GHGGG
GHGGG
GHGGG
DISSERTATION REPORT
ON
“Study On Consumer Behavior And Brand
Awareness "
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENT FO
THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE
TO
SHRI RAM SWAROOP MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
FOR THE SESSION
2022-23
UNDER GUIDANCE OF: SUBMITTED BY:
Dr. Pragati Malik Sudhakar Singh
Associate Professor Roll No.: 202010701110018
Institute of Management , BBA- 5th Semester
Commerce & Economics, SRMU
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, COMMERCE & ECONOMICS
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled “A Study on Work-Life Balance of Employees in
Outlook India” submitted by Prashant Chaudhary Univ. Roll No 202010702110059 in the partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration from
SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY to the best of my knowledge is a record of
student's own work carried out under my supervision and guidance. The project report embodies result of
original work and the study carried out by the student and the contents do not form the basis for the award
of any other degree to the candidate or to anybody else.
Date :
This is to certify that Mr. Prashant Chaudhary, student of Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University,
Lucknow has successfully completed his summer internship with us for the period 6 July 2022 to
6 September 2022.
He has shown eagerness to learn, understand and cope up with work. He has learnt much to keep him
in good stead to the future assignment in life.
We wish him all the best.
Yours Sincerely,
Ashish Gupta
Outlook Group
New Delhi
Sept 12, 2022
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
(Prashant Chaudhary)
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project, which is being presented in this report, entitled " A
Study on Work-Life Balance of Employees in Outlook India " is an authentic record
of my own work during the period of seven weeks. The information is given by me in this
report is exclusively for concerned organization and would not be submitted by me
anywhere else.
Date:
Place: Barabanki
Prashant Chaudhary
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a great pleasure for me to express my respect and deep sense of gratitude to my guide
Dr. Gayatri Negi, Assistant Professor, IMCE, SRMU for her guidance, involvement
during the planning and development of this research work. I also gratefully acknowledge
her efforts in thoroughly going through and improving the manuscripts without which this
work could not have been completed. I am obliged to my beloved parents Mr. Tilak
Ram Chaudhary and Mrs. Reeta Chaudhary for their moral support, love,
encouragement, and blessings to complete this task.
I am indebted and grateful to the Almighty for helping me in this endeavor.
Prashant Chaudhary
202010702110059
PREFACE
It was a privilege for me to work in OUTLOOK GROUP INDIA This has given me
an opportunity to work in a truly professional environment where team work score
over individual effort, where there is a helpful atmosphere. A well planned, properly
executed and evaluated training helps a lot in inoculating good work culture. The
project on “`A Study on Work-Life Balance of Employees in Outlook India” has
been made to facilitate effective understanding about the Human resource aspects.
The project training has provided me an opportunity to gain practical experience,
which has helped me to increase my sphere of knowledge to a greater extent. I have
tried to summarize all our experience and knowledge acquired up till now, in this
report. This project is a keen effort to obtain the expected results and fulfill all the
information required.
At the end annexure and bibliography are given for effective understanding.
Prashant Chaudhary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The growing demand for work culture is causing mental disturbances to most of the employees
these days. The outcome of increasing workload is terribly affecting work-life balance of
employees. The employer actions towards addressing the workload of employees can result in
better work-life balance of employees. Good work-life balance ensures quality of life,
discardment of stress and high productivity levels of employees. Work-life balance of employees
in print media industry is a hectic task. The magazines production at unusual hours, the validity
of the news collected, the reliability and accuracy of the news being published, the pressures
faced by the employees in the department of distribution and sales in terms of managing
distribution intermediaries and circulation, the heat faced by the players in magazine industry for
advertisements affects employees‟ professional life and personal life. So, the organization and
employers have to contribute their best to make the employees balance their work-life efficiently.
media with special reference to Outlook India. The primary data was collected through the
structured questionnaire with the sample size of 50 and the analysis was done with MS-Excel
using charts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.1 OVERVIEW
In today‟s fast-growing world and running lives, people are finding it very difficult to
manage both work life as well as personal life. Balance in work-life has become major
challenge for all kinds of people right from young corporate people to middle aged
people. Suitable alternatives would make the work-life of employees to get into
equilibrium state. Work-life balance supports the employees to allocate their time and
energy between work and the other vital aspects of their lives such as family, friends,
community participation, pleasure, spirituality, personal growth, self-care, and other
personal activities, in addition to the Job demands. The term work-life balance ensures
that one commits an equal share of time to both work and life.
Work-life balance mainly deals with an employee‟s ability to properly correlate the work and
his/her lifestyle, social life, health, family etc, and is normally linked with job productivity.
Currently, maintaining a good work life balance in the organizations is an essential part of human
resource management. Many industries have started realizing the significance of work-life
balance and have started adapting and following the various strategies for improving the same.
Print media industry is one among the significant industries in India and they face an acute
problem in overcoming the work life balance among their employees since it happens due to its
nature. The employees have to work intensively particularly during emergencies with critical
schedules and due to this many lose the balance in their lives. So, I have tried to study and
analyse the issue of work life balance among the employees working in Outlook India.
