Editorial Board

A Refereed Monthly International Journal of Management

Comparing Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction among Nurses in Government and Private Hospitals in Chennai

 

Dr. Manisha Shinde-Pawar

DKTE Society's Textile and Engineering Institute,

Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra, India

mjs.imrda@gmail.com

 

Kirti Kadam

Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University),

Institute of Management,

Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

 

Dr. Pratibha Deshmukh

University of Mumbai

Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Institute of Management

and Information Technology

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

 

Vidya Bhosale

School of Computer Science,

Sanjay Ghodawat University,

Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

 

 

Abstract

By virtue of doing justice with their jobs, healthcare workers typically put aside their personal needs, which makes it challenging especially for women to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Keeping an equilibrium between one's professional and personal goals is a difficult task that requires work-life balance which is intricately entwined in every way. The healthcare industry is growing quickly, and nurses make up a sizable share of the workforce. The job is not easy as it requires many working night shifts, extended work hours, few breaks, and lots of work pressure. However, when provided witha supportive environment at the workplace as well as at home, they can focus well on their duties of serving patients and be more productive resulting in the increase of the quality of patient care. It is therefore needed to discuss strategies by identifying the numerous elements affecting the personal and professional lives of nurses and elevating their work-life balance. The present study aims to understand the factors influencing the work-life balance of nurses. Also, comparing the results between the nurses belonging to the government and private hospitals.

It is observed from the data analyzed that the ratio of the Time Spent with Family and Job Satisfaction level is less in the private sector and vice-versa in Government Sector whereas Stress level, Fatigue Level, Organizational and Work-Life Balance Commitment, Unmarried and Divorced percentage of nurses, Financial Rewards and satisfaction with Amenities are found more in private hospitals in comparison to government hospital so it was found that private hospital nurses suffer more in terms of work-life balance as compared to government hospitals in Chennai.

However, there are segments that are common in the lives of both Government and Private Hospital Nurses. Both suffer from Stress and Fatigue Levels. Their family life hampers because of night duties and extra working hours. Therefore, appropriate action should be taken by the authorities to help the nurses resolve this issue.

 

Introduction

 

The nurses’ commitment and dedication towards the health and well-being of patients is fundamental to the healthcare industry. More than 62% (2 million) of nurses work in hospitals. Nurses’ work to improve patients’ suffering is considered as a noble deed. It is well known that working in hospitals can be both rewarding and demanding. The health of patients is always a priority even if it means sacrificing nurses’ personal lives. So, nurses are particularly subjected to familial pressures since they devote so much time to their work. This gives rise to conflicts between work and personal lives. Hence, like most employees in other fields, nurses also struggle to balance the two spheres of their life. By utilizing resources already available, hospital administrators can help hospital nurses achieve better work-life balance. Additionally, nurses have the ability to care for themselves, regardless of the demands of their profession, by using their skills and resources, which can significantly enhance their experience with Work-Life Balance. They encounter many issues in sustaining home life. The secret to a nurse's overall happiness is work-life balance.

 

Work-Life Balance

Work-life Balance refers to a state of equilibrium while meeting the needs of a person's work and home life. It is something that is done to make just segregation of time for the job and outside of the job. In the context of nurses, he/she must balance their personal and professional lives. This has a big impact on how well someone performs, especially in the healthcare Industry. Both the personal and professional lives of nurses are dynamic and women nurses struggle to play fair with both responsibilities and work which can lead to unfavorable outcomes if they take more time doing a role over the other (Kim, 2014). Specific requirements for each position are placed on women nurses. Role conflicts are seen as a result of organizational and personal variables, which has a negative impact on their performance. This can also result from the opposite relationship when stress on a personal level impairs work performance causing stress and burnout, which subsequently causes an unbalanced work-life balance. When someone manages the actual or anticipated conflict between opposing demands on their time, they are said to achieve work-life balance (Figure 1).

 

Figure 1: Work-Life Balance

 

Literature Review

Attaining work and family balance presents a huge challenge for women nurses. With time constraints and pressures from family and work, such as organizational affiliations and job insecurity, achieving a work-life balance can feel nearly impossible. Work-life balance is promoted as a method for work flexibility or adaptable entertainment to working professionals.

