Work-Life environment dramatically changed

Employers have dramatically changed the way work-life is managed in the last four years, according to a survey of more than 50 companies by Work & Family Connection.

In 2002, more than three-fourths of respondents said the management of work-life came under the diversity area; this year 20 percent say diversity shares that responsibility. Four years ago, 42 percent said human resources was in charge of work-life, and the latest poll shows that number has grown to nearly two-thirds of respondents.

In 2002, more than half of the respondents said work-life was well established and fully integrated into their organisations, and nearly 60 percent said it was fully integrated.

In the latest responses, those numbers both fell substantially; just 29 percent said their work-life efforts were well established and the number saying work-life was fully integrated into the organisation fell to 14 percent.

One-fourth of the most recent respondents said their work-life programs had suffered in the economic downturn, compared to half of those who completed the survey in 2002 as that recession was ending. So what are we to do? How do we advance the work-life agenda in these times?

On the issue of work-life balance, we’ve gathered the evidence, made the business case, presented the ROI, and demonstrated the tangible and intangible impacts on performance and productivity and human resource management priorities like recruitment and engagement. So why is it still so hard to get the attention of corporate leaders or to get managers to create supportive work environments? And, why are individuals around the world still struggling to find solutions for predictable work-life pressures; forced to make sacrifices instead of informed choices; opting out instead of following alternative career paths; and compromising personal values related to family and community involvement instead of aligning them with progressive employers?

To get leadership team attention, manager buy in, and employee engagement, maybe what we need is the right metaphor. After all Warren Bennis once said, “A great leader seems to be able to find just the right metaphor that clarifies the idea and minimises distortion."

In the eighties we tried to balance work and life; where balance made you think about the “balance sheet” that you are trying to reconcile (taking from the life side to add to the career side, or vice versa), or a balance beam (precarious at best and near impossible when you are running full speed ahead. To make that metaphor work you needed to work really hard, master new skills and rely on your individual effort. Not surprisingly, we were able to introduce innovative programs and policies but were unable to change attitudes, behaviors or cultures.

In the 90s, we tried to integrate and harmonise work-life responsibilities. These metaphors produced images of blending, merging, combining different aspects of our lives – resulting in one distasteful frappe. We worked 24/7, had no boundaries and found it difficult to succeed at anything because we were always doing everything. It was hard to distinguish roles and responsibilities between employers, managers, and employees – and next to impossible to assign accountability. So we followed the integration metaphor with work-life effectiveness, which defined the multiple aspects of our lives as unique but inextricably linked.

Today, innovative organisations are increasingly looking for business-related metaphors. So now we’re talking about work-life quality – quality of life and quality of work and the work experience. Achieving work-life quality requires the involvement of employers, employees, unions, governments, and communities. The idea of work-life and well being is certainly not new but some of the language is being updated. Work-life quality integrates health and fitness, mental health and well being, and non-work commitments, as well career aspirations and job satisfaction.

For example, instead of starting with the premise of  “I need balance in my life so I need a flexible work arrangement” employees are now starting thinking about work-life balance differently. The premise might be: “In order for me to serve the client to the best of my ability, my optimal workload is 80 percent – or 37-42 hours per week including billable and non-billable hours.”  From there, they start negotiating terms of engagement with their employers.

From an organisational perspective, the quality of work environments and work experience is linked to increased productivity and profits and reduced benefits costs. From an individual perspective, the quality of life, health and relationships are key contributors to peak performance and job and life satisfaction. From a community perspective, work-life quality leads to increased economic performance and enhanced social outcomes.

In a report released earlier this year, "Who Is at Risk? Predictors of Work-Life Conflict Work," Canadian professors Linda Duxbury and Chris Higgins explain that non-work demands, such as childcare, elder care and home chores, are not substantive predictors of work-life conflict. In fact, the key predictor is corporate culture and work environments. When employees perceive that it is not acceptable for them to say “no” to more work, and that family responsibilities limit career advancement, staff will experience higher rates of work-life conflict.

Organisations now see work-life quality less as a “program” and more as “a way of doing business” day in and day out, and they’re realising that wellness cannot be just a HQ solution.

Focusing on workload management, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare launched “Freedom 6-to-6” – no e-mails after 6pm or before 6am and no meetings after 4:30pm. They are helping employees draw boundaries between work and life and finding ways to create a quality work environment that nourishes and rejuvenates.

And, although IBM traditionally does not have fitness centres at its work sites, it does have a very strong commitment to organisational health and wellness, so it has introduced TriFit’s web-based fitness program for at-home use for IBM employees.

Focusing on manager awareness in 2005, Xerox introduced a 2.5-hour mandatory training session on mental health. The objective was to help managers identify the signs of mental illness and instructing them on how to take appropriate steps to have a positive influence on the situation.

As the historian Thomas Kuhn once observed, "You can't see something until you have the right metaphor to let you perceive it." As work-life transitions once again to another metaphor, we are at, or near, a “tipping point” with respect to work-life quality.

Organisations are aware of the issues, taking action, being innovative, and measuring results. Employers are approaching work-life quality comprehensively, equitably and strategically. Here’s hoping the next survey conducted by Work & Family Connection produces better results in terms of the integration into the workplace.

 

Copyright 2006 Great Lakes HR Now and CBS Radio Inc.  Used by permission.  All Rights Reserved.