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Relationship Between Work-Life Balance and Mental Health Among
Academic Staff in Selected Universities in Nairobi, Kenya
Collins Nyantari Keraka
Murang'a University of Technology, Kenya
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100025
Received: 07 November 2025; Accepted: 14 November 2025; Published: 27 November 2025
ABSTRACT
Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy fast changing working environment. Increased working
hours have adverse impact on the lifestyle of a huge number of employees, which ultimately affects their social
and psychological well-being. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce stress and prevents burnout in the
workplace. Chronic stress is one of the most common health issues in the workplace. This has negatively
impacted on mental health because it is linked to higher risk of depression, anxiety and insomnia. Therefore,
there is a significant relationship between work-life balance and mental health of employees in an organization.
Work-life balance has become an important area for employers, government and researchers for providing
innovative ways to improve employee morale, retain them and provision of conducive working environment.
This study investigated the relationship between work life balance and mental health among academic staff in
selected public universities in Nairobi, Kenya. Data was collected using desk review and key informant
interviews. Data was collected from twenty -eight academic staff from two public universities and two private
universities in Nairobi County. Data analysis was based on the thematic areas reflected in the study objectives.
The possible effect of gender difference on the level of stress was considered in this study. Study results
revealed gender differences on the levels of stress; males had a relatively higher level of work life balance and
mental health. It was also revealed that job satisfaction was associated with life satisfaction in males whereas;
mental health was reported more among females. The study concluded that effective work life balance for both
gender in the workplace leads to greater improvement in mental health which in turn increases their
productivity. The study recommends that universities should have programmes that allow their staff both male
and female to have work life balance which in turn will enhance their mental health and productivity in the
workplace.
Keywords: Work-life balance, mental health, chronic stress, gender, productivity, workplace
Abbreviations And Acronyms
ILO International Labor Organization
ISO International Organization for Standardization
UK United Kingdom
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Authority
WHO World Health Organization
WLB Work Life Balance
WRS Work Related Stress
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INTRODUCTION
A work-life balance is an organizational concept that empowers employees to split time and energy between
work and other important areas of their life successfully. It also refers to an effective management or striking a
balance between the work which is remunerated and the personal or social responsibilities which an individual
is expected to perform. According to Sirgy and Lee, (2018) work-life balance is the individual perception that
work and non-work activities are compatible and promote growth in accordance with an individual’s current life
priorities. Okon, et al., (2024) refer work-life balance as the extent to which an individual’s effectiveness and
satisfaction in work and family roles are compatible with the individual’s life role priorities at a given point in
time.
The word balance implies an equal separation or a 50-50 division of work and non-work which is not
necessarily realistic or doable however, one should make sure he/she feels fulfilled and content in both areas in
life (Sirgy and Lee, 2018). A healthy balance might look like meeting deadlines at work while having enough
time to sleep properly and eat well, another can be not worrying about work when you’re at home. Over the past
years there has been an increase in large proportion of employees working long hours in many developed
countries. According to Messenger(2018) the proportion of workers working short or part time hours is
substantially higher in developed countries that in developing countries thus permitting employees to work
more hours or days in high seasons. Reports of high levels of work stress and stress related illness for example
depression are common place that is associated with high rates of unemployment and there is a perception that
the workplace is becoming even more stressful (Giorgi et. al, 2020).
According to Jurakulovich, (2025) mental health is the state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or
her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to
make a contribution to his or her community. According to Longo, et al., (2020) there are three components of
mental health: emotional well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being. Emotional well-being
includes happiness, interest in life, and satisfaction; psychological well-being includes liking most parts of one's
own personality, being good at managing the responsibilities of daily life, having good relationships with
others, and being satisfied with one's own life; social well-being refers to positive functioning and involves
having something to contribute to society (social contribution), feeling part of a community (social integration),
believing that society is becoming a better place for all people (social actualization), and that the way society
works makes sense to them (social coherence). Mental health affects how humans think, feel, and act. It also
helps determine how one handles stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every
stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood (Koenig, et. al., 2025).
