Work Life Balance Final One (Roll No. 8,18,28,38,48,58)

8/8/2019 Work Life Balance Final One (Roll No. 8,18,28,38,48,58)

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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORRGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

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Contents

1. Introduction

> What is work life balance ?> Whats in it for employer ?> Four kind of people> Division of 24 hours (Indian perspective)> Case study - Gujrati culture> Case study - IT India structure> Possible solution of case study

2. Indian corporate life

> Work life perspective> IBM India case> Dr. Reddy case> Possible conclusion for Indian corporate life

3. Working women striking work-Life balance

> Brief explanation

> Why work balance is important for women> What can attract women employees and satisfy their basic needs> Michelle Obama view on Work-Life

4. Working perceptive (By Jim Bird)

5. Role of HR in maintaining Work-Life balance for employees

> Role> Practical measures HR can take

6. Managements role in Work-Life balance

7. Build your own Balance Plan (Govt. of Alberta Human resource deptt.)

> Assess yourself> Right mix> Implementation> Communication> Lead by example

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Organizational Behavior


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Group Members

1. Amit Ahuja2. Arijit Ghosh3.4. Gurdeepak Singh5. B.V.S Kapil6. Megha Jain

Denny Thomas

Roll No. 8Roll No. 18Roll No. 28Roll No. 38Roll No. 48Roll No. 58


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What is work- life balance?

Working on my masters degree, teaching part-time, being a singlemom, trying to stay active and physically fit, making time for familycommitments. . balance is almost impossible to maintain. Instructor, post-secondary institution,Lethbridge

There just arent enough hours in the day. I hold on a full-time job. Ihelp care for my grand children and my parents, who need more helpevery year. Time for me is pretty hard to come by.- Retail Department store manager, CalgaryThey downsized the staff but they never downsized the work. I amdoing work that two people used to do.- Computer programmer, Edmonton


Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life.- Confucius

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Whats in it for employer ?

As a person, you might agree that work-life balance is a worthwhile goal. But as abusiness owner or manager, you may need more reasons than that to build it into yourbusiness plan. A tight labour market is one very compelling reason: in Alberta, where 22out of 53 occupations are reporting labour shortages your company will increasingly haveto compete for the best employees. Studies show that an organizations ability to attractand retain workers will increasingly depend on work-life balance. According to Future ofwork 2003 study, the top five most important issues for employees in 2013 will includeflexible employment policies compatible with lifestyle needs of employees.

Costly consequences

increased absenteeismincreased employee turnoverreduced productivityincreased disability costsincreased health costsreduced job satisfactionincreased managerial stressimpaired family/social relationships

How to managethe employees

?


Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life.- Confucius

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I arise in the morning torn between the desire to improve theworld and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to planthe day

- E.B.White.

Introduction:-

Four kind of people:-

There are four categories of people

DirectorsThinkersSocializersRelaters.

The Directors type of people is task oriented anddirects the things to be done and is highlyenergetic. They care least for sentiments and arehard core doers and push ahead despite odds.They achieve a lot in their life and unfortunately atthe end there will be no one to celebrate their success

as they rarely socialized with others and never made friends. They always remain alone rightfrom the beginning to the end.

The second category of the people is Thinkers. This kind of people read a lot, has an eye fordetail and always thinks a lot and is of less directorial tendencies and least of socializing skills.They tend to become philosophers, great thinkers in the world. They do not like to be disturbedand are comfortable in thinking alone always about their chosen field of life.

The third category of people is Socializers and is party animals. They are less of task orientedless of thinkers and take the roles and responsibilities lightly and think about always enjoying inmoving in groups. They like to attend parties and make friends. They always take pleasure in

moving with people and partying. The Richard Branson of Virginia group, UK is a party animal.He spends considerable amount of time in attending parties. Vijay Mallya of UB group in India isalso a party animal and is a media savvy. He always likes to be focused and is always at thecenter of attraction.

The fourth category of people is Relaters and they are less of directorial, least of thinkers,average of socializing and predominant in networking and building relations.

Every individual has all the four dimensions of a personality and the quality or trait that ispredominant is categorized. This analysis will definitely help people in managing work lifebalance keeping their tastes and temperaments in view.


