Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of work life balance on the productivity of the teaching staff
in public universities in Kenya. The study used descriptive research design. A sample of 362 employees out
of the total population of 5911 from selected universities in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to select
the five institutions, while simple random sampling method ,was used to select the respondents from each
university. Both primary and secondary data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an analysis
sheet respectively. Data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics; mean, percentages and standard
deviation were computed and inferential statistics of correlation and regression were computed to determine
the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The findings of the study empirically
established that, there is strong positive correlation between work life balance and productivity of the
teaching staff in public universities . The variables were tested for correlation and significance at a
significance level of 5%. The results revealed that work life balance has an effect on the productivity of the
teaching staff at the university . The effect was found to be positively correlated and hence were statistically
significant (R= .553a
; R2= .305; Adjusted R2= .303 ; F(1,256)= 112.603 ; B= .577; P =.000b
; t = 10.611) to
the productivity of the teaching staff at the universities . The study concluded that worklife balance
significantly affected the level of productivity of the teaching staff at the public universities. The findings
shall provide a framework for policy makers on designing an effective developing and implementing
appropriate work life policy to promote the level of productivity of teaching staff in institutions of higher
learning .The results of the study shall be beneficial to the management of the public universities in Kenya.
To the policy makers, it shall reveal how to come up with effective strategies for managing the turnover
costs and enhancing the level of productivity among the staff.
Key words : labour turnover; productivity; public universities; teaching staff ; work life balance
