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International Journal of Social Science And Human Research

ISSN(print): 2644-0679, ISSN(online): 2644-0695


Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2021
DOI: 10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i10-13, Impact factor-5.586
Page No: 2729-2741

Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee


Performance of Egyptian Private University Employees: (A Case Study
on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
Mohamed Eshak1, Prof. Mohamed Wahba Mohamed Hassan2, Dr. Abdel Nasser Ghanem3
1,2,3
The Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to analyse the impact of flexible work arrangements on the employee performance of employees
in private Egyptian universities in Alexandria, mediated by work-life balance (applied to the Arab Academy for Science,
Technology, and Maritime Transport). institutions to retain talented people, raise the efficiency of employee performance, and thus
raise the efficiency of institutional performance and competitive capabilities of organizations. The researcher used the descriptive
analytical method and the questionnaire as a tool for data collection, to measure the impact of flexible work arrangements (focusing
on reducing working hours, benefits provided to employees, work policies towards parenting) on the work-life balance, and the
extent of the impact of all this on raising the efficiency of employees' employee performance. A stratified random sample of 423
employees was used, and the data collected was analysed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software. The findings revealed a
positive relationship between flexible work arrangements (reduced working hours, benefits provided to employees, and work
policies toward parenting) and employee performance, as well as a positive relationship between flexible work arrangements and
work-life balance, as well as a positive relationship between work-life balance and employee performance, and the researcher
recommends implementing such policies.The recommendations also include the need to review current labour laws before
legislators, and update them in line with contemporary technological development and the requirement to achieve a balance between
the requirements of life and work. This study also recommends the adoption of reducing working hours as one of the flexible work
policies offered by organisations to employees. The study concludes that flexible work arrangements and programmes are in fact a
competitive tool that organisations can use to increase loyalty, improve performance, achieve commitment and job satisfaction,
which enhances the organization's productivity.

KEYWORDS- FWAs (flexible work arrangements), reducing working hours, WLB (work-life balance), EP (Employee
performance)

INTRODUCTION
The business world is dominated in the current era by a group of strong trends such as globalization, digitization, and the increasing
importance of intangible assets, and then organizations and employees need more flexibility and adaptability in support of a culture
of productivity and for more progress and growth, which are the slogans raised by the most effective and successful institutions in
This is our time. However, with the recent Covid-19 disease, organizations were suddenly forced to change their practice and thus
find new solutions to challenges arisen in many areas of their operations Carneval and Hatak (2020), many organizations offer
flexible working hours to employees because of benefits of flexibility for both employees and organizations. Work-life balance has
shown its importance since the past decades, it has already been found that work-life balance is a major factor to improve employee’s
productivity which impact the overall performance of organizations positively Semlali and Hassi (2016). SOPs, organizational
environment, attitude of employers, and support of supervisors and managers are vital factors affecting work-life balance Haider
and Azmi (2019). Ghanem (2010) study uncovered the unawareness among individuals and organizations in the Egyptian society
of the importance of work –family balance compared with Western societies. Such findings highlight the importance of this study
and the urgent need to change the working hours convention stipulates the working hours should not exceed 8 hours/day and 48
hours/week (with some exceptions). However, the definition of long working hours in some countries depends on national
regulations, as many countries define standard working hours as 35-40 hours/week and 41 hours/overtime work week (Convention
No. 1 of the International Labor Organization), which was adopted by the ILO General Conference at its first session in October
(1919 AD), and its implementation began in June 1921 AD, and was renewed at the meeting of the International Labor Council in

IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 2729


Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
its forty-sixth session June 1962 AD by Recommendation No. (116), Geneva Conference in 1962 AD. International Labor
Organization (2017); University of Minnesota (2021).
The dates of these agreements indicate the need to search for more suitable arrangements for this era, especially with greater
dependence on technology nowadays. Reducing the number of working hours has become an urgent matter. Therefore, this study
had to address the impact of flexible work arrangements, and the resulted work-life balance on the employees’ performance in
private Egyptian universities, which is discussed in this study.

