WAYNE, PA--(Marketwire - May 12, 2010) - Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa® (
Traditionally, women play a large role in managing their family responsibilities and, therefore, are likely to feel the pressure of balancing both work and family demands. Although there are competing pressures from both work and home, in the United States, 61% of women state that they can meet career goals and still devote sufficient attention to their personal lives.
Experiencing work/life balance is defined as having the ability to meet career goals, while devoting attention to family/personal life and working for an organization that supports employees' efforts to balance work and family/personal responsibilities.
Women in the U.S. report they are more likely to achieve balance when their stress level at work is reasonable, they enjoy, in fact, get excited about their work, they feel there is a promising future for them at the company, the company values their contribution and employees are encouraged to participate in making decisions that affect their work.
For all female workers studied, working in an organization that supports work/life balance has a significant, favorable impact on how these workers rate their pride in their organization, willingness to recommend it as a place to work and their overall job satisfaction. Additionally, those female employees who report having a balance between work and personal responsibilities state a much lower intention to leave the organization.
In the United States, the highest percentage of women reporting that they can achieve work/life balance work is in the hi-tech industry (69%), followed by those in the financial services (66%), healthcare services (63%), government (61%) and manufacturing (57%) industries. The lowest percentage of women (53%) reporting work/life balance work is in retail.
"It is encouraging to see that women can find a balance by 'bringing home the bacon' and 'keeping the home fires burning,' but some organizations can do more. Almost 40% of women don't report adequate organizational support. Companies that build a supportive infrastructure and processes stand to attract and retain talented employees and also strengthen their marketplace advantage," said Brenda Kowske, Ph.D., research consultant, Kenexa Research Institute.
About WorkTrends™
The Kenexa WorkTrends™ database is a comprehensive normative database of employee opinions on topics including leadership, employee engagement and customer orientation. Comparisons are available for workers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
About Kenexa
Kenexa® provides business solutions for human resources. We help global organizations multiply business success by identifying the best individuals for every job and fostering optimal work environments for every organization. For more than 20 years, Kenexa has studied human behavior and team dynamics in the workplace, and has developed the software solutions, business processes and expert consulting that help organizations impact positive business outcomes through HR. Kenexa is the only company that offers a comprehensive suite of unified products and services that support the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to exit. Additional information about Kenexa and its global products and services can be accessed at www.kenexa.com.