Work Life-Balance Programs for Women - Term Paper Example

Career Women Work Life Balance Program Introduction: For decades the issue of Work Life Balance Program has made its firm roots in the business community (Parsons, 2002). As the business environment becomes more competitive, the employers give emphasis to the work friendly atmosphere to attract employees. Infact younger generation is keener to work in work friendly atmosphere as compared to older generation (Powel and Mainiero, 1999). It would therefore be important to look into the current situation of work life balance program for women. Work Life Balance Program: The term work life balance has been in use for quite a long time and refers to the flexible working atmosphere provided to both parents and non parents in order to keep a balance between their work and personal life. Work life balance programs intent to provide new ways to work and life that give flexible and satisfactory atmosphere to the workers (Zedeck and Mosier, 1990). To put it in the words of Pillinger (2001), work life balance programs provide “adjusting work patterns so that everyone, regardless of age, race or gender, can find a rhythm that enables them more easily to combine work and their other responsibilities and aspirations.” In the words of a layman work life balance program is defined as a “perceived balance between work and the rest of the life (Guest, 2001)”. What do they offer to the employees? There are different types of WLB programs offered to the employees. They are mentioned by Lewison (2006) and are as follows: Flextime: Under this program the employees are given the liberty to choose their beginning and ending work time. However, they must be present at the peak working times i.e. between 10 am to 3 pm. Flexible Week: This program offers flexible timings during the week. The employees are allowed to work longer hours for four days a week or vice versa. Work at Home: Also known as “flexplace” or “telecommuting”, the program allows the employees to work at home. At the same time the employee must keep his/her contact with his/her office through computers or virtual private network. Part Time: This allows workers to have reduced working schedules for family reasons. Job Sharing: It offers employees to share their jobs by dividing their work. Part Time Telecommuting: This program is a combination of working away from the office, working part time along with reduced hours (Lewison, 2006). Leave for maternity, paternity and bereavement are also a part of WLBP (Hatton, n.d.). Necessity of WLBP for women: Work life balance programs become a necessity when the over whelming demands of the work life and the personal life becomes incompatible. Such a situation makes it difficult for the workers to participate in their work life and family life at the same time (Duxbury and Higgins, 2001). There has been a dramatic increase in the adult workingwomen population in the United Kingdom who are in paid employment (Taylor, n.d.). Women, in particular, are in a great need for such kind of programs as they perform multifold domestic duties along with their job at work place. In a survey, it was disclosed that approximately 48% of the women aged between 18-64 have the responsibility of taking care of dependent children and 80% of mothers look after the medical needs of their children. 44% of women believe that they are primarily responsible for the health insurance decisions of their families. More than one fifth of the women having dependent children reported having no access to health facilities (Wyn and Ojeda, 2003). The same survey reported that approximately 71% of the women work full time to support their families. Nearly half of the women complain that they do not get paid when they have to attend a sick child. The low-income women and those involved in part time jobs have reported the same situation (Wyn and Ojeda, 2003). In a European survey it has been reported that women prefer to work lesser hours as compared to men due to the maternal and domestic responsibilities. 80% of women voted for lesser working hours in order to keep a balance in their life (Thornthwaite, 2002). At the same women have twice the responsibilities of child caring as compared to men (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2003). Advantages of Work life Balance Program: It is believed that the WLBP is the need of all the developing and progressing countries. Undoubtedly the program has its own advantages, which are as follows: Reduced Absenteeism: Approximately 25% of employees’ absence from work is due to family issues. Flexible working hours make it easy for the employees to come to work at the time that suits them best (Lewison, 2006). Increased Employee Retention Rate: A noticeable advantage of WLBP is the increased employee retention rate. WLBP have proved effective in employee retention, which saves the hiring, and recruiting costs of the companies (Lewison, 2006). Increased Productivity: WLBP increases the chances of productivity and benefits the employees in the following way. Positive results are produced where employees are able to meet their personal and work demands in a balanced way (Spinks, 2004). It helps the employees to give their hundred percent to their work without getting distracted by their personal life problems (Galynsky, n.d.). Drew, Humphreys and Murphy (2003) state, “personal fulfillment is important inside the work and the satisfaction outside work may enhance employees contribution to work”. 30-50% workers are stressed due to imbalance in their lives (MacBride-King, 1999). Work life Balance programs make it a win win situation within the organization as it helps in saving money of the organization through less sickness absence. At the same time recruitment and training costs are also saved (Hodge, 2000). Reduces Overtime Cost: In big companies flexible working hours helps in reducing the over time cost (Lewison, 2006). Client Retention: With greater productivity come greater chances of client retention and greater productivity is only possible when employees are fully motivated and dedicated to the work (Lewison, 2006). Disadvantages: 1. As far as the work related stress is concerned having no WLBP adds to the stress of the worker. Poor working conditions, job insecurity, meeting the deadlines, heavy workloads, no participation in decision-making are already great sources of stress for the workers. Having no balance in life would certainly add to the stress of the already stressed employee (Duxbury and Higgins, 2001). 