LITERATURE REVIEW
I. Relationship between flexible work arrangements and Employee performance
It was shown in the study of Govender et al. (2018) that performance and flexible working arrangements have a strong positive
relationship, and the study found that flexible working arrangements enhanced employee retention and job satisfaction, which led
to increased productivity. There is a significant and positive relationship between flexible working arrangements and performance
in the workplace, as well as education, age, wages, quality of manager-employee relationships, years of experience, the area of the
market in which the workplace is operated, and competition are important factors and positively correlate with the tendency to
implement flexible working arrangements. Giovanis (2018). There is a positive relationship between the dimensions of the quality
of work life and the level of organizational commitment, and it was found that the variables affecting organizational commitment
are (material work conditions, work-life balance, wages and rewards, security, and job stability) Al-Biyari (2018). The roles of work
systems and procedures for human resources personnel contribute significantly to achieving outstanding performance for
individuals. Kharshi (2019).
he more effort there is and the development of flexible policies for human resource management, the more it motivates employees
to increase their productivity, improve the quality of their outputs, control time management in fulfilling work and life commitments,
increase focus, decrease health care costs and stress-related diseases, and increase worker loyalty, The organization is distinguished
by providing the best services and benefits to its employees, making it an attractive environment for customers and employees,
which contributes to increasing Employee performance. The purpose of Bear (2017) study was to study the relationship between
flexible working arrangements and work-family conflict and examined self-control as a moderator between the relationship between
flexible working arrangements and employees' experience of work-family conflict in a large technology company in San Francisco.
in the United States of America. The method used in this study is the descriptive analytical method, and the number of participants
included 172 employees, and the tool used in the study is the questionnaire by sending it to them via e-mail, and the response rate
was 28.6%. Participants with missing data were excluded, which led to the arrival of the final sample. To 149 participants from the
Bay Area chapter.
The results showed a positive relationship between the availability of flexible working arrangements, dedication, and sincerity, as
well as the use of flexible working arrangements. And the study of Hsu et al. (2019) studied the links between the effect of long
working hours and the balance between work and private life and job satisfaction mediated by occupational stress, and tested whether
controlling working time helps mitigate the effects of long working hours and occupational stress?
This study used the descriptive analytical method, and the tool used for measurement is the questionnaire, and the study population
consisted of (369) individuals. The results revealed that there is a significant correlation between long working hours, professional
tension, and work-life balance, as well as a relationship between occupational stress and work-life balance. and job satisfaction, and
the most important recommendations are the need to review labor laws to prevent excessive working hours and enhance working
time flexibility.
Based on the previous studies, the researcher can develop the first hypothesis, which is: H1: There is a statistically significant
effect between flexible work arrangements and the Employee performance. for employees in Egyptian private universities.
II. The relationship between flexible work arrangements (the independent variable), work-life balance (the mediating
variable)
Giovanis (2018) stated that flexible working arrangements provide employees with job control and autonomy, improve work-life
balance, and lead to increased productivity. The researchers explained how employees who view a supportive work culture within
their organisational culture are more likely to experience less work-family conflicts. choo et al. (2016). However, there is more
evidence that flexibility provides work-life balance, particularly during parenting, work-life balance, and gender equality, that the
marital status of an employee working in an organisation is important, and that telecommuting and flexible working do not benefit
employees who have a partner and/or a child, but only for individuals, according to Chung and Lippe (2018). Studying Deepika and
Elango (2020) This study aimed to provide a socio-economic overview and social support for female employees in the hospitality
industry in Chennai, India. The study is based on the descriptive analytical method. The tool used in the study is a questionnaire. A
number of (130) questionnaires were distributed. The results of the study show that more than a third of the respondents (39.2%)
suffer from a lack of work-life balance, and that less than a third of the respondents (26.0%) suffer from poor work. The study
by Martínez-León et al. (2019) has the purpose of investigating the impact of work-life balance practises on the financial outcomes
IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 10 October 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 2730
Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
of Spanish auditing SMEs. Using survey data from 148 Spanish audit firms, a group of 535 Spanish SME audit firms was identified
from a database, Sistema de Análisis de Balances Ibéricos (SABI) Data A survey questionnaire was sent by phone or email to 148
(professional) references from different companies, and from the study findings, availability of WLB practises is fundamental not
