Title: IMPLICATIONS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT ON WORK LIFE BALANCE: A STUDY IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, BAMENDA MUNICIPLATY, CAMEROON

Authors: Chenwi Mercy Lum, Mbu Daniel Tambi and Shillie Peter Ngek

Abstract: Employment and family are the two most vital domains within the lifetime of an individual. Healthcare facilities in the Bamenda Municipality have limited doctors and other health workers, the healthcare facilities are marked by atypical work schedules: long shifts, 7days a week, night shifts, unprecedented shifts during odd hours like at midnight, where doctors could be called from home for emergencies, compressed work weeks, and highly variable and unpredictable schedules. The reality on ground reinforces interest in the subject of managing spheres of life. When health workers are unable to maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal life, they may experience stress, burnout and decreased job satisfaction which can ultimately hinder their professional growth and advancement.Even when healthcare workers develop their careers,adequate recovery time is required to prevent further burnout which is absent due to the increasing need for the skills acquired.Based on this premise, this study investigates the implications of Career Development on Work Life Balance. A cross-sectional research design was used for this study. 456 questionnaires were administered to healthcare workers in the Bamenda municipality, using multistage and random purposive sampling. The study employed the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique for data analysis. The results indicate that the coefficient of overall career development index is positive (0.711) statistically significant at the 1%, which implies that career development promotes employees work life balance. It is therefore recommended that healthcare workers seek to improve on their careers and gain valuable skills in areas where they are lacking which will increase their functionality and reduce frustrations which may lead to negative psychological states.

Keywords: Career Development, Healthcare facilities, Work Life Balance, Bamenda.

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