Shabir and Gani (2020) statedmedical profession has seen more women nurses as compared to the past due to the encouragement of girls' education and hence, families are becoming dependent on dual-earner settings. In spite of women earning, the responsibility of domestic work and care of children and elders are still on women. This causes a double burden of responsibility on them and causes physical and psychological stress on women employees, resulting in a work-life imbalance.

Aroosiya (2013) also asserted that in an advanced economy, working women have double the responsibilities of professional work and domestic work. The need to be effective in both areas burdens them with excessive stress as compared to working men. His study on 100 working women including teachers of government schools and employees in the divisional secretariat revealed low levels of work-life balance.

While studying the work-life balance of nurses of government and private schools, Lakshmi et al. (2012) observed that the stress and satisfaction-related factors were almost similar. They suggested that greater work-life balance increases productivity and enhanced health care which in turn helps in the retention of skilled nurses.

Aaron and Efrat (2009)’s study on female employees in Israeli hospitals explained the effects of work pressure on the family life and vice-versa and observed that the work variables significantly impacted the work-family conflict and family-work conflict more than any other.

Baba (2012) identified the causes and levels of stress on the doctors working in government hospitals. According to the survey, the main causes of organizational role stress among doctors are a tremendous workload, time constraints, poor administration, work-home conflicts, working nights at least twice a week, patient expectations, and crises.

According to Hussenoeder et al. (2021), there are two main work settings in the healthcare sector: in-patient hospitals and out-patient clinics. Hospital-based doctors and nurses were found to have a weaker work-life balance than their outpatient counterparts.

 

Objectives of the Study:

The present study is done with the objectives of:

 

1)    To investigate the idea of work-life balance in the healthcare industry.

2)    To investigate the Work-Life Balance of Female Nursesin Government and Private Hospitals.

3)    To identify the elements that influence the Work-Life Balance of Nurses

4)    To analyze the relationship between the working environment and Work-Life Balance taking Government and Private Hospitals into consideration.

 

Research Methodology

 

Study Design – The study is descriptive in nature where information was collected through questionnaires and observations were made regarding the factors associated with work-life balance of nurses.

Research Instrument- Questionnaire

The study utilizes questionnaire as the research instrument to collect data from the nurses working in the government as well as private hospitals in Chennai. The questions included were divided into two sections, first, to obtain demographic details,and second, to obtains factors that were responsible for influencingwork-life balance.

Sampling: The study used a convenience sampling method which is a non-random or non-probability sampling method where sample is collected because of ease of accessibility (Sedgwick, 2013).

Sampling Size

Sample size= 400

The survey is conducted from the responses and considered for the data analysis from Nurses of Private and Government Hospitals of Chennai.

Data Collection Method

We used two sources of data - primary and secondary. The Primary data is collected by circulating the questionnaire to Nurses of Private and Government Hospitals in Chennai. The source of secondary data was written and printed electronic sources collected through news journals, research articles, books, case studies of organizations etc.

Data Analysis : Percentage analysis.

 

Results and Discussion:

 

Demographic information:For the study, a total of 400 nurses working in different hospitals of Chennai were selected. Out of these 400 nurses, 200 were selected from private hospitals and 200 from Government hospitals of Chennai (Table 1).

Table1:Regional Distribution of Respondents(Nurses)

S. No.	Area Name	No. of Respondents
1.	Government hospital	200
	Private hospital	200
	Total	400

 

Table 2 gives the distribution of the sample according to age. It shows that out of a total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 98 (49 %) were in the group of 21-30 years,70 (35 %) in the age group of 31-40 yearsand 32 (16 %) respondents were of age more than 40 years.

Among government hospital nurses, the highest percentage of nurses were in the age range of21-30 years(30 %), 36% in the agerange of 31-40 years and 34 % were above the age of 40 years.

 

 

 

Table2: Age-wise Classification of Selected Nurses

S.No.	Age-Group	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
		No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	21-30	98	49	60	30
2.	31-40	70	35	72	36
3.	above 40	32	16	68	34
	Total	200	100	200	100

 

Figure 2: Displays age distribution

 

Figure2displays the age distribution of nurses in Chennai. According to which,in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses were very young adults (49%) between the age range of 21 to 30 years, while in government hospitals, the majority of the nurses (36%) were in the age group of 31-40 years.