The relationship between work-life balance and mental health in the workplace is significant in terms of
employee satisfaction and productivity. Organizations need to enact mental health policies to protect the
wellbeing of their employees. Poor mental health and stress can negatively affect employee's performance,
productivity, and engagement with one’s work, communication with coworkers, physical capability and daily
functioning. As there is no accepted definition of what constitutes a work-life balance practice, Koon, (2022)
defined it as deliberate organizational changes in programs or organizational culture that are designed to reduce
work-life conflict and enable employees to be more effective at work and in other roles. Other practices include
flexible work hours (e.g., flextime, which permits workers to vary their start and finish times provided a certain
number of hours is worked; compressed work week, in which employees work a full week’s worth of hours in
four days and take the fifth off), working from home (telework), sharing a full-time job between two employees
(job sharing), family leave programs (e.g., parental leave, adoption leave, compassionate leave), on-site
childcare, and financial and/or informational assistance with childcare, caretaker services, gym subsidies and
eldercare services (Shockley et. al., 2017)
Several studies have been conducted in various industry such as hospitality and tourism industry in regards to
work life balance. For example, according to Chandran and Abulkhalifeh (2021) in a study conducted on
worklife balance in the hospitality industry since millennium in South Korea, found out that in the hospitality
and tourism industry, there is unhealthy acceptance of long working hours which adversely affect the work-life
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balance and mental health of employees within the particular industry. Husin et. al., (2018) conducted a study of
work-life balance of Malaysian lecturers and found that 30.5% of WLB among lecturers in Malaysian was
explained by family factor, work factor and flexible hours mediated by health factor. They concluded that work
factor and flexible hours factor contribute a small effect while family factor and health factor contributed a large
effect on the work-life balance and mental health.
Work-related stress (WRS) is described as a physiological and psychological reaction to the harmful aspects of
workplace content (Kinman, 2019). It is a growing concern around the world that affects not only the health and
well-being of employees but also productivity of organizations. Work-related stress is the response people may
have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities
and which challenge their ability to cope. WRS was commonly recognized as a source of stress among the
working population, including academics (Guyasa, et al., 2020). Beside WHO and ILO reports, recent studies
have also shown that the academic world is a highly stressful occupation (Newberry and Allsop, 2017). For
example, a study in the UK reported that a large proportion of academic and related staff found their work
stressful (Wray, 2018). Report from China indicated that almost all of the academic staffs were stressed (Meng
and Wang, 2018)
As of 2016, Kenya has 16001 academic staff working in both private and public universities (Commission for
University Education, 2016, p.66). During this period, Kenya had over 539,749 students in private and public
universities, with 86% of students enrolled in public universities (Commission for University Education, 2016,
p. 28). The public university system has a high academic staff to student ratio of approximately 1: 30, which is
below the recommended 1:18 to 1:10 range. The number of students enrolled in universities continue to
increase each year. According to Jayman et al. (2022), academics are busier than ever due to the growing
number of students and resulting classes (p. 2). Apart from this, staff must work faster; concentrating on what
they do instead of reflecting on who they are. This in turn, compromises on academic staff work-life balance
and their overall mental health.
1.1 Problem Statement
Job stress in institutions of higher learning around the world has been on the uptrend, resulting in health issues
and a decline in overall well-being, thereby influencing the lecturer’s contribution towards students’ learning
experience, and in worst cases disturb students’ intellectual and social abilities (Ahsan et al., 2009). The work
of academics is often highly salient to their personal identity, which leads to increased responsiveness to the
demands of their work settings because professional success and rewards are essential to them. This is worsened
with the non-work demand that might intensify the situation, especially in the form of work-life balance.
