How to Get the Payback From Investment in Work-Life Balance

Companies and government have invested vast amounts of time and effort in recent years in policies and initiatives to improve work-life balance. Yet the results have been disappointing. While companies point to specific benefits from individual initiatives, the overall impact has generally been mute...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal for quality and participation 2004-10, Vol.27 (3), p.17
Main Author: Clutterbuck, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employees
Guidelines
Line managers
Role models
Succession planning
Work life balance
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Companies and government have invested vast amounts of time and effort in recent years in policies and initiatives to improve work-life balance. Yet the results have been disappointing. While companies point to specific benefits from individual initiatives, the overall impact has generally been muted. For employees, there is even less to write home about - the proportion of people regularly working long hours is still increasing. To stimulate culture change, policies need to be backed up with change in systems and in the attitudes and capability of people. The organisation needs to examine its: * Processes for work organisation - how it divides up work and responsibilities. * Technology - for example, whether people at all levels can work effectively from home or how delivery routes are planned. * HR systems - how processes such as appraisal, recruitment, succession planning, and access to training either support or hinder work-life balance objectives. Training is also an essential ingredient in the culture change. The final element in a coherent approach to work-life balance relates to the measurement of outcomes.
ISSN:1040-9602
1931-4019