only to policy makers and society, but also to organisational culture and human resource management practices. The study
recommends that senior managers should enhance certain WLB (time-reduced and flexible work practices) to enhance the financial
results of SME audit firms. As for the Al-Buhairi study (2018), it aimed to build a model that defines the framework that describes
and analyses the impact of applying work-life balance strategies on administrative performance, and the study sample was (314).
The study found that there is an imbalance between work and life, especially for women without men, and that the application of
work-life balance strategies leads to improving the level of effectiveness of the administrative performance of managers in Egyptian
government institutions. (Teleworking - Part-time work - Job sharing - Stressed work week - Providing health care to managers and
their families - Giving managers childcare and parental leave).
Based on the previous studies, the researcher can develop the first hypothesis, which is:H2: There is a statistically significant
effect between flexible work arrangements and the working life balance.
III. The relationship between work-life balance and Employee performance
Bataineh (2019) study aimed to study the impact of life-work balance and happiness at work on Employee performance and
concluded that work-life balance and happiness positively and significantly affect employee performance. Obiageli's (2015) study
examined work-life balance and employee performance to determine the extent of the impact of leave on service provision, and
concluded that it stimulates the employee's ability, and work-life balance is an important factor in increasing employee performance.
The results of the study by Mendis and Weerakkody (2017) revealed that there is a significant positive relationship and impact of
work-life balance on employee performance, as well as the role of family and demographics play an important role as controlling
variables to maintain an appropriate work-life balance in organizations.
The study of Wong et al. (2020) When evaluating the relationship between work-life balance ranking and Employee performance
and measuring it based on six perspectives including job motivation, employee attendance, employee recruitment, employee
retention, organizational commitment, and productivity, the results showed a positive relationship between work-life balance
ranking Life and organizational performance and the intermediate variables that influenced the relationship between work-life
balance order and organizational performance are gender, sector and employee hierarchy. The Effect of Supervisor Support and
Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance, Job Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction Talukder (2018).
Successful implementation of flexible work arrangements can be a vital publicity tool for organisations, the principles of the
organization and how they manage the business internally are extremely important Ko and Kim (2018). The benefits of flexible
working arrangements for both employee and employer are clear, in terms of improved work-life balance and employee well-being,
to higher rates of productivity and performance, research by CIPD (Char Ted Institute for Professional Development) revealed these
benefits and was highlighted by Wells (2021). Flexible working is a common and respected practice around the world today, and
flexible working practices are typically implemented to give employees a degree of choice about how much (operational flexibility),
when (time flexibility) and where (location flexibility) they should work, helping them strike a balance Satisfactory between work
and life as such, one would not expect implementing flexible work to intensify work.) Kelliher and Anderson (2010; Opatha (2009).
As a result, there is a growing interest in implementing flexible work arrangements in organizations to help employees balance
responsibilities Work and family Baeza et al. (2018).
Based on the previous studies, the researcher can develop the first hypothesis, which is: H3: There is a statistically significant
effect between the work-life balance and the employee performance.
IV. Work-life balance mediates the relationship between flexible work arrangements and employee performance.
The study De Sivatte et al. (2015) examined the relationship between working life and organizational productivity and determining
whether it was mediated by working life programs. From two databases, and other archival data published in three international
surveys, hypotheses were tested using path analyses, and the data revealed that working life culture has no direct impact on work
productivity, but it has an indirect effect on it, through the availability of life programs The study found the importance of promoting
a culture of conducive work life and providing programs for work-life balance because it enhances work productivity.
A study Taşdelen-Karçkay and Bakalım (2017) indicated that the work-life balance scale as a mediating variable aims to develop
a measure of work-life balance for Turkish women and men. The sample was (274), and the second objective was to investigate the
mediating effect of work-life balance between work-family conflict, work-family conflict, and life satisfaction, in Study 2 and the
sample was (356). All studies indicated that the work-life balance scale It was valid and reliable Structural equation models
supported the indirect effects of work-family conflict and work-family conflict on life satisfaction through work-life balance.
Ajayaghosh and Santhosh (2020) This study aims to understand what drives work life balance and how WLB affects employee
performance in selected commercial banks from the central region of Kerala, with the aim of analyzing the presence of WLB

