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Strategies
and Advice on Work and Life:
April 2008 |
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This
Issue
The Imbalance of
Work/Life Balance |
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The
Imbalance of Work/Life Balance
Introduction
The
Three Pillars
Work/Life Balance in Organizations
Nine
Questions to Ask Yourself
Your Own Work/Life Balance
Consultant, Speaker,
Author About Simma
Forward
it to a friend
The Lieberman Learning Letter |
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Introduction
I’ve been writing and speaking
about work/life balance for over
18 years. Hundreds of thousands
of people have taken workshops
on work/life balance and tried
to make changes in their lives.
Senior leaders have supported
wellness programs for their
employees and lent words of
encouragement at their kick-off.
Yet, as much as I love speaking,
writing and helping people in
organizations with work/life
balance, I see imbalance in
the work/life balance discussion.
And this imbalance stems from focusing only on
the individual and not on the
role the organization plays in
helping its employees achieve
true work/life balance.
Did you know the following?
• Health Care expenses are
almost 50% higher for Workers
who report high levels of stress1
• People who experience
work/life imbalance are three
times more likely to suffer from
heart problems, infections,
injuries, mental health problems
and back pain, and five times
more likely to suffer from
certain cancers2
• Workers who have to take time
off work because of stress,
anxiety or a related disorder
will be off the job for about 20
days3
As these statistics show,
work/life balance is still an
important (and costly) issue
both for individuals and the
organizations they work for.
So, in this issue of the
Lieberman Learning Letter, I
expand the work/life balance
discussion and make the case
that for true work/life balance
to occur, there must be
alignment around three different
components of work/life balance:
organizational programs, a
supportive culture, and
individual responsibility and
accountability.
Here's to better balance in
2008!
Simma Lieberman
Associates
"The Inclusionist"
Helping to Create
Profitable Cultures
Consulting,
Speaking, Training
Diversity
Strategy, Diversity Dialogues, Gender Communication
1
Journal
of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine
2
Policy
Research Initiative of the
Government of Canada
3
Bureau
of Labor Statistics
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The
Three Pillars of Work/Life Balance in
Organizations
by
Simma Lieberman
To
achieve work/life balance in any
organization or institution, a work/life
balance initiative must be supported at
three levels: the programmatic level,
the cultural level, and the individual
level. Here's an overview of what a
holistic approach to a work/life balance
initiative looks like:
1. The Programmatic Level
Organizations that truly support
work/life balance have a combination of
programs that support the balance they
are advocating to their employees. Such
programs may include:
-
EAP
programs, so employees can get
expert help dealing with stress
related issues and be more relaxed
at work and at home
-
Flex time, in such forms as: longer
work days so that employees either
work four days a week or have every
other Friday off; allowing employees
to start work early in the morning
so they can leave early or they
start later and stay later; or, job
sharing and part-time telecommuting.
-
Personal time off (in addition to
sick leave and holidays) so
employees can take care of family or
personal needs
-
Childcare support: on-site, company
run but off-site, or contracts for
discounts from external providers in
locations close to work or employees
homes
-
Onsite fitness programs or discounts
at gyms and fitness centers
-
In
house stores and on-site concierge
services
These
kinds of programs work. Others—such
as putting a stop to people working
overtime in the name of work/life
balance—do not. Too often, nothing
is done about reducing the workload
alongside this new requirement. As a
result, employees end up either
taking more work home or come in
extra early to finish their work.
They cover up their overtime because
they don't want their managers to
think that can't get their work
done. Not only is this stressful,
but they don't even get paid for
their additional time.
2. The Cultural Level
At
the same time, organizations need a
culture that supports work/life
balance for all employees. This
means that it is being driven by
senior management and is
incorporated into the culture at all
levels. The CEO and everyone in
management sets the example and
allows employees to take personal
time off, spend time with friends
and family and attend workshops.
Work/life balance programs are
doomed if management gives lip
service, tells employees they should
take time for themselves, and not
work overtime, and then piles on the
work and asks employees to cancel or
reschedule vacations and personal
time off because there is so much
work to do. At the same time, if
management is perceived to be
working 80 hours a week, always
stressed out and not taking care of
their health, employees get the same
message that they can’t take time
off or take advantage of programs
that could help them.
A
good work/life balance initiative
starts with an assessment of
employees at all levels to determine
what is best for the people in your
organization and how to set-up a
culture that supports and enables
people to do what is best for them,
and therefore best for the
organization.
3. Individual Responsibility and
Accountability
Finally, it's essential to embed
into a work/life balance initiative
individual responsibility and
accountability. After all, you can
create a work/life balance culture,
have the best programs and services
in place but it is up to you and
your employees to use them. You have
no control over what people do when
they leave work. They can choose to
stay home and obsess about work, or
take work home every night and
weekend, or use their time off to be
a couch potato, channel surf and
sleep. They can live on fatty foods,
smoke and feel bad or they can enjoy
their time away from work, engage in
hobbies, exercise, eat well, be
happy, healthy and come back to work
with renewed passion and energy.
When work/life balance initiatives
incorporate individual
responsibility measures, this
increases the chances that whatever
new steps individuals take as a
result of a workshop or program on
work/life balance, they will
continue it.
In
short, all three components have to be
in place to create true work/life
balance. Without programs, individuals
will be on their own to tackle a
systematic challenge. Without a
supporting culture, programs you create
will not be fully utilized and
leveraged. And, without individual
responsibility and accountability, there
will be a lot of talk about
work/life balance, but not a lot of
walking that talk.
Senior
leaders, managers and employees need to
view work/life balance as being in their
interest. Organizations and individuals
need to be clear about the benefits in
terms of performance, productivity and
profit and the consequences of doing
nothing. And work/life balance
initiatives need to be set-up and
structured with these three components
in mind.
Contact us
to learn more about Simma's holistic approach to
work/life balance and how it can
transform your organization.
Call
Simma Lieberman Associates at (510)-527-0700.
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Nine Questions to Ask Yourself about
Your Own Work/Life Balance
To
start thinking about work/life balance
in your organization, ask yourself the
following:
-
What would Work/Life Balance in your
organization look like?
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What are the organizational
strengths that support Work/Life
Balance at every level?
-
What are the challenges in creating
Work/Life Balance in your
organization?
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What needs to be done to over come
the challenges?
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Who
else needs to be involved?
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Within your work position what can
you do to create Work/Life Balance
for yourself and your organization?
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What are you doing to create
Work/Life balance for yourself?
-
Are
there any programs or policies at
work that you are not using that
could be helpful?
-
Are
you taking the time to remember to
breathe every day?
For more insight on building your
work/life balance, read the following
articles:
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About
Simma...
Simma helps organizations create more profitable cultures
and improve individual and
organizational performance. She is a consultant, speaker, and
trainer. Simma is the co-author of Putting Diversity to Work (Crisp Publications,
2003), a guide for managers on leading a diverse workforce.
Simma is often called "The Inclusionist" because of her
ability to improve communication amongst people who are different. She is
quoted in various national magazines and news sources, including The
Economist, Redbook, NY Times, Investor's Business Daily,
First For Women, Human Resources Executive,
Black MBA,
MSNBC and Fox News. Her clients include McDonalds, Pillsbury,
Lucent Technologies, Motorola, AT&T, Monster.com, Diageo, Stanford Court
Hotel, and the Women's Food Service Forum.
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The Lieberman Learning Letter
The Lieberman Learning Letter is an occasional e-newsletter containing information from Simma's workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches. Simma
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