Work life balance policies–implementation and impact on women’s career advancement : the case of the Lebanese banking sector

Abstract

Work Life Balance policies have emerged as the role of work changed, along with changing economic conditions and social demands, as workers began to strive for jobs which also provide fulfilment and personal satisfaction. Work Life Balance programs include flex-time, telecommuting, childcare, elder care, paternity-maternity leaves, job-sharing, employee assistance programs, gym subsidies, in-house stores-services, childcare, vacations, and fewer working hours. A pre-set number of yearly free flights, casual dress are also considered to be part of work life balance policies. From another perspective, women are the primary users of such programs given their dual responsibilities at work and at home: women will often find themselves juggling between work and family tasks, known as the “role overload”. To alleviate this role overload, many organizations have launched work-life balance programs which have shown a positive impact for companies adopting them such as decreased stress, decreased turnover rates, increased motivation and employee satisfaction, etc. However, it has been suggested that women benefiting from such programs are making a choice between their home and family lives and their career, thus leading organizations to place less emphasis on their training, development and promotion. We will explore this issue further in the Lebanese context: the Lebanese case is different from the European and American case from a cultural and social perspective, as well as in terms of legislation. This research paper attempts to study the implementation of such programs in the Lebanese banking sector and explores this issue further, relating it to women’s career advancement. We will also explore coping mechanisms Lebanese women bankers use in the presence or absence of such programs and their effect on their career advancement in this sector.