Fulfillment of the Work and Life Balance - Literature review Example

WORK-LIFE BALANCE: CONCEPTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY Table of Contents Introduction 2. Definitions & scope of the concepts 3. Reasons of raising concern 4. Company/ Business point of view 5. How to manage WLB 6. Conclusion 7. Reference List 1. Introduction Asking ourselves of the true balance between life and work is like asking if the see-saw metaphor still works. From theories to real-life situations, many instances about work-life balance are cited. At the beginning of this essay, we can conclude that there is actually no right or wrong balance to aim for, as it is what works for people at any given time. Firth (2002) has suggested that “balance is subjective and changes over time.” This meant sometimes work takes more time over family, or it could be vice versa. It is depending on circumstances or what works better for people. Some skepticism suggested that there is actually no relation between life and work, what works in the workplace has no correlation with what is happening at home. But recent surveys and experiences relayed to us by fathers working hard for their family states that organizations adopting family-friendly and work-life balance policies and programmes motivate employees to be more productive and further create satisfaction among family-oriented employees. 2. Definitions & scope of the concepts According to Actnow (2009), work-life balance meant: “…people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when an individuals right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society.” Source: Actnow (2009) The above definition was also used by “Employers for Work-Life Balance” (EfWLB), a lobby group for voluntary changes in working arrangements (McIntosh, 2003: 181). Bedeian et al (1998) view work life balance as: - “The ability of the employees of an organization to legally have and use their right for the proper rest after the established period of working for an organization” Source: Bedeian et al (1998: 475-476) More widely discussed aspect of the above presented definition of work life balance is “a measure of control” provided to the employees of an organization. If it is a measure of control it should first of all be specific, and secondly it should be measurable so that one could assess the actual extent to which employees are truly entitled to defend their rights for work life balance, negotiated with the employer company and promised as one of the conditions of employment. (Travers, 2001: 110) According to Brewerton and Millward (2001) and Usunier (1998), the work life balance definition can be modified to avoid the stipulated ambiguities and provide a more specific and clear insight into the nature of work life balance and, at the same time, its importance for the employees and the organization that employs them as well. (Brewerton and Millward, 2001: 131) and (Usunier, 1998: 199) Accordingly, Gilbert (2001) has developed another work life balance definition that might serve for the purposes of disambiguation of the controversial terms. They defined work life balance as: - “The officially admitted and legally confirmed opportunity for the employees of an organization to exercise their rights for the proper balance of work and rest during their tenure in this organization.” Source: (Gilbert, 2001: 139) 3. Reasons of raising concern McIntosh (2003) states that work-life balance first came into view in the 1970s, when a great number of women started to enter the workforce. The issue of housework and childcare became one of the topics for discussion. With the demographic workforce now changing with more women, employees were now turned between which one to choose first – work or home. So, there are the mothers reinforcing the demographic of the workforce, and the problem is the issue of taking care of home and the children. (McIntosh 2003: 183) Surveys for fathers revealed that working men realized that they are needed at home for some time with their children, but 93% of them got a feeling of accomplishment from their job, and that 40% would not trade career progression for time with their family. This did not mean men love work more than their kids. It is just that they are in a dilemma. As Matthew Gwyther, editor of “Management Today” (cited in McIntosh, 2003: 184) would say: - “They understand the importance of spending time with their families … but at the same time, they find their sense of accomplishment through their work.” Source: McIntosh (2003: 184) Work-life balance takes a new turn in recent surveys. The Work Foundation, formerly the Industrial Society, revealed that men in United Kingdom are now striving to be different from their fathers in their approach to home and family. Work-Life Balance was launched by the Prime Minister in March 2000, which aimed to convince employers of the economic benefits of work-life balance and of the need for change. This is because when it comes to the see-saw metaphor between life and work, most people in the workplace put more weight in favor of work. The government and many organizations would want this to change because of the fact that a lot of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs too. (McIntosh, 2003: 182) Below in Figure 3.1, it has shown how people perceive work. Figure 3.1: Ideas about success at work SOURCE: Williams and Jones (2005: 7) 4. Company/ Business point of view A research on the changing demographics in labor market was conducted by IFF Research (one of the largest independent research companies in United Kingdom established in 1965) employing