Importance of Balancing Private and Work Life - Coursework Example

? IMPORTANCE OF BALANCING PRIVATE AND WORK LIFE Introduction The capa for an individual to perform a certain responsibility represent various benefits such as a change to earn livelihood, sustain a family, meet one’s own desires for accomplishment, contribute meaningfully and effectively to the well-being of the society and contribute to multitude of advantages to the productivity of an organization. This work related results have a crucial effect on the general outlook of people’s private life and health condition. Similarly, work can lead to depression because of difficulty of various responsibilities, associated deadlines with the responsibilities and the client co-workers interact with every day. Therefore, experts argue that although work has various beneficial attributes, it may have negative influences on the workforce and overall productivity of the organization. Both the adverse and negative impacts of work are closely associated with the private life of workers. While work life may influence private life, the contrary is true, as well. Private life experiences can also affect work in either adverse or positive manner. The discussion will investigate the benefits of balancing between private and work life in the profitability of the organization and workers’ satisfaction and comfort. Discussion It is most rational to consider that various employees strive towards attaining happiness, better health and productive private and work lives. To increases, the probability of attaining satisfaction, privates and work live must be stabilized, (Lewis, Brannen and Nilsen, 2009, p. 48). Work and private life balance is a subset of private life and work life equilibrium and suggests that employees are satisfied in both aspects of life. Private and work life interface is mainly explained as a circle of social tasks, which are linked to these crucial life aspects. It is rather obvious that attaining equilibrium amid these diverse life aspects reflects a progressive and complex effort. The outcome of these efforts is a vibrant stability that entails managing challenges, stress or constraints within the work and private life context, (Schulz, 2010, p. 50). A different perspective of looking at the situation is to consider the stability between the two aspects as a result of managing private life-work challenges. Work-life stability implies sustaining effective and healthy workstation that allows workforce to strike a balance between employments responsibilities and private tasks, and thus reinforce worker allegiance and productivity, (Lomas, 2005, p. 63). Sociological studies reveal that two in eight workers experience increased levels of struggle between private and work life oriented on private life-to-work interruption and parental constraint. If task burden is added, then more than 62% of workers interviewed suffer private life and work struggles. Of all the employment aspects that affect family-work challenge, the number of hours spend in the office is the extensive and most persistent aspect, (Drobnic? and Guille?n, 2011, p 45). The increased levels of work to life challenges reported by administrators and executives often are a production of their prolonged stay in the offices. Additional factors include security of job, managers or supervisors’ support, ambiguity or complexity of work role, work dissatisfaction and enormous utilization of communication techniques, which shapes the precincts between private life and work. In the modern world, today, employees have various conflicting roles like work, kids, household chores volunteering activities, aged and kin parent attention and mounts stress on people, societies and families where people live. Similarly, these private life obligations and commitments mount stress on the overall commitment to work responsibilities and production of an organization, (Grossman and Chester, 1990, p. 82). In other words, work-family challenge is an adverse limitation that affects employees, their supervisors or managers, their places of work and the wider society. Statistics reveal that this challenge is heightening over time because of increased female workforce involvement rates, high percentages of single parent household, the emergence and dominance of dual-earner households and new trends like aged care. The challenges are further accelerated with the elderly population, effects of globalization and traditionally reduced unemployment. Therefore, to achieve work satisfaction, personal productivity and organizational productivity employees need to strike stability between their private life (leisure and families roles) and work place obligations and requirements, (Goward, 2005, 23). Experts agree that the sanctuary of imaginations is minimally hostile, but depression can make one outrageous and depression is the converse of family and work balance. Statistics suggests that between 30 to 45% of work tension suffered by various United State employees is attributable to workplace tension. Company employers and managers recognize that tension and depression is the depletion on workers innovativeness and productivity, and some provide or predicts mechanisms to address and manage the stress. For instance, for employees in small-scale