Getting the balance right
Work-life balance is a much-lauded idea within business these days, but as a conference in Dublin heard this week, unless there is management buy-in, the concept will struggle to succeed
For many senior managers the term work-life balance may not even enter their vocabulary, but increasingly those at senior level are being asked to buy into the concept.
At an event organised by Business In the Community Ireland and the Great Place to Work Institute (GPWI) Ireland this week, the speakers and organisers were clear: management buy-in is not just essential for true work-life balance to exist within an organisation, managers must practice what they preach also.
If we are to create innovative workplaces, with happy, productive and loyal employees, management must pay more than lip service to the policy. If an example is not set at the top of the organisation, work-life balance policies will fail from the outset.
The response then from many in senior management might be to simply get rid of the policy, but there is a strong business case for work-life balance programmes.
Research carried out in Ireland on behalf of the National Framework Committee for Family-Friendly Policies in 2003 shows that where work-life balance is advocated within an organisation, productivity is higher and absenteeism is lower.
Employee satisfaction inc-reases by 85pc, retention or recruitment of employees rises by 74pc and productivity improves by 58pc. Meanwhile, absenteeism is reduced by half, while business results improve by 48pc.
However, the research showed that 86pc of employees at senior management level work longer than standard hours on a regular basis. In addition, 70pc do not receive payment for overtime or time off in lieu.
Lucy Fallon-Byrne, director of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, stresses it is no longer good enough for firms to just produce products and services. Innovation, she believes, is the key to success, and the way for it to thrive is through creating a happy workplace.
“Up to now innovation hasn’t really been appreciated, either at government or senior business level. Positive emotion is a source of human strength and encourages creative thinking and co-operation. This enables humans to do what needs to be done and to make the most of the situation they are in.”
Fallon-Byrne says that while there is still a long way to go, more emphasis is being placed on innovation and work-life balance by both government and senior management. Increasingly, organisations are recognising that productivity can be affected if people’s home lives aren’t taken into the equation.
“Mothers in the workplace miss an average of 14 days per year, not through their own illnesses but because of their children getting sick. This is a critical issue for so many and we really need to do something about it,” she says.
The importance of work-life balance is also backed up by Dr Donal Landers, a medical doctor and healthcare strategy consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He says the importance of wellness, which is part of work-life balance, cannot be underestimated. After all, chronic diseases are responsible for more than half of all deaths in the world.
Organisations have a clear interest in the prevention of chronic disease, which drives healthcare costs, leads to productivity losses and threatens sustainability, says Landers.
On the other hand, well-being programmes will help motivate, retain and attract employees, he notes.
“Wellness is really important, and human-resource (HR) managers must try to embrace this. It will impact on corporates down the line in terms of productivity costs and absenteeism.”
Like Fallon-Byrne, Landers says management buy-in is essential. “It’s not good enough for HR units within organisations to implement wellness practices, they must also practice what they preach.”
Emmet Wrafter, HR manager with Abbott Laboratories Ireland, says corporations shouldn’t be afraid of finding out how work-life balance is perceived within the business. He adds that while organising focus groups can be a tough decision for management, feedback can be positive.
Wrafter, along with other members of Abbott’s senior team, recently attended a ‘life navigation’ course developed by Camilla Kring, founder of the B-society.
This group challenges the nine-to-five society and “its lack of respect for day rhythms of B people”, ie those who prefer quiet mornings and active evenings.
He says that as a result of the programme, he has learned a lot about work-life balance and has incorporated it into his own working life. Abbott Laboratories now plans on rolling out the programme among more of its staff members.
“We set goals, but a lot of the time we can be a bit greedy. Life navigation empowers people to prioritise their work-life balance to challenge deadlines and priorities where necessary,” says Wrafter.
CEO of GPWI Ireland Bob Lee also argues that senior management must take the lead when it comes to work-life balance.
Management can put in place all the work-life balance initiatives they like, but if they do not comply with them, and if employees see managers working long hours, then the reality will be very different, he says.
“In any work-life balance programme, commitment from people in senior management is vital. They must act as positive role models for success.”
Caption: Emmet Wrafter, HR manager, Abbott Laboratories Ireland
- Linda Daly