Work related stress among Kenyan lecturers is significant, with studies showing high rates of burnout,
particularly due to high workloads (up to 79.3%) and emotional exhaustion (up to 66.3%). It has been noted that
lecturers in public universities experience higher burnout levels compared to those in private ones, and while
gender differences are minor, factors like the demands of online teaching and administrative burdens contribute
heavily to stress and negatively affect work-life balance (Lawer, 2021). It is against this background that the
study was done to investigate the relationship between work-life balance and mental health among academic
staff in selected universities in Nairobi, Kenya.
1.2 Objectives of the Study
1.2.1 General Objective
The general objective of the study was to determine the relationship between work-life balance and mental
health among academic staff in selected university in Nairobi, Kenya.
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1.2.2 Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of the study include the following:
1. To assess the work-life patterns and practices among academic staff in selected public Universities in
Nairobi
2. To determine the existing policies in the organization that promote work life balance and mental health
in selected public Universities in Nairobi
3. To determine the proportion of academic staff with work related stress in public universities in Nairobi.
1.2.3 Research Questions
1. What are the work-life patterns and practices among academic staff in selected public universities in
Nairobi?
2. What are the existing policies that promote work life balance and mental health in selected public
universities in Nairobi?
3. What is the proportion of academic staff with work related stress in public universities in Nairobi?
1.3 Significance of the Study
The study was useful to public universities in Nairobi to know how they can improve the welfare of its
employees in terms of their work life balance and mental health. This will in turn improve their performance
and organizational productivity. Organizations that invest in employee well-being build a resilient, loyal and
high performing workforce thereby ensuring long term organizational success and sustainability.
1.4 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study was academic staff in selected public universities in Nairobi, Kenya. It targeted
lecturers, professors, tutorial fellows and graduate assistants who formed part of academic staff. A sample
however, was used in this study.
1.5 The Limitation of Study
The limitation of the study included the following: funds, area coverage, time and uncooperative respondents.
There were limited funds which hindered the effectiveness and the coverage of the study. There was limited
time for the study to be carried out.
2.0 Literature Review
In this paper we shall look at theoretical framework using several theories that will bring more insight on
worklife balance and mental health among academic staff in public universities in Nairobi. The study shall look
at three theories which include: Conflict Theory, Segmentation Theory and Spill over theory
2.1 Conflict Theory
Conflict theory is a social theory that posits that society is in a state of perpetual conflict because of competition
for limited resources(Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). Conflict theories were popular in early sociology, and
accordingly often date back to the early 1900s, particularly ideas of Karl Marx. Marxist conflict theory sees
society as divided along lines of economic class between the proletarian working class and the bourgeois ruling
class. It views social and economic institutions as tools in the struggle among groups or classes, used to
maintain inequality and dominance of the ruling class. The bourgeoisie, a group that represented members of
society who hold the majority of the wealth and means while the proletariat comprised of those considered
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working-class or poor. The bourgeoisie would force acceptance of the current conditions by the proletariat.
Conflict theory assumes that the elite will set up systems of laws, traditions, and other societal structures in
order to further support their own dominance while preventing others from joining their ranks (Higley, 2010).
As the working class and poor were subjected to worsening conditions, a collective consciousness would raise
more awareness about inequality, and this would potentially result in revolt. If, after the revolt, conditions were
adjusted to favor the concerns of the proletariat, the conflict circle would eventually repeat but in the opposite
direction. The bourgeoisie would eventually become the aggressor and revolter, grasping for the return of the
structures that formerly maintained their dominance. Apart from the socio-economic perspective, conflict theory
can also be looked at using work life balance. Therefore, conflict arises when the demands of work and home
roles clash, making it difficult to fulfill the requirements of one area (work or home) without compromising the
other. The conflict model proposes that with high levels of demand in all spheres of life, some difficult choices
have to be made and some conflicts and possibly some significant overload on an individual occur (Sirgy and
Lee, 2018), i.e., satisfaction in one environment entails sacrifices in the other due to the fact that these two
environments are incompatible because each of them has own norms and requirements (Kuranga, et al., 2020).
