Challenges in Working Life

Challenges in Working Life

Working life is a broad concept that includes how much time a person spends completing assigned tasks in their workplace. The composition of family and work life has changed over the past decade because of the changes in the work environment and job demands. Employees in the modern work environment experience various challenges that may lead to an imbalance between their personal and family lives. The role of work has also significantly changed since the COVID-19 pandemic because of the changes in how employees and employers perceive work and the work environment. The change in the role of work has also been influenced by social needs and economic conditions. For example, work in developing countries is viewed as a matter of survival and necessity rather than a source of personal satisfaction because of economic conditions. Therefore, there is growing tension and pressure related to work for many employees. The challenges in modern working life revolve around the changes in the work environment and the relationship between employers and employees.

One of the main challenges in the modern work environment is the rise of new job requirements. Organizations are forced to constantly adjust job requirements to align with the changes in the business environment, which leads to an increase in workload. An abrupt increase in workload impacts an employee’s quality of working life which could have long-term impacts such as stress and burnout. According to Babamohamadi et al. (2023), “QWL encompasses workplace processes, strategies, and conditions that contribute to employees’ overall job satisfaction, which, in turn, relies on favourable work conditions and organizational efficiency” (p. 2). The authors argue that in the modern work environment, many employees focus on their personal lives, thus making social life a crucial part of the work environment (Babamohamadi et al., 2023). For example, many employees seek a work environment that offers work-life balance and protects their physical and emotional well-being. This was evident during the Covid-19 pandemic when many nurses and healthcare providers prioritized their personal lives over their jobs by quitting their jobs to avoid stress and burnout caused by the changes in the work environment, such as the increase in workload and the expectation to make difficult decisions relating to patient admission and oxygen supply. Unfortunately, many employers prioritize organizational success and profit maximization, forcing employees to work long hours and adjust quickly to new job requirements without complaining to retain their jobs. In some instances, employees must adjust to new working conditions impacting their job satisfaction and emotional stability. Adjusting to new working conditions may also affect an employee’s routine leading to stress and burnout, which are the leading causes of turnover in the modern workplace.

Rapid technological advancement and the use of technology in modern workplaces are the leading causes of new job requirements that pose a challenge to employees. According to Ingusci et al. (2021), the use of technology in the workplace has led to new demands resulting in techno overload among employees. The technological advancements make employees feel incapable of completing tasks and stressed out, especially if they do not have the knowledge and expertise needed to use the technical tools in the workplace. Ingusci et al. (2021) argue that “Techno overload, considered a techno-stressor, is associated with stressful situations that contribute to work longer and faster than normal” (p. 3). For example, an employee may take longer to complete a task using technological tools because they are afraid of losing their job to someone with knowledge and expertise in using the tools. The use of technology may also lead to information overload when employees are required to handle a lot of information relating to new applications of technology within their roles. The main impact of information overload is stress which reduces employee productivity and increases the risk of involuntary turnover, especially in organizations that promote and fire employees based on productivity rates. Unfortunately, employees have limited control over how technology impacts their work and environment, forcing them to adjust by familiarizing themselves with the new technologies that could be used in their workplace to increase job security.

New job requirements create the challenge of maintaining a work-life balance. Over the past decade, employees have become more enlightened about prioritizing their well-being and focusing on their personal needs, increasing the need for work-life balance. According to Sangarry & Srinivasan (2016), “The American workforce has begun to change course from being willing to spend every hour working to learning to manage the complexities of modern living” (p. 7). Unfortunately, most workplaces require employees to spend a lot of time at work and set strict deadlines to encourage employees to prioritize their work leading to limited work-life balance. Competition among employees in the workplace also reduces work-life balance because every employee focuses on outperforming their colleagues to reduce the risk of being fired. Another issue linked to work-life balance is the lack of favourable work terms, especially for women. For example, some employers offer limited maternity leave days and paid leave to discourage employees from applying for leave. In some organizations, women may be forced to postpone childbearing because of fear that asking for maternity leave may lead to work termination or a demotion. Unfortunately, employees do not have control over working conditions, forcing them to adjust their daily routines to balance their work and personal lives.