 

 

 

Table 3: Marital Status

S.No.	Marital Status	Private Hospital		Government Hospital
		No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Unmarried	108	54	94	47
2.	Married	76	38	96	48
3.	Divorced	16	8	10	5
Total		200	100	200	100

 

Figure 3: Marital status

According to Table 3 that out of a total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, the unmarried nurses were 108 (54 %) and there were 76(38 %) married nurses. On the other hand, there were 16(8 %)respondents who were divorced.In government hospitals, unmarried nurses were94 (47 Percent) and there were 96(48 Percent) married nurses. And, there were 10(5 Percent) respondents who were divorced. It is observed that in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e.54% were unmarried while in government hospitals, the proportion of married and unmarried nurses is almost the same. Private hospital respondent number of divorced nurses is more (Figure 3).  The answer obtained from all the respondents in the provided questionnaires were then collected which presented the following results

.

Table 4: Responses tospending time with family

S. No.	Do you spend quality time with your family?	Private Hospital		Government Hospital
		No.	%	No.	%
1.	Always (More than 6 hours)	12	6	112	56
2.	Often (4 to 6 hours)	36	18	38	19
3.	Sometimes (2 to 4 hours)	104	52	16	8
4.	Rarely (1 to 2 hours)	34	17	18	9
5.	Never (Less than 1 hour)	14	7	16	8
Total		200	100	200	100

 

Figure 4: Responses to spending time with family

Table 4 presents that out of total of 200 private hospital nurses, 12 (6 Percent) nurses always spend time with their family while 36(18 Percent) and 104(52 Percent) nurses often and sometimes spend their time with family respectively. Similarly, 34 (17 Percent) nurses rarely spend time with their family and 14(7 Percent) nurses never spend their time with family.

Among government hospital nurses, 112 (56 Percent) nurses always spent time with their family while 38 (19 Percent) and 16 (8 Percent) nurses often and sometimes spent time with family, respectively. Similarly, 18 nurses rarely spend time with their family and 16 nurses never spend their time with family.

Figure 4 shows that the majority of private hospital nurses could only spend time sometimes to never with their family as compared to government hospital nurses who could spend time fairly well.

Table 5: Responses to stress related problems

S. No.	Do you suffer from any stress-related problems?	(Private Hospital)		(Government Hospital)
		No.	%	No.	%
1.	Frequent headaches	118	59	102	51
2.	Acidity	34	17	36	18
3.	Mood swings	22	11	34	17
4.	Hypertension	20	10	18	9
5.	Any other	6	3	10	5
Total		200	100	200	100

 

Figure 5: Responses to stress-related problems

It is evident from above Table no. 5 that out of a total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 118 (59 Percent) nurses were suffering from frequent headaches while 34( 17 Percent) and 22(11 Percent) nurses were suffering from acidity and mood swings respectively. Similarly, 20(10 Percent) nurses suffering from hypertension, and 6 (3 Percent) nurses were suffering from any other problems.

On the other hand, out of a total of 200 government hospital nurses from Chennai, 102 (51 Percent) nurses were suffering from frequent headaches while 36 (18 Percent) and 34 (17 Percent) nurses were suffering from acidity and mood swings respectively. Similarly, 18 (9 Percent) nurses suffering from hypertension, and 10 (5 Percent )nurses were suffering from any other problems (Figure 5).

 

The Figure 5shows the stress-related problems percentage of selected nurses in Chennai. According to this,in private hospitals, the majority of the nursesi.e. 59% were suffering from frequent headaches while in government hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e. 51% were suffering from frequent headaches.

 

Table 6Analysis of Nurses on the basis of Fatigue Level

S. No.	Do you feel exhausted?	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
		No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Always	84	42	82	41
2.	Often	40	20	34	17
3.	Sometimes	46	23	50	25
4.	Rarely	26	13	30	15
5.	Never	4	2	4	2
Total		200	100	200	100

 

 

 

Figure 6: Fatigue level

 

It is evident from above Table no. 6 that out of a total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 84 (42 Percent) nurses always feel exhausted while 40 (20 Percent)and46 (23 Percent) often and sometimes feel exhausted respectively. Similarly, 26 (13 Percent) nurses rarely feel exhausted and 4 (2 Percent)nurses never feel exhausted.

 

On the other hand, out of total of 200 government hospital nurses from Chennai, 82 (41 Percent)nurses always feel exhausted while34 (17 Percent)and 50 nurses (25 Percent) nurses often and sometimes feel exhausted respectively. Similarly, 30 (15 Percent)nurses rarely feel exhausted and 4(2 Percent) nurse never felt exhausted (Figure 6).

