF

Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2022): November
Section: Articles
Contact Us
WhatsApp Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Email