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
enablers on employee performance in commercial banks as well as whether WLB performance always indicates satisfactory
performance and thus can be considered as a tool for predicting employee performance.
Based on the previous studies, the researcher can develop the first hypothesis, which is: H4: work-life balance mediates the
relationship between flexible work arrangements and the employee performance.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The researcher used the quantitative method. The research studied and reviewed the literature reviews and analyzed them to reach
a comprehensive theoretical framework and accurate knowledge of the subject of the study in describing flexible work arrangements
and their impact on the Employee performance of employees. Averages, percentages, and statistical tests were used as one of the
analysis tools, and this approach is concerned with collecting data through measuring tools that are developed to have honesty and
reliability, then they are applied to the sample population, and the results are drawn and evaluated, and the following hypotheses
are tested:
Independent variable: The theoretical framework explains the entire study. For flexible work arrangements as an independent
variable, there are many programs and policies that must be considered, but in this study, we focus on three variables: (reduce
working hours - benefits provided to employees - work policies towards parenting).
Dependent variable: It is the Employee performance.
Mediator variable: work-life balance.
The controlling variable (moderator): It is represented in the demographic factors (gender - age - marital status - educational
qualification - number of family members - number of years of experience).
I. conceptual framework

Figure 1: Research Framework

From the above framework, the research hypotheses can be developed as following:
H1: There is a statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and the Employee performance. for employees
in Egyptian private universities. Three sub-hypotheses emerge from it as follows:
H1a: There is a statistically significant effect between reduce working hours and employee job performance.
H1b: There is a statistically significant effect between the benefits provided to employees and the job performance of
employees.
H1c: There is a statistically significant effect between work policies towards parenting and employee job performance.
H2: There is a statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and the work-life balance.
H3: There is a statistically significant effect between the work-life balance and the employee performance.
H4: work-life balance mediates the relationship between flexible work arrangements and the employee performance.
H5: Demographic factors affect the relationship between work-life balance and the employee performance of employees in
Egyptian private universities due to personal and occupational variables (age - gender - marital status - educational qualification -
number of family members - number of years of experience).
II. Population of the Study
consisted of faculty members at Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, who form (4500) faculty
members, at Egypt.

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
III. Sample of the study
The study sample consisted of (423) faculty members who were randomly selected according to the different study variables.

RESULTS AND FINDINGS


In this section, the hypotheses under study are tested, they will do correlation analysis and you will analyze the regression between
variables using multiple regression model and structural equation model. studying.
I. Testing the First Hypothesis
The researcher analyzes the structural equation model to show the impact of flexible work arrangements, including: (reduce
working hours - benefits provided to employees - work policies towards parenting) on Employee performance. The following was
found:
- There is no significant effect of reduce working hours on Employee performance, as the p-value is greater than 0.05 (p-value =
0.973).
- There is a significant effect of the benefits provided to employees on Employee performance, as the p-value is less than 0.05 (p-
value = 0.000). Also, the benefits offered to employees have a positive effect on employee performance, as the value of the rating
factor is greater than zero (estimate = 0.215).
- There is a significant effect of work policies towards parenting on Employee performance, as the p-value is less than 0.05 (p-
value = 0.000). Also, there is a positive effect of work policies towards parenting on Employee performance, as the value of the
rating factor is greater than zero (estimate = 0.479).
Moreover, the value of R Square is 0.428, which means that 42.8% of the functionality can be explained by this model.

