Managing Work and Life Balance and Wellness - Coursework Example

Running head: HRM: Managing Work/Life Balance and Wellness HRM: Managing Work/Life Balance and Wellness [Institute’s HRM: Managing Work/Life Balance and Wellness Abstract This paper analyses different range of challenges faced by human resource managers and the outcomes of these challenges. Strategists and analysts actually believe in the idea that human resource management is an idea of four aspects. These four aspects are ability, motivation, role perception and situational contingencies. Contemporary society depicts huge number of issues and conflicts, and in this scenario, human resource managers are now confronting the issue of allowing employees to keep a balance between their workplace and home responsibilities. In response, management of human relations is an imperative issue due to educational diversity of workers in an organisation. Besides managing human relations with employees, HR managers confront the similar challenge from employers as well. On one hand, employees feel hanging between workplace and home, and on the other hand, employers expect HR managers to provide a workplace environment that may enable them to focus on their jobs. In this regard, two-way support system at home in shape of partner, and similar support system in the form of HR manager will play a significant role in resolving various issues of work/life balance and wellness. HRM: Managing Work/Life Balance and Wellness Background This paper is of utmost importance because it deals with the international and local managerial issues that managers face in today’s world. HRM is of utmost importance in today’s world and that is the reason why organisations stress a lot on human resource management issues. The paper analyses different range of challenges faced by human resource managers and the outcomes of these challenges while specifically discussing issues regarding management of work/life balance and wellness that has now become a major concern for organisations globally. In the similar manner, this paper also focuses on the approaches and choices of human resource managers in this regard. Human resource management actually revolves in the scenario of managing people and solving their queries in both the short and the long run. Strategists and analysts actually believe in the idea that human resource management is an idea of four aspects. These four aspects are ability, motivation, role perception and situational contingencies (Bratton and Gold, pp. 54-58, 2001). A human resource manager that can easily incorporate these aspects is successful in both the short and the long run. Both the organisation and the employees are satisfied if all these four aspects are applied in an organisational context. Such four factors are applicable in the issue of managing work/life balance and wellness as well. Findings Contemporary society depicts huge number of issues and conflicts, and in this scenario, human resource managers are now confronting the issue of allowing employees to keep a balance between their workplace and home responsibilities. Experts (Bottling & Braham, pp. 23-25, 1998) have identified few factors that are playing a significant role in enhancing the importance of work/life balance issue at workplace that are rapid advancement in the global competition, paradigm shift of human society to give importance to personal lives, and lastly, huge number of aging workforce globally. Experts have suggested that innovative HRM managers are implementing strategies that may provide a win-win situation to the employees to keep a balance in their personal and workplace life. Recent studies (Bratton and Gold, pp. 54-58, 2001) have observed a paradigm shift in individuals’ thinking style that is now shifting from work/work to work/life and even dominating personal life over workplace responsibilities that has become a challenge for HRM managers to provide a comfortable workplace environment to the employees that may eliminate the confrontations of employees. Usually, issue of work/life balance relates to lack of time available for carrying out home responsibilities due to workload at the office. However, researches Noël & Gerhard, pp. 49-52, 2007) have indicated different definitions of work/life issue. For instance, from an employee’s perspective, work/life issue is like a dilemma that continues to confuse employees during their decisions for managing workplace duties and giving time to families. Researchers (Noël & Gerhard, pp. 49-52, 2007) have indicated that employees usually end up in avoiding family life to sustain their job at the workplace; however, such action results in lack of motivation at workplace that can be crucial and adverse for the organisation. In response, management of human relations is an imperative issue due to educational diversity of workers in an organisation. The choices human resource managers have are quite wide and varied and they can incorporate different motivational strategies to resolve employee related issues. Human resource managers can incorporate both extrinsic and intrinsic managerial approaches when they are managing the employees. In the business decision-making process, they should make sure that all the employees and the related stakeholders are aligned with the mission and vision of the organisation. In other words, HR managers should work as a strategic partner of employees that will be a determining factor in motivating employees, both in short, as well as in long run. The human resource managers in an organisation should try their level best to incorporate all the basic elements of hiring prospective employees, managing them and finally managing the workplace in a proactive manner (Noe, Hollenback, & Gerhart, pp. 23-25, 2007). Besides managing human relations with employees, HR managers confront the similar challenge from employers as well. On one hand, employees feel hanging between workplace and home, and on the other hand, employers expect HR managers to provide a workplace environment that may enable them to focus on their jobs. In this regard, HR managers have to satisfy both employees, as well as employers in this issue that has been a crucial challenge for them. In this case, HR managers enjoy few tools that allow them to motivate employees, such as family benefits, etc that facilitate employees in fulfilling family requirements without compromising the workplace responsibilities. A number of organisations are now offering HR managers with tools like work/life programmes that offer employees with options of time benefit or financial benefit that will enable the employee to acquire some time to spend with the family that is an innovative tool and benefit for HR managers. In addition, HR experts (Noël & Gerhard, pp. 49-52, 2007) have suggested that HR managers should motivate employees to create support systems at home, as well as at workplace that is a significant factor in dealing with work/life balance and wellness factor. Every individual confronts family conflicts and issues, and recent researches (Noël & Gerhard, pp. 49-52, 2007) have indicated serious concerns regarding the impact of such family issues on the workplace. At the same time, employees face workplace issues and conflicts that affect family and personal life as well. In this regard, two-way support system at home in shape of partner, and similar support system in the form of HR manager will play a significant role in resolving various issues of work/life balance and wellness. However, in absence of support system on any one of the platforms, employees begin to increase their stress levels resulting in absenteeism, distrust, abuse, alcohol, etc that affect workplace, as well as home responsibilities. For such purpose, employee assistance programmes are essential and efficient tools for HR managers that can facilitate employees, especially in stress. Counseling is one of the key facilities of employee assistance programmes that may address family problems, workplace issues, or any other personal problems. However, HR managers should treat these programmes as very important and must keep things confidential, as presence of distrust in such programmes will result in reverse outcomes. Lastly, a major challenge confronted by HR managers is assessment and measurement of outcomes of abovementioned efforts regarding work/life balance and wellness. Although such initiatives and efforts will result in positive outcomes; however, experts have indicated that HR managers will have to play the role of a strategic alliance in order to determine the impact of their efforts on the employees. This is possible by monitoring employees’ performance, interest, and motivation level; however, it requires huge amount of efforts from HR managers. Conclusion Thus, concisely, organisations are getting bigger and stronger day by day and they are adopting new and modernised techniques in order to succeed in both the short and the long run. However, despite of introduction of technological advancements, human resource management strategies of an organisation are of utmost importance that is the reason there are many organisations that rely a lot on these human resource managerial strategies. Although work/life balance and wellness issue exists since centuries; however, alterations in the contemporary society have enforced HR managers to give utmost importance to this issue, and thus, HR managers are playing a significant role in facing these challenges and resolving them effectively. Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of the issue of managing work/life balance and wellness that has been one of the crucial challenges confronted by HR managers. It is an expectation that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the topic. References Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2001). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Lawrence Erlbaum. Noe, R., Hollenback, J., & Gerhart, B. (2007). Human Resource Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bottling, B. H., Braham, E. (1998). Flexible work arrangements: Managing the work-family boundary. John Wiley & Sons. Read More