Getting the work-life balance right

Work-life balance has been talked about so much over the last five years, yet there are still people who are bothered by it.

Some employers seem to think that it is just a ‘soft’ issue and employees should get on with their work. Equally, there are workers who feel cheated. They feel they have precious little balance in their lives and that work takes up just about their whole life.

Essentially, work-life balance is all about being aware of different demands on time and energy and being able to do something about it. In other words, it’s about choices: having the ability to make choices in the allocation of one’s time and energy.

Most people recognise work-life balance as giving staff a measure of control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when a person’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, the workplace and the community in general.

Obviously, work-life balance has become an issue because people generally work such long hours today. People may be acutely aware that there is more to life than work, yet the pressure of work for many intensifies each year and the number who work long hours is on the increase.

Over the years, there have been moves by governments both inside Australia and beyond, to promote workplace practices that benefit both employees and employers. The theory is that employees with a happy work-life balance tend to be more motivated and productive. In addition, flexible working arrangements usually mean that employers can reduce absenteeism and maximise their available labour.

In practical terms, greater flexibility may include flexi-time, job sharing, working from home and breaks from employment such as maternity and paternity leave.

Good work-life balance seems to be something that well-run firms in competitive markets do naturally. They need to treat their employees well to keep them - if not, their competitors will hire them away.

Now there are quite a few easy-to-use work-life balance software tools which aim to help managers and employees alike to better manage work and life challenges.

For employees the aim of these packages is to enable individuals to have more control, value and balance both professionally and personally. The aim for organisations is to achieve higher performance from more skilled, accountable and committed employees and managers.

There are good reasons why it is important for small and medium-sized businesses to take work-life balance into account. Many small firms rely heavily on a few loyal and multi-skilled employees who are prepared to pull out all the stops. But it is easy to forget they have commitments outside the workplace, too. Where an employer is unable or unwilling to adapt to the needs of employees, then the employees may very well decide that they are better off, working elsewhere.

Of course, getting the right work-life balance weighted appropriately for both employer and employee, is tricky. But where it is achieved, the payoffs can be considerable. Employee retention and commitment levels, work quality and efficiency are all likely to improve. And flexible employment policies can also act as a powerful recruitment incentive, helping to attract new employees with top skills.

The strength of the work-life balance ‘movement’ was demonstrated by the results of a survey conducted over a year ago. A EURES poll was conducted where 47,000 people were questioned in January 2005. (EURES is The European Job Mobility Portal   - a subsidiary of the European Commission and the survey is reported on the EURES website). The survey uncovered that when asked about what would cause people to change their job, the top answer, with 27% of the vote, was ‘better work-life balance.’ This compared with 26% who said they’d change their job ‘to get paid more.’