Impact of Work-life Balance on Job Performance and Satisfaction: Evidence from Panchayat Secretaries in Telangana State

Work–life balance is relevant to employee outcomes, but evidence concerning Panchayat Secretaries in Telangana State remains limited. This study examined the associations of three work–life balance dimensions with job performance and satisfaction among these rural public administrators. This study examines the impact of work-life balance on the job performance and satisfaction of Panchayat Secretaries, a frontline rural administrative cadre in Telangana State, India, whose experience of work-life balance remains largely unexamined in the literature. Design/Methodology: Data were collected from 400 Panchayat Secretaries using a structured questionnaire measuring three distinct dimensions of work-life balance — perception of work-related variables (workplace flexibility, culture, and social support), self-care practices, and institutional work-life balance programmes — alongside an eight-item job performance and satisfaction scale. Data were analysed using Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Findings: All three work-life balance constructs, taken together, significantly predicted job performance and satisfaction (R² = 0.185, F = 29.14, p < 0.001). However, this relationship was carried specifically by self-care practices (β = 0.335, p < 0.001) and institutional programmes (β = 0.267, p < 0.001); the general perception of work-related variables was not a significant unique predictor (β = −0.021, p = 0.677) once the other two constructs were accounted for. Practical Implications: Organisations seeking to improve employee performance through work-life balance initiatives may achieve more measurable results by investing in concrete, specific-purpose resources — self-care support and named institutional programmes — than by pursuing broad, general improvements to organisational culture alone. Originality: This is among the first studies to disaggregate work-life balance into distinct resource categories and test their differential relationship with job performance among rural public administrators in India.