1
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study has been conducted for analysing the work life balance prevailing among the
employees belonging to the print media (Outlook India). Employees working in print media
face many problems especially working for long hours in tough working environment. This
study would help the organization to think about the various measures that are to be followed
in order to improve the employees‟ work life and provide a healthy environment in which the
employees are highly satisfied to improve the productivity.
Work-Life balance is the level at which the employees will be able to fulfil the obligations at
organization as well as in personal life. The right balance in work and life tomorrow may be
different from today. The right balance in work and life when a person is single is different
from person married. The right balance of work and life is different when one person is at the
beginning of the career and at the finishing stage of the career. The balance of work and
personal life has unique fit for each person. Depending upon the various preferences and
considerations of employees the equilibrium state of work and life varies. The work and
personal life balance is majorly attained by satisfaction, happiness and well-being of the
employees.
The various work-life balance alternatives can be flexible working hours, sharing of job, e-
working, taking intervals from work, developing psychological contract, compressed working
hours, working in shifts.
Work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work
environments, which will enable employees to have balance between work and personal
responsibilities and thus strengthen employee loyalty and productivity.
2
Numerous studies have been conducted on work-life balance. According to a major Canadian
study conducted by Lowe (2005), 1 in 4 employees experience high levels of conflict between
work and family, based on work-to-family interference and caregiver strain. If role overload is
included, then close to 60 percent of employees surveyed experience work-family conflict.
Of all the job factors that influence work-life conflict, the amount of time spent at work is the
strongest and most consistent predictor. The higher levels of work-to-family conflict reported
by managers or professionals often are a function of their longer work hours. Other reasons
include job security, support from one‟s supervisor, support from co-workers, work demands
or overload, work-role conflict, work-role ambiguity, job dissatisfaction, and extensive use of
communication technology that blurs the boundaries between home and work.
Today‟s workers have many competing responsibilities such as work, children, housework,
volunteering, spouse and elderly parent care and this places stress on individuals, families
and the communities in which they reside. Work-life conflict is a serious problem that
impacts workers, their employers and communities.
It seems that this problem is increasing over time due to high female labour force
participation rates, increasing numbers of single parent families, the predominance of the
dual-earner family and emerging trends such as elder care. It is further exasperated with
globalization, an aging population, and historically low unemployment.
There are number of work-life balance and flexible working arrangements. They are the clear
policy statement that announces the organizations commitment for providing a flexible
responsive work balance, which enables all employees to balance work and family / personal
responsibilities supported by policy guidelines.
Some of the important policies and initiatives taken in the study are elaborated below:
Policies in the originations with reference to leave arrangements:
1. Careers Leave: It allows employees to take time off to care for and support a sick family
or household member.
3
2. Opportunity for leave if care arrangements – for children or other dependents breakdown:
If day care person taking care of children or dependants get sick, the employee is allowed to
take leave to care for his/ her child or dependents.
3. Study/ Training leave: It allows employees to take time off for study or training.
4. Career breaks: It allows employees to negotiate a fixed period away from work to
undertake study, while keeping a job at the end of the term.
5. Cultural / Religious breaks: It allows employees to take time off for cultural/ religious
reason; public holidays excluded.
6. Bereavement leave: It allows employees to take a minimum leave of 2 days after the death
of family or household member.
7. Pooling of leave entitlement: It allows employees to pool all entitlements like sick leave,
career‟s leave etc, giving employees a larger number of days if they need it for family reasons.
5. Opportunity to return to the same job after maternity / paternity and adoption leave.
6. Safely at work during pregnancy: It allows changing the work of a pregnant worker to
avoid long periods of standing or lifting heavy objects.
7. Pre-natal leave: It allows time for pregnant women or their partners to attend medical
appointments during working hours, either using additional leave or sick leave.
4
8. Staggered return to work after pregnancy: It allows employees to negotiate a temporary
reduction in hours of work when they return to work.
9. Private expressing / breast feeding room: Space provided at work offering privacy for an
employee to breast feed and providing refrigeration facilities.
10. Lactation breaks: Time off to express milk or breast feed babies if needed.
11. A careers room or bringing children to work in emergencies: Provision of a safe location
where staff can carry out their regular work duties while caring for dependents until other
arrangements can be made.
12. Employer assistance with childcare: Employers paying for or reserving places in an
existing or on-site child-care centre.
1. Job Sharing: Job sharing is a form of part-time working where two or more people share
the responsibility for full-time job. They share the pay and benefits in proportion to the hours
each works. Job shares may work split days, split weeks or alternate weeks.
2. Flex-time: Flex-time operates in which the system allow the employees to build up
additional hours, which can be used to leave early, come in late, or take longer periods off,
with approval from line management.
3. Part-time work: Part-time working hours any arrangement where the employees contracted
to work anything less than typical full-time hours for the type of work in question.
4. Compressed hours: This is where an employee works their usual hours in fewer or longer
blocks during the week. Through starting early or finishing late, employees can build up
additional hours which they take as a day or half day away from work.