One of the main issues linked to limited control over working conditions is inequality in the workplace. Inequality in the workplace leads to job dissatisfaction, which can cause stress. Over the past decade, women and minority groups have been experiencing inequality in the workplace because of discrimination and gender stereotypes. The shift in work dynamics from office to home has led to a new form of inequality, particularly for women. According to the United Nations  Development Programme (2021), “A new inequality has emerged from a rapid shift from working in an office environment to working at home where the boundaries of work time and private time are often very blurred, further leading to time poverty for workers and their increased anxiety, and affecting workers’ overall well-being” (p. 1). Based on this statement, it is evident that working at home adds extra pressure to women because they have to balance the time spent working and the time they spend taking care of their families. The anxiety linked to working from home may result from job insecurity and the fear of failing to meet work deadlines and other expectations. Inequality is also evident in salaries and compensation programs in most organizations. For example, some organizations pay men higher salaries than women and set aside top positions for men due to the assumption that men are more productive than women. The rise of inequality in modern workplaces makes it hard for women and people from minority groups to develop their careers leading to job dissatisfaction and turnover. Inequality also limits employee engagement in decision-making.

The level of control that most employers have over employees in the modern workplace and inequality in involvement in decision-making have resulted in a lack of privacy in most workplaces. Many organizations have embraced the use of CCTV cameras and other surveillance technology to monitor employees’ movement around the workplace. Some organizations also monitor an employee’s online activity and the websites they visit within the working environment, which leads to limited privacy. One of the main impacts of lack of privacy is a lack of a sense of belonging which could impact an employee’s quality of working life. The lack of control over what an employee can do with their work and personal computers within the workplace also limits their ability to look for better job opportunities leading to slow career progression. Employees may also feel devalued in the workplace if all their actions are under surveillance, thus impacting their performance. Another impact of lack of privacy in the workplace is increased anxiety because employees know they are being monitored. Anxiety could lead to stress and burnout, especially among new employees who must meet organizational expectations to access higher ranks and retain their jobs. However, anxiety is mainly experienced in jobs where employees can work virtually because there is high competition for jobs.

The rise of the platform economy is a major challenge in working life. According to Daugareilh et al. (2019), “The platform economy can be characterized as a (virtual) technological meeting place bringing together groups of people who, in one way or another, need each other” (p. 22). The rise of the platform economy increases job insecurity for employees because only employees who can adapt to the use of online channels to deliver their skills remain relevant in the job market. Employees must also be able to work autonomously and maintain high performers because the online platform gives employers access to many employees with the knowledge, skills, and competencies they may be looking for. The platform economy also requires employees to constantly update their skills to acquire the skills in high demand in the online job market to secure a job and get a reasonable salary. Upskilling can be challenging for most employees because they have to incur extra costs to pay for the courses they need to acquire the selected skills and create time to attend the classes. The platform economy has also created a work environment where employees are pressured to perform better than their counterparts leading to heavy workloads. Employees must also adjust to new procedures and equipment to meet a platform’s requirements, leading to additional pressure to upskill and quickly adjust to new working environments, leading to burnout.

Burnout is linked to worn-out syndrome, which is another challenge in working life. Aabo et al. (2023) argue that the worn-out syndrome includes feeling inadequate in the workplace, fear of colleagues’ perceptions, and fear of future decline. The rising competition in the job market increases the risk of worn-out syndrome because some employees may feel that their colleagues are better than them because they have additional knowledge, skills, and competencies or perform better at specific tasks. Employees may also be afraid that their colleagues may not view them as fit for a job, especially if they are new at the workplace and must work with more experienced and educated people. The emphasis on skills and competencies over how well an employee completes a task also increases the risk of an employee being afraid of future decline. This mainly happens among new graduates joining the job market because most are hired based on their academic success, knowledge, and skills rather than work experience. Therefore, they may be under constant pressure to avoid making mistakes so that they can prove that they are fit to work for the company, which increases the fear of failing in the future.