It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.- Pablo Picasso

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Division of 24 hours (Indian Perspective):-

God gifted 24 hours a day equally for all people. How to utilize theprecious time is a million dollar question. An average individualspends 8 hours for sleeping, 8 hours for work and 8 hours for otherroutine and regular activities. There should not be any adjustment insleeping time as body needs rest and to get recharged for the rest of

the time. People spend lot of time from commuting from residence towork place and back. If efforts are made to keep the residence asclose as to the work place, the time can be saved as well as thestrain and stress can be minimized. The time so saved can beutilized either towards recreation or pursuing hobbies. John

Wanamakersaid,People who cant find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.

Gujarati culture -

Gujaratis in India work very hard and once in a week they have the culture to dine out. They donot mix business life with personal life and they are often successful in separating the both. Thechunk of entrepreneurs has come from Gujarati community. They have flair for business andwork with lot of dedication, discipline and determination. But once in a week they go outside withfamily and spend their personal and social life. Similarly most of them take periodical holidaysfrom the work and enjoy their life.

Indian IT sector -

Information Technology (IT) sector in Indiais doing very good. There are more jobopportunities due to the IT boom. Justafter the completion of professionalqualifications like B.Tech and MCA(engineering graduates and computer postgraduates), the applicants are getting jobs.

The pay and perks are encouraging. But thework life is highly complicated and highlydemanding. There are many pulls andpressures during the work life. There are

too many commitments and deadlines andthere are too much of unpredictable peaksand troughs during the course of the workingtime. All these things make the work as a hecticactivity and a strenuous one. Sitting in front thecomputer systems is leading to developing stiffneck problems, dry eyes, irritation, lack of interest towards sexual activities, back pains etc., Itlooks like having everything but losing so many things related to health and recreation.

However, there is a silver lining. The IT companies are realizing the perils of working long hours.It all looks that employees are contributing their best but when we look at qualitatively the resultsare poor. What is ultimately essential is the qualitative not quantitative productivity. So during the

working hours itself a few companies are providing time to do meditation so that the employeescan regain their lost energies and work energetically. Intermittently, breaks are provided toemployees for recouping their energies.

Kids note book


I think it's important to work and I'm entitled to work.Some people do not want to work but I want to continue working.

- Alex Ferguson

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Weekend parties are conducted to take time off and to unwind and to recharge for the followingworking day. Periodically cultural programs are organized to make the employees happy andfeel comfortable. It is at the functions the employees forget the discrimination in their ranks andcadres and also forget the differences, if any, in their work life and come under one platform inthe name of cultural programs.

In the western countries and many other countries, there is 5 day week. People work very hardup to 5 days and take a weekend break and spend their personal and social life with ecstasy.We have come to the world to achieve something and to contribute something that does meansacrificing our personal lives for the sake of professional life. No one should regret at the lastleg of life for not having spent personal life satisfactorily. There should not be any regrets at theend of the life either not having spent personal, social or professional life.

Possible solution -

If you are losing your leisure, look out; you may be losing your soul,

Logan P.Smith.

Efforts should be made not to mix up personal life with professionallife. There should not be an encroachment. If personal life is paidmore attention the professional life will get disturbed and as a resultlosing the job and income. On the other hand, if the professional lifeis paid more attention, the personal life is adversely affected resultinginto higher stress levels. In this context, it is aptly said, I have more todo than anyone else; I cant possibly do everything during the day.I often end up taking work home with me.

It is a well admitted fact that money is not everything. Money is essential for survival and for

having comforts but too much emphasis on money is like losing so much for so little.

Plan and execute your tasks as per your schedule to avoid any stress. And also anticipate theprobable problems that are likely to come up and may create tensions.

You must be in a position to discount any external threats that can not be expected but can beanticipated. Such things will divert the routine work thereby getting deviated. Apart from theroutine tasks other tasks will pile up thereby deviating from the routine course of actionresulting into stress and burn out. Internal threats can be expected and anticipated and thosecan be controlled and minimized easily.

Always look at the amount of investments that are put in and the probable returns that can begenerated. When the returns are higher than the investments and that too when it does notaffect our personal health then the work can be proceeded.

There is nothing like false prestige while undertaking the tasks as few males find it difficult toget out social stigmas like I cant do this.

Flex time as a concept is widely applied in the corporate world. It allows the employees to workthe stipulated hours either at a stretch or in a piecemeal manner. Especially when both the wifeand husband are working the flextime helps in right division of work at home.

Daily, budget your time properly by allocating for personal life, professional life and social life. Itis necessary to strictly demarcate all the activities as per schedule and follow accordingly.


Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.- Horace

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Multitasking is the buzzword at the corporateworld. But it is leading to so many complicationsand implications. Do not have all priorities at atime.

Cut down superfluous tasks. Prioritize and planthe tasks properly.

