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

HR Magazine, June, 2003 by Nancy R. Lockwood

* Compressed workweeks (31% of respondents).

In 2002, the Work/Life Today Survey conducted by the Alliance for Work/Life Progress revealed that an average of 56% of employees used work/life benefits when offered. This survey indicated that the top two benefits provided were EAPs and flexible schedules. (22) It should be noted, however, that each survey is organized differently, whether it be family-friendly or work/life. For example, the SHRM[R] 2003 Benefits Survey covers EAPs under the health section.

With the ever-increasing number of surveys and studies available that focus on family-friendly benefits, human resource professionals who are considering offering work/life programs, or expanding current work/life initiatives, have substantial and convincing data to support their positions.

Work/Life Balance Trends

The challenge of work/life balance in our society is unlikely to disappear. Identified and discussed as follows are four work/life balance trends. Awareness of these trends will place the human resource professional in a position to better educate management and work closely with employees.

New Research

The topic of work/life balance is getting a great deal of attention in the academic and corporate worlds, and new research is continually being conducted. The following is an example of new research in the growing field of work/life balance.

A 2003 study reveals that employees are often preoccupied with work when not working, and when in the company of family and loved ones, experience an inability to be meaningfully engaged in nowork spheres. (23) As researcher Ezzedeen explains, "modern work has become knowledge based, fluid, and intellectual; overworked people think about work all of the time. For many people, work has become cognitively intrusive."

To understand work/life balance, Professor Swiercz and Doctoral Candidate Ezzedeen of The George Washington University developed and tested a cognitive approach, the "Cognitive Intrusion of Work." In simple terms, this means that work/life balance is not just about finding "physical time" to do all that needs to be done. Instead, and more importantly, it is about the "cognitive space" necessary to process, organize, and respond to the thinking demands of life within a complex society.

Ezzedeen and Swiercz found that the cognitive intrusion of work results in lower job satisfaction, less happiness, a greater incidence of work/life conflict, and more frequent burnout. Furthermore, their findings challenge long-held assumptions about the role of personality, gender, family status and age with regard to work/life balance. They found that the experience of intrusion transcends demographics and personality and is rooted instead in the design of the job and the organizational culture of the employer. Commenting on the potential impact of this research on organization policies and practices, Professor Swiercz states, "this research not only gives employers a new benchmarking tool, it also provides a new theoretical basis for understanding this important social issue from a research perspective."