Original Research
Flexi work, financial well-being, work–life balance and their effects on subjective experiences of productivity and job satisfaction of females in an institution of higher learning
Submitted: 13 October 2015 | Published: 29 March 2018
About the author(s)
Leon T.B. Jackson, WorkWell Research Unit for Economics and Management Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Potchefstroom Business School, North-West University, South AfricaEdwina I. Fransman, North-West School of Business and Governance, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa
Abstract
Background: Expressions such as ‘there are not enough hours in the day’ and ‘the 25 h workday’ or cliché statements such as ‘working 24/7’ have become common overtones in the way employees feel about time at work. Because of this ‘lack of time’ feeling, alternative work arrangements such as flexitime, telecommuting and practices such as work–life balance have emerged as popular topics for researchers, employees, organisations and the like in the past few decades.
Setting: Women are still the main caregivers of family members and households, and compared to men, they are less likely to be granted flexitime by their employers. It therefore seems realistic to imagine that women would suffer more from work–life conflict. Women still earn, on average, less than men and are more likely to have part-time jobs. This has an impact on the financial well-being of women. These issues have yet to be investigated in an institution of higher learning in South Africa.
Aim: This study was aimed at determining: (1) the relationship between flexi work, financial well-being and work–life balance, productivity and job satisfaction, (2) the role of flexible work, financial well-being and work–life balance in productivity and job satisfaction, and (3) the mediating effect of productivity (job satisfaction in the alternative model) in the relationship between flexible work, financial well-being and work–life balance and job satisfaction (productivity in the alternative model).
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used with a convenience sample (n = 252) of female support employees, employed in a higher education institution in the North West province of South Africa.
Results: Findings of the study indicated a statistically significant relationship between the variables. Results indicated that financial well-being, work–life balance and productivity were statistically significant predictors of job satisfaction, and in addition, subjective experiences of productivity serve as partial mediators in the relationship between financial well-being and work–life balance on the one hand, and job satisfaction on the other hand.
Conclusion: It seems like financial well-being and work–life balance play a more important role in job satisfaction and that financial well-being and work–life balance are more important for job satisfaction through subjective experiences of productivity. It would therefore make sense to increase experiences of financial well-being and work–life balance to address experiences of low levels of job satisfaction and subjective experiences of productivity.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 13495Total article views: 14901
Crossref Citations
1. “White collars” on self-reported well-being, health and work performance when teleworking from home
Agota Giedrė Raišienė, Violeta Rapuano, Greta Masilionytė, Simonas Juozapas Raišys
Problems and Perspectives in Management vol: 20 issue: 2 first page: 497 year: 2022
doi: 10.21511/ppm.20(2).2022.41
2. Uncovering employee insights: integrative analysis using structural topic modeling and support vector machines
Kai Ding, Ruihong Li, Zeyu Li, Shangui Hu
Journal of Big Data vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1186/s40537-025-01100-1
3. The Relationship Between Telework, Job Performance, Work–Life Balance and Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviours in the Context of COVID-19
Angela María De Valdenebro Campo, Beatrice Avolio, Sandra Idrovo Carlier
Global Business Review year: 2021
doi: 10.1177/09721509211049918
4. Co-worker support and affective commitment during a global crisis: evidence from an emerging economy
Isaac Delali Darke, Philip Opoku Mensah, Frank Asamoah Antwi, Phyllis Swanzy-Krah
Cogent Business & Management vol: 11 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/23311975.2023.2298225
5. Is it all about money honey? Analyzing and mapping financial well-being research and identifying future research agenda
Mandeep Mahendru, Gagan Deep Sharma, Vijay Pereira, Mansi Gupta, Hardeep Singh Mundi
Journal of Business Research vol: 150 first page: 417 year: 2022
doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.06.034
6. Use of flexible work practices and employee outcomes: the role of work–life balance and employee age
Tahrima Ferdous, Muhammad Ali, Erica French
Journal of Management & Organization vol: 29 issue: 5 first page: 833 year: 2023
doi: 10.1017/jmo.2020.44
7. The subjective well-being experiences of mine employees in a South African mining organisation
Freddy S. Kau, Aden-Paul Flotman
