Exploring the impact of workplace flexibility on employee work-life balance and job satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.03.328Keywords:
Influence, Workplace Flexibility, Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, Employees, Pakistani OrganizationsAbstract
This study focused on exploring the influence of workplace flexibility on the work-life balance and job satisfaction of employees in Pakistani organizations by approaching 450 participants through a cross-sectional survey. Structured questionnaires were administered to all the 25 respondents (HR managers and employees) with some of these questionnaires consisting of established scales and some in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis shows that there are strong positive relationships between dimensions of workplace flexibility and work-life balance and job satisfaction. The most significant positive correlations that seemed to be found were flexible working hours and work-life balance (r=0.742, p<0.001), and remote work options and job satisfaction (r=0.689, p<0.001). The qualitative results showed cultural obstructions, technological issues and the opposition of management as among the biggest obstacles to application of flexible employment in Pakistani corporations. The research concluded that workers with access to flexible work came up with 34% higher scores of work-life balances and 28% higher with regards to job satisfaction than those who did not have such arrangements. This conclusion indicates that flexibility in the workplace is an important antecedent of both employee wellbeing and organizational performance in Pakistani setting only provided that implementation takes into account infrastructural and cultural considerations.
Downloads
References
Adisa, T. A., Antonacopoulou, E., Beauregard, T. A., Dickmann, M., & Adekoya, O. D. (2022). Exploring the impact of COVID‐19 on employees’ boundary management and work–life balance. British journal of management, 33(4), 1694-1709. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12643
Afzal, A., Arshad, M., & Naseem, Z. (2024). Familial and socio-cultural barriers faced by working women: Evidence-based study of district Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Applied Social Sciences, 15(1), 43-62.
Ahmadi, A., Cantinia, A., Frías, V. G., & Staudacher, A. P. (2025). The impact of labor flexibility on operational efficiency in industry 5.0: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 1-26.
Alsos, K., & Dølvik, J. E. (2021). The future of work in the Nordic countries: Opportunities and challenges for the Nordic working life models.
Amankwah-Amoah, J., Khan, Z., Wood, G., & Knight, G. (2021). COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration. Journal of business research, 136, 602-611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.08.011
Bal, P. M., & Izak, M. (2021). Paradigms of flexibility: A systematic review of research on workplace flexibility. European Management Review, 18(1), 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12423
Begum, A. (2022). Employment generation challenges and strategies for Pakistan: A diagnostic analysis. Unisia, 40(1), 67-102.
Brega, C., Briones, S., Javornik, J., León, M., & Yerkes, M. (2023). Flexible work arrangements for work-life balance: a cross-national policy evaluation from a capabilities perspective. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 43(13/14), 278-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2023-0077
Fazal, S., Masood, S., Nazir, F., & Majoka, M. I. (2022). Individual and organizational strategies for promoting work–life balance for sustainable workforce: A systematic literature review from Pakistan. Sustainability, 14(18), 11552. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811552
Gill, A., & Siddiqui, D. (2021). How flexible work arrangements affect organizational commitment, and work-life enrichment in Pakistan’s service industry: The role of time planning, work-life conflict, and engagement. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3757888
Héry, M., Malenfer, M., Devel, S., & Levert, C. (2021). Evolution of working conditions under the impact of ICTs. Journal of safety research, 77, 268-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.03.009
Hill, E. J., & Carroll, S. J. (2024). Workplace flexibility. In Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp. 7847-7848): Springer.
Himawan, K. K., Helmi, J., & Fanggidae, J. P. (2022). The sociocultural barriers of work‐from‐home arrangement due to COVID‐19 pandemic in Asia: Implications and future implementation. Knowledge and Process Management, 29(2), 185-193. https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1708
Hopkins, J., & Bardoel, A. (2023). The future is hybrid: how organisations are designing and supporting sustainable hybrid work models in post-pandemic Australia. Sustainability, 15(4), 3086. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043086
Kane, G. C., Nanda, R., Phillips, A., & Copulsky, J. (2021). Redesigning the post-pandemic workplace. MIT Sloan management review, 62(3), 12-14.
Kossek, E. E., Perrigino, M. B., & Lautsch, B. A. (2023). Work-life flexibility policies from a boundary control and implementation perspective: A review and research framework. Journal of Management, 49(6), 2062-2108. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221140354
Marzban, S., Candido, C., Mackey, M., Engelen, L., Zhang, F., & Tjondronegoro, D. (2023). A review of research in activity-based working over the last ten years: Lessons for the post-COVID workplace. Journal of facilities management, 21(3), 313-333. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-08-2021-0081
Mathur, A., Arora, R., & Nangia, R. (2025). Adoption of Flexible Work Models and Their Contribution to Organizational Sustainability Goals. Journal of Marketing & Social Research, 2, 301-312.
Nagi, S., Ishaq, H. M., Malik, G. A., & ul Ain, Q. (2025). Exploring The Impact of Flexible Work Arrangements On Work-Life Balance: A Study of Working Couples. Journal of Business and Management Research, 4(3), 72-91.
Poláková, M., Suleimanová, J. H., Madzík, P., Copuš, L., Molnárová, I., & Polednová, J. (2023). Soft skills and their importance in the labour market under the conditions of Industry 5.0. Heliyon, 9(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18670
Rafiq, S., Kamran, F., Zia, F., Munir, I., & Afzal, A. (2024). The challenges and opportunities of female leadership in educational institutions in Punjab Pakistan. Remittances Review, 9(2), 4245-4262.
Rashmi, K., & Kataria, A. (2022). Work–life balance: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 42(11/12), 1028-1065. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-06-2021-0145
Ray, T. K., & Pana-Cryan, R. (2021). Work flexibility and work-related well-being. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(6), 3254. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063254
Rožman, M., Oreški, D., & Tominc, P. (2023). A multidimensional model of the new work environment in the digital age to increase a company’s performance and competitiveness. IEEE access, 11, 26136-26151. DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3257104
Saleem, M., Farooq, N., Ali, S., & Khan, A. (2025). Bridging the Gap between Traditional Employment and Flexible Work: Opportunities and Challenges in Pakistan's Gig Economy. Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR), 3(3), 163-178.
Sarwar, F., Panatik, S. A., Shahrin, R., Nordin, N. A., & Mohd Shukor, M. S. (2025). Striking the perfect chord: investigating the work and family antecedents of work-family balance satisfaction among academic faculty. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2521151.
Shahzad, M. U. (2023). Impact of flexible work arrangements on work engagement in post covid 19 scenario: a case of technology focused entrepreneurial firms. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Venturing, 3(1).
Shahzadi, I., Rafiq, S., & Ali, U. (2022). Investigating the Influence of Flexible Work Arrangements on Work-Life Balance in South Asian Gig Workers: Does Ryff's Six-Factor model of Psychological Well-being Moderates? iRASD Journal of Management, 4(2), 316-329. https://doi.org/10.52131/jom.2022.0402.0081
Shakil, T. I., Tariq, A., Memon, M. A., & Torkkeli, M. (2024). Adopting Tele-migration in Developing Asian Market: Exploring Drivers in the Face of Change. In Business and Management in Asia: Disruption and change (pp. 123-137): Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-9371-0_12
Syed, S., Memon, S. B., & Shah, A. Q. (2025). Want to balance my work-family life today: work-family balance practices in Pakistan. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 41(1), 399-413.
Szalavetz, A. (2023). Digital technologies shaping the nature and routine intensity of shopfloor work. Competition & Change, 27(2), 277-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/10245294221107489
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.