Relations between Work-life Conflict, Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction among Higher Education Lecturers

  • Miha Marič University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Slovenia
  • Ivan Todorović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia
  • Jasmina Žnidaršič University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Slovenia

Abstract

Research Question: The central research objective of this study was the empirical examination of the relationships between the construct of work-life conflict in terms of life satisfaction and job satisfaction. Motivation: Modern business environment is highly competitive and frequently demands constant participation of employees in the business tasks despite their official working hours or formal job descriptions. This practice did not spare the employees in education (Devonport, Biscomb & Lane, 2008; Salami, 2011), although they are generally satisfied with their jobs (Jordan, Miglic, Todorovic, & Maric, 2017). A healthy work environment is that in which the individual feels comfortable and respected, both as an employee and as a person with a private life that is important for individual satisfaction. As lecturers and researchers employed in higher education institutions, we wanted to examine the work-life balance among our colleagues. Idea: Our main idea was to empirically test a structural model that connects three constructs: work-life conflict, life satisfaction and job satisfaction among the higher education lecturers from different European countries and to determine the relationships by measuring the variables related to respondents from our target group through known and validated questionnaires. Data: The quantitative data for our analysis were collected through a survey of 148 online participants. The participants in this study were higher education lecturers from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Serbia and Slovenia. Tools: Work-life conflict was measured by using The work-life conflict survey (Bohen & Viveros-Long, 1981), life satisfaction by using The satisfaction with life scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985), and job satisfaction by using The job satisfaction survey (Spector, 1997). Findings: The results show that work-life conflict is negatively and statistically significantly related to job satisfaction and work-life conflict is negatively and statistically significantly related to life satisfaction. Affirmative and positive experiences lead towards lower work-life conflict, which consecutively imply a work and life satisfaction among the higher education lecturers. Contribution: The results of our study can be used both for further research in this area and in human resource management (HRM) practice.

Author Biographies

Miha Marič, University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Slovenia

Miha Marič, Ph.D., is a researcher in the field of leadership, management and organizational sciences. He holds a PhD from the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana. He is currently employed as an assistant professor at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. His research interests are power, leadership, organizational behaviour, human resource management, organization and management. He is the author of numerous genuine  scientific articles, professional articles, papers at scientific conferences, scientific monographs, and was an editor and reviewer. He also participates in research projects and consulting work.

Ivan Todorović, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia

Ivan Todorović works at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. His field of expertise includes organizational design, restructuring, business process management, business model development and entrepreneurship. He has participated in more than 20 consulting projects in the largest companies in Serbia such as HBIS GROUP Serbia Iron & Steel, PC EPS, Elixir Group, EMS JSC, Serbia And Montenegro Air Traffic Services (SMATSA), Milšped Group, PUC GSP Belgrade, PUC Parking service Belgrade, LUKOWA, Victoria Group, NIS Gazprom Neft, PC Transnafta etc. and in numerous research projects financed by the Republic of Serbia or international institutions such as EBRD, UNIDO and USAID. He is a co-author of 3 books and more than 70 articles in international monographs, journals and conference proceedings and he is also hired as a reviewer for several international scientific journals and conferences. From 2011 to 2013 he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, in Slovenia. He was a member of the team that won HULT Global Case Challenge 2012 in London, and he won the Balkan Case Challenge 2010 in Vienna. As a mentor he has supported several start-up companies and has coached student teams for international case study competitions.

Jasmina Žnidaršič, University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Slovenia

Jasmina Žnidaršič, M.Sc. (1981) is a researcher in the area of human resource management, and organizational sciences. She is currently employed as an assistant at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. Her research interests are human research management, work-life balance, organizational psychology, organizational behaviour. She is the author of numerous genuine scientific articles, professional articles and papers at scientific conferences.

Published
2021-05-04
How to Cite
Marič, M., Todorović, I., & Žnidaršič, J. (2021). Relations between Work-life Conflict, Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction among Higher Education Lecturers. Management:Journal Of Sustainable Business And Management Solutions In Emerging Economies, 26(1), 63-72. doi:10.7595/management.fon.2021.0008
Section
Articles