Work–life balance

Work–life balance policies define how the organization intends to allow employees greater
flexibility in their working patterns so that they can balance what they do at work with the
responsibilities and interests they have outside work. The policy will indicate how flexible work
can be developed and implemented. It will emphasize that the numbers of hours worked must not
be treated as a criterion for assessing performance. It set out guidelines on the specific
arrangements that can be made, such as flexible hours, compressed working week, term-time
working contracts, working at home, special leave for parents and careers, career breaks and
various kinds of child care.

Work–life balance employment practices are concerned with providing scope for employees to
balance what they do at work with the responsibilities and interests they have outside work. The
aim is to reconcile the often competing claims of work and home by meeting the needs of
employees as well as those of their employers. As Kodz et al (2002) explain, the principle of
work–life balance is that ‘There should be a balance between an individual’s work and their life
outside work, and that this balance should be healthy.’

The Work Foundation (2003) defined the concept of work–life balance as ‘about employees
achieving a satisfactory equilibrium between work and non-work activities (ie parental
responsibilities and wider caring duties, as well as other activities and interests)’. The Work
Foundation recommends that practical day-to-day business and related needs should be
considered when organizations set about selecting the range of work–life options that should be
made available to staff, whether on a collective basis (as for example flexitime arrangements) or
on an individual level (say, allowing individuals flexibility to change hours of work during term
time). Individual requests for a particular working arrangement generally need to be considered
on a case-by-case basis, but it is important for a culture to exist which does not discourage
employees from making such requests. In addition to fearing the reaction of line managers, the
risk of career-damage is a common reason for poor take-up of work–life balance arrangements in
the form of flexible hours. Line management will need to be convinced that work–life balance
measures are important and pay off in terms of increased engagement.

Work-life balance has been described in many .different ways, including being judged by one
prominent commentator as a complete misnomer on the grounds that work is, for most of us,
actually a very important part of life. The term can also be seen as suggesting that work is not
good for us, or at best a necessary evil, when in fact we know that people gain in so many ways
not just financially from being in work. Health, relationships and all round well-being is
improved by being in work and in daily contact with others.

A work-life balance strategy should include family friendly policies but it is important to
remember that work-life balance is not just for employees with dependent children. Other
examples include :

1)Employees at the end of their careers balancing their work with leisure opportunities.
2)Employees with dependent elderly relatives.
3)Employees balancing their work with further education.
According to the Work Foundation, "Work-life balance is about people having a measure of
control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when an individual's right to a
fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual
benefit of the individual, business and society".

Working practices that acknowledge and aim to support the needs of staff in achieving a balance
between their home and working lives.

The introduction of work-life balance policies should be equitable for all employees and it is
important that employees without young children do not feel discriminated against.

Work Life Options

Organizations are directing more attention and resources toward helping employees balance their
work and family demands. Driving this work-family tension are a number of variables related to
the changing demographics of the workforce. For example, the number of women and single
parents entering the workforce is expected to continue increasing. Often viewed as primary
caregivers, these individuals will experience stress as they attempt to balance career and family
priorities. Another example of demographic changes includes the increase in dual-career

1) Job Sharing : Job sharing is a work arrangement in which two or more employees divide a
job's responsibilities, hours and benefits among themseives. Several steps are critical to the
success of such job-sharing programs, including identifying those jobs that can be shared,
understanding employees' individual sharing style and matching "partners" who have
complementary scheduling needs and skills. Companies such as Core States Financial, Bank of
America, AT&T, Kraft and Household International all have job-sharing options available for
their employees.

2) Flextime : Flextime is another type of flexible work arrangement in which employees can
choose when to be at the office. For example, 'employees may decide that instead of working 5
days a week for 8 hours a. day, they may prefer to work a 4-day/10-hour per day work schedule.
With this schedule, the employees do not have to be at the office on Friday. To avoid peak rush
hour. other employees might use their flextime to arrive at and leave from work one hour later
Monday through Friday. For example, Eli Lilly reports that 5,600 of the company's 22,600 U.S.
employees or 25 percent of its workforce, work some type of flexible schedule. One research
study concluded that flexible workweek schedules had a positive influence on employee
performance, job satisfaction and absenteeism. These authors also reported that flextime
programs should not be too unstructured and that they lose some of their effectiveness over time.
Companies that offer flextime options include Hewlett-Packard, Merrill Lynch and Cigna.