 

Figure 6 shows the stress-related problems percentage of selected nurses in Chennai. According to this,in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses  i.e. 42%always feel exhausted while in government hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e.41% always feel exhausted. It Depicts that Private Hospital Nurses feels more exhausted as compare to Government Hospital Nurses.

 

Table 7: Analysis of Nurses on the basis of Job Satisfaction Level

S. No.	Parameters	Responses	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
			No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Salary	Satisfied	124	62	148	74
		Not Satisfied	76	38	52	26
2.	Inter-Personal Colleague Relationship	Very Satisfied	90	45	86	43
		Satisfied	104	52	106	53
		Not Satisfied	6	3	8	4
3	Working Environment	Very Satisfied	124	62	64	32
		Satisfied	52	26	94	47
		Not Satisfied	20	10	38	19
		Neutral	4	2	4	2
4	Night Duty and Overtime	Satisfied	86	43	66	33
		Not Satisfied	114	57	134	67

 

Figure 7: Job Satisfaction level

 

It is evident from above Table no. 7 that out of 200 private hospital nurses, 124 nurses were satisfied, and 76 unsatisfied with their salary. In terms of Inter-Personal Colleague Relationships (Reporting Authority),90 nurses were very satisfied, 104 Not Satisfied and 6 Not Satisfied. With amenities provided at private hospitals, 124 Nurses were very satisfied 52 satisfied and 20 were not satisfied and 4 gave neutral responses with Overtime facilities86 Nurses were satisfied and 114 were Not Satisfied.

While 108 Government Hospital Nurses were satisfied with their Salary.  On the other hand,30 government hospital nurses were satisfied with Inter-Personal Colleague Relationships (Reporting Authority).46 Nurses were satisfied with amenities provided at Government hospitals and 16 Nurses were satisfied with Overtime Facilities (Figure 7). According to this, in private hospitals, only 62 percent of nurses were satisfied with their salary as compared to Government Hospital Nurses who found more satisfaction with 74 percent. Similarly, in terms of amenities provided, Government nurses were found dissatisfied with only 32 percent while private nurses were very satisfied with 62 percent.

 

Table 8 Analysis of Nurses on the basis of Self-Care

S. No.	Parameters	Responses	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
			No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Personal Time	Yes	128	64	146	73
		No	72	36	54	27
2.	Health and Wellness	Yes	122	61	124	62
		No	78	39	76	38
3	Enough Sleep Time	Yes	52	26	48	24
		Partially Enough	112	56	118	59
		No	36	18	34	17

 

Figure 8: Self Care

 

It is evident from above Table no. 8 that out of total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 128 Nurses get proper personal time and 72 don’t get it. 122 Nurses get time for Health and Wellness and 78 don’t get it. 52 Nurses get enough (6-8 Hours) sleep. 112 Nurses get partially enough sleep and 36 don’t get it.

On the other hand out of 200 Government Hospital Nurses, 146 Nurses get proper personal time and 54 don’t get it. 124 Nurses get time for Health and Wellness and 76 don’t get it. 48 Nurses get (6-8 Hours) Sleep 118 get partially enough sleep and 34 don’t get it (Figure 8). Figure 8 shows the Self-Care percentage of selected nurses in Chennai. According to which,in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e. 64% nurses get personal time while in government hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e.73 % get personal time which shows government hospital nurses get more personal time as compared to Private hospital nurses.

 

 

 

Table 9

Analysis of Nurses on the basis of Organisational and Work Life Balance Commitment

S. No.	Parameters	Responses	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
			No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Working Hours	Satisfied	112	56	130	65
		Not Satisfied	88	44	70	35
2.	Leaves & Holidays	Satisfied	104	52	110	55
		Not Satisfied	96	48	90	45
3	Weekly Off	Satisfied	76	38	96	48
		Partially Satisfied	112	56	76	38
		Not Satisfied	12	6	28	14

 

Figure 9: Organisational and Work-Life Balance Commitment

 

 

It is evident from above Table no. 9 that out of total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 112 nurses were satisfied and 88 were not satisfied with working hours.104 were satisfied with leaves and holidays 96 were not satisfied with leaves and holidays.On the other hand (Figure 9), out of total 200 government hospital nurses from Chennai, 76 nurses were satisfied and 112 partially satisfied with weekly off and 12 not satisfied.

