How to Keep a Balance between the Work-Life and the Time Spent at Home - Case Study Example

Running Head: WORK-LIFE ISSUES MGT 511 Case Assignment 3: Work-Life Issues Submitted by: XXXXXXXX Number: XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX University of XXXXXXXX Work life balance is a growing trend and is a common discussion in the work force in the current time. Although the concept is relatively new, there main link of this concept has been with the long work hours adopted by several baby boomer generation and this also has an impact on the next generation as well. The concept focuses on the need to keep a balance between the work life and the time spent at home in a more equitable manner. The main aim here is to ensure that the individual spends equal time and energy on home matters, family activities and also self well being. Some of main reasons a work life balance is so focused on is the need to spend quality and flexible hours in taking care of the elderly, children and also better health care. With the growing levels of competition the need for flexible working hours and conditions, the concept has been well received by numerous large organisations however has not been very well received by other smaller organisations. A number of the large organisations and medium scaled companies provide the employees with a chance to have shorter work weeks and flexible schedules as well as options to work from home. Also companies are now adopting the flexible work hours and flexible work environment as a part of the corporate social responsibility as well. An excellent source of information for the work place flexibility is that presented by Ken Giglio of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network. The website provides a wide range of flexibility options provided by several companies keeping in mind the needs of the workforce (Giglio, n.d.). As seen in the case study by Giglio, it is evident that companies like AFLAC provide the employees with a flexible work environment and are not very strict in terms of the work hours. The company works on the principle that if the employees are taken care of, then the employees will also take care of the business. The Gen X and Gen Y have very different approaches and perspectives to the work life balance. The differences relate to the attitude of work as well as the views and the changing work demographics in America. The Gen X is more focused on the fulfilment that they achieve from life. The typical family here will include both parents working and in case of any family needs, the wife tends to make changes to her work schedule accordingly. Here in Gen X the women need more flexible work options. However in the case of Gen Y, the men contribute to the work within the house as well. Here the men take up the roles of being a husband, father and also caregiver. This generation does not focus on the traditional gender roles and as explained by Fraone (2010), “Traditional gender roles no longer apply in a marketplace, where women earn over half of all graduate degrees and have (in some industries) the earning potential of their male counterparts” (Fraone, 2010).  Here in Gen Y the men take on the role within the family and here the men tend to be more involved in raising the children and also working towards child care responsibilities as well. As explained by Harrington in Fraone (2010), “The progressive organizations that we work with have developed a wide array of policies to support their employees and many are striving to foster a culture of flexibility, agility and viewing employees as a whole person” (Fraone, 2010). There is however a common issue where the managers or the Gen X workers tend to over look the role of men in home related work and also tend to overlook women who need flexible work conditions for family care. It is also crucial to note here that corporate leadership styles tend to be diverse and this provides a chance to provide better equitable work life balance as well. The leaders within an organisation may not always have children or may have children who are grown, or may not even have elderly to care for within the family. Here these leaders tend to have issues relating to the needs of the work force. The need for flexible work conditions may be construed to be less loyal, not committed, or also not performing up to the mark. As explained by Joshi et.al. (2002), “Employees who are better able to balance the demands on their time are more satisfied and content. This in turns leads to real benefits for the employer in terms of productivity gains, lowered turnover rate, a stronger team spirit, and loyalty to the employer” (Joshi, et al., 2002). In terms of ethics, social responsibility and workplace spirituality, the Gen Y is relatively more focused on employee needs and there is relatively lesser form of discrimination that is persistent in the present times. However in the case of Gen X, the focus was more on the traditional work roles and there was little respect given to the career of women. Ethically, Gen Y is more accurate and also more socially responsible as well. When the stress of balancing work, family and other responsibilities are taken into account, when organisations help provide support to the individuals, this would lead to better and an optimal work life balance. This also encourages the employee to work harder and contribute to the growth of the company as well. Many organisations and leaders still find it difficult to get on board with the work life balance; however the concept is one which is becoming a growingly important element of every business. It is the role of the leaders to support the workers and to meet all their needs including the spiritual needs (Merrill & Merrill, 2004). Also, with the wide and diverse work force, it is for the leaders to focus on every aspect of the spiritual background and also religious background of the employees. With respect to corporate social responsibility, promoting a balance between work and the various cultural, familial and personal needs also allows the organization to recognize differences in culture.       Leaders can make a major difference in the overall work life balance and here the leaders can do so by providing the employees with the necessary religious holidays as well as to take interest into the cultures of all the team members to understand their view points. The company can keep fixed number of paid leaves which the employees can take up as per the needs of their spiritual holidays or celebrations (Whitacre, 2007). The crucial element for successful work life balance implementation within a company is to take the needs of the employees and consider them as important (Harvard Business Review, 2000). Doing so will help keep the employees happy and content, which will also lead to better performance. It is also important to realise that in the current work life scenario, where both men and women are equally focused on the family life as well as career, creating and providing the employees with flexible work timings and working styles helps in motivating the employees to work better (Molloy, 2005). The flexible work environment will provide the individual to meet all their personal agendas and will also help them spend quality time with their family as well (Coffey & Tombari, 2005). In short will permit the employees to be more satisfied which in turn leads to better performance. References Coffey, C., & Tombari, N. (2005). The bottom-line for work/life leadership: Linking diversity and organizational culture. Ivey Business Journal Online , 1. Fraone, J. S. (2010, September 30). Men, Millennials and Continuing the Momentum: Envisioning the Future of Work-Life. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family: http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/category/gen-xgen-y Giglio, K. (n.d.). Workplace Flexibility Case Studies. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Sloan Work and Family Research Network: http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/template.php?name=casestudy Harvard Business Review. (2000). Harvard Business Review on Work and Life Balance . Harvard Business Press. Joshi, S., Leichne, J., Melanson, K., Pruna, C., Sager, N., Story, C. J., et al. (2002). Work-Life Balance… A Case of Social Responsibility orCompetitive Advantage? Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Worklifebalance.com: http://www.worklifebalance.com/assets/pdfs/casestudy.pdf Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. (2004). Life Matters: Creating a dynamic balance of work, family, time, & money. McGraw-Hill. Molloy, A. (2005). Stop Living Your Job, Start Living Your Life: 85 Simple Strategies to Achieve Work/Life Balance. Ulysses Press. Whitacre, T. (2007). Managing a Multigenerational Workforce. Quality Progress , 67, 1 . Read More