It’s time to eliminate stereotypes or so says the May 2011 “ Global Study on Men and Work-Life Integration,” from WFD Consulting and WorldatWork. The study dispels the myth that men are all about work and women are all about personal/family life and points out that we are a lot more alike than different.
Where Men and Women Stand on the Topic of Work/Life Balance
While most employers and their workers still perceive work/life balance as the domain of women, over the course of the last two decades the work/life programs that organizations have integrated into their work environment – such as paid maternity leave, elder care support and flexible work schedules – have benefitted men as well. So the question naturally arose as to whether or not these types of programs help to motivate and retain employees of both genders.
Here’s what the study found:
- There is little difference among generations or between men and women when it comes to work identification and personal/family identity.
- Men and women both have difficulty finding time for family and themselves, and they value flexible work arrangements.
- The culture of most organizations has not caught up with this reality and employees feel penalized for using work/life benefits.
- Both genders indicated their top issue was financial stress.
In the end, what most employees – male or female – want is to have success in both their work and their personal life. And it’s important for organizations to recognize this.
Leadership Perception of Work/Life Balance
Interestingly, according to the study there was a contradiction in what members of leadership indicated was their ideal employee and how important work/life programs were to their organizations.
What the research revealed was that 80% of participating leaders felt that work/life programs were “important” or “very important” to their firm’s ability to attract and retain top talent as well as in contributing to employee satisfaction and productivity. Yet, when this same group was asked about the attributes they valued most in workers, 54% felt that “the ideal employee is available to meet business needs regardless of business hours.”
For many employers it is apparent that work/life is synonymous with “work less.” Therefore, corporate leaders may pay lip service to the concept of work/life balance, but secretly they cringe at the idea of employees benefitting at the expense of the team or the organization.
Make Work/Life Programs Work
For employers, creating a business environment that embraces work/life balance is all about building trust and seeing the benefit of programs that minimize turnover, aid in recruiting high quality employees and increase employee loyalty and productivity. This may include cultural training to aid employees in understanding their role in making the organization successful and how both parties can benefit from implementing work/life programs.
However, work/life programs cannot be based solely around what an employer can do for the employee. For true work/life balance to work, employees need to be responsible for adopting behaviors at work which enable them and the work/life programs they use to be successful.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
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