ABSTRACT
This qualitative study explored the personal-professional life harmony and work efficiency of the College of Business and Management faculty members at Aklan State University as a foundation for a Work-Life Balance Program. According to the results, faculty members managed their personal and professional life harmony through boundary setting, prioritization of tasks, emotional regulation, self care and adaptive coping strategies while work efficiency was interpreted not solely as a task completion but as a commitment to completing tasks, resourcefulness, quality output, quality teaching and meeting targets despite limited resources and conflicting priorities. However, participants stated that they experienced administrative responsibilities, time constraints, workload pressures and periodic role conflict which affected their personal welfare and productivity. Therefore, in order to maintain balance and resilience, faculty members adopted self-care strategies, social support, spirituality and recreational activities. Further, the study found a strong consensus on the need for a Work-Life Balance Program including mental health initiatives, flexible work arrangements, equitable workload management system, professional development opportunities and research and program evaluation component. Finally, the findings revealed that personal-professional harmony significantly affected the work efficiency of the faculty members and that maintaining a sustainable balance required both individual coping strategies and a structured institutional support through a comprehensive Work-Life Balance Program.
Keywords: work–life balance, faculty experiences, work efficiency, personal and professional harmony
INTRODUCTION
In the fast-transforming landscape of higher education, faculty members are no longer required to traditional role of teaching particularly in College of Business Management wherein academic professionals are expected to engage in teaching, research, community extension, administrative duties and industry engagement. While these roles help improve relevance to society and industry competitiveness, it increases pressure on the faculty’s time, energy and personal well-being. Thus, maintaining a balance between personal and professional responsibilities has become essential in sustaining long term work efficiency and institutional effectiveness (Santos et al., 2019).
Although work-life balance (WLB) has been widely studied across corporate, healthcare, and academic sectors, much of the existing literature approaches the concept in fragmented ways, often isolating variables such as stress, workload, or job satisfaction. Limited attention has been given to understanding work-life balance as a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between personal-professional harmony and actual work efficiency, especially within state universities and discipline-specific contexts such as CBM. This gap is significant because faculty experiences are shaped by institutional culture, academic demands, and professional expectations unique to their fields. Without context-sensitive inquiry, institutional interventions risk being generic and misaligned with actual faculty needs.
CBM faculty members occupy a particularly complex professional space. In addition to teaching and research, they frequently engage in consultancy, entrepreneurial initiatives, and community-based programs that bridge theory and industry practice. While these engagements enrich academic relevance and expand professional opportunities, they simultaneously blur the boundaries between work and personal life. The overlapping of roles increases susceptibility to role conflict, burnout, and diminished work performance (Ghazali et al., 2021). Despite these realities, few empirical investigations have systematically examined how CBM faculty navigate these intersecting responsibilities and how their coping strategies influence their work efficiency.
Moreover, prevailing discussions on work-life balance tend to focus heavily on structural factors such as scheduling and workload distribution, overlooking deeper psychological and relational dimensions including emotional well-being, role fulfillment, and perceived harmony. As emphasized by Kreiner et al. (2009), work-life balance is not merely a matter of time management but a subjective and evolving process influenced by personal perceptions and institutional support. This perspective justifies the need for qualitative, experience-based research that amplifies faculty voices and captures the nuanced realities behind statistical trends.
The disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic further strengthen the rationale for this study. The shift to online and hybrid modalities redefined academic labor, increasing flexibility but also intensifying workload and eroding boundaries between professional and personal domains. Many faculty members continue to experience fatigue, emotional strain, and role overload, highlighting the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all WLB models in addressing post-pandemic academic conditions.
In response to these gaps, the present study examined the interrelationship between personal and professional life harmony and work efficiency among CBM faculty members in a state university setting. Rather than merely measuring levels of balance, this research sought to understand lived experiences, adaptive strategies, and contextual challenges. By grounding the inquiry in faculty narratives, the study recognized them as active agents in shaping their work-life realities.
What further justifies this research was its applied orientation. Beyond contributing to academic discourse, it aimed to translate findings into a proposed, evidence-based Work-Life Balance Program tailored specifically to CBM faculty needs. By identifying both enabling and constraining factors in achieving harmony, the study moved beyond theoretical exploration toward actionable institutional solutions- an area insufficiently addressed in prior research.
Ultimately, this study asserted that faculty well-being is not peripheral but central to institutional sustainability, teaching quality, research productivity, and student success. By clarifying how personal and professional harmony shapes work efficiency, this research offered a contextually grounded and practically relevant contribution to work-life balance scholarship and higher education management.
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