 

The aforementioned graph shows the Organisational and Work-Life Balance commitment percentage of selected nurses in Chennai.According to this,in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses  i.e.56% were satisfied with working hours while 65% of government hospital nurses were satisfied with working hours which depicts Government Nurses are more satisfied as compared to Private Hospital Nurses.

 

Table 10 Analysis of Nurses on the basis of Financial Rewards

S. No.	Parameters	Responses	Nurses (Private Hospital)		Nurses (Government Hospital)
			No.	Percentage	No.	Percentage
1.	Performance Appraisal	Satisfied	124	62	90	45
		Not Satisfied	76	38	110	55
2.	Encashment of Leaves	Very Satisfied	110	55	106	53
		Satisfied	90	45	94	47
3	Festival Bonus / Incentives	Very Satisfied	68	34	10	5
		Satisfied	64	32	14	7
		Not Satisfied	68	34	176	88

 

Figure 10: Financial Rewards

 

It is evident from above Table no. 10 that out of a total of 200 private hospital nurses from Chennai, 124nurses are satisfied and 76 are not satisfied with Performance Appraisal 110 were very satisfied 90 satisfied with Encashment of Leaves, and 68Nurses very satisfied with festival Bonus 64 Satisfied and 68 not satisfied with festival bonus.

Figure 10 shows, on the other hand, that, out of a total of 200 government hospital nurses, 90 nurses are satisfied and 110 are not satisfied with Performance Appraisal.106 Nurses are very satisfied and 94 satisfied with Encashment of Leaves and 10 are very satisfied 14 satisfied and 176 not satisfied with festival bonuses and incentives.It also hows the financial rewards percentage of selected nurses in Chennai. According to which,in private hospitals, the majority of the nurses i.e. 62%are satisfied with performance appraisal while in government hospital only 45% receive that so it depicts that private hospital nurses receive performance appraisal more as compared to Government Hospital Nurses.

 

Hypothesis testing for the Work-Life Balance of Nurses

We have already discussed the average quality of time spent by nurses with their families. It is a proven fact that employees who spent more time with family, enjoy a betterwork-life balance. So, on the basis of quality time spent by nurses with families, their level of work-life balance is explained in Table11 as indicated by the mean score values. It can be observed that in private hospitals majority of nurses are having an average level of work-life balance (N=104, Percentage=52), whereas, in the case of government hospitals, 75% of the nursing staff is enjoying a good work-life balance.

Table 11: Work-Life Balance of Nursing Staff

Overall Work-Life Balance	Private Hospital		Government Hospital
	N	Percentage	N	Percentage
Good	48	24.00	150	75.00
Average	104	52.00	16	8.00
Bad	48	24.00	34	17.00
Total	200	100	200	100
Mean	2.99		4.06
S.D.	0.62		0.75
Satisfaction Level	Average		Good

 

To test any differences in the work-life balance of private and government hospitals’ Nursing staff, the following hypothesis was formulated:-

H₀1: There exists no significant difference between the work-life balance of private and government hospital employees.

H_a1: There exists a significant difference between the work-life balance of private and government hospital employees

To test this hypothesis two sample independent t-test was done and the results are given in table 12. At a 5% level of significance, the t-values is significant rejecting the hypothesis showing that there is a difference between the work-life balance of private and government hospital employees. From the mean score analysis, it can be inferred that the work-life balance level of government hospital nurses is better than the of private hospital nurses

Table 12: Two sample t-test results to check significant difference in work life balance of private and government hospital nurses

Type of Hospital	WLB Level		t-value	p-value	Result
	Mean	S.D.
Private	2.99	0.62	15.55	0.000	Significant
Government	4.06	0.75

Level of Significance=5%

 

Job Satisfaction of Nursing Staff

Job satisfaction comprises of various factors, so the sample respondents were asked to indicate their satisfaction with various parameters and the summary of those results is presented in table 13. It can be observed that private hospital nurses were very much satisfied with interpersonal Colleague Relationships and the working environment but they were dissatisfied with salary, night duty and overtime. On the other hand government hospital nurses were very much satisfied with interpersonal Colleague Relationships, satisfied with salary and working environment, and were dissatisfied with night duty and overtime.