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology vol: 51 year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/sajip.v51i0.2235
8. Work-life balance in higher education: A review based on bibliographic coupling analysis
Tran Thi Siem, Ho Thi Thao Nguyen, Phan Tan Luc
Acta Psychologica vol: 260 first page: 105567 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105567
9. From Medical to Law Enforcement: Transitioning from Nurse to Police Officer
Ed Raphael Espinoza, Marvin Quinto
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal vol: 51 issue: 5 first page: 603 year: 2026
doi: 10.70838/pemj.510509
10. The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Work-Life Balance and Job Performance Among Malaysian Employees
Vikneswari Nair, Suguna Sinniah, Zafir Khan Mohamed Makhbul, Mohd Fairuz Md. Salleh, Mara Ridhuan Che Abdul Rahman
Journal of Law and Sustainable Development vol: 11 issue: 11 first page: e1095 year: 2023
doi: 10.55908/sdgs.v11i11.1095
11. Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives on Employee Engagement, Work From Home and an Employee Wellness Programme in a Debt Collection Organisation in Gauteng, South Africa
Doret Botha, Rein Coetzee
African Journal of Employee Relations year: 2022
doi: 10.25159/2664-3731/9235
12. Metaverse Insights: Boosting Freelancers’ Performance via Work Flexibility and Career Adaptability in the Lens of Social Cognitive Perspective
Maria Akhtar, Azmat Yar Khan, Aneeqa Zubair
Journal of the Knowledge Economy vol: 17 issue: 1 first page: 2531 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s13132-025-02714-9
13. Social support at work and workload as predictors of satisfaction with life of Peruvian teachers
Renzo Felipe Carranza Esteban, Oscar Mamani-Benito, Josué Edison Turpo Chaparro, Abel Apaza Romero, Ronald W. Castillo-Blanco
South African Journal of Education vol: 43 issue: 3 first page: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.15700/saje.v43n3a2197
14. Improving Job Satisfaction and Belonging Through Flexible Work and Leadership Cohorts
Carey Scheide Miller, Joan Giblin
Advances in Developing Human Resources vol: 26 issue: 1 first page: 20 year: 2024
doi: 10.1177/15234223231212675
15. A hybrid approach of intelligent systems to help predict absenteeism at work in companies
Vanessa S. Araujo, Thiago S. Rezende, Augusto J. Guimarães, Vinicius J. Silva Araujo, Paulo V. de Campos Souza
SN Applied Sciences vol: 1 issue: 6 year: 2019
doi: 10.1007/s42452-019-0536-y
16. Work–life balance among higher-education professionals in Hong Kong and Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic
Patamawadee Jongruck, Lina Vyas
Policy Design and Practice vol: 7 issue: 3 first page: 265 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/25741292.2024.2375320
17. Implementation of a hybrid working system: Can it increase millennial workers’ commitment in greater Jakarta?
Sylvia Diana Purba, Levi Nilawati, Yohanes Arianto Budi Nugroho, Syarief Darmoyo, Susana Alves
Human Systems Management vol: 44 issue: 1 first page: 116 year: 2025
doi: 10.3233/HSM-230218
18. A morphological analyses of the literature on employee work-life balance
Thilagavathy S, Geetha S.N
Current Psychology vol: 41 issue: 7 first page: 4510 year: 2022
doi: 10.1007/s12144-020-00968-x
19. Seeing the Forest and the Trees: A Scoping Review of Empirical Research on Work-Life Balance
Ka Po Wong, Pei-Lee Teh, Alan Hoi Shou Chan
Sustainability vol: 15 issue: 4 first page: 2875 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/su15042875
20. A study on work-family life imbalance among women administrators in UAE higher education institutions
Vazeerjan Begum, Tahseen Anwer Arshi, Abdelfatah Said Arman, Atif Saleem Butt, Surjith Latheef
Heliyon vol: 10 issue: 6 first page: e28286 year: 2024
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28286
21. Mind the gap: Investigating how financial well-being shapes job satisfaction through burnout
Camden Cusumano, Dee Warmath
Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health vol: 41 issue: 1 first page: 189 year: 2026
doi: 10.1080/15555240.2024.2441208
22. Saudi teleworkers and determinant factors of their work-life balance and satisfaction: Testing a sequential mediation model
Wassim J. Aloulou, Amina Amari, Veland Ramadani, Abeer Abdulrahman N. Alboqami
Technological Forecasting and Social Change vol: 188 first page: 122312 year: 2023
doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122312
23. Thriving in the hybrid workspace: how task variety and self-control affect job performance
M. Muzamil Naqshbandi, Nurul Amirah Ishak, Ibrahim Kabir, Md. Zahidul Islam
Management Decision year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/MD-06-2024-1266
24. Work from Home: Measuring Satisfaction between Work–Life Balance and Work Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia
Dodi Irawanto, Khusnul Novianti, Kenny Roz
Economies vol: 9 issue: 3 first page: 96 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/economies9030096
25. The remote revolution: assessing the impact of working from home on finance professionals
Alaa Alden Al Mohamed, Sobhi Al Mohamed, Morhaf Alebrahem