a telephone survey of 1,000 respondents aged 16 plus in September 2004, and found the following results: - More than fifty percent were dissatisfied with their working hours and that they preferred to work fewer hours, or to work flexibly. Over two-thirds of respondents wanted their company to give them more time out or reduce their long working hours. Most respondents wanted to have part-time or full-time work depending on situations; company should allow flexible basis of work. Men and women have different expectations of their work, especially when they have children. Younger respondents would like flexible working hours until they reach well before retirement age, but those aged over 55 would like working full time until their sixties. The older generation would not want to be written off at 60. Majority of the respondents around ninety percent, stated that employers should focus and invest money in changing working practices. (Williams and Jones, 2005: 2-3) Flexible working arrangements and flexible benefit packages include: - flexi-time, staggered hours, time off in lieu, compressed working hours, shift swapping, self-rostering, annualized hours, job sharing, term-time working, working from home, tele-working, breaks from work, flexible and cafeteria benefits etc. (McIntosh, 2003: 182) Business benefits include: - increased productivity, improved recruitment and retention, lower rates of absenteeism, reduced overheads, an improved customer experience, a more motivated, satisfied and equitable workforce. (McIntosh, 2003: 185) To address work-life balance issues, some organizations have shifted some organizational policies by managing diversity in the workplace as to improve competitive advantage, which does included balancing the number of female and male employees, or addressing ethnic diversity and socio-economic background. (Jones, 2006: 5) 5. How to Manage Work-Life Balance Studies have proved that successful managers have stronger power motives than less successful managers. The human need theory asserts that people have urges relative to the three needs which are the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power (Firth, 2002: 86). Team leaders should replace supervisors, meaning the role of team leaders is to coach, that of the facilitator, not someone to play as superman. (Armstrong, 1998: 8) The way a firm manages its employees influences organizational performance. It is often easier to see what happens when things go wrong especially when problems of rising labour turnover, absenteeism and conflict reflect poor human resource management and impact negatively on organizational performance. (Purcell, 2003: 1) Organizations have to consider the goal-setting of peoples in the workplace. Locke (2001) as well as Michael (2005) and Montana and Charnov (2008) argue about the goal setting theory, the fact that the goals may vary and rather often come into conflict with the goals of the organization they are employed. (Locke, 2001: 49) and (Michael, 2005: 222) and (Montana and Charnov, 2008: 123) 5.1 British Airway’s Case Recently, British Airway’s staff that went on strike from 22nd Dec 2009 to 2nd Jan 2009, fearing their employers wanted to introduce new working patterns, which would make their working hours much less predictable is an example of employees seeking for work and life balance. British Airways was trying to introduce a new swipe-card attendance monitoring system but the intention was not to introduce new working patterns as alleged by the strikers who diverted or grounded more than 500 flights and stranding some 100,000 passengers during the strike. If we look at the demographic of the strikers, majority of them were women. However, BT, Lloyds TSB, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Inland Revenue in United Kingdom have introduced working arrangements that allow their staff to work when and where they want, for as long as it will not cost much to the organization. 5.2 Fathers, Family and Work Recent study showed that fathers would like to spend more time at home. Mr. Stuart Jeffries mentioned in an online article “Fathers, Family and Work” that majority of the working fathers today are not happy, or are unsatisfied with work and life balance, meaning they are not really happy with their job. They want to spend weekends with their children. (Jeffries, 2009) Fathers were interviewed in the workplace and these were those who liked to be at home with their kids during weekends. Some of whom were cited in “Fathers, Family and Work”, which found that 62% of the working fathers would like to spend their time with their children. Tom, a father, said he liked to be with the children during weekends, play with them or have some coffee mornings, but he did not like to spend full time because that is for mothers and not for fathers. Tom would just like to be the breadwinner, to bring home food for the table and spend happy moments with them during weekends. 5.3 Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Employers would just have to reduce working hours for fathers who now work more than 40 hours a week, as stated in the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report. In a study by researchers at Brigham Young University, it was found that employees who were given part-time work improved their morale by 64%, and 41% of them were even more productive. Mr. Duncan Fisher (cited in Jeffries, 2009), founder of Fathers Direct (the United Kingdom’s Fatherhood Institute), says that fathers want to reduce their time for work and spend more time for their children. Fathers are motivated if they do this. Fisher says that fathers have to be provided incentives to work less and spend more with their children. 