Construction professionals' commitment to the organisation, work-life balance, and well-being

The working environment of project professionals is demanding and stressful, often resulting from long working hours, demanding workloads, lack of job security, and poor work-life balance. Using the ASSET model of Business Outcomes, the relationship between work-life balance, sense of purpose at work, positive emotions at work, and employee commitment to the organisation were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Data were collected by means of an online questionnaire survey administered to project professionals registered with the Association for Project Managers (APM). A total of 183 valid responses were subject to data analysis. Work-life balance is significantly positively related to each of sense of purpose and positive emotions. Sense of purpose is a determinant of positive emotions. In turn, sense of purpose and positive emotions are each significant direct determinants of commitment to the organization. Work-life balance is itself a significant and positive predictor of commitment to the organization. Additionally, sense of purpose is a mediator in the relationship between work-life balance and commitment to the organization, whilst positive emotions is a mediator in the association between work-life balance and commitment to the organization. This study highlights the pivotal role of work-balance in the facilitation of employee sense of purpose, positive emotions concerning the organization, and the concomitant experience of commitment of employees to the organization. Suggestions for targeted interventions by organizations are offered to improve the workplace well-being of project professionals.