What Drives Work-Life Balance in Nepal's Conglomerate Companies? A PLS-SEM Analysis of Workload, Organizational Support, Family Support, and Working Hours

Abstract

Background: Work-life balance is increasingly important for employee well-being, productivity, and job satisfaction. In Nepal’s conglomerate companies, demanding workloads, extended working hours, and competing family responsibilities may create difficulties in maintaining balance. Organizational and family support may help employees manage these competing demands.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the factors influencing work-life balance among employees working in conglomerate companies in Nepal.

Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted an explanatory research design and employed purposive sampling to select 386 employees from conglomerate companies in Nepal. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire through KoboToolbox. The study was guided by Conflict Theory. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships among the variables using SmartPLS.

Findings: The results show that flexibility in working hours, family support, organizational support, and workload significantly influence employees’ work-life balance. The findings also indicate that many respondents experience high levels of stress, inflexible working hours, and difficulties in time management. These challenges may be addressed through flexible working arrangements, improved time-management practices, and stress-management programs and initiatives.

Conclusions: The study concludes that employees’ work-life balance is significantly influenced by working hours, family support, organizational support, and workload. However, co-worker support was not found to have a significant influence on work-life balance.

Keywords: Work-Life balance, conglomerate companies, conflict theory, structural equation modeling