Lesner A. Ngagan
Graduate School
ABSTRACT
Work-life balance (WLB) is an equilibrium wherein personal, professional, and family life demands are equal. Employees completing graduate studies while serving full-time are subject to the pressures of attending to several roles in their work and personal life that can negatively affect their WLB. The study explored the perceived WLB and the challenges encountered by 43 university employees enrolled in the graduate school who availed employee scholarships during the first semester of the School Year 2019-2020. Through mixed methods, the researcher carefully analyzed quantitative data of the perceived WLB levels and the qualitative data or the challenges the employees encountered in attaining healthy WLB. The results suggest that both tenured employees (16 or more years in service) and those with more dependents (2-3) encountered challenges maintaining their well-being through proper food, enough sleep, and adequate exercise. Additionally, the tenured employees have difficulties organizing their activities, such as accomplishing multiple tasks and academic requirements to fit their timelines. The employees with more dependents struggle to perform effectively under pressure and adapt to the evolving demands of work and personal responsibilities. Employees with dependents or children to take care, sacrifice leisure time to do academic requirements. The components – self, time, stress, and leisure management and the factors – years of service and number of dependents play an important role in determining the perceived WLB of employees attending a graduate program.
Keywords: work-life balance, University of Baguio employees, Graduate studies, employee well-being, perception