5. Shift work: It is a pattern of work in which one employee replaces another doing the same
job within a 24-hour period. Shift workers normally work in crews, which are group of
workers who make up for separate shift team.
5
6. Annualized Hours: It is a system where the total number of hours to be worked over the
year is fixed but there is flexibility over the employees daily and weekly working patterns.
7. Home Working: It is a arrangement where an employee regularly carries out all or part of
their duties to home rather than employer premises. It could be occasional agreed days or it
could be a full time arrangement.
8. Mobile Working: Here an employee works all or part of their working week at a location
away from employer‟s workplace. Employees will receive instructions by phone or computer
at home or in their vehicle.
9. Hot Desking: Here employees are not assigned their own desk but when they are in the
office they can use any desk, or an available desk within a designated area.
10. Gradual Retirement: It allows employees to gradually reduce the number of working
hours or duties over an extended period of time, after several years prior to retirement.
1.9 NEED FOR ATTAINING WORK LIFE BALANCE IN PRINT MEDIA INDUSTRY
One industry best suited for achieving work-life balance of employees is print media industry.
Since the production activity in print media industry is done at the mid hours of night, few
employees might feel stressed for not having rest which may result in cause of low productivity
as well as disturbed personal life. In case of the employees who work in the day hours, the
authenticity while collecting news, the pressures from various outside people and cut-throat
competition for high circulation in market even cause more stress which may affect both work
and private life of employees. So, there is a need for achieving right balance between work and
personal life of employees in print media industry for increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
6
CHAPTER-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Very limited number of research have been conducted in work life balance related to the Print
Media industry, the literature from other related researches have been provided in this study.
Employees with work-life balance feel their lives are fulfilled both inside and outside of work
and they experience minimal conflict between work and non-work roles.
Work-life balance is generally associated with equilibrium between the amount of time and
effort somebody devotes to work and personal activities, in order to maintain an overall sense
of harmony in life. (Clarke, et al 2004, 121). Any competing demands of work and family life
will cause conflict and negatively affect the wellbeing of workers (Clark, 2000; Frone, 2000).
Clarke et al. (2004) and Clark (2000) agree that measurable aspects of WLB are satisfaction,
Higher demands on employees‟ duties and longer working hours reduce the time workers
have Byrne. (2005) to spend with their families (Hill, 2005).Malik, McKie, Beattie & Hogg.
(2010) Heavier work demands faced by employees also result in higher levels of stress,
understand the importance of WLB, its impact on employees‟ wellbeing, and the effects it
One of the most common consequences of work - life balance is depression, resulting in
decreased productivity and higher absenteeism (Layous, Chancellor, Lyubomirsky, Wang &
Doraiswamy, 2011; Seligman, 2011). Low work-life balance can also lead to employees
experiencing low morale and higher absenteeism (Brought, O‟Driscoll & Kalliath, 2005), and
organizations experiencing higher staff turnover, lower productivity and poorer work quality
8
CHAPTER- 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data is collected through a
structured questionnaire and interview method, and secondary data is collected from
websites, records etc. The population for the study included the employees working in
Outlook India. A structured questionnaire with 5 scale rating was used to collect the primary
data from the respondents. Totally 50 questionnaires were circulated, and all 50 responses
were collected and considered for analysis. The collected data was tabulated in MS-Excel.
The study was conducted with the help of Table, Graphical representation & interpretation
with each graphs & charts.
CHAPTER-4
INDUSTRY PROFILE
4.1 History of Print Media Industry
The written way of telling the news, typically through newspapers and magazines, is known
as print media. Printed items had to be written by hand before the discovery and widespread
use of printing presses. It was a time-consuming technique that prevented mass distribution.
At first, the news seemed set in stone. It was afterwards handwritten and displayed in a
public location, similar to today's posters, or read from a scroll by a town crier. The ancient
Roman government began publishing daily news sheets in 131 B.C. to keep the populace
informed. Instead of just communicating news, print media has developed over time to
incorporate entertainment, educational themes, and more.
Scientific and technological developments have propelled the media industry forward at a
rapid pace. New media are emerging, while existing ones are being upgraded, and their
availability has risen dramatically as a result. They've now conquered even the most isolated
areas and far-flung corners of the globe. This multidimensional evolution has resulted in a
great deal. There's more variation than you'd think. Between the media and this, there has
been a growing diversity. The procedure is still in progress. As a result, the Indian people
are faced with numerous options. Print media was the first to be employed as a mass
medium for information dissemination. Print media continues to be one of the most potent
forms of communication among rural people.
4.2 Print Media at present
With thousands of magazines and newspapers in circulation, India boasts a diverse range of
print media. Even in the age of television and the internet, top-notch journalism, excellent
reporting, press unity, and a strong network are what made print media so successful. It is
also claimed that print media aided literacy and, without a doubt, the common Indian's
general knowledge.
Dainik Jagran, India's most popular daily, has a circulation of about two million people. The
Times of India, an English newspaper, is next, followed by Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi
publication.