Find out the passionate areas and activities thatinterest you. And pursue the same up to thehilt. Since you are enjoying what you are doingyou will not get stressed out.

Achievement and enjoyment are two sides of the same coin. Try to strike the right balancebetween the both so as to lead a smooth, successful and comfortable life.

Cultivate positive attitude, inculcate coping skills and pursue creative hobbies and interests tomaintain the right balance between the work and life.

It is desirable to hit gym or for a walk to beat regular work related stress. Pursing hobbies likeswimming, games and other activities regularly relieve stress and enthuse the individual withfresh energy. Going for meditation also helps.

Daily make a habit to spend a few minutes in aserene and silent place by closing your eyes.In this scenario, you neither hear anything nor do you see anything. As a result, you canimmediately consolidate and create fresh energies.

Research reveals that American workers average approximately ten paid holidays per yearwhile British workers average twenty five holidays and German employees thirty.Americans work twelve weeks more a year in total hours than Europeans. Enhancing paidholidays will help employees to be more secure financially. They can avail paid leaves andgo for holidaying for unwinding. Many corporate provides paid leave once in a year withfree traveling allowances to their employees.

Life is very short and let us make it sweet.Striking the right balance amongst the personallife, professional life and social life is essential.

WorkLife

Home

To sum up in the words of Theodore Roosevelt,

When you play, play hard; when you work, dont play at all.


I can only say that whatever my life and work have been,I'm not envious of anyone-and this is my biggest satisfaction.

- Roman Polanski

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Indian corporate life (work life perspective) -

Indians' concerns over balancing work and life have surpassed worries about a slowingeconomy according to the bi-annual global consumer opinion survey by market researchcompany The Nielsen Co.

About 20% of Indians cite achieving this balance as their main worry; 13% cite the economy as

the second biggest. Globally, the state of the economy is the biggest concern, with 20% of therespondents citing it.

The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, conducted by Nielsen Customized Research,was conducted in April 2008 among 28,253 Internet users in 511 countries from Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and West Asia.

A booming economy has resulted in better jobs and salaries. However, this has brought in longwork schedules, leaving individuals with very little time to balance their work and life, saysSarang Panchal, Nielsen's managing director, customized research, Asia-Pacific, India, Chinaand Greater China. It is not surprising that most Indians consider work-life balance as their

biggest concern since demanding careers are taking a toll on their family lives.

Interestingly, booming emerging markets across Eastern Europe, West Asia and Asia seem tofeel the same. Globally, respondents rated job security (10%) as their third biggest concern,followed by health (9%), children's education/welfare (9%) and debt (8%). But concerdifferacross regions. While Americans are more worried about finance, respondents from the Asia-Pacific region are more bothered about emotional and physical well-being. Europe is anxiousabout the environment and for people in West Asia/Africa, it is politics and terrorism.

Explaining the reason behind differing concerns, Janet Gasper Chowdhury, managingconsultant, people and change practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, says, With recession

setting in the US and job cuts across companies, Americans' obvious concerns are finance anddebt, while people in a mature economy are concerned about environmental issues.

She adds that a rising rupee and a slowing US economy has forced a number of companies,especially in the information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services sectors, to optimizeexisting capacities and increase efficiency. All this has meant that employees are workingharder at the expense of their personal lives to meet targets, she says.The third biggest concern for Indians (12%) is parent's welfare and happiness, the highest forany Asian country.

IBM-India

Maintaining the essential work life balance has become a business imperative, and ismostly not very easy to achieve. That's where IBM's employee-friendly policies come intopicture.Be it flexible work arrangements or child care services, we recognize that these have apositive impact on employee productivity & retention, and therefore are looked upon as abusiness imperative. Complementing these policies are Well-being services, which spansseveral areas ranging from Influenza Vaccination to Emotional Well-being programs.Not surprisingly IBM is well known in the industry for its work life balance, and for thenineteenth year in succession, has featured in the 'best companies' list of variousmagazines, including working mother.


If you don't deliver, you don't earn the flexibility on work-life balance.- Jack Welch

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Dr. Reddys

Being with Dr. Reddy's doesn't mean working all the time. We believe that the bestenvironment at the workplace incorporates recreation as well.Which is why our Quiz & Music Clubs are so popular.Which is why there is always a cricket, volleyball or football match happening in some

corner of the company.Which is why our 'Family days' are such hits.And which is why employees of Dr. Reddy's always have some fun to look forward to.

