The Effect Of Work-Life Balance And Quality Of Work Life On Employee Performance With Gender As A Moderating Variable

Work-life balance and quality of work life are two ways to maintain good employee performance, which simultaneously result to meeting company goals. This present study aims to investigate the effect of work-life balance and quality of work life on employee performance with gender as a mediating variable. This study was done in a quantitative manner using explanatory research approach. This study examined employees from PT XYZ – one of multi-finance companies in Central Java. The data was collected by distributing questionnaires and then analyzed using moderated regression analysis (MRA). The results confirm that both work-life balance and quality of work life have a positive effect on the employee performance in PT XYZ. Further, the gender is also proven to moderate the effect of both work-life balance and quality of work life on the employee performance in PT XYZ. The use of gender as the mediating variable in this study contribute to the work-life balance literature, which makes it a differentiating factor from previous researches. The results of this study imply practical benefits for the employers in making decisions for their employees in efforts to achieve the work-life balance


INTRODUCTION
Global Human Capital Trend revealed that 89% of employees believe that their performance will decline over time, and in contrast, State of the Global Workplace revealed that 33% of employees believe that they can develop for the future ove time 1 . Human resources are the most important factor in achieving company goals 2 . Companies are gradually realizing that maintaining their human resources is critical to the development and achievement of their goals 3 . Similarly, maintaining the relationship between leaders and employees is also critical. The company leaders can influence their employees, so that both the employees and company goals can develop optimally 4 . Kasmir 5 defined performance as "work behavior and results achieved by the employees in completing their responsibilities for their duties." The employees whose needs are met are more likely to carry out their responsibilities optimally. However, on the other hand, those who are uncomfortable and stressed are more likely to perform poorly, both physically and mentally 6 .
Trials conducted in England from June to December 2022, involving 61 companies, demonstrated that four working days per week kept the employees mentally fit. The implementation of four working days had resulted in less stress and a more balanced life for the employees. Furthermore, another research conducted by a team from University of Cambridge in collaboration with Boston College, a research organization engaged in future workfound that 71% of employees were not tired, 39% of employees were not stressed, and 48% of employees were more satisfied with their jobs. In addition, a research by Miranti 7 found that 60% of employees stated that they attempt to balance their work and personal lives, and 73% of employees stated that they were satisfied with their life. This underlines that maintaining relationships requires a sense of balance. Furthermore, Saina 8 referred work-life balance as a balance in life in which personal life and work life must go hand in hand and be balanced in carrying out their roles. A previous study by 9 on the effect of work-life balance on the employee performance found a negative relationship between them. On the other hand, Lestari 10 found the opposite, where the work-life balance had a positive impact on the employee performance.
Quality of work life is a condition in which the employees' needs are met. It is characterized by opportunities for the employees to play a role in determining how to work, and contribution the employees can give to the organization 11 . Previous studies have inconsistent results, where one found that the quality of life had a negative impact on the employee performance 12 , while the other found the opposite 13 . Companies must pay close attention to the quality of work life in order to improve the employee performance.
Foroughi 14 stated that gender explained a social difference between the roles of men and women and how society views men and women. According to Kartini and Maulana 15 it refers to a concept that examines the differences between men and women in the form of different functions, roles, and responsibilities borne which continuously develop as time goes by, which are in contrast to the one that has been determined by God. Adiati 16 added that women are more concerned and aware of their work environment. They often sacrifice and neglect harassment and discrimination at workplace. This condition makes them expect to find protection in the workplace. For this reason, this study aims to improve the understanding of gender as a variable moderating the effect of work-life balance and quality of work life on the employee performance.
The results of this study are expected to provide theoretical benefits to the literature, as well as insights and understanding of the effect of work-life balance and quality of work life on the employee performance with gender as the moderating variable. Further, the results of this study are also expected to provide practical implications for employers in making decisions for their employees. A company must prioritize employee needs to improve the company performance and meet predetermined work targets. 10  The questionnaire responses were used as the data processed for further analysis to determine the data quality. Moderated regression analysis (MRA) technique was employed to test the hypotheses proposed in this study. The MRA is a subset of multiple linear regression in which the regression equation includes an element of interaction. In this study, the interaction refers to the one between the moderating variable and independent variable, which is then regressed to the dependent variable.