In conclusion, working life has evolved over the past decade because of the changes in the role of work and people’s willingness to prioritize their personal life over working life. However, most employees struggle to address various challenges in their work lives, leading to unhealthy working lives. One of the challenges is the rise of new job requirements. The job requirements impact the quality of working life, forcing employees to reevaluate their personal and working lives to decide what to prioritize. The second challenge is rapid technological advancements. The use of technology in the workplace has created new demands and techno overload. Technological advancements also make employees feel incapable of completing their tasks and create stressful situations when they lack the expertise to use specific technological tools. The third challenge is difficulty creating a work-life balance. Many employees are unable to strike a balance between their work and personal lives because of a lack of favourable work terms and competition from other employees. The fourth challenge is workplace inequality, especially in promotion and compensation. Inequality mainly impacts women and minority groups because they are considered inferior in most organizations. The fifth challenge is the lack of privacy in the workplace due to workplace surveillance and employees’ control over the websites that employees can access within the workplace. Another major challenge in working life is the pressure created by the platform economy. Employees may also develop worn-out syndrome because of workplace expectations and their level of expertise. Understanding these challenges is essential in creating approaches that employees can use to create high-quality working life.

 References

Aabo, M. G., Mølgaard, K., & Lassen, A. J. (2023). The worn-out syndrome: Uncertainties in late working life triggering retirement decisions. PLOS ONE, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282905

Babamohamadi, H., Davari, H., Safari, A.-A., Alaei, S., & Pordanjani, S. R. (2023). The association between workload and quality of work life of nurses taking care of patients with COVID-19. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01395-6

Daugareilh, I., Degryse, C., & Pochet, P. (2019). The platform economy and social law: Key issues in comparative perspective. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3432441

Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Giancaspro, M. L., Manuti, A., Molino, M., Russo, V., Zito, M., & Cortese, C. G. (2021). Workload, techno overload, and behavioural stress during COVID-19 emergency: The role of job crafting in remote workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.655148

Sangarry, S., & Srinivasan, V. (2016). Work/life Balance – Challenges and Solutions in Present Scenario. International Conference on “Innovative Management Practices‖, 1(1). https://doi.org/IJARIIE-ISSN (O)-2395-4396

United Nations Development Programme. (2021, July 28). The changing nature of work: 30 signals to consider for a sustainable future: United Nations Development Programme. UNDP. https://www.undp.org/acceleratorlabs/blog/changing-nature-work-30-signals-consider-sustainable-future-22

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Assignment: Draft and revise a critical analysis of working life that makes meaningful and significant use of at least (i) ONE of the required course texts on “working life” from Moodle and (ii) TWO sources discovered through research. Depending on your analysis, you may need to incorporate more than these two sources. Working life texts used for Essay 1 cannot count towards requirements in Essay 2.

The two sources discovered through research must be from:
→ peer-reviewed sources OR
→ databases under the Company/Industry Research tab in the Armacost Business Research Guide OR
→ government databases (e.g. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

A good critical analysis for this assignment:
✓ Demonstrates that you understand the arguments presented in the texts;
✓ Makes the “working life” text central to the analysis;
✓ Makes meaningful and significant use of outside sources, including data;
✓ Successfully figure something out about the specific topic you’ve chosen and contribute to the existing knowledge about your subject.

Due Dates: ​Complete Draft: Session 7 at 6:00 pm
Final Essay: Session 8 at 6:00 pm
Evaluation: ​25 points
Length: ​​At least 7 full pages (excluding title & reference pages), double-spaced, 12-point font
Format:​​Correct APA formatting and documentation
Penalties:​Late draft/no draft = 5-point deduction from total points possible.

Also, please, if you can, can you look at the previous 5-page paper that was done by you guys and follow those notes by my professor from the revised order? If possible, please use writing techniques like the quote burger. Thank you so much please communicate and ask questions if necessary. Thank you so much

Students are asked to draft and revise a critical analysis (at least 7 pages) that makes meaningful and significant use of (i) at least ONE “working life” text from Moodle and (ii) TWO outside sources (scholarly/ professional, peer-reviewed) discovered through research. In the essay, students should be able to apply theoretical perspectives from readings to analyze an issue. Readings used for Essay 1 cannot be used for credit in Essay 2.