Table 1: SEM analyses of FWAs on EP

Dependent Independent
Estimate p R2
Variable variable
reduce working Employee -.002 .973
<---
hours performance
benefits provided to <--- Employee .215 ***
0.428
employees performance
Work policies <--- Employee .479 ***
towards parenting performance

It appears from Table 2 that the results are statistically significant, and the results indicated that the adjusted (chi)2 statistic or
weighted with degrees of freedom is 3.987, in addition to the Goodness of fit index of 0.900 and the Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index
0.859, and the Comparative fit index is 0.936, which are acceptable indicators; Because it is suitable for comparing the quality of
the scales with the difference in sample size from one study to another. The square root of the Residual Mean Square error - RMSEA
is 0.084, which is the value that expresses the number of errors in the model that cannot be explained, and it is an acceptable value
because it is less than 10%.

Table 2: Indicator of the SEM of FWAs on EP


CMIN/DF GFI AGFI CFI RMSEA
323.3 428.0 42830 42.33 424.0

Figure 1: SEM of FWAs arrangements on EP

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
Therefore, based on the previous results, H1: "there is a statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and
the Employee performance of employees in Egyptian private universities" is fully acceptable.
IV. Testing the second Hypothesis
Table 3 shows that the researcher analyzed the structural equation model to show the impact of flexible work policies, including:
(low working hours - benefits provided to employees - work policies towards parenting) on life and work balance. The following
was found:
- There is no significant effect of low working hours on work-life balance, p-value is greater than 0.05 (p-value = 0.221).
- There is a significant effect of the benefits provided to employees on the work-life balance, as p-value is less than 0.05 (p-
value = 0.000). Also, the benefits offered to employees have a positive effect on the work-life balance, as the value of the rating
factor is greater than zero (estimate = 0.557).
- There is no significant effect of work policies towards parenting on the work-life balance, as p-value is greater than 0.05 (p-
value = 0.835).
Furthermore, the value of R Square is 0.416, which means that 41.6% of the life-work balance can be explained by this model.

Table 3: SEM between FWAs on WLB


variables Estimate p R2

reduce working hours <--- Work-life balance .069 .221

benefits provided to employees <--- Work-life balance .557 *** 0.416

Work policies towards parenting <--- Work-life balance .018 .835

Table 4 shows the statistically significant results. The results indicated that the adjusted or weighted (chi)2 statistic with degrees
of freedom is 3.987, in addition to the Goodness of fit index of 0.900, and the Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index 0.859, Comparative
fit index of 0.936, which are acceptable indicators, because it is suitable for comparing the quality of the scales with the difference
in sample size from one study to another. The square root of the Residual Mean Square error - RMSEA is 0.084, which is the value
that expresses the number of errors in the model that cannot be explained, and it is an acceptable value because it is less than 10%.

Table 4: Indicator between SME on WLB on EP


CMIN/DF GFI AGFI CFI RMSE
3.987 42.44 428.. 42.33 42480

Figure 2: SEM between FWAs on WLB

Based on the previous results, H2: "there is a statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and the life and
work balance of employees in Egyptian private universities" is fully acceptable.

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
V. Testing the third Hypothesis
Table 5 shows that the researcher analyzed the structural equation model to show the impact of WLB on EP. The following was
found:
- There is a significant effect of WLB EP, as P-value is less than 0.05 (P-value = 0.000). Also, there is a positive effect of work-
life balance on Employee performance, as the value of the estimate factor is greater than zero (estimate = 0.648). Moreover, the
value of R Square is 0.437, which means that 43.7% by this model.

Table 5: SEM between WLB on EP


variables Estimate p R2

Work-life balance <--- Employee performance 2308 2444 0.437

It appears from Table 6 that the results are statistically significant. The results indicated that the adjusted or weighted (chi)2
statistic with degrees of freedom is 3.165, in addition to the Goodness of fit index of 0.931, and the Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index
0.900, and a Comparative fit index of 0.965, which are acceptable indicators, because it is suitable for comparing the quality of the
scales with the difference in sample size from one study to another. The square root of the Residual Mean Square error - RMSEA
is 0.072, which is the value that expresses the number of errors in the model that cannot be explained, and it is an acceptable value
because it is less than 10%.