The right balance depends on every individual and is influenced by many factors. Zivcicová, Bulková, &
Masárová, (2017) also suggests that it might be helpful to make a distinction between objective and subjective
indicators. He adds that any objective indicators (e.g. working hours) reflect the subjective social values and
that any use of subjective indicators may benefit from some kind of stakeholder analysis. In other words what
may seem like balance to one individual may not do so to his or her partner or boss.
Most notably, the conflict perspective maintains that high involvement in one sphere entails sacrifices in the
other. The main premise of this approach is that while interconnected, the two spheres are inherently
incompatible, given their differing demands, responsibilities, expectations and norms. For example, this
approach would suggest that satisfying demanding work expectations may result in not meeting expectations in
one’s non-work life (Mullens and Glorieux, 2024).
2.2 Segmentation Theory
The theory views work and life as separate domains that do not influence each other, with individuals actively
creating psychological and physical boundaries to maintain this separation. This separate domain can be defined
as segments. This was because the subjects were able to compartmentalize or segment different spheres of their
lives to minimize strain arising from multiple roles. This perspective suggests that a person can keep their
professional and personal lives distinct through behaviors like suppressing work-related thoughts at home and
vice versa (Rincy and Panchanatham, 2014). Stated otherwise, work has no impact on the family unit, nor has
the family unit any influence on work life. For example, a person in a very stressful job might feel overwhelmed
by work and as such might want to build a wall to separate work from the family unit. The segmentation theory
involves two attributes mainly work attributes and family attributes. The attributes of the work environment,
defined as role conflict, role ambiguity and role overload were related to job satisfaction, but not to family
satisfaction. Family conflict and parenthood were found to be related to family satisfaction but no to job
satisfaction. Thus, this study demonstrates a true separation between work life and the family life.
According to Rincy and Panchanatham, (2014), segmentation theory refers to complete compartmentalization
or fragmentation of work and family systems whereby the two domains are lived separately and have no
influence on one another. Kaushik and Nair, (2020) argues that this model appears to be offered as a theoretical
possibility rather than one with empirical support and it is considered to be the weakest one on the relationship
between work and personal life.
2.3 Spill Over Theory
According to Kinnunen et al., (2006) defines spillover as a positive relationship between work and family,
whence positive work experiences would be associated with positive family experiences and negative work
experiences would be associated with negative family experiences. As an example of negative spillover could
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be a worker experiencing negative emotions from his/ her shift might be affected during the shift(work) and
might continue being affected from the stressful shift in his/her home. In other words, the employees’ reactions
at work might be negatively affected from the problems carried over from his/ her home life. Joyful experiences
in the work such as a promotion, or the feelings of elation once a project is completed can be passed on to the
family life also just like positive family life experiences can enhance the work environment. In spillover theory
work and family operate as one entity. “There is no boundary between the workplace and the home. Therefore,
what happens at work will also happen at home”( Nippert-Eng, 2008).
According to Sok, et al., (2014), Spillover in one domain can influence the other in either a positive or negative
way. Positive spillover refers to the fact that satisfaction and achievement in one domain may bring along
satisfaction and achievement in another domain. Negative spillover refers to the fact that difficulties and
depression in one domain may bring along the same emotion in another domain (Xu, 2009).
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Study Design and methods of data collection
Cross sectional descriptive study design utilizing qualitative data was used in this study. This design was chosen
because it gave accurate measurements of population, characteristics and attributes at particular point in time.
Both Primary and secondary data were used.
3.1.1 Data collection
To collect primary data, key informant interviews were conducted. Secondary data was collected by use of
intensive and extensive desk review. Information concerning work-life balance and mental health of employees
in public universities in Nairobi, Kenya was collected at that point of time. Qualitative data helped to have a
deeper understanding of the university staff concept of work-life balance.
3.1.2 Study population
According to Willie (2023) refer to target population as the entire group of individuals, events or objects having
common observable characteristics to which the researcher will need to generalize the results of the study. The
population of interest in this research consisted of all the university academic staff. The Deans of Schools and
Heads of Departments served as key informants. Seven academic staff were selected from each university.
