Work-Life Balance, Flexible Working Arrangements, and Employee Performance at Kenya Electricity Generating Company, Kenya

Abstract

Employee performance is one of the challenging issues that have been identified to affect organizations. This has been attributed to the high involvement of employees across multiple roles between work and family contexts. Employees in Kenya Electricity Generating Company continue to experience a variety of work-related stress attributed to the nature of work operations that affect their work-life balance and performance. Although empirical research has confirmed that there is a positive effect of work-life balance on employee performance, there is a need for more interrogation with a focus on the moderating effect of flexible working arrangements on work-life balance and employee performance. The main objective of the study was to determine the moderating effect of Flexible Working Arrangements on Work-Life Balance and Employee Performance in Kengen. The specific objectives of the study were to establish the effect of stress management, personal life management, career development, technological advancement, and Flexible Working Arrangements on employee performance; and the moderating effect of Flexible Work Arrangements on these relationships. The study was anchored on Integration theory, complemented by Person-Environment Fit and Social Exchange Theories. The study was underpinned by a positivist research paradigm. An explanatory research design was used and was cross-sectional and targeted 2487 employees comprising senior, middle, and junior employees in Kengen Company. The study sample size was 331 respondents and a stratified sampling technique was used based on the Krejcie and Morgan Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including means, frequencies, and standard deviations while inferential statistics used hierarchical regression analysis. The findings of the study revealed that stress management, career development, and technological advancement have a significant effect on employee performance (β1=0.314, ρ<0.05) (β3=0.192, ρ=<0.05), (β4=0.300, ρ<0.05) respectively. However, personal life management and flexible working arrangements do not have a significant effect on employee performance (β2=0.018, ρ>0.05), (β5=0.029, ρ>0.05). Further, the study established that Flexible Working Arrangements negatively and significantly moderate stress management and employee performance while Flexible Working Arrangements positively and significantly moderate personal life management and employee performance (β1= -.150, ρ=<0.05), (β2=0.155, ρ=<0.05) respectively. Furthermore, the study showed that Flexible Working Arrangements did not moderate career development and technological advancement with employee performance (β3=0.087, ρ=>0.05), (β4= -.031, ρ>0.05) respectively. R 2 change increased by 0.016% with an enhanced mod graph moderation effect whereby the use of flexible working arrangements led to increased stress management techniques and improved employee performance. In conclusion, stress management, career development, and technological advancement are key predictors of employee performance and Flexible Working Arrangements support employees to manage stress and personal lives. This study recommends that organizations should provide continuous training on task prioritization, and problem-solving skills, and enhance supervisor support to improve stress management knowledge among employees. Additionally, regular assessment and adjustment of workloads should be embraced to cushion employees from experiencing stress, and company management should develop a work culture that supports Personal Life Management through open communication. Further research on the moderating effect of Flexible Working Arrangements on Work-Life Balance and employee performance should be extended to other sectors in developing countries by utilizing pragmatic approaches.