Integrating Social Work Practice in Work–Life Balance Interventions for Female Teachers in Public Primary Education

As frontline practitioners trained in person‑in‑environment and systems perspectives, social workers are uniquely positioned to translate employees lived experiences of work–family strain into responsive policies, programmes, and support services. Drawing on empirical and conceptual literature on WLB, social support, and employee assistance programmes (EAPs), the paper argues that social workers contribute at three interlinked levels: direct practice, organisational development, and policy advocacy. At the direct practice level, they provide counselling, group work, crisis intervention, and psycho‑education that help employees develop coping skills, set boundaries, and strengthen family and social support networks, thereby mitigating stress and burnout related to work–life conflict. At the organisational level, social workers collaborate with management and human resource departments to conduct needs assessments, design EAPs and WLB programmes (such as flexible scheduling, child‑care and elder‑care support, mental health services, and supervisor training), and build supportive workplace cultures that normalise help‑seeking and self‑care. At the policy level, they use evidence from practice and research to advocate for gender‑sensitive labour regulations, “right to disconnect” norms, and inclusive benefits that recognise diverse family forms and caregiving responsibilities. The abstract highlights that effective WLB interventions require an integrated approach in which social workers act as facilitators between employees, families, employers, and the state, ensuring that programmes are not only available on paper but accessible, context‑appropriate, and sustainable. It concludes that strengthening the social work role in WLB initiatives can enhance employee well‑being, organisational productivity, and social justice by addressing structural as well as individual determinants of work–life imbalance.