The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance in Education Sector in Sulaymaniyah

This study investigates the impact of Work-Life Balance (WLB) on Employee Performance (EP) within the education sector of the Qaiwan Group in Sulaymaniyah, addressing a significant gap in regional literature concerning Iraq's knowledge-intensive industries. Adopting a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, the research collected 100 valid responses from educators (teaching and administrative staff) using scales adapted for WLB and EP (both demonstrating high reliability: ?WLB = 0.700, ?EP = 0.704). Descriptive results revealed that while self-reported Employee Performance was high (M = 4.05), the mean perception of Work-Life Balance was moderate (M = 3.37). Pearson correlation analysis confirmed a statistically significant positive relationship between WLB and EP (r = 0.317, p = 0.001$). This finding suggests that even modest improvements in WLB are associated with enhanced self-reported performance, a critical insight for managing this young, less-experienced educational workforce that is vulnerable to burnout from extensive non-instructional responsibilities. The study concludes that the organization should implement targeted WLB interventions (e.g., flexible arrangements, stress management training) to improve the perceived balance, reinforce high performance levels, and ensure sustainable career longevity.