Work–Life Balance And Job Satisfaction In Irish Hospitals

Oflaz, Muhammed Talha (2025) Work–Life Balance And Job Satisfaction In Irish Hospitals. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

Preview

PDF (Master of Arts) Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

This study examines how perceived work–life balance (WLB) and managerial support influence job satisfaction (JS) in Irish hospitals. Drawing on role‐conflict, enrichment and social-exchange perspectives, a cross-sectional online survey gathered quantitative data from 41 doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and support staff employed in public, private and voluntary facilities. Reliability checks preceded descriptive comparisons, independent-sample tests, one-way ANOVA and zero-order correlations, methods suited to the modest sample. Findings reveal a generally moderate sense of balance and satisfaction, yet with clear variation: men and long-service employees experience higher WLB, whereas staff in the four-to-six-year tenure band record the lowest JS. Perceived managerial and organisational support emerges as the strongest attitudinal correlate, displaying a positive association with satisfaction across sub-groups. In contrast, the anticipated direct link between WLB and JS is not confirmed, a result partly attributable to limited scale reliability and restricted score dispersion. Occupational role and hospital ownership show no meaningful differences, suggesting that roster pressures transcend professional and sectoral boundaries. By spanning multiple staff categories, the study extends Irish evidence, foregrounds career stage as a pivotal yet under-explored determinant of wellbeing, and highlights persistent measurement challenges in brief staff surveys. Implications point to the value of targeted development pathways for mid-career clinicians, greater resourcing of line managers so that expressed empathy translates into tangible scheduling relief, and gender-responsive flexibility initiatives. Future work should employ larger, stratified samples, stronger instruments and longitudinal designs to clarify causal pathways and refine interventions.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Flores, Miguel UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	R Medicine > Healthcare Industry H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Quality of Work Life / Job Satisfaction
Divisions:	School of Business (- 2025) > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	08 Dec 2025 16:28
Last Modified:	08 Dec 2025 16:28
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9017

Actions (login required)

View Item