5.4 Paternity Leaves British Chambers of Commerce Director, Sir. David Frost was skeptical to most employers. They do not want their employees, who are mostly fathers, take more paternity leave. This is good as saying that fathers would take the place of their wives taking paternity leaves. The EHRC speaks of an added burden to employers. It called for the government to add paternity leave, which may take the form of parental leave of four months, at which either of the spouses, the father or the mother could take advantage. This could cost £5.3 billion, according to Mr. Katja Hall, CBI’s director of Human Resources. Fisher does not favor extending the parental leave, stating that this would not encourage fathers to reduce their working hours. Culture dictates that mothers are used to staying at home and care for the children. Fisher recommends the proposal of Nick Clegg, who is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in United Kingdom, which states that 18 months is ideal for parental leave, and could be shared by both parents with no one making advantage of it for more than a year. The couple could divide it, nine months for each, or they can be together enjoying the leave. Husbands would not like to be alone doing the childcare, but they love to spend time with their children. It’s just a matter of sharing and enjoying time with the family. For them, this is the kind of work and life balance that is ideal. No one is forced to do it. History tells us that work is forced. It is a punishment. 5 Conclusion/Recommendations The government and many organizations have now shifted in their focus on work and life balance. They pay much more attention of the employee’s satisfaction, working conditions, time of work, and many others, because of the many benefits that organizations attain for introducing work-life balance. Success in work and life balance depends on many factors. It has to be a cooperative work depending on situations in the workplace and the employee’s satisfaction at work. Management and employees have to work and interact in the process. The organization and its managers have to look after their employees, see that their needs and wants are met. The motivational factors have to be set so that the employees can interact too. Surveys found that fathers find satisfaction in their job, but they also want to be with their family and to be a part of child care. They can do this during weekends, but they do not want full-time. High performance in a job leads to high satisfaction, and not the other way around. People always connect work with life’s fulfillment, and connect their satisfaction at work with their feelings and satisfaction of life, and happiness with their family. Satisfaction in the workplace means happiness at home and fulfillment in life. Work and life balance suggests a balance for life and what people do. There has to be a blending equality that includes work, family, pleasure, fulfillment, and satisfaction. References Actnow, 2009. Glossary of Flexible Working Terms, Broadband Cornwall. Available from: http://www.flexible-working.org/flex/glossary.html [Accessed 8 November 2009]. Bedeian, A.. Burke, B., andMoffett, R., 1998. Outcomes of Work-family Conflict among Married Male and Female Professionals. Journal of Management, 475-491. Brewerton, P. and Millward, L., 2001. Organizational Research Methods. London: Sage. Firth, D., 2002. Life and work express. United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing. Gilbert, N., 2001. Researching Social Life. London: Sage. Jeffries, S., 2009. Why don’t more dads work part-time? Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2009 from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/21/men-work-paternity-leave. Jones, A., 2006. Rising to the challenge of diversity: a discussion of the business case. The Work Foundation. Retrieved 14 December 2009 from: http://www.theworkfoundation.com/assets/docs/publications/178_Diversity_Report.pdf. Locke, E. A., 2001. “Motivation by goal setting.” Handbook of Organizational Behavior, 2, 43-54. McIntosh, S., 2003. Work-life balance: How life coaching can help. Business Information Review. SAGE Publications, London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi., Vol. 20(4): 181–189 [0266-3821(200312)20:4; 181–189; 040732] Michael, J., 2005. Positive and negative reinforcement, a distinction that is no longer necessary; or a better way to talk about bad things. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 24, 207-222. Montana, P. J. and Charnov, B. H., 2008. Management, 4th edition; Barrons Educational Series, Inc. Purcell, J., 2003. Understanding the people and performance link: unlocking the black box. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Travers, M., 2001. Qualitative research through case studies. London: Sage. Usunier, J.C., 1998. International and Cross-cultural Management Research. London: Sage. Williams, L. & Jones, A., 2005. Changing demographics. The Work Foundation. Retrieved 14 December 2005 from http://www.theworkfoundation.com/assets/docs/publications/100_Changing%20demographics.pdf. Work Foundation, 2008. Reports. Retrieved 14 December 2009 from: http://www.theworkfoundation.com/difference/e4wlb/reports.aspx. Websites used: www.workingbalance.co.uk www.dti.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/ www.tuc.org.uk www.dti.gov.uk/er/workingparents.htm www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk www.flexibility.co.uk/issues/WLB/resources.htm Read More