Work Life Balance

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

     ‘I think what we all need to wake up to is that we’ve got the best educated, most aspirational workforce that we’ve ever had as a generation of workers in the world and they don’t want jobs at any price. They want jobs that are satisfying, that give them the opportunity to progress at work and to fulfil their ambitions, and I think both business and unions need to start taking account of that in the way that we organise work, in the way that we think about what it is we make, what it is we do.’

Frances O’Grady 

     How much difference has the higher profile of work-life balance made? What is the ‘work-life balance’ that people want? And do they want it at all? Is it a passing phase or here to stay? Should organisations respond and, if so, how? If employees want a different way of working, and organisations need to change to adapt to the 24/7 society, how can work-life balance be put at the heart of organisational change and employee satisfaction?

     An important reassessment of how we think about balancing our working and personal lives is under way. It is taking place at all levels in the workplace. This re-evaluation of how we balance our living and working lives is being driven by a number of different variables.

     To begin, 'muscle-lift' of the 20th century has been replaced by 'mental-lift' in the 21st. More than ever before, no matter what one's position is in an organization, mental "strength" not physical strength is the real source of success. Business magazines today sing the praises of employee creativity as the element that separates the wheat from the chaff when it comes to business success.

 Then, there was a time when employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight- to nine-hour days. The boundaries between work and home were fairly clear then. But the world has changed and, unfortunately, the boundaries have blurred for many workers. Here's why:

1. Global economy. As more skilled workers enter the global labor market and companies outsource or move more jobs to reduce labor costs, people feel pressured to work longer and produce more just to protect their jobs.
2. International business. Work continues around the world 24 hours a day for some people. If you work in an international organization, you might be on call around the clock for troubleshooting or consulting.
3. Advanced communication technology. Many people now have the ability to work anywhere — from their home, from their car and even on vacation. And some managers expect this.
4. Longer hours. Employers commonly ask employees to work longer hours than they're scheduled. Often, overtime is mandatory. If you hope to move up the career ladder, you may find yourself regularly working more than 40 hours a week to achieve and exceed expectations. Participants surveyed about the work-life balance today were universal in their view about the increasing intensity of work, with the associated issue that work was no longer just nine-to-five, but encroached on evenings and weekends. This in turn had led to participants feeling ‘time squeezed’: trying to juggle paid work, voluntary work and childcare responsibilities had become increasingly difficult. Those working part-time, often because of caring for children, particularly felt under pressure to work more hours or a different pattern of hours than contracted. It can be tempting to rack up the hours at work — especially if you're trying to earn a promotion or some extra money for a child's education or a dream vacation. For others, working more hours feels necessary in order to manage the workload. Sometimes working overtime is important. If you work for a company that requires mandatory overtime, you won't be able to avoid it, but you can learn to manage it. Most importantly, say no when you're too tired, when it's affecting your health or when you have crucial family obligations.
5. Changes in family roles. Today's married worker is typically part of a dual-career couple, which makes it difficult to find time to meet commitments to family, friends and community.

     Let's first define what work-life balance is not.

     Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

     Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

     There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

     So, what is work-life balance after all?

     While work-life balance is an increasingly popular term, there is no clear consensus on what it means, there is no one-size-fits-all definition for it, although most of them do include the concepts of flexibility, juggling and sustainability. Work-life balance is most frequently used to describe the equilibrium between responsibilities at work and responsibilities outside paid work; having a work-life balance means that this equilibrium is in the right position for the individual concerned.

     For some people it means spending more time in paid work and less time at home, while for others it means ensuring that paid work does not encroach on time needed for other responsibilities. Of course, there is a tension here as the term implies that work and life are and should be separate, whereas for many people the distinction between the two is somewhat blurred. Furthermore, ‘balance’ and ‘imbalance’ varies for different people at different times of their lives, making the notion of a single definition of work-life balance unrealistic. This is compounded by differences in socio-economic circumstances: for those in low-paid work, longer hours may be a financial necessity. With this in mind, we also can define work-life balance as having sufficient control and autonomy over where, when and how you work to fulfil your responsibilities inside and outside paid work.

     Work-life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) on one hand and "life" (pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".

     Much of the debates about work-life balance actually focus on imbalance.

     People tend to focus on imbalance – feeling a lack of control and autonomy over where, when and how you work – when asked what work-life balance means. Some strong themes emerge, for example the:

• role that work-life balance plays in people’s health, with the lack of it causing higher sickness absence levels

• strain on relationships – both at home and work – that results from a lack of work-life balance. If you're spending most of your time at work, your home life will likely pay the price.