Hence
a total of 28 academic staff participated in the study
3.1.3 Sampling techniques
The study utilized purposive sampling to sample two public and two private universities. The selected public
universities consisted of Jomo Kenyatta university and Kenyatta university. The private universities consisted of
Kiriri University of Science and Technology and Mt Kenya university. The selected public universities were
included in the study because they have the greatest number of students hence have a much higher workload
compared to the rest. The private universities were selected because staff work under stressful conditions due to
high expectations, heavy workloads, job insecurity. With regard to the selection of the individual participants,
convenient sampling technique was used whereby sampling of participants was based on availability.
Recruitment of participants as stopped when the researcher reached saturation point in terms of the information
that was needed. At participant number 16 the study reached saturation point where no new information was
coming out to address the research question. However, the researcher continued data collection while
recognizing the pragmatic possibility of not reaching saturation point with this sample size, seeking additional
participant perspectives up to 28 participants and found no new information from the participants
The study also utilized visual and self-assessment tools such as Wheel of Life and 8-8-8 rule. Ten respondents
from each university were assessed using the Wheel of Life whereby their career, health, relationship, personal
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growth, physical environment and finances were looked at and their satisfaction levels were rated in each area
on a scale of 1 to 5. The resulting “wheel” visually highlighted areas they were thriving and those that need
more attention, helping set goals and make changes to improve overall life satisfaction. The 8-8-8 rule was
used to assess whether the academic staff achieve 8 hours of rest, 8 hours to work and 8 hours to enjoy. This
assessment determined the proportion of employees with work related stress.
3.2 Data Analysis
Content and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Data was categorized into four themes which are
the specific objectives of the study: a) work-life patterns and practices b) existing policies c) proportion of
employees with work related stress
3.3 Results
3.3.1 Participants Characteristics
A total of 28 respondents participated in the study. They were seven from each university. Out of the 28
participants, 18 were males. The ages of the employees who took part in this study ranged from 25 to 70 years
old, with an interquartile range of 36. Majority of the respondents 65% were single. In terms of education level,
the majority had attended up to university/college education. A good number of respondents (60%) were
lecturers followed by senior lecturers (20%) and the rest (Professors, Associate Professors, Tutorial Fellows and
Graduate Assistants) had 5%. Business, applied science and engineering departments made up 55% of the
academic staff.
3.3.2 Work-life patterns and practices
Results show that work-life patterns and practices among academic staff significantly influenced worklife
balance and mental health. Fifty (50%) of the respondents indicated that work-life patterns and practices of
academic staff such as teaching, research, consultancy and role modelling significantly influence work-life
balance and mental health.
The work-life patterns and practices mentioned above for example teaching involves setting exams, marking,
lecture delivery, exam invigilation. Research involves coming up with new knowledge or updating existing
knowledge. Consultancy involves having short term research, advice or services usually provided at agreed fee
while role modelling involves providing guidance and counselling, mentorship and supervision of students at
different education levels.
The work-life patterns and practices affected academic staff work-life balance and mental health as they are
supposed to meet strict deadlines, attend to large number of students especially undergraduate students, develop
content on their units and programmes, develop supplementary exams and re-sits and finally especially part
time lecturers are forced to wait for payment due to delayed salaries and wages remittance. These sometimes
become overwhelming to academic staff and can lead to stress, depressions and burnout.
One of the participants observed that some of the challenges faced by academic staff in regards to work life
balance: The lecturers face heavy workload and lack of adequate resources such as delayed salaries, meeting
strict deadlines which affected their work-life balance and mental health (Employee 004)
Another employee stated that: Publications demand for promotion and have stagnated in one job group.
