Do Employees Experience and Perceive Work Time Differently? – Examining the Effects of Working Hours on Well-Being in Abu Dhabi
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the association between working hours and well-being factors for full-time employees in Abu Dhabi. We specifically seek to analyze and confirm the relationship between work hours and well-being factors such as health, work-life balance, social connections, income satisfaction, and life satisfaction across different demographic groups of the working population. Data were drawn from the 3rd Cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality-of-Life Survey, which included 40,016 full-time employees. Guided by the Job Strain Model and other theoretical frameworks, we performed correlation, ANOVA, and regression analyses to understand the interaction between job demands and job control and how this interaction impacts worker well-being outcomes. The results show that the three top factors most significantly associated with working hours are work– life balance, fulfilling family responsibility, and quality of time with family. For some segments, such as females, singles, non-Emiratis, and those of lower educational qualifications, working hours negatively affected their opportunity to socially meet with friends and opportunities to be more physically active. A negative relationship between working hours and mental stress is observed in many demographic segments. Overall, these findings emphasize that increased job demands without adequate job control lead to strain, but the manifestations and coping mechanisms can vary significantly based on gender, societal roles, and workplace dynamics. The present Abu Dhabi study extends current research by investigating the associations between working hours and different well-being factors among multiple segments of the working population that differ in demographic characteristics. The analyses offer clear and valuable insights to policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in understanding the influence of working time on well-being.
Keywords: working time, life satisfaction, health, work-life balance, Abu Dhabi.
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