摘 要

Abstract

Purpose: The penetration of the women gender into the corporate world is a visible fact; nevertheless, the underrepresentation of women is still witnessed in various sectors of the business community. In this context, the literature highlights that traditions of the business environment in the Saudi Arabian region are immensely influenced by its cultural and religious values. As an outcome, interruptions in the professional life, plateauing, and high turnover is commonly witnessed challenges confronted by the women in Saudi Arabia.

The flexibility of the working arrangement has been introduced as an effective alternative for the female employees so that they can harmonize their work and personal life. Concerning the traditional roles of the females in the Saudi Arabian region, this research aims to explore the effect of the flexible working system on the performance of the females.

Methodology Design: The research is an amalgamation of primary and secondary research approach. The in-depth interviews are used as the primary means for data collection. A small group of fifteen participants from the health, banking, and education sector is selected for the interview. The respondents will be queried about their experiences, cultural values, personal responsibilities, and work beliefs.

Findings: Based on the interview, the research intends to determine various aspects of performance such as job satisfaction, stress, commitment, morale, turnover rate, and overall productivity of the employees while working on a flexible schedule. The results of the findings indicate that flexible working schedule is well accepted by the Saudi female employees. The flexibility enables the workers to be productive, as their stress levels are reduced. As an outcome, they are able to balance the work and life conditions. Moreover, higher commitment towards the organization is recorded amongst the females working under the flexible system.

Conclusion: The findings of the research study and the literature coincide with the hypothesis that the flexible working system in the Saudi Arabia positively affects the performance and work-life balance of the Saudi female employees. Moreover, it is likely to reduce employee stress and turnover rate while increasing the employee commitment towards the organization.

Keywords: flexible working arrangement, work-life balance, women employees, performance, productivity, Saudi Arabia

Table of Contents

中文摘要 i

Abstract ii

Chapter1 Introduction 1

1.1Gap Analysis 2

1.2 Aims and Objectives 3

1.3 Research Hypotheses 4

Chapter 2 Literature Review 5

2.1 Historical background of Flexible Work Arrangements 5

2.2 Saudi Arabian Context 5

2.3 Hours of Work 6

2.4 Importance of Work-Life Balance for Women 7

2.5 Effectiveness of Flexible Working System on Women Performance 8

Chapter3 Research Methodology 12

3.1 Research Plan 12

3.2 Duration and Place of the Research Study 12

3.3 Research Methods 13

3.4 Sampling 14

3.5 Method 15

3.6 Analysis and Data Interpretation 15

3.7 Limitations 16

Chapter4 Findings 17

4.1 Characteristics of Respondents 17

4.2 Flexible Working System’s Impact on Employee Productivity 20

4.3 Work Life Balance by Flexible Working System 22

4.4 Additional Reviews 23

Chapter5 Discussion and Analysis 25

5.1 Effects on Employee's Attitudes and Morale 25

5.2 Effects on Employee's Commitment 26

5.3 Effect on Employee Stress Levels 26

5.4 Effect on Turnover Rate 27

5.5 Effect on Work-Family Balance 28

5.6 Effect on Productivity and Overall Satisfaction 28

5.7 Challenges of Flexible Working System 29

Chapter 6 Conclusion 31

References 33

Chapter1 Introduction

The underrepresentation of the women gender in the world of commerce is still evident, despite the numerous uphill struggles of business leaders and women’s rights activists over the years. The potential discrimination witnessed by the females is addressed by the reasons of pregnancy and childbirth. It is perceived that the maternity leaves and the responsibilities towards the children are likely to affect the performance of the organization; thus, a man is given preference to the women at the time of recruitments ^[1].

In response to inequalities of women in the workplace, recent research studies are striving to change the image of the women to employees that are more productive and engage in better decision-making and problem-solving tasks. The evidence is highlighted through a study indicating that companies who employ females to their management are likely to outperform the enterprises with only male members to their decision-making posts. The ongoing current research studies simply bring forth the fact that females are equally competent to their male counterparts. Nevertheless, the inequality with the women, both mothers, and career-oriented females, in the corporate world is an overwhelming fact. The records point outs a cultural and religious reason to this stereotyped attitude towards the women in the business setting ^[1].

The ongoing discussions have publicized the challenges confronted by the women in the workplace on a broad spectrum. As an outcome of these debates, the Saudi governments have concentrated on the restructuring the discourse ^[2]. Besides, the sphere of women activities also witnessed improvements in the region due to the inclination of urbanization. It indicates that women are receiving a greater opportunity in the aspect of employment ^[3]. In this context, the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia represents an interesting illustration of the women representation in the business world.

From the records, the fact is visible that a huge proportion of the Saudi workforce is constituted by the women gender in the government sector of the nation. In fact, the women representation is also observed in the leadership positions in the public sector, whereas, the private sector still holds a gloomy representation of the women. Unfortunately, the private sector of the business community is still dominated by the males in the Saudi Arabia, leaving only an insignificant percentage of the jobs for the women ^[1].