Kesejahteraan Sosial

2 KOMPENDIUM REKOMENDASI POLISI KESEJAHTERAAN PSIKOLOGI PERKHIDMATAN AWAM KESEJAHTERAAN SOSIAL FAMILY SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT AND WORKPLACE WELL-BEING RUHAYA HUSSIN, PhD Associate Professor Department of Psychology, International Islamic University Malaysia ruhaya@iium.edu.my 1.0 INTRODUCTION Studies on women’s psychological health and well-being have received much attention due to the increasing labour force participation of women (Wang & Lu, 2023; Atiq, Iqbal, & Rasheed, 2018; Rubio, Osca, Recio, Urien, & Peiró, 2015). Evidence on the impact of work has shown mixed results over the years, with work being either a benefit (Matthews & Power, 2002) or a threat (Shagirbasha, Iqbal, Madhan, Chaudhary, & Dhall (2024) to women’s psychological health. In the early years, studies mainly focused on the negative aspects of work-family integration, highlighting work- family conflict. Recent studies have begun to explore its positive aspects, introducing the concept of work-family enrichment.) Lee, Zvonkovic & Crawford (2014) recognise that work-family conflict (time-, strain- and value-based) and work-family enrichment are different constructs that can occur simultaneously. As more women are in the labour force and the nature of work is changing due to technological advances, the balance between work and family responsibilities has become more complex. The increase in dual- earner families and changes in the workplace nature, such as teleworking and flexible working hours, have increased the challenge of managing the demands of work and family responsibilities and impacted the well- being of employees. In response to these changes, the development of comprehensive policies is crucial to meet the diverse needs of the labour force. These include introducing flexible working arrangement, granting adequate leave for caregiving responsibilities and ensuring access to psychological health resources. Such policies can help mitigate work- family conflict, improve work-family enrichment and ultimately enhance the overall well-being of employees. Addressing these issues prepares Malaysia to better support its employees and adapt to the changing