Coming to the magazines, from December 2019 to March 2020, the English language
magazine India Today was the most popular in India, according to the Indian Readership
Survey. During the study period, the newspaper had the largest readership with over nine
million readers, followed by India Today magazine in Hindi with over six million readers.
In India, there are numerous regional newspapers and periodicals published in a variety of
languages. As a result, there is something for everyone to read!
According to a recently released analysis, the print media sector in India is predicted to
develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% during FY 2017-18, despite of
the fact that the worldwide print media industry is expected to take a back seat to digital
media in the coming years. The print media industry is currently valued at INR 22,000
crore (US$ 4 billion).
While reader preference for digital media is growing in India, the vast market size provides
significant chances for both media channels to coexist. In the print media sector, for example,
vernacular markets alone account for 30% of ad revenues, with English accounting for 40%
of ad revenues and Hindi accounting for the remainder. It is no secret that the print media
sector is heavily reliant on advertising revenues, with circulation accounting for only 30% of
revenue and advertising accounting for 70%.
Another example of the multiple chances India provides to domestic and foreign businesses is
the predicted expansion in the domestic print media industry.
14
While digital media continues its relentless march as the major content medium, I believe
print media in India will maintain (and possibly grow) its dedicated user base over the next 3-
5 years. However, the present status of photography appears to be comparable to that of
photography in the 1990s and early 2000s. It began with derision of the medium, followed by
a fierce battle for survival by film photographers and companies. Today, it's difficult to find a
photographer who still uses film.
Print in India, in my opinion, will probably continue to grow for a few years, but the pipeline
is rapidly drying up. I wouldn't be surprised if, in ten years, print circulation in India has
decreased and that many newspapers have closed or moved totally to digital.
OMPANY PROFILE
Outlook is a weekly news magazine published in India that covers a wide range of topics in
English and Hindi. The inaugural issue of Outlook was in October 1995, with Vinod Mehta
as the editor-in-chief. Outlook Group is a part of Rajan Raheja Group. Outlook Publishing
(India) Pvt. Ltd is the publisher. It includes political, sporting, and cinematic content, as well
as stories of general interest. Outlook magazine's Facebook following had climbed to over 12
lakhs by December 2018. (1.2 million).
Hathway Investments Private Limited, a subsidiary of the business, joined the print media in
October 1995. OUTLOOK, a weekly newsmagazine run by Vinod Mehta(then), energised a
stagnant market hurting from satellite TV's impact. OUTLOOK soon established a loyal
following among sophisticated readers who appreciate its in-depth investigative reporting and
appealing visual approach. OUTLOOK, known for its uncompromising independence, has
shook the establishment on matters ranging from Kargil to Kashmir to cricket, educated the
reading public on vital problems such as major dams, education, and gender, and maintained
an unwavering focus on South Asian geopolitics. OUTLOOK is now the favoured magazine
of 1.5 million Indian subscribers, selling over 11.2 million copies per year.
OUTLOOK is one of India's four most popular weekly English news magazines. To mention
a few, it publishes OUTLOOK Business, OUTLOOK Profit, OUTLOOK Money, GEO,
Marie Claire, People, Traveller, Career 360, and News Week.
The premium fortnightly that packs market intelligence & incisive analysis of the stock
market, while capturing emerging trends & tracking market experts & their moves. This
magazine tells you which stock you should buy or avoid, also contains comparative figures of
domestic and international market, and if you want to update your knowledge related to
automobiles and movie reviews then this is one of the best magazines for our readers.
OUTLOOK Business, in the true tradition of the OUTLOOK group, has as its aim no less an
objective than the complete rewrite of what has been tried by the way of business journalism
in the magazine space. Targeted at decision makers, the product focuses on important
business issues and developments with a view to providing clear takeaways – impact and
implications for decision-making. A holistic approach ensures all influences on business:
economic, political, and markets driven are examined.
OUTLOOK Traveller is a monthly magazine from the stable of OUTLOOK Publishing India
Pvt. Limited and the only significant magazine aimed at the travel reader. Every month since
June 2001 OT has introduced readers to the wonders of unknown destinations while also
encouraging travelers to take a fresh look at familiar places. Whether people are planning a
holiday, or simply dreaming of one, OUTLOOK Traveller continues to take them closer.
17
It is a weekly magazine. It covers international affairs this magazine was honored by best
magazine award at international level in 05. News week offers comprehensive coverage of
world events with a global network of correspondents, reporters and editors covering national
and international affairs, business, science and technology, society and arts and
entertainment. It is truly a magazine, which fuels the global perspective.
The European print media company owned by the German media major Bertelsmann, is making
its India debut with GEO, its premium science and geography magazine. The magazine was
launched under a licensing arrangement with the OUTLOOK Group in India and positioned as a
family magazine. The OUTLOOK Group says that there is a big market for knowledge
magazines in India and GEO will help the Group in increasing its market share.
It gives you all around perspective on the latest career trends, fresh avenues, admission alerts,
careers, courses and updates your general knowledge with the literacy rate of different states
and courses offered by colleges in these states. This magazine contains well researched
information for the youth and young professionals, which may help them in taking decisions
related to their careers.