Future Business Journal vol: 10 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1186/s43093-024-00345-1
26. Foreign academics’ well-being experiences: A South African higher education institution case study
Annelize van Niekerk, Moleen Mhlanga
Acta Commercii year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/AC.v25i1.1448
27. Rethinking Performance Evaluation: Strategic Alignment in the Service Sector Through a Case-Based Framework
Maria C Tavares, Mariana Vaz
Administrative Sciences vol: 15 issue: 10 first page: 390 year: 2025
doi: 10.3390/admsci15100390
28. Work-Life Balance and Gender Differences: A Study of College and University Teachers From Karnataka
Shreemathi S. Mayya, Maxie Martis, Lena Ashok, Ashma Dorothy Monteiro, Sureshramana Mayya
Sage Open vol: 11 issue: 4 year: 2021
doi: 10.1177/21582440211054479
29. Work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A European perspective
Vincenzo Alfano, Ilaria Mariotti, Nunzia Nappo, Gaetano Vecchione
Journal of Industrial and Business Economics vol: 51 issue: 4 first page: 1041 year: 2024
doi: 10.1007/s40812-024-00316-1
30. Academics’ experiences of work-life balance and work-life conflict in a familialist state: The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sara Clavero, Caitriona Delaney
Open Research Europe vol: 5 first page: 380 year: 2025
doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.21781.1
31. Psychological beliefs and financial well-being among working adults: the mediating role of financial behaviour
Long She, Ratneswary Rasiah, Jason James Turner, Vinitha Guptan, Hamid Sharif Nia
International Journal of Social Economics vol: 49 issue: 2 first page: 190 year: 2022
doi: 10.1108/IJSE-07-2021-0389
32. Relationship between workload and psychological capital in a sample of Peruvian basic education teachers
Edwin Gustavo Estrada-Araoz, Néstor Antonio Gallegos-Ramos, Yolanda Paredes-Valverde, Rosel Quispe-Herrera
Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología vol: 3 first page: 864 year: 2023
doi: 10.56294/saludcyt2023864
33. Work-life Balance: An Essential Capability for Social Workers’ Well-being in Free State, South Africa
Precious Mseba
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development year: 2024
doi: 10.25159/2708-9355/16138
34. Dijital İyi Oluşun Yapay Zekâ Kaygısı ve İş Tatmini Üzerindeki Etkisi: Akademisyenler Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Duygu Uludağ, Melis Soyer, Sefa Ceyhan
Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi vol: 15 issue: 44 first page: 1165 year: 2024
doi: 10.21076/vizyoner.1465081
35. The Role of Workplace Technology and New Ways of Working in Driving Employee Productivity: A Post-Pandemic Analysis in Indonesian Unicorn Startups
Jefta Harlianto, Harjanto Prabowo, Rano Kartono Rahim, Nugroho J. Setiadi
International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management vol: 22 issue: 05n06 year: 2025
doi: 10.1142/S0219877025500178
36. Innovative work-life balance after COVID-19
Małgorzata Marzec, Agnieszka Szczudlińska-Kanoś, Bożena Freund, Astrida Miceikienė
International Journal of Contemporary Management vol: 59 issue: 3 first page: 32 year: 2023
doi: 10.2478/ijcm-2022-0017
37. A Systematic Literature Review of Work-Life Balance Using ADO Model
Rosy Singh, Shalini Aggarwal, Shalini Sahni
FIIB Business Review vol: 12 issue: 3 first page: 243 year: 2023
doi: 10.1177/23197145221115530
38. Work-Life Balance and Employee Satisfaction during COVID-19 Pandemic
Claudiu George Bocean, Luminita Popescu, Anca Antoaneta Varzaru, Costin Daniel Avram, Anica Iancu
Sustainability vol: 15 issue: 15 first page: 11631 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/su151511631
39. Academics’ experiences of work-life balance and work-life conflict in a familialist state: The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sara Clavero, Caitriona Delaney
Open Research Europe vol: 5 first page: 380 year: 2026
doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.21781.2
40. Barriers to adoption of work–life balance practices amongst construction companies in Lagos, Nigeria: an exploratory factor analysis
Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo, Olalekan Shamsideen Oshodi, Patricia Omega Kukoyi, Amos Okemukoko Lawani, Anthony Ogochukwu Onokwai
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management vol: 32 issue: 3 first page: 1643 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/ECAM-04-2023-0407
41. The Moderating Effect of Flexible Work Option on Structural Empowerment and Generation Z Contextual Performance
Daliah Taibah, Theresa C. F. Ho
Behavioral Sciences vol: 13 issue: 3 first page: 266 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/bs13030266
42. Relationship between workload and psychological capital in a sample of Peruvian basic education teachers
Edwin Gustavo Estrada-Araoz, Néstor Antonio Gallegos-Ramos, Yolanda Paredes-Valverde, Rosel Quispe-Herrera
Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología vol: 4 first page: 864 year: 2024
doi: 10.56294/saludcyt2024864
43. Work-life balance -a systematic review
Thilagavathy S., Geetha S.N.