3)Telecommunicating: Telecommunicating refers to the work arrangement that allows

employees to work in their homes part or full-time, maintaining their connection and
communication with the office through phone, fax and computer. Though oftentimes resisted by
managers who fear loss of control and subordinate accessibility, one company has taken a
methodical approach to implementing a telecommuting program. Pfizer Inc., a large health care
company, took the following steps to establish their program:
i)Chose a small division to pilot the telecommuting initiative.
ii)Limited the number of days to work at home to two per week.
iii)Opened the program to all employees of the division.
iv)Required interested employees to satisfy a formal proposal and performance standards.
v)Required demonstration that the work could be accomplished off-site and that the employee
could sustain and/or enhance performance.

4) Compressed Work Weeks : A variation of flex-time is the compressed work week. This
generally squeezes the hours of a "normal" work week into a shorter period to allow for a regular
day off. Examples include four 10-hour days with the fifth day off or nine-hour days with the
tenth day off. Many other different hourly combinations can be created to meet the needs of the
employee and the business. For example, the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency
offers an alternative work week programme that provides employees with the option of working
four 10-hour days so they can have the fifth day off or working 70 hours in nine days so they can
have the tenth day off. Employers benefit from such arrangements by being able to provide
employees with a zero-cost benefit. Such arrangements can also be used to save one day a week
of operating costs or to provide more overall hours of coverage without running additional shifts
or accruing overtime.

5)New Rules for Managers : To reap the full value of flexible arrangement, employers need to
involve employees in the work process and let them know they are valued. Managers taking the
time, outside of performance reviews, for career discussions can accomplish this. Such
discussions can help employees clarify the fit between themselves and their work schedules and,
in turn, uncover and address lifestyle issues that impact their job, while demonstrating that the
company is willing to step "outside-the-box" to assist them in getting ahead. While it may be
difficult at first to gauge the bottom-line benefits of new work arrangements, many employers
report they quickly noticed an elevation in morale and commitment to the organization. Just as
significantly, flex-time arrangements have been shown to provide a competitive advantage for
attracting and retaining top professionals.

6)Part-time Work : Part-time work is beneficial for those employees who are students and for
those parents with young children who need the flexibility provided by part-time work. Part-time
employment adds many highly qualified individuals to the labor market by permitting employees
to address both job and personal needs. For many reasons, some people neither want nor need
full-time employment. Unfortunately, some parties have historically regarded part-time
employees as second-class workers. It is necessary to change this perception if part-time
programs are to be successful.

7)Modified Retirement : Modified retirement is an option that permits older employees to work
fewer than their regular hours for a certain period preceding retirement. This option allows an
employee to avoid an abrupt change in lifestyle and move gracefully into retirement. It also
afforts employers the opportunity to capitalize on needed experience and skills at a relatively low
cost. To prosper with a diverse workforce, organizations need to develop workplace flexibility.
Apparently, some firms resist this shift. For example, the view the 'presence equals productivity'
remains part of many corporate cultures. Flexible options seem to work best in environments
characterized by freedom, trust responsibility and respect. It is encouraging that some
organizations are altering traditional approaches to jobs and work, not only to cut costs, but also
to ease conflicts between work and family responsibilities and to attract and retain 'qualified
people. If organizations achieve these goals, it seems reasonable that they will become more
productive and more competitive globally.

Advantages of Work Life Balance

The benefits to employers of 'promoting a work-life balance may be difficult to measures, but
doubting employers should perhaps consider also the effects of not allowing their workers to
balance their working life with their private and family lives. Some of the benefits of promotion
a work-life balance can be that :

1.Employees are likely to demonstrate more loyalty and commitment to the employer if the
employer is showing 'consideration for their needs.
2.Increased loyalty and commitment lead to better performance at an individual level and thus
increased productivity at an organizational level.
3.There will be a decrease in sickness absence and its associated costs.
4)There will be a lower staff turnover, substantially reducing the employer's recruitment,
induction and training costs.
5.A more relaxed and flexible workplace culture can encourage employees to come forward with
ideas and suggestions for improvement, which in turn can benefit the organization.
6.The employer will become an employer of choice and will be more able to attract and retain
the best people.