companies, it is their role to integrate other activities that function effectively with their private life such as, family chores, talents, leisure time, meaningful friendships and productive considerations, (Peper, Doorne-Huiskes and Dulk, 2005, p. 47). Economists agree that it is crucial to develop an essential mixture for workers because with family and work life equilibrium, any career objectives one has designed for himself will not produce because of the inability of the body and mind to maintain the standard. Identifying one’s career bay entails more than collecting and applying various organizational and work information. Learning to establish a stable work and private life equilibrium can assist by replenishing and restoring one’s body and mind that consequently, aid him highlight which objectives are most crucial for him and trigger achievement using such goals. Balancing private life and work life balance can entail various practices ranging from having enough and adequate sleep to eradicated adverse conditions and people from one’s circle to increasingly complicated strategies involved in creating and keeping advantageous and meaningful peers, workplace and family connections or networks. Researchers suggest the cost of organizational success will be increasingly higher if workers fail to stabilize their work and private lives. Meaningful and supporting work-family balance benefits motivate workforce to work harder and encourage them to retain their jobs. Negative impacts of workers work and private live conflicts Prolonged work time and increasingly depression obligations impede workers ability to blend work and private live and are linked to health problems including heightened drug use and abuse, stress and obesity. Conflicts in the workplace have been linked with increased psychological and mental tortures, as well as physical health challenges, (Lewis, Brannen and Nilsen, 2009, p. 48). Recent studies reveal that women are more vulnerable than men to experience increased role overload levels and caregiver constraints. Women commit increased amount of their time than weekly than men, to outside work tasks like childcare, aged care and in most cases, have key obligations for unpaid work like domestic labour. In addition, related studies indicate that women similarly experience reduced spousal assistance for their work than men. Even though women report increased chances of private life and work challenges than their male counterpart, the percentage of private life and work challenges witnessed in males is increasing. The struggle amidst work and personal life has adverse impacts on the life management. According to research, approximately two in every eight Canadian and United States women confess that their job obligations influence their capacity to meet their household roles. Similarly, home commitment to home obligations also influences the production level and ability to complete and fulfill organizational goals, (Houston, 2005, p. 56). Young generation workers who experience prolonged work hours, the demand of twenty-four hour connection and high globalization pleasures are starting to pressurize adjustments and changes from their managers. In addition, individuals in aged worker sectors were operating for more hours now that they used to and requesting changes in job arrangements to integrate their requirements of lifestyle. Current practices In the globalized world, today, realizing the cost effects related to overloaded workers including operational and production costs, workers absenteeism, time management, devotion and functionality, (Houston, 2005, p. 90). Some companies have even enrolled and incorporated work and the private life stability programs such as increases investment return, hiring and retention of workers, legislations, labour union control and costs regulation. Some employers also encourage their employees to participate in co curriculum activities such as sports, holiday tours and organized day outs to help replenish their workers mind and body for better performance. Various practices are being utilized to aid workers attain the balance between work and private life. It is crucial to mention that certain work and private life stability strategies aid workers to minimize levels of workplace stress by destabilizing work life. An increasing number of managers have introduced fitness strategies, and some even sponsor their workers’ gym association as a benefit package aspect. Others welcome wellness trainers and instructors in their workplace to facilitate lunchtime lessons, (Goward, 2005, 23). Various organizations undertake initiatives to promote workers’ healthy lifestyles and habits to enhance their level of productivity in the company, (Grossman and Chester, 1990, p. 85). They also provide stress managements strategies that involve physical exercise, yoga, guidance and counseling and introduce qualified Message therapist to offices. These practices and many others help workers learn to balance between their personal life and workplace responsibilities. They also help in creating sound and attentive mind able to concentrate and focus on workplace regulation and obligations. Various employers are offering prolonged vacation holidays to enable employees organize their private lives and have