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

HR Magazine, June, 2003 by Nancy R. Lockwood

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), offered by many employers, are an excellent resource for employees under stress. EAPs provide a myriad of services, from drug and alcohol abuse counseling to addressing family and marriage problems, financial and legal difficulties, and stress-related problems. In addition, in line with the times and the increasing stress levels in our society, a new profession has emerged: work/life professionals. The concept of work/life professionals originally developed as an extension of wellness programs (established as early as 1933) and EAPs (created in the 1940s). The Alliance for Work/Life Progress (http://www.awlp.org), the national association for work/life professionals, leads and promotes work/life initiatives in business, academia, and the public sector to support a healthier work/life balance between work, personal, and family life.

Work/life programs represent a largely untapped workplace solution that have the potential to significantly address stressful work environments.

The Employer's Perspective: Return on investment (ROI)

An employer's commitment to work/life initiatives is influenced by the perception of whether or not such initiatives have a positive return on investment. In recent years, employers increasingly realize that the quality of an employee's personal and family life impacts work quality and that there are concrete business reasons to promote work and family integration.

Diversity and Work/Life Balance

While some companies may view diversity and work/life balance as separate functions, the business case for managing diversity is, in large part, the same for work/life balance. Both diversity and work/life initiatives promote employee commitment, improve productivity, lower turnover, result in fewer employee relations challenges, and decrease the likelihood of unethical business practices.

Diversity and work/life initiatives can be found at the core of the new social contract being negotiated between employers and employees. "The basic outline of the social contract, as it has emerged during the past several years, calls for workers to commit their best contributions and greatest energies to the job in return for interesting work, respectful treatment, developmental opportunities, and an environment that responds to individual needs. Where those provisions conflict (e.g., the degree of commitment and energy expected by employers versus the flexibility required by employees), the expertise of both diversity management and work/life professionals will be critical to find win-win solutions."(8)

Is Your Organization Culture-Ready for Work/Life initiatives?

"A common thread that links the reasons work/life benefits go unused is organizational culture."(9)

Before establishing work/life initiatives, it is important to know if the organization's culture is open and ready to support work/life programs. The path to determining culture readiness may be as formal as using an employee survey assessment or as simple as a thoughtful judgment made by the organization. The following provides food for thought regarding whether an organization is ready to begin work/life initiatives.