The Impact of Extended Banking Hours on Employee Morale and Work Life Balance in The Bank Islamic Branches in Karachi in Pakistan

Abstract

The current research paper examines how the Extended Banking Hours (EBH) and Work-Life Balance (WLB) influence the Employee Morale (EM) in the banking industry. Employee morale is the most important factor in determining productivity, job satisfaction, retention, whereas operational policies, and work life practices play a significant role in shaping the experiences of employees at the workplace. The study adopted a quantitative design methodology in which it got 120 employees out of a sample of 170 employees. Data collection was carried out with the help of structured questionnaires and structural equation modeling with the help of SmartPLS was applied to analyze the relationship among constructs, and SPSS was used to analyze demographic variables. The measurement model was also found to be highly reliable with Cronbachs alpha values of between 0.885 to 0.944, rho A values of between 0.889 to 0.945 and composite reliability (rhoC) of between 0.906 and 0.941. The average variance extracted (AVE) was used to support convergent validity and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) was used to support discriminant validity with all the values being lower than 0.90. The results of structural models indicated that the relationship between Extended Banking Hours and Employee Morale was found to be significantly different among both the Work-Life Balance (f 2 = 1.872) and Extended Banking Hours (f 2 = 1.352). The results show that the most significant factor that influences employee morale is the Work-Life Balance that implies the flexibility of schedules, supportive policies, and programs that can help employees to balance between personal and professional life. The study has limitations, among them the single-sector focus, cross-sectional approach, and the use of self-reported data, which imply the possible future research to enhance the study on the generalization and causal inference.