Work/life balance: challenges and solutions - 2003 Research Quarterly

HR Magazine, June, 2003 by Nancy R. Lockwood

Abstract

In organizations and on the home front, the challenge of work/life balance is rising to the top of many employers' and employees' consciousness. In today's fast-paced society, human resource professionals seek options to positively impact the bottom line of their companies, improve employee morale, retain employees with valuable company knowledge, and keep pace with workplace trends. This article provides human resource professionals with an historical perspective, data and possible solutions--for organizations and employees alike--to work/life balance. Three factors--global competition, personal lives/family values, and an aging workforce--present challenges that exacerbate work/life balance. This article offers the perspective that human resource professionals can assist their companies to capitalize on these factors by using work/life initiatives to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Work/Life Balance: Challenges and Solutions

In a society filled with conflicting responsibilities and commitments, work/life balance has become a predominant issue in the workplace. Three major factors contribute to the interest in, and the importance of, serious consideration of work/life balance: 1) global competition; 2) renewed interest in personal lives/ family values; and 3) an aging workforce. Research suggests that forward-thinking human resource professionals seeking innovative ways to augment their organization's competitive advantage in the marketplace may find that work/life balance challenges offer a win-win solution.

The Genesis of Work/Life Balance

Work/Life Balance: n. A state of equilibrium in which the demands of both a person's job and personal life are equal. (1)

Phrases and words serve as cultural signposts to explain where we are and where we are going. The term "work/life balance" was coined in 1986, although its usage in everyday language was sporadic for a number of years. Interestingly, work/life programs existed as early as the 1930s. Before World War II, the W.K. Kellogg Company created four six-hour shifts to replace the traditional three daily eight-hour shifts, and the new shifts resulted in increased employee morale and efficiency.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter's seminal book (1977), Work and Family in the United States: A Critical Review and Agenda for Research and Policy, brought the issue of work/life balance to the forefront of research and organizations. (2) In the 1980s and 1990s, companies began to offer work/life programs. While the first wave of these programs were primarily to support women with children, today's work/life programs are less gender-specific and recognize other commitments as well as those of the family.

Work/life balance initiatives are not only a U.S. phenomenon. Employees in global communities also want flexibility and control over their work and personal lives. However, for the purpose of this article, the research and surveys presented focus on work/life balance in the United States.

Defining Work/Life Balance

Life is a balancing act, and in American society, it is safe to say that almost everyone is seeking work/life balance. But what exactly is work/life balance? We have all heard the term, and many of us complain that we don't have enough of it in our lives. Among men and women alike, the frustrating search for work/life balance is a frequent topic of conversation, usually translated into not enough time and/or support to do, to handle, to manage ... our work commitments or personal responsibilities.

"Juggling competing demands is tiring if not stressful and brings lower productivity, sickness, and absenteeism, so work/life balance is an issue for all employees and all organizations." (3)

The meaning of work/life balance has chameleon characteristics. It means different things to different groups, and the meaning often depends on the context of the conversation and the speaker's viewpoint. The following are working definitions of terms used regarding work/life balance; some definitions overlap and some are continuing to evolve.

* Work/family: a term more frequently used in the past than today. The current trend is to use titles that include the phrase work/life, giving a broader work/life connotation or labeling referring to specific areas of support (e.g., quality of life, flexible work options, life balance, etc.)

* Work/family conflict: the push and pull between work and family responsibilities.

* Work/life balance from the employee viewpoint: the dilemma of managing work obligations and personal/family responsibilities.

* Work/life balance from the employer viewpoint: the challenge of creating a supportive company culture where employees can focus on their jobs while at work.

* Family-friendly benefits: benefits that offer employees the latitude to address their personal and family commitments, while at the same time not compromising their work responsibilities.

* Work/life programs: programs (often financial or time-related) established by an employer that offer employees options to address work and personal responsibilities.