• pressure to make a decision between career progression and a life outside of work.

A work-life imbalance can have disastrous consequences for the individual in terms of stress, ill health and lack of motivation.

 Consider the pros and cons of working extra hours on your work-life balance:

• Fatigue. Your ability to think and your eye-hand coordination decrease when you're tired. This means you're less productive and may make more mistakes. These mistakes can lead to injury or rework and negatively impact your professional reputation.
• Family. You may miss out on important events, such as your child's first bike ride, your father's 60th birthday or your high-school reunion. Missing out on important milestones may harm relationships with your loved ones.
• Friends. Trusted friends are a key part of your support system. But if you're spending time at the office instead of with them, you'll find it difficult to nurture those friendships.
• Expectations. If you regularly work extra hours, you may be given more responsibility. This could create a never-ending and increasing cycle, causing more concerns and challenges.

 For most people, juggling the demands of career and personal life is an ongoing challenge. With so many demands on your time — from overtime to family obligations — it can feel difficult to strike this balance. The goal is to make time for the activities that are the most important to you.

 Here are some ideas to help you find the balance that's best for you:

• Keep a log. Track everything you do for one week. Include work-related and non-work-related activities. Decide what's necessary and what satisfies you the most. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy and don't have time for. If you don't have the authority to make certain decisions, talk to your supervisor.
• Take advantage of your options. Find out if your employer offers flex hours, a compressed workweek, job-sharing or telecommuting for your role. The flexibility may alleviate some of your stress and free up some time.
• Learn to say no. Whether it's a co-worker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child's teacher asking you to manage the class play, remember that it's OK to respectfully say no. When you quit doing the things you only do out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you'll make more room in your life for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you joy.
• Leave work at work. With today's global business mentality and the technology to connect to anyone at any time from virtually anywhere, there's no boundary between work and home — unless you create it. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When with your family, for instance, turn off your cell phone and put away your laptop computer.
• Manage your time. Organize household tasks efficiently. Doing one or two loads of laundry every day, rather than saving it all for your day off, and running errands in batches are good places to begin. A weekly family calendar of important dates and a daily list of to-dos will help you avoid deadline panic. If your employer offers a course in time management, sign up for it.
• Communicate clearly. Limit time-consuming misunderstandings by communicating clearly and listening carefully. Take notes if necessary.
• Fight the guilt. Remember, having a family and a job is OK — for both men and women.
• Nurture yourself. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, working out or listening to music. Unwind after a hectic workday by reading, practicing yoga, or taking a bath or shower.
• Set aside one night each week for recreation. Take the phone off the hook, power down the computer and turn off the TV. Discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends, such as playing golf, fishing or canoeing. Making time for activities you enjoy will rejuvenate you.
• Protect your day off. Try to schedule some of your routine chores on workdays so that your days off are more relaxing.
• Get enough sleep. There's nothing as stressful and potentially dangerous as working when you're sleep-deprived. Not only is your productivity affected, but also you can make costly mistakes. You may then have to work even more hours to make up for these mistakes.
• Bolster your support system. Give yourself the gift of a trusted friend or co-worker to talk with during times of stress or hardship. Ensure you have trusted friends and relatives who can assist you when you need to work overtime or travel for your job.
• Seek professional help. Everyone needs help from time to time. If your life feels too chaotic to manage and you're spinning your wheels worrying about it, talk with a professional, such as your doctor, a psychologist or a counselor recommended by your employee assistance program (EAP).

     Until very recently work-life balance was viewed as the individual employee's responsibility, not the employer's. That is, not until the costs of chronically whacked-out work-life balance began showing up on organizational bottom lines and employee's work engagement surveys and exit interviews. The most disturbing way it showed up was an increase in mental health problems associated with employees.

     Now ‘work-life balance’ is at the forefront of public policy debates about flexibility and is widely reported in the media as having the potential to  transform the world of work, lead to higher productivity and better conditions of work for employees.

     But there are four key barriers to the benefits of work-life balance being realised by companies:

1. Insufficient employer commitment to work-life balance

2. Balancing care and work affects career progression

3. Available work-life balance options are not always appropriate. One of the causes of members’ dissatisfaction with their working arrangements may result from the discrepancy between what arrangements would be useful to them and what is offered by their employer. It is interesting that the work-life balance initiatives that employers pursue are not necessarily those that employees desire. Besides flexible hours, the demand from members was found to be particularly for time off to care for people other than children, both from members where it was already available and where it wasn’t. Focus group discussions mentioned studying, voluntary work, childcare, eldercare and large-scale personal projects as major commitments outside of paid work. Demand to take time off to care for others is likely to grow in the future.