Table 6: Indicator SEM between WLB on EP


CMIN/DF GFI AGFI CFI RMSE
3203. 42.30 42.44 42.3. 424..

Figure 3: SEM between WLB on EP

Based on the previous results, H3: "there is a statistically significant effect between the work-life balance, and the Employee
performance of employees in Egyptian private universities" is fully acceptable.
VI. Testing the Fourth Hypothesis
Table 7 presents the results of the multiple regression test results for flexible work Arrangement and Employee performance. It was
found that there is a significant relationship between FWAs and EP. It can be seen from Table 7 that there is a significant effect of
WLB on EP. Therefore, WLB can play a mediating role between FWAs and EP, as there is a direct relationship between them and
EP.
it can be noted that H4 : "WLB mediates the relationship between reduce working hours, work policies towards parenting and
Employee performance" in a totality.
Whereas: “WLB mediates the relationship between benefits provided to employees and EP” in partially.

Table7: Analysis of the mediation role of WLB between FWAs and EP


Variables Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
T Sig. R2
B Std. Error Coefficients

(Constant) 1.501 .158 9.483 .000 0.363

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
between reduce
working hours .060 .043 .072 1.396 .164

benefits
provided to .072 .045 .087 1.589 .113
employees
work policies
towards .219 .052 .236 4.175 .000
parenting
Work-life
.285 .040 .339 7.119 .000
balance
a. Dependent Variable:

VII. Testing the fifth Hypothesis


Table 8 shows a regression analysis of the role of the mediator “gender” between work-life balance and Employee performance.
Gender mediates the relationship between WLB and Employee performance, as its significance level for the interaction is less than
0.05.

Table 8: Analyzing the role of the mediator "gender" between WLB and EP
Unstandardized Standardiz
Variables Coefficients ed T Sig. R2
B Std. Coefficients
(Constant) 3.841 Error
.389 9.880 .000
WLB -.058 .112 -.069 -.516 .606

gender -1.335 .302 -.897 4.423 .000 0.30.0

WLB*gender .429 .090 1.024 4.777 .000


a. Dependent Variable

Table 9 shows a regression analysis of the median role of “educational qualification” between life-work balance and Employee
performance. The educational qualification does not mediate the relationship between life and work balance and Employee
performance, as its significance level for the interaction is greater than 0.05.

Table 9: Analyzing the role of the mediator "educational qualification" between WLB and EP
Unstandardized
Coefficients Standardized
Variables T Sig. R2
Coefficients
B Std.
(Constant) 1.741 Error
.392 4.441 .000

WLB .552 .107 .657 5.150 .000


educational .181 .137 .293 1.321 .187
qualification 0..83
WLB*educational -.037 .038 -.225 -.971 .332
qualification
a. Dependent Variable

Table10: a regression analysis of the median role of “years of experience” WLB and EP.
Unstandardized
Standardized
Variables Coefficients T Sig. R2
Coefficients
B Std. Error
(Constant) 4.465 .457 9.777 .000

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
WLB -.126 .125 -.150 -1.009 .313 0.30.0

years of -.663 .133 -1.041 -4.982 .000


experience
WLB* years of .171 .037 1.171 4.693 .000
experience
a. Dependent Variable

Table 10 shows a regression analysis of the median role of “years of experience” between life and work balance and Employee
performance. Years of experience mediate the relationship between work-life balance and Employee performance as the significance
level of the interaction is less than 0.05.
Table 11 shows a regression analysis of the role of the mediator “social status” between life-work balance and Employee
performance. Marital status mediates the relationship between work-life balance and Employee performance, as its significance
level for the interaction is less than 0.05.