18
MC is French magazine and being promoted by different group in different countries and in
India it is being promoted by OUTLOOK Group with Indian edition, best magazine for those
who want to update themselves with latest fashion & trends. Mostly women and girls, who
are linked with fashion, subscribe this magazine. MC is considered as women brand with a
punch line, „let me be me‟.
➢
Department of Tourism, Government of India Award, National Tourism Award 2001-
2002 awarded to OUTLOOK Traveller for Excellence in Publication.
➢
OUTLOOK Traveller " 100 Holidays in the Hills" won the 2004, PATA Gold Award.
➢
In 2002-2003 the Government of India recognized "OUTLOOK Traveller Getaways" as
the “Best Travel Publication".
➢
Weekend breaks from Delhi was in the BESTSELLERS top three, non- fiction category
for 14 consecutive weeks in North India.
➢
Weekend breaks from MuBBAi was in the BESTSELLERS list top three for 8
consecutive weeks in West India.
19
OUTLOOK HINDI SAPTAHIK
STRENGTHS
➢
Eleven different magazines which cover each and every segment of the market and fulfil
the needs of different age group belonging to different sectors.
➢
Exclusive photography and articles, OUTLOOK does not copy the content from internet
and paste in its magazines.
➢
Co - promoters of international magazines like - Marie Claire, GEO and News week with
reasonable prices.
➢
OUTLOOK has well organized and experienced manpower, which approach directly and
indirectly as well, to the readers.
➢
It has set up its own strong distribution channel, which circulate 1.5 million copies in
INDIA.
➢
OUTLOOK gives you multiple times address change flexibility and charge nothing for
the service.
➢
It is known for its range of magazines, subscription offers (also available with internet
edition) and on the spot delivery of the gifts which one cannot ignore.
20
WEAKNESSES
➢
It takes four weeks or more in delivering first copy of the subscriber and two weeks in
case of address change.
➢
The quality of the paper used to print the magazine is cheap.
➢
If the gift is not delivered by the executive, then OUTLOOK takes two months of time in
delivering the gift.
OPPORTUNITIES
➢
OUTLOOK can increase its product line by launching three new magazines, related to
auto industry, magazine for beauty parlours exclusively and OUTLOOK technology these
three can increase the market share of OUTLOOK.
➢
OUTLOOK has an opportunity to promote its magazines at international level with
international edition.
THREATS
➢
Strong competition - number of International Brands are coming to India and competing
for the market share by increasing the product line,
➢
Perception of readers is that OUTLOOK favours one particular political party and does
not write anything against that party.
21
CHAPTER-5
22
ANALYSIS OF DATA
Q.1
Age Group
30
25
20
15
10
0
31 to 40 years Above 40 Below 30 years
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the table that most of the respondents belong to the
age group of 31 to 40 years
Q 2.
Marital Status
40
35
36
30
25
20
15
14
10
0
Married Unmarried
Interpretation – It is inferred from the table that 72% of the respondents are married and
28% of the respondents are unmarried.
23
Q3.
Number of Children
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
More than two Nil One Two
Interpretation – It can be inferred from the table that out of 50 respondents, 18 respondents
don‟t have any children which means 36%, 14 respondents have only one child which means
28%, 10 respondents have two children which means 20% and there are only 8 respondents
who have more than 2 children which means16%.
Q4.
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the table that nearly 84% of the respondents are full
time employed and remaining 16% are part-time employed.
24
Q5.
Between Rs30000-Rs40000
Between Rs20000-Rs30000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the table that 12 respondents (24%) earn more than
Rs.40000 per month, 11 respondents (22%) earn between Rs30000-Rs40000, 11 respondents
(22%) earn between Rs10000-Rs.20000 per month, 8-8 respondents (16%) earn less than
Rs10000 per month.
Q6.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the table that 34% of the employees have been
working in the organisation for more than 5 years, 24% of the employees have been working
from 1-3 years, 22% of the employees have been working from 3-5 years, 20% of the
employees have been working for less than 1 year.
25
Q7.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 66% of the employees work for 6 days
a week, 24% of the employees work for 5 days, 8% of the employees work for less than 5
days a week and 4% of the employees work for the entire week.
Q8.
20
15
10
0
10-12 hours 7-8 hours 8-9 hours 9-10 hours
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 40% of the employees work for 9-10
hours, 34% of the employees work for 8-9 hours, 16% of the employees work for 7-8 hours
and 10% of the employees work for 10-12 hours a day.
26
Do you work overtime?
25
20
15
10
0
No Sometimes Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 42% of the respondents sometime work
overtime, 32% of the respondents don‟t work overtime and 26% of the respondents surely
work overtime.
Q.10
Strongly Disagree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 34% of the respondents are neutral, 24%
of the respondents agree, 16% of the respondents strongly disagree, 12% of the respondents
strongly agree and 10% of the respondents disagree, when asked whether they can devote
sufficient time for household responsibilities.