(Employee 008)
Another employee stated that: There is usually inadequate consultancies and research funding projects hence
many lecturers were unable to get funds for their universities and this ultimately affected their career
progression. (Employee 015)
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To mitigate these challenges, one of the respondents indicated that: There should be periodic training on
worklife balance and mental health to indicate the positive aspects of having work-life balance and good mental
health in an organization (Employee 020)
Another employee indicated that: There should be employee assistance programs such as guidance and
counselling, retirement and pension scheme services, crisis management etc. (Employee 024)
3.3.3 Existing policies
The study finding indicated that majority of the universities (90%) had existing policies that promote work-life
balance and mental health in their workplaces. Some of the policies that promote work-life balance and mental
health include: remote working policy, breast feeding policy, human resource policy amongst other policies.
These policies were part of the requirement for performance contract and ISO certification that universities are
required to comply with. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) develops and publishes a wide
range of standards for various industries including universities, such as quality management (ISO 9001),
environmental management (ISO 14001), and information security (ISO 27001). Some of these policies
encourage employees to attain their work-life balance while also achieving organizational goals.
3.3.4 Proportion of Academic Staff with Work Related Stress
Results show that both male and female employees (60%) in public universities experienced ill-health due to
work related stress. Chronic stress is not only among women but also among men. Job satisfaction was
measured with a single item that asked respondents to rate their overall satisfaction with their job on a 5-point
scale from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 5 (fully satisfied) using the Wheel of Life assessment tool. Study results
revealed gender differences on the levels of stress; males had a relatively higher level of work life balance and
mental health. It was also revealed that job satisfaction was associated with life satisfaction in males whereas;
mental health was reported more among females. The effects of academic staff working in unconducive
environment brings out high stress include but not limited to the following: burnout, insomnia, chronic stress,
unable to meet deadlines amongst other illnesses. This ultimately affects their mental health and work-life
balance. The findings also suggest that work–family conflicts affected the level of self-reported mental health,
this negatively affects women than men.
DISCUSSION
4.1 Work-life patterns and practices
The findings of the study revealed that work-life patterns and practices significantly influenced the mental
health of the university employees in the public universities in Kenya. This finding is similar to the study
conducted by Medina-Garrido et al. (2017) who stressed the importance of achieving WLB between employees’
work lives and personal lives. In addition, the finding is also similar to the findings of Mitra, (2015) who found
that employees who have more experience have lesser organizational role stress and experience high level of
work-life balance. He further declares that the higher the experience the lesser will be organizational role stress
and the level of work-life balance will be high.
The working conditions of lecturers in the universities is full of challenges from tight time schedules that they
are supposed to adhere to, conducting lectures, administration, invigilation and marking of exam, conducting
research among other activities. These activities if not balanced well with the non-work activities can cause
affect work-life balance and also in turn also affect the mental health of the academic staff in the university. The
working condition also create work family conflict which occurs when an individual experiences incompatible
demands between work and family roles, causing participation in both roles to become more difficult (Ee et al.,
2017). Most academic staff have extensive, irregular, or inflexible work hours, work overload and other forms
of job stress, interpersonal conflict at work, extensive travel, career transitions, or an unsupportive supervisor or
organization which affect their work family balance. These findings are similar to a study conducted by Adah et
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al., (2025) on work-life balance in the construction industry found that some of the factors influencing WLB in
the construction workforce include: organizational culture, salary earned, long working hours and inflexible
working time.
Academic staff need to have some level of task autonomy that involves freedom to make decisions in relation to
the job with limited control from supervisors. Most of the academic staff practice laissez faire style of
leadership which encourages task autonomy and in turn this support wide range of task variety and schedule
flexibility.
4.2 Existing policies
The study revealed that existing policies that promote work-life balance and mental health is significantly
influence work-life balance and mental health of academic staff in the selected public universities in Nairobi,
Kenya. This finding is similar to the study conducted by Schmitt, et. al., (2008) who wrote a book on promoting
health on working women found that working in an organization with family-friendly policies reduces stress
and promotes work-life balance. Another study conducted by Muhammad (2023) found that organizational
leaders need to implement policies or actions that can create or encourage a healthy work life balance.