Vilakshan - XIMB Journal of Management vol: 20 issue: 2 first page: 258 year: 2023
doi: 10.1108/XJM-10-2020-0186
44. How Is Work–Life Balance Arrangement Associated with Organisational Performance? A Meta-Analysis
Kapo Wong, Alan H. S. Chan, Pei-Lee Teh
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 17 issue: 12 first page: 4446 year: 2020
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17124446
45. Women’s financial well‐being: A systematic literature review and directions for future research
Virginia Nicolau Gonçalves, Mateus Canniatti Ponchio, Roberta Gabriela Basílio
International Journal of Consumer Studies vol: 45 issue: 4 first page: 824 year: 2021
doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12673
46. Determinants influencing productivity in unicorn startups: Roles of new ways of working and work engagement
Jefta Harlianto, Harjanto Prabowo, Rano Kartono Rahim, Nugroho J. Setiadi
Problems and Perspectives in Management vol: 22 issue: 3 first page: 225 year: 2024
doi: 10.21511/ppm.22(3).2024.18
47. Employee engagement in Ghana’s higher education institutions: a systematic literature review
Lawrenda Adiasany, Crispen Chipunza, Lineo Dzansi, Samson Adewumi
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293) vol: 6 issue: 6 first page: 133 year: 2024
doi: 10.36096/ijbes.v6i6.526
48. Enhancing Job Satisfaction Among Lawyers in the Maldives Through Work-Life Balance: a Contribution to SDG 8
Shafeega Naeem, Mazuki Jusoh, Ali Khatibi, S. M Ferdous Azam
Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review vol: 5 issue: 1 first page: e04217 year: 2025
doi: 10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v5.n01.pe04217
49. Work-From-Home Productivity and Job Satisfaction: A Double-Layered Moderated Mediation Model
Kellyann Berube Kowalski, Alex Aruldoss, Bhuvaneswari Gurumurthy, Satyanarayana Parayitam
Sustainability vol: 14 issue: 18 first page: 11179 year: 2022
doi: 10.3390/su141811179
50. Work–life balance and employee commitment in the new normal: evidence from Indian railway using mixed-method approach
Atanu Manna, Subhajit Pahari, Debasish Biswas, Dipa Banerjee, Debasis Das
Kybernetes vol: 54 issue: 4 first page: 2019 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/K-06-2023-1002
51. Exploring the effects of remote work on employee productivity in Botswana amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Douglas Chiguvi, Keneilwe Bakani
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478) vol: 12 issue: 6 first page: 101 year: 2023
doi: 10.20525/ijrbs.v12i6.2505
52. Implementation of work-life balance strategies among construction companies in Lagos, Nigeria: construction workers’ perspectives
Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo, Olalekan Shamsideen Oshodi, Patricia Omega Kukoyi, Hosea Shemang Yohanna, Uche Emmanuel Edike
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology vol: 23 issue: 3 first page: 998 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/JEDT-06-2023-0264
53. Does employee engagement mediate the nexus of job resource and employee turnover intentions?
Frank Nana Kweku Otoo
IIMT Journal of Management vol: 1 issue: 2 first page: 130 year: 2024
doi: 10.1108/IIMTJM-10-2023-0032
54. Enhancing job satisfaction in CSR fast-casual restaurants: Finances and fit
Justin B. Keeler, Raina M. Rutti, Christopher B. Stone, Sesan Adeniji
Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism vol: 25 issue: 1 first page: 28 year: 2026
doi: 10.1080/15332845.2025.2563966