Table 13: Job Satisfaction of Nursing Staff

Parameter of Satisfaction	Private Hospital				Government Hospital
	Mean	S.D.	C.V.	Satisfaction Level	Mean	S.D.	C.V.	Satisfaction Level
Satisfaction with Salary	1.62	0.25	0.15	Dissatisfied	1.74	0.11	0.06	Satisfied
Satisfaction with Inter-Personal Colleague Relationship	2.42	0.31	0.13	Very Satisfied	2.39	0.21	0.09	Very Satisfied
Satisfaction with Working Environment	2.48	0.28	0.11	Very Satisfied	2.09	0.19	0.09	Satisfied
Satisfaction with Night Duty and Overtime	1.43	0.17	0.12	Dissatisfied	1.33	0.14	0.11	Dissatisfied

 

Table 14 is depicting the overall job satisfaction of nursing staff. As per the mean score analysis nurses of private and government hospitals were satisfied with their job. In private hospitals, 27% of nurses indicated dissatisfaction with their job and 29% of government hospital nursing staff was dissatisfied with their job.

Table 14: Overall Job Satisfaction of Nursing Staff

Overall Job Satisfaction	Private Hospital		Government Hospital
	N	Percentage	N	Percentage
Dissatisfied	54	27.00	58	29.00
Satisfied	92	46.00	104	52.00
Very Satisfied	54	27.00	38	19.00
Total	200	100	200	100
Mean	1.99		1.89
S.D.	0.39		0.32
Satisfaction Level	Satisfied		Satisfied

 

Although Table 4 indicated that nurses were satisfied with their job, still to measure the difference in job satisfaction of private and government hospital nursing staff, the following hypothesis has been taken:-

H₀2: There exists no significant difference between the private and government hospital nurses in their job satisfaction.

H_a2: There exists a significant difference between private and government hospital nurses in their job satisfaction.

The results of the independent t-test are presented in Table15. At a 5% level of significance, the t-value is significant rejecting the null hypothesis. This implies that the alternate hypothesis is accepted which shows that there is a difference between the government and private hospital nurses in their job satisfaction level. From the mean score analysis it can be inferred that private hospital nurses (Mean=1.99) are more satisfied than government hospital nurses (Mean=1.89)

 

Table 15: Two sample t-test results to check significant difference in job satisfaction of private and government hospital nurses

Type of Hospital	Satisfaction Level		t-value	p-value	Result
	Mean	S.D.
Private	1.99	0.39	2.803	0.047	Significant
Government	1.89	0.32

Level of Significance=5%

Impact of Work-Life Balance on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction

This research also intended to measure the Impact of Work-Life Balance on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction. The third hypothesis was taken to serve this objective as follows:-

H₀3:Work-Life Balance has no significant impact on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction.

H_a3: Work-Life Balance has a significant impact on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction.

To test this hypothesis the data on work-life balance was cross-tabulated with employees’ job satisfaction, then a chi–square test was performed and the results are presented in Tables16 and 17. The values of both chi-statistics are significant, hence rejecting the null hypothesis. So, it can be concluded that there is a significant impact of Work-Life Balance on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction.

Table 16: Chi-Square Test Results to Measure Impact of work-life balance on job satisfaction of private hospital nurses

Overall WLB	Overall Job Satisfaction				Chi-Square Value	p-Value	Result
	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Total
Good	3	10	35	48	175.88	0.000	Significant
Average	10	80	14	104
Bad	41	2	5	48
Total	54	92	54	200

Level of Significance=5%

Table 17: Chi-Square Test Results to Measure Impact of work-life balance on job satisfaction of government hospital nurses

Overall WLB	Overall Job Satisfaction				Chi-Square Value	p-Value	Result
	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Total
Good	29	90	31	150	59.774	0.000	Significant
Average	1	9	6	16
Bad	28	5	1	34
Total	58	104	38	200

Level of Significance=5%

 

Discussion

Work-life balance is a critical for any profession, especially in the healthcare sector where demanding schedules and high-stress levels are common (Suresh & Kodikal, 2017). This discussion aims to identify and understand the work-life balance of nurses in Chennai, India, specifically comparing nurses working in government hospitals and private hospitals.

Challenges Faced by Nurses in Chennai:

Nurses in both government and private hospitals often face long working hours due to the demanding nature of their profession. Extended shifts and overtime work can result in physical and mental exhaustion, affecting their personal lives and overall well-being.  Chennai, like many other regions, faces a shortage of nursing staff, leading to increased workload and higher stress levels for nurses. This shortage places additional pressure on nurses, making it difficult for them to strike a balance between work and personal life. Heavy patient loads, frequent emergencies, and high-stress environments contribute to nurse burnout. Nurses often find it challenging to manage their personal commitments, such as family responsibilities, due to the demanding nature of their job (Dayananda & Samarakoon, 2019).