27
Q11.
Strongly Disagree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 48% of the respondents are neutral,
18% of the respondents strongly disagree, 12% of the respondents disagree, also 12% of the
respondents agree and 10% of the respondents strongly agree with, when asked whether they
can manage their professional and personal life well.
Q12.
Strongly Disagree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20 25
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 40% of the respondents are neutral,
22% of the respondents strongly agree, 18% of the respondents strongly disagree, 10% of the
respondents disagree and 10% of the respondents agree with, when asked whether they often
complete their work within the stipulated time.
28
Q13.
Strongly Disagree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20 25
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 46% of the respondents are neutral,
26% of the respondents strongly disagree, 12% of the respondents agree, 10% of the
respondents disagree and 6% of the respondents strongly agree with, when asked whether
they feel that they are able to manage their family and other relationships well.
Q14.
Strongly Disagree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 34% of the respondents are neutral,
24% of the respondents strongly disagree, 20% of the respondents agree, 12% of the
respondents disagree, 6% of the respondents strongly agree with, when asked whether they
never miss any family or office gatherings due to work.
29
Q15. Does your organisation provide you with the following work provisions?
Job Sharing
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
No Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 40% of the respondents have the
provision of job sharing whereas 20% of the respondents do not have the provision of job
sharing at the workplace.
Career Break/Sabbatical
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
No Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 60% of the respondents aren‟t provided
with career break/sabbatical whereas 40% of the respondents are provided with career
break/sabbatical.
30
Counselling Services
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
No Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 72% of the respondents aren‟t provided
with the facility of counselling whereas 28% of the respondents are provided with the facility
of counselling.
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 80% of the respondents tell that
parenting or family support programs aren‟t conducted for them whereas 20% of the
respondents agree that parenting or family support programs are conducted for them.
31
Recreation Facilities or other choices
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
No Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 78% of the respondents aren‟t provided
with any recreation facilities or other choices to make them feel relaxed , whereas 22% of the
respondents agree that they have some recreation facilitites or other choices to relax
themselves.
Transportation Facilities
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
No Yes
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that approx 90% of the respondents aren‟t
provided with transportation facilities by the organisation whereas 10% of the respondents
are given the transportation facilities.
32
Q16. Do any of the following hinder you in balancing your work and family commitments?
25
20
15
10
0
Agree Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that negative attitude of the management
doesn‟t have any effect on 52% of the respondents, 34% of the respondents strongly agree,
10% of the respondents agree, and 4% of the respondents disagree that negative attitude of
management hinders them in balancing their work and family commitments.
20
15
10
0
Agree Neutral Strongly Agree
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 46% of the respondents are neutral,
32% of the respondents strongly agree, 20% of the respondents agree, that negative attitude
of colleagues hinders them in balancing their work and family commitments.
33
Travelling away from home
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Interpretation- From the chart it can be inferred that 54% of the respondents are neutral,
26% of the respondents strongly agree, 8% of the respondents agree, 6% of the respondents
Strongly disagree and 6% of the respondents agree, that travelling away from home hinders
them in balancing their work and family commitments.
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 68% of the respondents sometimes miss
out quality time with their family, 22% of the respondents surely miss out quality time with
their family, and 12% of the respondents don‟t miss out their quality time with their family,
because of the work pressure they have.
34
Q17. Do you suffer from any stress related disease due to work pressure?
➢
Hyper-tension
➢
Blood Pressure
➢
Obesity
➢
Diabetes
➢
Headaches
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4 Total
2
0
Obesity, Diabetes,…
Obesity, Headaches
Obesity, Diabetes
Blood Pressure,…
Hyper Tension
Blood Pressure
Headaches
Diabetes
Obesity
(blank)
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that some of the respondents suffer
from only one disease, whereas some of the respondents suffer from more than one or
two diseases and headache is the most common among the respondents. Almost all
respondents suffer from the problem of headache, followed by obesity and blood
pressure.
Q18.
Interpretation- From the chart it can be inferred, that 60% of the respondents say that the
organisation does not encourage the involvement of their family members in work
35
achievements or reward functions, whereas 40% of the respondents say that sometimes the
organisation encourages the involvement of their family members in work achievements or
reward functions.
Q19. How do you rate the company‟s overall performance in the following areas:
Work Practices
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 52% of the respondents are neutral
about the work practices of the organisation, 14% of the respondents say that work practices
are good, 16% of the respondents say that work practices are poor, 12% of the respondents
say that work practices of the organisation are very poor.
Work Environment
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
Interpretation- From the chart it is clear, approx. 52% of the respondents are neutral about the
work environment of the organisation, 18% of the respondents find the work environment of the
organisation good, 12% of the respondents find the work environment of the organisation
36
poor, 12% of the respondents find the work environment of the organisation very poor and
only 6% of the respondents find the work environment of the organisation very good.
Employee Morale
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
Interpretation- It can be inferred from the chart that 64% of the respondents are neutral on
employee morale, 14% of the respondents find the employee morale in the organisation to be
poor, 12% of the respondents find the employee morale in the organisation to be very poor,
6% of the respondents find the employee morale in the organisation to be good and only 4%
of the employees find the employee morale in the organisation to be very good.