2. Having no WLBP affects the physical and mental health of the employees (Duxbury and Higgins, 2001). 3. Employee turnover ratio is seriously affected which causes delayed work in a highly competitive market (Lewison, 2006). 4. Having no WLBP severely affects the employee’s relationship with his/her family, which includes spouse and children. In such a situation, employees are not able to give quality time to their spouse and children, which imposes a negative impact on their relationship (Duxbury and Higgins, 2001). 5. No WLBP affects the working of the organization. The more the employees are stressed out the more they will miss their job. At the same time burn out employees are not able to give their maximum to their job due to which the company’s progress can suffer (Department of Trade and Industry, 2001). 6. Absenteeism and poor work also increases the cost of business (Dept. of Trade and Industry, 2001). Stressed out employees appear to be depressed tend to make more mistakes (Robertson, 2005). 7. Work Life Balance Program may have different meaning for different people as they pass through different stages of life. A single program cannot meet the needs of all the people belonging to different backgrounds (Yeandle, 2005). Is it beneficial? Progress and promotions often are the result of the long working hours, but the real taste of success comes with a balanced approach towards life (Guest, 2001). Job satisfaction, productivity and worker friendly atmosphere are the basic aims of the WLBP (www.worklifebalance.com). Although the companies make tall claims about offering WLBP to its employees, the question still remains the same. Is the WLBP beneficial for the workingwomen? It has been studied that lack of connection at the macro, organizational and individual level affects the proper implementation of the WLB programs (Maxwell and MacDougall, 2004). European studies suggest that both men and women wish for a WLBP. According to a survey approximately 81% of the employees with caring responsibilities recognized the importance of WLB program. Half of the female employees prefer flexible working hours to handsome salary (Hall, 2003). In reality it seems that the plan is of little use to the employees (Rodbourne, 1996). Work Life Balance programs appear attractive to young people at the beginning of the career. With the advancement in employment a greater dissatisfaction with the Work Life Balance program has been reported (Struges, Guest and Davey, 2000). Many employees are of the view that making use of such programs obstructs the possibilities of future growth and lead to low job security (Stevens, Brown and Lee, 2004). Work life Balance program can work effectively only when there exists a cooperative relationship between the employer and the employees. It is believed that the junior employees are afraid to use such programs with the fear that the culture of organizations favors those who give their maximum time to work. Senior women holding managerial posts also harbor the same fears (Hansen, 2002). In a survey carried out by Kaiser Foundation (2003) it has been reported that although the companies do offer such programs to its employees, women are rather reluctant to use it. Women find it difficult to keep a balance between their personal and work life. Nearly half of the women reported that their work suffered when they missed it due to child sickness. Many women, approximately 30% believe skipping work in such a situation obstructs their path to promotion. This fear is greater among low income working women. 38% of single mothers fear non-cooperation by colleagues, 45% fear its effect on job performance and 40% on job evaluation. Caregivers have also expressed similar kind of concerns if they make use of the WLBP (Wyn and Ojeda, 2003). In the UK approximately 35% of the women believe that they will be penalized if they use the facility of WLBP (Henneman, 2005). Women both in the public and private sector demand long and flexible working hours. (Drew et al, 2003). The problem of WLB continues in the upper level positions as well. Women holding executive positions are expected to be more responsible and dedicated to their work. They are expected to have control over their work and working hours. Women in such positions are expected to have a full time dedication to their work for effective management of the companies (Finch, 2003). For this reason senior women are becoming more committed to their work due to competition in the labor market. At the same time they become more vulnerable if they apply for reemployment after loosing a career job (Marshall and Verma, 2001). Women who occupy managerial and other senior posts appear to be highly educated and skilled. Thus they would like to make use of their education and skills rather than taking leave from their jobs and making way for the others in the competition (Yeandle, 2005). Non-understanding colleagues in a competitive environment is the fear of approximately 30% of the working women (Wyn and Ojeda, 2003). Staying in the mainstream forces managers and professionals to take their work home. At least one in three managers and professionals report that working for more than 48 hours makes a negative effect on their lives (Clutterbuck, 2005). Necessity of WLBP for senior women: Personal life for senior women also becomes very demanding. Their role in life takes a new turn. They switch from the daily routine of taking care of their children to the roles of guidance, assistance and providing financial help, friendship and emotional support to the adult children (Yeandle, 2005). Many senior women experience the death of the spouse in the later part of their life. In order to keep themselves busy many grandmothers often take up the role of taking care of their grand children. At the same time they continue to work in order to support themselves (Yeandle, 2005). To enjoy the pleasures of life and at the same time remaining financially independent it becomes essential for such women to benefit themselves from the Work Life Balance Plan. If the WLBP is properly implemented it can be beneficial for the employee, employer and the society as well. Properly implemented plan would result in increased productivity and job satisfaction (Taoiseach et al. 2004). Work Life Action Plan is useful for care giving women who have to keep a balance between their work and personal life. According to the survey carried out by Kaiser Foundation approximately 10% of women belonging to all ages (18-64) have the responsibility of taking care of their family members who are disabled. 