While working is an important part of maintaining a comfortable life, it is also imperative for individuals to balance their work and the social life. Employees tend to develop work-related stress whenever they are overworked, which implies that they should be provided with time to relax away from work. The work-life balance is addressed by the employment laws. Employers are obliged to set reasonable working hours for the respective employees.
The development of work timetables helps in ensuring that the employees have sufficient time to socialize with their families and friends. It is important to have a social circle that facilitates the elimination of work-related stress (Deakin and Morris 5). It is also apparent that people have obligations to their families, which requires the allocation of time. For instance, working parents need to create time to give their children the required attention. Some of the legislations that influence the work-life balance include the employment policies such as the paid leaves. For instance, pregnant women are entitled to maternity leave.
Legal Support
There are many laws that have been developed to ensure that the employees are treated fairly and provided with reasonable time to develop a social life, especially concerning the development of families. The legislations compel the employers to support their employees and their families. For instance, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) compels employers to provide employees with unpaid leave in certain circumstances.
According to the FMLA, the employer should allow a pregnant employee to take leave (Moran 1). Leave may also be required if the employee involved needs to take care of a child. Employees may also take a medical leave, or leave to take care of a sick relative. Different organizations may also develop special programs to help their employees to enhance the wellness of their families. Employee welfare programs are common in organizations that look to motivate their employees by showing concern about their family members.
Fair Salaries
One of the main reasons of ensuring that the human assets in an organization are paid fairly is to boost their motivation. It is apparent that a fair remuneration platform enhances the satisfaction of the employees because their purchasing power enhances the quality of life. Fair pay also enhances the commitment of the employees to their employer (Deakin and Morris 12). In the corporate world, companies compete for the best employees by offering better pay.
Fair salaries reduce the turnover rate in companies. Fair pay is also an important aspect in organizations because there are legislations that require the employers to compensate the employees adequately. It is important for companies to give fair pay to the employees as a way of ensuring their lives are comfortable. Poorly paid employees are associated with low performance because they are stressed financially. It is apparent that most employees work to enhance the quality of their lives through the economic liberation associated with fair salaries; hence, employers should look into ensuring that the compensation of the workers is reasonable.
Discrimination Legislations
Discrimination by gender in the workplace is prohibited by the law. Employers must ensure that all employees are treated equally (Dipboye and Colella 23). It is also against the law for employers to discriminate against employees with various disabilities. The employment law stipulates that the necessary measures should be applied to accommodate the disabled members in the human asset base. Discrimination on the basis of age is also prohibited by the law.
Employees should be treated equally regardless of their age differences (Minnotte 188). The orientations of the employees in religion should also not be used to instigate discrimination. The cultural diversity in the workforce should be accommodated on a fair platform to prevent discrimination claims. Employees have the right to seek legal action against their employers if they are subjected to any form of discrimination.
Organizational Policies
Employers enhance the quality of their relationships with the employees by developing a working environment that compels the employees to assume specific behaviors. The espoused values of the company are particularly important in defining the desirable conduct of the employees. Additionally, the emphasis on the code of conduct to be followed by the employees also ensures that the employees observe the organizational policies. The development of an organizational culture that is associated with the commitment to the organizational policies also enhances the quality of the relationship between the employer and the employees.
The psychological contract between the employer and the employees entails the development of mutual goals (Kiazad, Seibert, and Kraimer 536). This relationship is characterized by mutual respect between the employers and the employees, whereby the employees portray the highest level of competence and the employer meets the expectations of the employees (Rayton, Brammer, and Millington 353). The health of the relationship between the employer and the employees determines the productivity of a company; hence, the leadership and top management function must foster the development of a good working environment for the employees.
Works Cited
Deakin, Simon and Gillian Morris. Labor law. Oxford: Hart publishing, 2012. Print.
Dipboye, Robert, and Adrienne Colella. Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases. Abingdon: Psychology Press, 2013. Print.
Kiazad, Kohyar, Scott Seibert, and Maria Kraimer. “Psychological Contract Breach and Employee Innovation: A Conservation of Resources Perspective.” Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 87.3 (2014): 535-556. Print.
Minnotte, Krista. “Perceived Discrimination and Work‐To‐Life Conflict among Workers in the United States.” The Sociological Quarterly 53.2 (2012): 188-210. Print.
Moran, Theresa. “The Importance Of Access To Benefits Under The Family Medical Leave Act For Low-Income Families For Bonding And Attachment Facilitation With A Fragile Infant And The Role Of The Social Worker.” 21st Century Social Justice 1.1 (2014): 1. Print.
Rayton, Bruce, Stephen Brammer, and Andrew Millington. “Corporate Social Performance and the Psychological Contract.” Group & Organization Management 40.3 (2015): 353-377. Print.