Managing employer-employee
relations
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
37
Remuneration
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
Interpretation- From the chart it can be inferred that 50% of the respondents are neutral on
the remuneration they get from the organisation, 24% of the respondents find the
remuneration given is poor, 14% of the respondents find the remuneration given is very poor,
8% of the respondents find the remuneration given is good and only 4% of the respondents
find the remuneration given is very good.
Fringe Benefits
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Good Very Poor
Interpretation- Talking about the fringe benefits that the organisation provides to its
employees, nearly 54% of the respondents are neutral, 26% of the respondents say it‟s very
poor, 10% of the respondents say its poor, 8% of the respondents say it‟s good and only 2%
of the respondents say it is very good.
38
Overall organisation rating
30
25
20
15
10
0
Good Neutral Poor Very Poor
Interpretation- When the respondents were asked to rate the organisation overall, 48% of
the respondents rated neutral, 20% of the respondents rated poor, 18% of the respondents
rated good and 14% of the respondents rated very poor.
39
CHAPTER-6
40
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
1. It is understood from the data collected and analysed that most of the employees of
Outlook India are not able to balance their work and personal life.
2. There are only few employees who can balance their work-life. So, the organisation
needs to put efforts to make all employees balance their work and personal life by
permitting time-offs for relaxation, offering incentives and rewards, maintaining
transparent culture in the organisation, encouraging open communication, planning
for family outings on company off-sites, considering flexible work schedules, offering
paid time-offs, arranging meditation classes, and providing time-offs for family
engagements.
3. The policy relating to work-life balance helps to improve the work life balance of
employees and in turn increases productivity and efficiency in organisation.
Work-life balance initiatives would improve employee morale and retain knowledgeable
staff. In today‟s global environment, as the organisations concentrate on cost reduction, they
need to understand and deal the critical issues of work-life balance with unique work -life
programs. Work-life balance practices are deliberate organisational changes in programs
organisational culture that are designed to reduce work-life conflict and enable employees to
be more effective at work and in other roles. Nowadays, employee expectations are very high
in regard to flexible work conditions. So, it is imperative for businesses to have highly
functional work life balance options to stay competitive and attract the highest skilled staff.
41
CHAPTER-7
42
LIMITATIONS
➢
Due to time constraint, the study is limited only to Outlook India.
➢
Sometime, the respondents may not give authentic information. However, I have tried my
level best to get correct information from the respondents to the maximum extent.
➢
Some of the respondents were reluctant to fill the questionnaire, thinking that their data won‟t
be confidential. However, I convinced them later.
43
SUGGESTIONS
2. Steps for improving work life balance of employees- Since few employees are unable
to balance their work and life, there are some steps to improve work life balance of
employees such as reduction of over-working and over-stressing, cultivating the habit of
exercising, maintaining balanced relationship and practices of mindfulness.
4. Recruit more staff to reduce the workload of employees- It is observed that most of
the employees work more than eight hours a day and six days a week. To reduce the
workload of employees, there is a need to recruit more employees in the organisation.
44
Planning the day-to-day activities at work is another way for managing a good
balance between life and work. It helps individuals to prioritize their actions
following the importance of a task.
Moreover, adhering to a well-laid plan also helps save a lot of time at work. Thus,
allowing them to focus on things other than work or take it to rejuvenate themselves.
Just like having good physical health helps one to stay energetic, a stress-free mind is
a room full of clarity. This helps the employees to excel both in their careers and in
life. A healthy lifestyle is also a great stress management solution and helps the
employees cope with stress smoothly.
45
12. Encourage Hobbies
Every one of us has a hobby like reading, painting, photography, dancing,
collecting old stamps and so on. A good work-life balance is not only limited to
giving importance to work and family. It‟s also about giving importance to the
things that one loves doing on a personal level. With all the hues and cries between
managing work and family, we often miss feeding our own hopes and aspirations.
Having a hobby encourages an employee to take up some time for themselves.
This indeed helps them fulfill the thirst for a good life according to an employee‟s
preference. Having a hobby helps the employees to make up time for themselves
even amidst their tight schedule.
46
The joy of being a parent can never be ignored, and every one of us is entitled to
enjoy this moment. However, this joy comes with several responsibilities that no one
is immune to, and this could create a hindrance when it comes to work-life. So, to
mitigate this issue, you can plan to introduce maternity and paternity leave schemes
for all your employees. This benefits your employees directly, but it will also enhance
your brand image to a great extent.
47
21. Unpaid Time off for Personal Reasons
Life is unpredictable. There may come a time when you want to offer your employees
unpaid time off to handle personal issues. It can be a family emergency, personal
tragedy, or other illnesses.
In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) grants
eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year.
They may take this leave for the birth or adoption of a child or care for a family
member with a serious health condition. FMLA also requires that they give all
employees their job back or an equivalent position at the end of their leave, with
the same benefits, pay, etc.