54% have to take care of their chronically sick parent or parent in law. 18% have to take care of their chronically sick child (Wyn and Ojeda, 2003). The work life balance program appears beneficial for the employees. However, a number of factors play an important role in determining the efficacy of the plan. They include: -Economic background of the employee. -Economic position of the country -Geographical location of the country (Heskett, 2004) The above three factors affect the employee’s response towards the WLBP. A number of women occupying managerial positions have expressed their views on the Work Life Balance program in the article “Worklife- Is productivity in the balance? A Nigerian Training Manager working at Odu’a Telecoms Nigeria gives no importance to the WLBP in an environment where poverty dominates. The poor environment of the country forces her to “work to live” and get intimately involved in her work. Lisa Grainger, Management Consultant, Freelance also gives no importance to WLBP and calls it “one of the biggest mistakes an organization can make”. She further states that an organization will never achieve business benefits and the results can be destructive (Heskett, 2004). On the other hand some view it as an attractive benefit for the employees although they accept the fact that it is difficult to achieve in the fast progressing world. A workingwoman in the developing country, India, is of the view that people are willing to work on lesser pay without complaining. People work hard to make ends meet which leaves no time for life enjoyment (Heskett, 2004). Stacy Kraus, Manager Sales Service, BOC Gases is of the view that productivity is essential for the progress of the organization which is possible only through balance in work and personal life. A Marketing Manager for nine years eventually gave up her job and switched to less demanding job in order to “work to live” and not “live to work” which she did previously (Heskett, 2004). Many Americans believe that quality work cannot be achieved without working 60-70 hours a week. While most Europeans take time out for vacations many American find it only a dream. Majority of Americans believe that vacations come in the way of promotions and rewards. Susan Seitel, President, Work and Family Connection Inc. believes that the competitive working environment in America does not allow women to make use of WLBP (Heskett, 2004). Another workingwoman, Deborah Kessler, Staff Accountant, Southern Cross Corp. believes life must be enjoyed along with work. As such she values WLBP and utilizes it to the maximum. As more women are entering in the labor market (Crawford, n.d.) there is a growing demand to review the present policies of work life balance program. There is a need to make these policies friendlier so that the women do not hesitate to use it when the demand of family care burdens their shoulders. Conclusion: To conclude it would be pertinent to review the over all situation of the WLBP. In this competitive world every organization offers such plans that promote worker friendly atmosphere in order to attract the best-qualified people among the lot. However, as has been viewed employers, in particular, the workingwomen find it difficult to make use of such plans. Sometimes the environment of the organization and sometimes of the house does not allow women to utilize the so-called facilities. However, this is applicable to a sizable population of the workingwomen. Many women do take benefits of the WLBP in order to keep a healthy work and house environment (Perlow, 1995). At the same time research also shows that such women are not economically burdened to make ends meet. It is for this reason further research and methods need to been evaluated in order to provide a wok friendly atmosphere, which is the true right of every employee. References: Clutterbuck, D. (Feb, 2005). “Is Work Life Balance an Unreachable Dream?” Softworks Computing Limited, The online magazine of Softworks Computing Limited Issue, Rertieved on November 23, 2006 from http://www.softworks-computing.com/feb_05/worklifebal.html Crawford, Neil. (n.d.). “Diversity Planning”. BPIR Management Brief: Vol. 3 Issue 8. Center for Organizational Excellence Research, pg. 4. Department of Trade and Industry, (2001). “The Business Case: Your Business can’t afford to miss it.” DTI Publications Retrieved on November 23, 2006 from www.dti.gov.uk/publications. Duxbury, L. and Higgins, C. 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(Sept. 2002). “Work-Family Balance: International Research on Employee, Preferences”, Sydney: ACIRRT, University of Sydney, p. 8 “Work Life Effectiveness”, (n.d.) www.worklifebalance.com Retrieved November 23, 2006 from http://www.worklifebalance.com/worklife-effectiveness.html Wyn, R., Ojeda, V. (April 2003). “Women, Work and Family Health, A Balancing Act”, An Update on Women’s Health Policy, The Henry. J Kaiser Family Foundation. Pg 1-4 Yeandle, S. (2005), “Older Workers and Work Life Balance”, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Sheffield Hallam University, pg. 1-18. Zedeck, S. and Mosier, K. (1990). “Work in the Family and Employing Organization”, American Psychologist, 45. pg. 240-251. Read More