time to relax and recreate their efforts. Other human resources policies aimed at enhancing the balance between private and workplace life involve arranging a time in overtime payment strategies lieu, offering few days of compensated annual leave for children care, aged attentions and personal challenges, (Drobnic? and Guille?n, 2011, p 49). Some challenges emerge when workers have healthy and flexible work time because inadequate face time with coworkers can lead to fatigue and exhaustion. Workplace stress may be managed by allowing workers to interact and discuss their private matters with their colleagues. In some cases, to embrace employees’ demands for private life and work stability, companies may wish to minimize the quantity of the assignments assigned to the workers. To achieve this, managers can recruit new workers, minimize hours spend in work-linked tours, permit work sharing or reassess the job itself and how the job is designed and tailored with job procedure enhancements and work reengineering. Most managers admit that flexible schedules and arrangements is the advantage appreciated by most workers, (European Commission, 2007, p. 2). Nevertheless, high flexibility, if enforced without strings attached and utilized to foster business results without employees consent provision, may ruin rather than promote private and work life equilibrium. Staffs quit jobs for various reasons, such as advancements of careers, promotions to better work chances and retirements. However, some other crucial factors such as women quit their work to create a healthy private life or family life and work balance. Changes of family conditions and trends tend to affect women and lead to enhanced challenges in sustaining equilibrium between workplace obligations and family duties. The aspects said to have profound effects on women work and family life involve the expected work hours, inadequate flexibility to change the job hours and leave plans, (Schulz, 2010, p. 52). Others include inadequate access to basic childcare plans and unexpected depression and anxiety in workstation, which render working life increasingly hard and unbearable. Workers with the ability to stabilize their personal life, work and home responsibilities have reported to feel comfortable in their work and tend to live and strive towards motivating and profitable career. Recommendations Balance between personal or private life and workplace life is about efficiently managing the conflicting acts among rewarded roles and related responsibilities that are crucial to people –such as spending hours with children, participating in recreation activities and sports, pursuing further studies. Companies should strive to enhance the balance between employees’ private lives and workplace responsibilities to increase productivity. Research reveals that enhancing equilibrium between employees working lives and private lives beyond workstation responsibilities can result to true advantages for managers and workers. It may aid establish viable societies and productive companies. Conclusion Literature reveals that enhancement in management practices of workers such ad time of work and flexibility of work location and the establishment of committed employers and leaders contribute to extensive private life and workplace stability. Private and work stability projects have shown to have positive influences on workers based on workers retention, workers turnovers, fulfillment and devotion, employees’ absenteeism, hiring, rates of accidents and profitability. Similarly, self-management is crucial because employees need to manage their attributes, expectations and attitudes about work and private life stability. Bibliography Drobnic?, S., & Guille?n, A. M. (2011). Work-life balance in Europe: the role of job quality. Houndmills, Basingstoke Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. European Commission. (2007). Reconciliation of professional and private life: exchange of good practices. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Grossman, H. Y., & Chester, N. L. (1990). The Experience and meaning of work in women's lives. Hillsdale, N.J., L. Erlbaum Associates. Goward, P. (2005). Striking the balance: women, men, work and family : discussion paper 2005. Sydney, Sex Discrimination Unit, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Houston, D. M. (2005). Work-life balance in the 21st century. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. Lewis, S., Brannen, J., & Nilsen, A. (2009). Work, families and organisations in transition European perspectives. Bristol, UK, Policy Press. Lomas, B. (2005). Easy Step by Step Guide to Stress and Time Management How to Reclaim Control of Your Life and Redress the Balance Between Work and Private Life. Chichester, Rowmark. http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=225861. Peper, B., Doorne-Huiskes, J. V., & Dulk, L. D. (2005). Flexible working and organisational change: the integration of work and personal life. Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar. Schulz, J. M. (2010). Work and Life in the Balance: Ways of Working and Living Among Elite French, Norwegian, and American Professionals. http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/etd/ucb/text/Schulz_berkeley_0028E_10575.pdf. Read More