IMPACT OF LONG WORKING HOURS ON WOMEN’S SOCIOECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

Abstract

Due to continuous and rapid technological, cultural, and economic changes in the banking sector in specific, the need of working for long hours has increased dramatically among bankers especially after the economic crisis of 2008, which put bankers under stress in coping with these changes and obliged them to experience many implications of long working hours. This research attempts to identify the impact of long working hours on women and the hidden costs generated from pursuing their jobs (more than 40 hours per week). It also examines the relationship between long working hours and work life balance, and the hidden costs that are associated with them. Building on existing work on the implications of long working hours, this study raises this question: what steps should the bank decide to reduce long working hours’ consequences while preserving its sustainable development along with employees’ work-life balance harmoniously? Based on the review of literature and the main theories that tackle work-life balance, «SEAM Intervention Research methodology» was chosen, using Qualimetrics approach (Saville, 2018), which involves qualitative, quantitative and financial analysis. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and divided between horizontal and vertical using HORIVERT method. Accordingly, analysis of the results shows that long working hours is associated with a myriad of issues including: work-life conflict, high absenteeism with false sick leaves, health problems, lower productivity, high turnover rate and lower socio-economic empowerment. Based on the intervention’s results, we conclude that long working hours does have impact on work-life balance and results in many repercussions that affect employees and the bank’s overall performance. Hence, we recommend that the bank should focus on employees’ needs and enhance their work-life balance to ensure its sustainable development through socio-economic empowerment.