Table 11: a regression analysis of the role of the mediator “social status” between WLB and EP
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Variables T Sig. R2
B Std. Coefficients
Error

(Constant) 4.400 .468 9.398 .000


WLB -.180 .138 -.214 -1.301 .194
social status -1.000 .212 -.874 -4.718 .000 0.30.
WLB*
.294 .064 1.022 4.587 .000
social status
a. Dependent Variable

Table 12 shows a regression analysis of the role of the mediator “number of family members” between life and work balance and
Employee performance. The number of family members mediates the relationship between work-life balance and Employee
performance, as its significance level for the interaction is less than 0.05.

Table 12: Analysis of the role of the mediator " number of family members" between WLB and EP
Unstandardized
Coefficients Standardized
Variables T Sig. R2
Coefficients
Std.
B
Error

(Constant) 4.400 .468 9.398 .000

WLB -.180 .138 -.214 -1.301 .194


number of family
-1.000 .212 -.874 -4.718 .000
members 0.291
WLB* number of
.294 .064 1.022 4.587 .000
family members

a. Dependent Variable

Table 13 shows the regression analysis of the role of the mediator “age” between work-life balance and Employee performance.
Age mediates the relationship between work and private life balance and Employee performance as its significance level values for
the interaction are less than 0.05.

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
Table 13: Analysis of the role of the mediator “age” between WLB and EP

Unstandardized
Coefficients Standardized
Variables T Sig. R2
Coefficients
B Std.
Error
(Constant) 4.192 .443 9.454 .000

WLB -.055 .120 -.065 -.456 .649

age .168 .039 1.042 4.289 .000

WLB* age -.650 .144 -.935 -4.507 .000

a. Dependent Variable

Based on the previous results, H5: “affects the demographic factors on the relationship between work-life balance, and Employee
performance of employees in Egyptian private universities due to personal and functional variables (age, gender, marital status,
educational qualification, number of family members)”, is partially acceptable.

Table 14: Summary of the results of the study hypotheses

Hypothesis Explanation Result

There is a statistically significant effect between


H1 flexible work Arrangement and the employee Fully supported
performance of employees in Egyptian private
universities.
There is a statistically significant effect between
H2 flexible work Arrangement and work-life balance Fully supported
for employees in Egyptian private universities.
There is a statistically significant effect between the
H3 work-life balance and the employee performance of Fully supported
employees in Egyptian private. universities
Work-life balance mediates the relationship between
flexible work Arrangement and employee
H4 partially supported
performance of employees in Egyptian private
universities,
Demographic factors affect the relationship between
H5 work-life balance, and employee performance of partially supported
employees in Egyptian private universities.

DISCUSSIONN AND CONCLUSION


This section explains the research hypothesis and to what extent these hypotheses support prior studies and literature reviewed.
Regarding the first hypothesis, H1, there is a statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and employees'
performance. Analysis of SEM to show the impact of flexible work arrangements, including: reducing working hours, benefits
provided to employees, and work policies towards parenting, on employee performance showed that there is no significant effect of
reducing working hours on employee performance, as the significance level is greater than 0.05. There is also a significant positive
impact of the benefits provided to employees on employee performance, as the significance level is less than 0.05 and the value of
the estimation factor is greater than zero. Finally, there is a significant positive impact of work policies towards parenting on
employee performance, as the significance level is less than 0.05 and the value of the coefficient of estimates is greater than zero.
Based on the previous results, it can be noted that the first hypothesis, which is "there is a statistically significant effect between
flexible work arrangements and employee performance," is fully supported. Regarding the second hypothesis H2:There is a