Government Hospital Perspective:

Nurses working in government hospitals in Chennai will benefit from relatively stable employment, with fixed working hours and clearly defined leave policies. This structure enables them to plan their personal lives better and ensures a more predictable work schedule (Lo et al., 2018). Government hospitals in Chennai often struggle with limited resources, including staff shortages and outdated infrastructure. These challenges can result in increased work pressure and negatively impact the work-life balance of nurses.

Private Hospital Perspective:

Private hospitals in Chennai generally offer higher salaries and additional incentives to attract and retain nursing staff. This can improve the financial stability of nurses and contribute positively to their work-life balance (Hamid et al., 2013). Private hospitals often provide more flexibility in terms of shift rotations and work patterns. This flexibility allows nurses to have more control over their schedules and better manage their personal commitments.

Initiatives to Improve Work-Life Balance:

Roster Optimization: Both government and private hospitals are increasingly focusing on optimizing nurse rosters to ensure fair workload distribution and minimize overtime. This approach aims to prevent nurse burnout and enhance work-life balance.

Mental Health Support: Hospitals are recognizing the importance of mental health support for nurses and are implementing counseling services and support programs. These initiatives help nurses cope with the stress of their profession and maintain a healthier work-life balance.

Work-Life Policies: Some hospitals have introduced policies that promote work-life balance, such as flexible working hours, remote work options (where applicable), and family-friendly leave policies. These measures acknowledge the importance of nurses' personal lives and aim to create a supportive work environment.

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a significant challenge for nurses in Chennai, regardless of whether they work in government or private hospitals. Both sectors face a set of challenges including long working hours, lack of staff, and highly stressful environments. However, efforts are being made to address these issues through roster optimization, mental health support, and the implementation of work-life policies. By prioritizing work-life balance, hospitals can not only support the well-being of their nursing staff but also ensure the delivery of quality patient care.

 

 

 

Effective Ways to Maintain Work-Life Balance for Female Nurses

 

Adopting a Flexible Schedule: Offering flexible work hours allows female nurses to better manage their professional and personal commitments.

Provision of Paid Leaves: Having access to paid leaves ensures that nurses can take time off when needed without worrying about financial constraints.

Child Care Facilities: Having on-site or nearby child care facilities enables nurses to focus on their work with peace of mind, knowing their children are well cared for.

Parent's Care Facilities: Similarly, having facilities for elder care allows nurses to fulfill their care giving responsibilities towards their parents or elderly family members.

These practices and policies, such as part-time work, compressed workweeks, flexible working days, work-from-home options, maternity leaves, and medical care benefits, contribute to creating a supportive work environment that promotes work-life balance for female nurses.

 

Limitations of the Study

 

There are several limitations to this study that need to be considered. Firstly, due to time constraints and limited access, only a few areas were available for study. Additionally, the study relies on the opinions of respondents collected through a questionnaire, which could be biased. Furthermore, the samples were selected randomly, and some important factors may have been excluded from the questionnaire, leading to potential gaps in analysis and interpretation.

 

Conclusion

 

400 nurses are taken for the study, 200 from Private hospitals and 200 from Government hospitals and it is evaluated that in private hospitals more nurses are unmarried and divorced than in government hospitals. Private hospital nurses spend less time with family as compared to government hospital nurses. The majority of nurses have more stress in private hospitals as compared to government hospitals. Private hospital nurses feel more exhausted than government sector nurses which depict their fatigue level is more. The job Satisfaction level is less whereas amenities provided financial rewards are more in private hospitals in comparison with Government Hospitals. So it is concluded from the study that maintaining work-life balance in private hospitals of Chennai is more complex for nurses as compared to Government hospitals. Proper measures by the HR and Administrative staff in private hospitals can help female nurses in maintaining a proper work-life balance.  

However, it has been found that nurses working in both private and public hospitals experience significant levels of stress and fatigue. Both Nurses are not satisfied with Night Shift and Overtime. Their marital lives suffer as a result, so the authorities in both hospitals should implement the necessary changes to make this career more suited for nurses.

 

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