Universities around the world operate under various policies that guide their activities. In Kenya, several Acts
of Parliament provide the regulatory framework that universities must follow to remain compliant with
government requirements, including the Universities Act, 2012; the Employment Act, 2007; the Occupational
Safety and Health (OSHA) Act, 2007; and the Worker Injury Benefit Act, 2007. This Acts if implemented
correctly will help improve work-life balance and mental health among employees in the universities especially
academic staff. For example, under the Employment Act, 2007 it clearly states the terms of service of
employees i.e. how many hours an employee is supposed to work on a particular type of work to ensure there is
some sort of work-life balance.
4.3 Proportion of employees with work related stress
The study revealed that work related stress was associated with job demand. A significant proportion of
employees (60%) both male and female experienced work-related stress due to their job demands. This finding
was in line with the findings of other similar studies in Malaysia (Ismail, Abd Rahman, & Abidin, 2014) and
Tanzania (Mkumbo, 2014). This could be due to the fact that intensive work prolongs the high workload,
interferes with leisure activities and causes too much physical and mental fatigue to perform to the best of their
abilities, thereby increasing stress hormones (Dahlgren, et al., 2006). Workers who have some form of control
over their balance in working tend to suffer less stress related ill-health (Obiageli, 2015).
CONCLUSION
Results indicate health specifically mental health as a fundamental domain in the work–life balance dynamic is
important for university employees in Nairobi, Kenya. Researchers and practitioners should therefore consider
the mental health domain when investigating the work–life balance. The study concluded that with effective
work life balance for both gender in the workplace will greatly improve their mental health which will also
increase their productivity
RECOMMENDATION
The universities management should provide flexible working arrangements that will provide lecturers with a
degree of freedom to control their working time and manage their multiple working roles. Effective flexible
working arrangements have a positive impact on work-life balance and mental health as it reduces the stress
levels of lecturers in the selected universities researched on in Nairobi, Kenya. Some of the flexible working
arrangements include: working from home, online and blended learning, remote working amongst other
arrangements that can be adopted.
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Appendix One: Questionnaire Structured Questionnaire Section A: Socio-Economic and Demographic
Characteristics
Kindly tick (√) appropriately and explain where necessary
1. What is your gender?
Male Female
2. What is your age (years)?
3. What is your marital status?
Single Married Separated/divorced Widowed
4. What is the level of your education?
None Primary Secondary University/College
5. What is your job designation?
Lecturer Senior Lecturer Associate Professor Professor
Tutorial Fellow Graduate Assistant
6. Which department of the university do you work?
Business Applied Sciences Engineering Hospitality
Agriculture G Information Technology
Section B: General Information on Work Life Balance And Mental Health
7. Do the academic staff in your university have work-life balance?
a) Yes
b) No
8. If yes, how is the work-life balance experienced at your university?
a) Flexible working arrangement such as online working, remote working
b) Employee assistance programs such as counselling services
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ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025
Page 316
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c) Paid Time Off (PTO) and vacations
d) Establishment of clubs and societies
9. If no, why does your institution not have work-life balance?
a) Ignorance
b) Insufficient funds to have work-life balance programs
c) Resistance to change
d) Ineffective systems of the institution
APPENDIX 2: Key informant interview guide
Key informant interviews will be done with academic staff (Deans and Head of Departments) who will help
interviewer to know more about work-life balance and mental health among academic staff in the selected
public universities in Nairobi, Kenya
Name of interviewee: ………………………………………………………….
Organization: ………………………………………………………………….. Position Held:
………………………………………………………………….
Time interview started: ………………..…… Time ended: ………………....
Name of Interviewer: …………………………………….. Sign ……………..
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What are the challenges faced by academic staff with regards to work-life balance and mental health?
2. In your own opinion what can your employer do to address these challenges?
3. To what extent does the work-life balance influence productivity in the university?
4. In your opinion to what extent does management in your university establish policies that improve
worklife balance and mental health amongst academic staff?
5. Do academic staff in your university have knowledge on the various work-life balance they can utilize?
6. What are some of the sources of work stressors found in the universities among academic staff?
7. Does management provide training on work-life balance and mental health of its employees in your
university?