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
statistically significant effect between flexible work arrangements and the working life balance of employees. It was found from the
analysis of the structural equation model to show the impact of flexible work arrangements, including: (reduce working hours,
benefits provided to employees and work policies towards parenting) on life and work balance, that there is no significant effect of
reduce working hours on life and work balance, as the level of significance greater than 0.05. While there is a significant positive
impact of the benefits provided to employees on the work-life balance, as the significance level is less than 0.05 and the value of
the estimate coefficient is greater than zero. Also, there is no significant effect of work policies towards parenting on work-life
balance, as the significance level is greater than 0.05.
Based on the previous results, it can be noted that the second hypothesis, which is "there is a statistically significant effect between
flexible work arrangements and work-life balance," is fully supported. Regarding the third hypothesis, H3, thereis a statistically
significant effect between work-life balance and employee performance. It was found from the analysis of the structural equation
model to show the impact of work-life balance on employee performance that there is a positive and significant effect of work-life
balance on employee performance, as the significance level is less than 0.05 and the value of the estimate’s coefficient is greater
than zero. Based on the previous results, it can be noted that the third hypothesis, which is "there is a statistically significant effect
between work-life balance and employee performance," is fully supported. Regarding the fourth hypothesis, H4: WLB mediates
the relationship between FWAs and EP, the results of the multiple regression model testing of flexible work arrangements and
employee performance were found to be significant. It can also be noted that there is a significant effect of work-life balance on
employee performance. Therefore, work-life balance can play a mediating role between flexible work arrangements and employee
performance, as there is a direct relationship between them and employee performance. It can be noted that "work-life balance
mediates the relationship between reduced working hours, work policies towards parenting, and employee performance" in part.
Whereas "work-life balance mediates the relationship between benefits provided to employees and employee performance," it is
partially supported. Based on the previous results, it can be noted that the fourth hypothesis, which is "work-life balance mediates
the relationship between flexible work arrangements and employee performance," is partially supported.
Finally, regarding the fifth hypothesis, H5: Demographic factors affect the relationship between work-life balance and the
performance of employees in Egyptian private universities due to personal and occupational variables (gender, age, marital status,
educational qualification, number of family members, and years of experience).
The regression analysis of the role of the mediator "gender" between work-life balance and employee performance proved that
gender mediates the relationship between life-work balance and employee performance, as its significance level for the interaction
is less than 0.05. The regression analysis of the role of the mediator "age" between work-life balance and employee performance
proved that age mediates the relationship between work-life balance and employee performance, as its significance level for the
interaction is less than 0.05.
The regression analysis of the role of the mediator "scientific qualification" between work-life balance and employee performance
also proved that the academic qualification does not mediate the relationship between work-life balance and employee performance,
as the value of the significance level of the interaction is greater than 0.05. While the regression analysis of the role of the mediator
"years of experience" between work-life balance and employee performance proved that one year of experience mediates the
relationship between work-life balance and employee performance, as its significance level for the interaction is less than 0.05. The
regression analysis of the role of the mediator "social status" between life and WLB and EP proved that the social situation mediates
the relationship between WLB and EP, as its significance level for the interaction is less than 0.05. Finally, the regression analysis
of the role of the mediator "number of family members" between WLB and EP proved that the number of family members mediates
the relationship WLB and EP, as its significance level for the interaction is less than 0.05.
Based on the previous results, it can be noted that the fifth hypothesis, which is "demographic factors affect the relationship
between work-life balance and the employee performance of employees in Egyptian private universities," is partially supported.

LIMITATION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH


There are some methodological and theoretical limitations to this study that I must admit, which sometimes hinder the ability to
generalize. The study also had time limits, the scope of the sample, as the data collected for the study included a limited period, and
the study was conducted in one of the private universities without the other universities, and the research was satisfied with studying
some variables and ignoring other variables that may have a greater impact on work-life balance. The researcher suggests conducting
a study to measure the effect of reducing working hours on employees' performance or institutional performance. Specialists call
for a global conference in which the laws of the International Labor Organization are discussed and work on their development.
Provide flexible work policies as one of the important strategies provided by the Human Resources Department, which increases
the competitive advantage, and helps in attracting high-quality employees who seek more flexibility in their work schedules,
especially those wishing to work part-time. Flexible work arrangements are considered as a need for work and life, not something
that an institution can offer to some and deprive them of other employees or provided by one organisation without another. The

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Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University
Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)
researcher also recommends Arab researchers to pay attention to conducting future studies that deal with the framework used in this
study.

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