Work-Life Balance; The Challenge for Organisations
Randstad's new Work Monitor report has caused quite a stir among businesspeople.[1]
One of the key findings was that 83% of those surveyed say work-life balance is the most important motivator, this above pay. If this had been a small survey across a limited age range and sector, it could be argued that it had little real relevance. But there were 26,000 respondents, across 35 markets and the age range was 18-67. So perhaps we need to dig a little deeper??
And firstly, we need to dispel some myths.?
Balancing our time at work and our time spent with families or at leisure activities does not mean that work is “bad” and everything else is good! ? ?
Next, the number of hours spent at work is not a measure of a good or bad work-life balance, as long as the decision to spend more than the “normal working day” at work is occasional and the individual’s choice. ? ?
Lastly, a “balance” that suits one person may well not suit another, we are all different and of course that is a good thing.?
There is one other myth of sorts that tends to be specific to certain countries and occupations and that is that it is only those who dedicate themselves to long hours, and never “switch off,” that will progress in their careers. In the past this has certainly been true for some. But today there is a major “push-back” from the latest cohort to enter organisations and they want to see flexibility and a meritocracy.??
“Work” is something that is different for every person. From the Cambridge Dictionary, work is, “an activity, such as a job, that a person uses physical or mental effort to do, usually for money”.
For those lucky enough to have a job they enjoy, for at least the majority of the time, work can be something they look forward to, and something they will occasionally find difficult to tear themselves away from. This does not mean they have a poor work-life balance; they just have an additional challenge.?
However, for those at the other end of the spectrum, for whom work is just a way of paying the bills, their life outside of work may be incredibly important as it will make their overall life feel OK and the “work” then has meaning. Perhaps being asked to do some additional hours in a “repetitive production role” may seem an imposition, when viewed from the outside, but to the individual this may mean they can afford the expensive holiday they had long wished for, and it may increase their motivation.?
This is all about “balance.”?
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Personally, for most of my industry career, I was in roles that I enjoyed, and I think that most of those who worked for me felt the same way. On many occasions as the clock ticked into evening hours, I had to walk about my area asking people if they really needed to stay and suggesting they leave it until the morning and go home; as “managers,” any additional hours did not increase their salary. ? They really enjoyed their work and found it both challenging and satisfying, I was incredibly lucky!?
Was their work-life balance poor? Well, if I had not sent them home it may have been, but at the same time if they made a “case” to finish something before leaving, I understood, as I knew that it could be detrimental to them to leave something unfinished!?
And this is the point I make about this being something which is in the mind of the individual and a potential challenge for managers. There is, of course, the case of the “obsessive” person, who cannot leave something, again a challenge for the manager!?
Work-Life Balance; what do we want??
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In preparation for the writing of this article I read a great deal of the literature and articles on the subject, many providing solid evidence on the benefits for both employers and employees, (for those interested I have added links at the end of this article).??
I am not at all surprised at the findings of the report from Randstad. The way in which many of us work has changed, and what we crave from our work has also changed.?
As someone who spent over 30 years in industry before more than a dozen years in academia working with people young and older, I have witnessed a seismic change in how we “work”. In what we might call a “skills shift,” what we expect from our workforce is quite different today, and in the future the shift will continue.?
In a report by McKinsey & Company in December 2021, “Skill shift: Automation and the future of the workforce” they said, “Skill shifts have accompanied the introduction of new technologies in the workplace since at least the Industrial Revolution, but adoption of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will mark an acceleration over the shifts of even the recent past.” [2]?
And this was well before the progress in AI development we see today!?
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Is it any surprise that with this change in our expectations of the workforce, they in turn expect a change in their overall remuneration package, and that this is not confined to just pay??
It is crucial that we understand that our people expect some flexibility in working arrangements coupled with an appreciation that their life outside of work not only has a significant value to them, but if “balanced” correctly and individually, will enhance their productivity!?
Are our managers in organisations equipped to understand their employees' needs and to manage the transition to new working models? Frankly, by their recent reaction to the Randstad report, I doubt it.??
Educating those who manage our people has always been important, and rarely made a priority, today it is even more important and if we are to raise our game in the UK, it is a necessity!?
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In Summary?
In the UK we struggle with the efficiency and productivity of our organisations and in the future, as the way in which we work continues to evolve, ensuring we have well-motivated and highly productive employees will become even more essential than it is today. In those countries that have understood the importance of work-life balance and adopted strategies in their organisations to maximize this, they have already seen the benefits.[3] Educating our managers, at all levels, so that they really understand how to change their approach is a challenge, but one we must take on if we are to flourish in the future.??
References and Additional Reading?