Work-Life Balance as a Reputation Signal: Shaping sustainable careers for Gen Z women

Authors

  • Noor Masliza Md. Said Manipal University College, Melaka, Malaysia
  • Melissa Mohammad Faisal Wee Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kampus Bandraya Melaka, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI38.7660

Keywords:

personal reputation, work-life balance, signaling theory, service industry

Abstract

The contemporary professional landscape increasingly blurs the boundaries between work and personal life, particularly for emerging generations. This study examines the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and personal reputation among Gen Z women in Malaysia’s service sector, with trust as a potential mediator. Drawing on signaling theory, WLB is framed as a high-quality signal shaping perceptions of reputation. Data from 148 professionals analyzed using PLS-SEM reveal a positive relationship, though trust did not mediate. The findings highlight WLB as essential for preparing Gen Z women as future leaders and as an innovative practice supporting workforce sustainability.

References

Ariffin, K., Abdul Aziz, R., Siti, K., Mohari, Tahreb, N., & Bahasa, A. (2024). Emotional Intelligence Revisited: The Questions of Level, Affective Factors and Academic Performance among Generation Z in Malaysia. Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE), 20(1). https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v20i1.25739

Bataineh, K. (2019). Impact of Work-Life Balance, Happiness at Work, on Employee Performance. International Business Research, 12(2), 99. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v12n2p99

Bhattaru, S., Kokkonda, S., & Challa, R. (2024). From Burnout to Balance: A SustainabilityOriented Survey on Job Stress and Work-Life Integration. ICMED 2024: Multidisciplinary Research Conference. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202439201040

Gök, B. (2022). The Importance of Personal Reputation in Organizations and Its Benefits to Organizations: A Literature Review. Business and Economics Research Journal, 13(1), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.20409/berj.2022.364

Hochwarter, W. A., Ferris, G. R., Zinko, R., Arnell, B., & James, M. S. L. (2007). Reputation as a moderator of political behavior-work outcomes relationships: a two-study investigation with convergent results. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 567–576. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.567

Horwitz, S. K. (2023). The impact of personal reputation on leader emergence in autonomous work teams: theoretical considerations for future research. European Journal of Management Studies, 28(1), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejms-03-2022-0018

Ihwughwavwe, S. I., & Shewakramani, R. (2024). The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance: An evaluative study of health and safety industry in Nigeria. International Journal of Humanity and Social Sciences, 2(1), 39–73. https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.1673

Jager, S,B,D., Born.M.P., Molen.V.D. (2021). The relationship between organizational trust, resistance to change and adaptive and proactive employees' agility in an unplanned and planned change context. Applied Psychology 71(2 ), 436-460

Jamil, A., Sehat, R. M., Johari, Y. C., Nordin, E., Hussein, W. S., & Hasin, H. (2023). Exploring the link between job stress and performance: identifying the root causes. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarafms/v13-i3/19073

Lee, C., Yeh, W., Yu, Z., & Lin, X. (2023). The relationships between leader emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and transactional leadership and job performance: A mediator model of trust. Heliyon, 9(8), e18007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18007

Maloni, M. J., Hiatt, M., & Campbell, S. M. (2019). Understanding the work values of Gen Z business students. The International Journal of Management Education, 17(3), 100320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100320

Nygard, K., Bugalwi, A., Alruathi, M., Rastogi, A., Kambhampaty, K., & Kotala, P. (n.d.). Elevating beneficence in cyberspace with Situational Trust. EPiC Series in Computing. https://doi.org/10.29007/92sr

Sánchez-Hernández, M. I., González-López, Ó. R., Buenadicha-Mateos, M., & Tato-Jiménez, J. L. (2019). Work-life balance in great companies and pending issues for engaging new generations at work. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 5122

Sari, T. I., Rizal, M., & Kusuma, A. (2025). Work engagement: Millennial vs Gen Z in terms of Work-Life Balance. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 08(05). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i5-96

Taşdelen-Karçkay, A., & Bakalım, O. (2017). The mediating effect of work–life balance on the relationship between work–family conflict and life satisfaction. Australian Journal of Career Development, 26(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1038416216682954

Tyler, T. R. (2003). Trust within organizations. Personnel Review, 32(5), 556–568. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480310488333

Waworuntu, E. C., Kainde, S. J. R., & Mandagi, D. W. (2022). Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction and Performance Among Millennial and Gen Z Employees: A Systematic Review. Society, 10(2), 384–398.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-04

How to Cite

Md. Said, N. M., & Mohammad Faisal Wee, M. (2025). Work-Life Balance as a Reputation Signal: Shaping sustainable careers for Gen Z women. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 10(SI38), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI38.7660