Work and Life. Balance or Conflict? Theoretical Context vs. Research Results

Abstract

The subject literature analyses as well as the social life practice show that there has been a progressive lack in the work-life balance of individuals nowadays. As a result, people suffer from disturbances in their physical, mental and social development, and the organisations that employ them suffer from their poorer performance, too. Popularising the knowledge and developing the ability to combine work and the life outside it are one of the major challenges for contemporary societies, all the more since healthy and sustainable lifestyles of the employed individuals foster both their personal development and the development of organisations. The aim of the article is to present the selected results of the Professional work – personal life. Balance or conflict? study. According to the applied methodology, after the aim and the subject of the study were determined, the diagnostic poll method was employed. Based on the theoretical scientific analyses present in the subject literature an original questionnaire was designed, which then was responded to by 800 employers working for 80 Polish companies. The main conclusion drawn from the empirical research results pointed out strong work ethos and progressive imbalance in the professional work – personal life relations that the people in the studied group were not aware of.