4. Organisational culture does not always permit the implementation of initiatives.

The ‘rhetoric-reality’ gap – the gap between the aspirations of organizations and their policies, and then the policies and their practice – is also likely to vary in different parts of the public sector. In some areas, work-life balance policies can be and are implemented effectively, open to all staff, and result in improved productivity and higher staff satisfaction. Elsewhere there are significant challenges to realising these benefits. These challenges often include:

• lack of awareness about the existence of work-life balance policies on the part of staff and/or managers

• workplace cultures that inhibit take-up of work-life balance policies

• lack of line manager buy-in

• employee concern about loss of income, damage to career progression or workload

• work-life balance policies being available to parents only

     While work-life balance traditionally focused on family-friendly workplaces – essentially concerned with enabling mothers to balance work and childcare responsibilities – there is increasing recognition from organisations that work-life balance is about more than families, and are instead helping employees to have access to working arrangements that are compatible with their other responsibilities, lifestyle and, of course, their work.

     More still needs to be done to demonstrate that work-life balance is not just an instrument that allows employers to satisfy individuals’ preferences or needs for more flexibility. Flexibility at work continues to be the great double-edged sword in today’s labour market. On the one side there is the progressive model where working people have the flexibility to meet their wider responsibilities and enjoy their lives. On the other is the ideological push for a flexible labour market where some regard anything much beyond a minimum standard as red tape and a bar to our competitiveness.

     Work-life balance policies are having an impact on the way people work and how organisations operate and are becoming an established part of the labour market landscape. Our members tell us that having the flexibility to strike the right work-life balance improves morale, helps organisations with staff retention and enables our members to feel in control of their working lives.

     Stevens et al argue that the take-up of flexible working, particularly part-time working, is limited by employee concern for job security, career prospects and feasibility for the implementation of certain practices (eg the job won’t allow it). Furthermore, research has shown that managers can underestimate the skill and commitment of part-time employees and under-utilize them. Part-time workers also miss out on training opportunities. Part-time employees are approximately 40 per cent less likely to receive training than full-time workers. This has implications for long-term career opportunities and financial prospects.

     Survey results from the DTI following the ‘right to request’ legislation show that 56 per cent of respondents who had changed their working pattern reported a negative consequence. Not all the consequences are simply related to an inevitable reduction in pay from reduced hours. For example, employees returning from maternity cover expressing a wish for flexible working have been downgraded or passed by for promotion. Furthermore, the report found that flexible working options, particularly part-time working, often results in pension penalties, reducing the financially viable opportunities for employees to take up flexible working arrangements.

     If organisations are to change the way they work, then this implicitly demands a reconfiguration of the relationship between employer and employee, and the roles and responsibilities that each party has in the delivery of the organisation’s objectives.

     In response to shifts in the labour market and the changing nature of work, work-life balance is now at the top of the agenda for government and business.

     It is also recognized that work-life balance can lead indirectly to productivity gains through increased retention and helps organizations to respond to customer needs more effectively.

     The case for work-life balance tends to be made on two counts. First, that work-life balance improves individuals’ health, wellbeing and job satisfaction. Second, that business can benefit from work-life balance because these policies:

• improve productivity and worker commitment

• reduce sickness absence

• increase retention rates for talented workers and reduce replacement costs

• allow organizations to recruit from a wider pool of talent

• enable organizations to offer services beyond usual business hours by employing workers on different shifts that fit in with caring responsibilities.

     ‘Work-life balance’ is meant to articulate the desire of all individuals – not just those with families or caring responsibilities – to achieve and maintain a ‘balance’ between their paid work and their life outside work, whatever their ‘life’ involves, from childcare and housework to leisure or self-development. There are problems with the phrase. For example, work is a part of ‘life’, do people who love working long hours really want a ‘balance’, are ‘work’ and ‘life’ separate anyway? However, its impact has been real. Many large organizations have implemented policies designed to increase employee flexibility around when, where and how they work. Many more are starting to see the potential benefits. Many organizations, such as Price Waterhouse- Coopers (PwC), have found that work-life balance policies are beneficial, and can lead to cost savings, improved motivation and higher productivity.

     The survey results also give an insight into what ‘work-life balance’ means to people: it is principally about spending time with family and friends, but also about having the opportunity to pursue other activities and aspirations. Findings also showed that people want to spend more time with families and friends regardless of the hours they work and whether or not they have young children. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those without young children wanted to spend more time with their family.