48
25. Fun Clubs
Instead of having one employee responsible for planning team-building activities,
give the responsibility to the entire team. If you give your employees some freedom to
lead their own events, you'll find that they are happier, more productive, and have
more fun at work. It can be a year-end company party or a quarterly office pizza
party. Letting everyone get involved will not only let you have an abundance of
creative ideas but also let them take ownership of the event.
26. Workation
Workations are the latest craze in the quest for work-life balance after the pandemic.
Workation is the act of combining work and vacation. It gives employees the flexibility
to work remotely and allows them to return refreshed and ready for action.
When a workation is planned out properly, you will get results better. It is also great
for ensuring that your employees are happy and well-rested and can be a great
morale-booster for your company.
49
ANNEXURE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Dear Respondent,
This questionnaire is for research work on Work-Life Balance of employees in Outlook
India. This is a part of my Summer Internship Report. The data collected through this
questionnaire will be kept confidential and will be used only for research purpose. I request
you to kindly spare 2-3 mins of your busy schedule to fill up this questionnaire given below.
Regards,
Prashant
Ques1. Age group
1. Below 30 years
2. 31 to 40 years
3. Above 40
Ques2. Marital Status
1. Married
2. Unmarried
Ques3. Number of children
1. Nil
2. One
3. Two
4. More than two
Ques4. What is the nature of your employment?
1. Full Time
2. Part Time
Ques5. Your income group (per month)
1. Less than Rs10,000
2. Between Rs.10,000-Rs.20,000
3. Between Rs20,000-Rs30,000
4. Between Rs30,000-Rs40,000
5. More than Rs40,000
Ques6. How long have you been working in this organisation?
1. Less than 12 months
2. 1-3 years
3. 3-5 years
4. More than 5 years
Ques7. How many days in a week do you normally work?
1. Less than 5 days
2. 5 days
3. 6 days
4. 7 days
Ques8. How many hours do you normally work in a day?
1. 7-8 hours
2. 8-9 hours
3. 9-10 hours
4. 10-12 hours
5. More than 12 hours
Ques9. Do you work overtime?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Sometimes
Ques10. On a scale of 1 to 5(with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree),
please rate the level of agreement with the following statements:
(A) I can devote sufficient time for household responsibilities.
(B) I can manage my professional and personal life well.
(C) I often complete my work within the stipulated time.
(D) I feel that I can manage my family and other relationships well.
(E) I never miss any family or office gatherings due to work.
Ques11. Does your organisation provide you with the following provisions?
(A) Job Sharing
(B) Career Break/Sabbatical
(C) Counselling Services
(D) Parenting or family support programs
(E) Recreation facilities or other choices
(F) Transportation facilities
Ques12. Do any of the following hinder you in balancing your work and family commitments?
(A) Negative Attitude of Management
(B) Negative Attitude of Colleagues
(C) Travelling away from home
(D) Do you ever miss out quality time with your family because of work pressure?
Ques13. Do you suffer from any stress related disease due to work pressure?
(A) Hyper-tension
(B) Blood Pressure
(C) Obesity
(D) Diabetes
(E) Headaches
52
Ques14. Does your organisation encourage the involvement of your family members in work
achievement reward functions?
(A) Yes
(B) No
(C) Sometimes
Ques15. How do you rate the company‟s overall performance in the following areas?
(A) Work Practices
(B) Work Environment
(C) Employee Morale
(D) Managing employee-employer relations
(E) Remuneration
(F) Fringe benefits
(G) Overall organisation rating
REFERENCES
➢
Au, W. C., & Ahmed, P. K. (2016). Relationships between superior support, work role
stressors and work-life experience. Personnel Review, 45(4).
➢
Mas-Machuca, M., Berbegal-Mirabent, J., & Alegre, I. (2016). Work-life balance
and its relationship with organizational pride and job satisfaction. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 31(2), 586– 602.
➢
Oludayo, O.A., Gberevbie, D.E., Popoola, D. & Omonijo, D.O. (2015). A study of
multiple work-life balance initiatives in banking industry in Nigeria. International
Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 109- 125.
➢
Russo, M., Shteigman, A., & Carmeli, A. (2015). Workplace and family support
and Work–life balance: Implications for individual psychological availability
andenergy at work. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9760, 1–16.
➢
Sturman, M. C., & Park, S. (2016). The changing relationship between supervisors
and subordinates: How managing this relationship evolves over time. Cornell
Hospitality Report, 16, 3-8.
➢
Wu, L., Rusyidi, B., Claiborne, N., & McCarthy, M. L. (2013). Relationships
between work–life balance and job- related factors among child welfare.
➢
Report prepared for the Federal Labour Standards Review Committee by Graham S.
Lowe, PHD , THE Graham Lowe Group.
➢ WorkLifeBalanceInIndianPrintMediaIndustryADescriptiveResearch.pdf (ijemr.net)
➢ Work-Life Balance in Indian Print Media Industry-A Descriptive Research-Indian Journals
➢ Project Report Outlook ( (slideshare.net)
54