Data Validity Test
The validity test in the study was carried out using Pearson correlation and was carried out with SPSS software. After matching with the product moment table, it is known that the rtabel used for this validity test is 0.282. With the results of this comparison, it is stated that each question used for research in the work-life balance, quality of work life, performance and gender variables is valid.

Source: Analysis results from primary data sources
Based on table 2 above, it is known that all cronbach's alpha coefficients for each variable in this study are greater than the critical value of 0.60. Based on the table above, the overall value of the work life balance variable has an average value of 4.03 with the highest value of 4.14 in indicator X1.2. The statement written in indicator 1.2 has time to do the favorite. The lowest value is 3.88 in X1.4. Statements written on indicator 2.1 division of work and family involvement. Based on the table above, the overall value of the quality of work life variable has an average of 4.00 with the highest value of 4.14 at X2.4. The statement written in indicator 2.1 the relationship between coworkers is good. The lowest average value is 3.86 at X2.3. The statement written in indicator 1.3 the company implements proposals from employees.   Based on this table, it can be seen that the overall value of the gender variable has an average value of 3.97 with the highest value of 4.14 at Z10. Statements written on indicator 3.4 adjust to abilities and skills. The lowest average value is 3.82 at Z8. The statement written in 3.2 relates to the proportion between inputs and results.

Classical Assumption Test Results
The classical assumption test must be carried out before someone performs regression analysis. The regression assumption test consists of residual normality test, multicollinearity test, heteroscedacity test, linearity test, and autocorrelation test. .184 c a. Test distribution is Normal. b. Calculated from data. c. Lilliefors Significance Correction.

Source: Analysis results from primary data sources
Based on the output results above, a significance value of 0.184 is obtained. Since the significance value is more than 5%, it can be concluded that the residuals are normally distributed. Figure 1. Shows that the residuals are normally distributed and symmetrically shaped not to the right or left, this indicates that the regression model has met the assumption of normality. The data above shows that all the tolerance values of the independent variables are above 0.1 and the VIF values of the independent variables are all below 10, which means that there is no multicollinearity.

Source: Analysis results from primary data sources
The Scatterplot graph shows points that spread randomly and do not form a certain pattern, indicating that the regression model is feasible to use to predict performance based on the input of work life balance, quality of work life, and gender variables. Based on the results above, it can be seen that the significance value of work life balance, quality of work life and gender is 0.340, 0.696 and 0.055 respectively or greater than 5%, so it can be concluded that there is no case of heteroscedacity. .775 a. Median

Source: Analysis results from primary data sources
Based on the output, it can also be obtained that the significance value of 0.775 is greater than 0.05 so that the null hypothesis states that the residual values spread randomly is accepted. Thus, it can be concluded that there is no autocorrelation in the regression equation.   Table 12 depicts the results of t-test on the work-life balance. It has a t-count of 3.068 and a significance level of 0.004 (< 0.05). Thus, it can be concluded that the first hypothesis proposing that the work-life balance affects the employee performance in PT XYZ can be supported empirically.

Results of Multiple Regression Test
Furthermore, the results of t-test on the quality of work life have a t-count of 3.867 and a significance level of 0.000 (< 0.05). Thus, the second hypothesis proposing that the quality of work life affects the employee performance of PT XYZ can be supported empirically.  Table 13 displays the results of F test. It has a significance value of 0.000, which is less than 0.05. This implies that the work-life balance and quality of work life simultaneously influence the dependent variable, namely the employee performance in PT XYZ.
Further, it is also found that the Fcount value is 28.128 with a significance value of 0.000. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sign value = 0.000 <5%. This means that there is a significant effect of work-life balance (X1) and quality of work life (X2) simultaneously on the employee performance (Y).  Table 14 presents the results of coefficient of determination test. It is found that the Adjusted R-Square value is 0.531 (53.1%). This means that the independent variables (work life balance (X1) and quality of work life (X2)) together influence the dependent variable (employee performance (Y)) by 53.1%. The rest 46.9% were influenced by variables not included in the study.

Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA)
Moderated regression analysis (MRA) is an interaction test in which the regression equation contains an element of interaction (multiplication of two or more independent variables) 19 . The results are presented in the following Table 15.  Table 15 shows the results of MRA test. It is found that the gender has a t-value of -4.250 with a significance level of 0.000 (< 0.05). This implies that the gender has a negative and significant impact on the employee performance in PT XYZ.
Furthermore, the results of interaction test on the work-life balance and gender as the moderating variable, it is found that t-count is 2.094 with a significance of 0.042, which is less than 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that the third hypothesis proposing that the gender moderates the effect of work-life balance on the employee performance in PT XYZ can be supported empirically.
In addition, the results of interaction test on the quality of work life and gender as the moderating variable, it is found that the t value is 2.162 with a significance of 0.036, which is less than 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that the fourth hypothesis proposing that the gender moderates the effect of quality of work life on the employee performance in PT XYZ can be supported empirically.

The Effect of Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance
The results of t test on the first hypothesis confirm that the work-life balance has a significant influence on the employee performance of PT XYZ. The work-life balance explained an individual's ability to balance work obligations and personal needs outside of working hours 20 . It could also be defined as the balance created by an individual in managing working hours and fulfilling their responsibilities, as well as the balance in managing personal needs outside of their work obligations.
This finding supports Fapohunda 21 who claimed that the work-life balance could affect the employee performance as balancing the work and personal activities could reduce the employees' stress and allow them to perform well. Working overtime would influence the employees' psychology or motivation to perform well. The better the employees' work-life balance, the better their performance at work.

The Effect of Qualty of Work Life on Employee Performance
The results of t test on the second hypothesis confirm that the quality of work life has a significant influence on the employee performance of PT XYZ. The quality of work life described the company's ability or efforts to keep its employees on board. The system was implemented by the company to maximize employee productivity. The employees understand that as the quality of their work improved, so would their pay. When the employees produced high-quality work, their organizational productivity would also increase and the company goals would be met 22 .
The company placed a high value on creating a pleasant working environment, so that the employees were satisfied with the company. The quality of work life was such an important factor in achieving optimal job satisfaction. The companies had significant control over creating quality of life at work and guiding the employees' willingness to do their best to achieve company goals 23 .

The Moderating Effect of Gender on Work-Life Balance
The third hypothesis proposing that the gender moderates the effect of work-life balance on the employee performance in PT XYZ is empirically supported. This finding is in line with Ijaz 24 who concluded that women were more sensitive to the work environment than men, and thus women were more affected in the workplace than men.
Sarmijan 25 also suggested that the role of women in doing house chores and being a career woman frequently resulted in conflicts between their work life and personal life. These conflicts had an impact on the work-life balance of female workers, which simultaneously impacted their performance. In contrast, male workers were not burdened with the household management and could focus on the work, which could also affect their performance as employees.

The Moderating Effect of Gender on the Quality of Work Life
The third hypothesis proposing that the gender moderates the effect of quality of work life on the employee performance in PT XYZ is empirically supported. Hughes 26 explained that there were differences between men and women in decision-making and perception, which could be considered an important factor. Experts believed that the gender influenced interests in a particular line of work. Women, for example, were drawn to jobs that involved helping others or dealing with social issues.
This finding is similar to those found Rizky 27 which explained that women valued long-term relationships more and had more emotional tendencies. They made decisions based on social values by considering the impact of their decisions on others. In this case, they would have stronger relationships with other male, implying that women were more loyal than men.
In addition, Okpara 28 agreed that the female employees were more satisfied with their jobs and coworkers, whereas the male employees were more satisfied with their salaries, supervision, and promotions. It was critical for managers to understand how the employees perceived leadership behavior and how it affected the employees' quality of work life by considering the possibility of increasing the gender moderation 29 .
Based on the findings and discussion explained earlier, it can be concluded that the work-life balance has a positive impact on the employee performance. The balance between work and personal life could lead to increased employee performance and productivity. The employee performance was positively influenced by the quality of their working environment. The employees understood that as the quality of their work improved, so would their pay. Furthermore, the employees with high work quality increased the organizational productivity. As a result, the company goals could be met. In addition, this study confirms that the gender is able to moderate the effect of work-life balance on the employee performance. The employee productivity was determined by the ability of employees to balance responsibilities at work and outside of work. Further, this study also finds that tthe gender mediates the effect of quality of work life on the employee performance. This finding emphasized that the employees with the gender participating in doing work had a significant influence on supervision, resulting in high performance.
However, this study is limited to the research scope which made it impossible to generalize the results. The results of this study suggest that the employers should pay closer attention to their employees' needs. The employees will be loyal to the company that provides them with comfort and pays attention to their needs. Future researches are suggested to expand the research object with a broader range of respondents to obtain better results.