How social media interferes with the worklife balance of middle class employees in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research study focuses on how social media interferes with the work-life balance of middle-class employees in Sri Lanka. Today, in the neoteric society, people are busy with ample comprehensive work, leading to complexity in their daily lives. People are driving towards more abrupt things with the volition of succeeding at any expense. With technological advancements, people are on the trend of getting used to upcoming technologies. For instance, social media connects people despite their geographical location. Social media interferes with various aspects of life at different levels for diverse categories of people. Hence, this study intends to explore how social media interferes with the work-life balance of middle-class employees. This research had a qualitative approach, and data were collected utilizing a face-to-face series of semi-structured interviews with eight middle-class participants from different sectors (fields), including teaching, engineering, medicine, management, and banking. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and the results identified four major themes. The research findings emphasize that social media positively impacts the work-life balance of middle-class employees, except for the professions of doctors and engineers. People waste their time unconsciously due to high addiction to social networking sites. Consequently, it affects personal and work-life imbalances, causing delays in their regular activities and leading to work overtime at workplaces with high stress, also affecting organizational performance and employee motivation. Hence, this study provides insights into where the management should pay their utmost attention and concentration to utilize the workforce efficiently and effectively for organizational success.