WORKPLACE RECONCILIATION AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION: A STUDY AMONG EARLY-CAREER EMPLOYEES IN URBAN BANGALORE

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RESEARCH THEMES, EXPLANATORY PERSPECTIVES, AND EVIDENCE GAPS

Abstract

Work-life reconciliation refers to the ability to balance work and personal life, family demands, recovery and personal goals. This can be an important factor for early career employees due to the transition period experienced during their first years in employment. During this time employees are typically required to perform new roles while demonstrating competency. In addition, they need to adapt to company culture, have financial independence and make decisions regarding future careers. This paper provides a literature review surrounding work-life reconciliation and its relationship with employee retention within urban Bangalore. The concepts included are: work-family conflict/enrichment, work-family boundaries, perceived organizational and supervisory support, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job embeddedness and turnover intentions. The literature indicates that work-life reconciliation should not be viewed solely through flexible working arrangements. Instead, employees may be more likely to stay if they feel they have predictable workloads, are treated fairly, can develop their careers, feel psychologically safe, have supportive managers, and the organization keeps their promises. A number of reviews have been conducted on the technology industry in India. In addition, retention has been studied within Bengaluru. Whilst this provides useful evidence, it does not fully explain how early career employees from varying sectors perceive work-life reconciliation and why they would choose to stay. This paper is based on a systematic review. However, no fabricated numbers were created regarding database screening. A PRISMA process was not claimed to have been completed as there was no traceable screening log available. The methods have been used to identify existing theory and empirical evidence, whilst also identifying a gap in the local research. This review concludes with a conceptual model, implications for human resources management and social work, and recommendations for completing a primary study with early career employees within urban Bangalore.