In order to have a highly motivated and productive workforce such initiatives by theCorporate' do help in a huge way in minimizing the stress in the work environment.

AllWork

NoLife

Possible conclusion

Juggling between the obligations towards the families and expectations of the organizationand constant struggle to maintain a balance, can work or can have serious implications onthe life of an individual. Therefore, it is important for employees to maintain a healthybalance between work and their private lives. This will help them achieve their personal and

professional goals as well the organization they are working for.


Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.- Gustav Flaubert

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Working women striking the Work-Life Balance

Times have changed. From the time thehusband earned, and the wife stayed at home.To the time now when the husband earns andthe wife earns too. But the wife still cooks and

washes and runs the house. So, how does shebalance her work with life at home?Although, over the years women in India havestruggled to establish an identity & create amark in the social as well as in theorganizational platforms, but with educationalinstitutions training more and more women toenter professional careers, have drasticallychanged the scenario.

In fact, between 1991 and 2001 female

employment in India on the whole, haveincreased by 3.6% per annum. Within theprofessional world, which reflects India's smallbut growing middle class more than thecountry as a whole, the phenomenon of Indianwomen "breaking through the glass ceiling" isperhaps more muted.

Even, despite legal provisions made by acts like those of the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976(which promulgates equal payment for equal work, regardless of gender & prohibits genderdiscrimination in hiring practices), the so-called "glass ceiling" is perhaps still very prevalentwithin organizations.

Why Work Life Balance is Important to Women? Today's career women are continuallychallenged by the demands of full-time work and when the day is done at the office, theycarry more of the responsibilities and commitments to home. The majority of women areworking 40-45 hours per week and 53% are struggling to achieve work/life balance.Women reported that their lives were a juggling act that included multiple responsibilitiesat work, heavy meeting schedules, business trips, on top of managing the daily routineresponsibilities of life and home. "Successfully achieving work/life balance will ultimatelycreate a more satisfied workforce that contributes to productivity and success in theworkplace."

So how does a woman balance work with family? There's no easy answer to this question thatimpacts countless women, but here are some suggestions

? Lose the guilt. It's not like you're going to a resort every day. You're at work. As a careerwoman, you're serving as a breadwinner for your family, and that's an essential role.

? Divide the workload fairly. Unless you are a single mom, take the time to negotiateresponsibilities with your partner. Avoid conflict as much as possible by communicatingwith your partner about how to distribute the work fairly.

? Be in the moment at work or with family. This can be a difficult goal, especially if youwork at home or are expected to bring work home from the office. But when you're athome, do the best you can at just being a mom. At work, do the best you can at beingcommitted to your job.

If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepeningif your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not fond your work place.

- Orison Swett MardenOrganizational Behavior

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? Communicate with your boss and your coworkers. Open a good line of communicationwith your boss to make sure you are fully aware of your job expectations and of anyconcerns about your work. At the same time, don't be afraid to insist on reasonableaccommodations. You may need to take sick days off for your child, and if your employersdo not accept this without penalizing you, they are asking for a lawsuit.

? Look for smart ways to readjust your schedule. Can you telecommute a few days perweek? Is a flex schedule or part time work possible or even better a work-from-home

option?? Find a good child care situation. This can be a challenge. However, you'll feel much better

at work if you know your child is in good hands.? Schedule in time for yourself and your family. Busy working women need to recharge, so

don't feel the least bit guilty about taking time for yourself. Treat yourself to a occasionalnight out with friends and family.

Employers can also facilitate Work-life balance with many schemes that can attractwomen employees and satisfy their needs.

Some of these are

* Facilities for child care* Flexi-timings and work-from-home option* Work sharing* Part time employment* Leave plans - both paid and unpaid - to suit women employee's needs(e.g.: maternity

leave)* Insurance plans specially for women* Counseling services for problems like managing work and the home* Jobs with autonomy and flexibility* Realistic workloads

* Review of work processes to see if the burden on female employees can be lightened bymaintaining dialogue with the employees and considering their suggestions on acontinuous basis.


Working at united nations perhaps ironically can make it quite hardto live a normal life and work normal hours.

- Pauline Frederick

It is not easy to keep Work-Life balanced, but People keep it BALANCED

First Lady of the United States, Washington, DCChildren: Malia, 10; Sasha, 7 Husband: President Barack Obama

Intelligent, athletic and chic, shes breathed new life into the role of first lady. This

Princeton- and Harvard-educated attorney and mom to Malia and Sasha is a role modelto working mothers everywhere, who are counting on her to advocate for their interests.She has already announced her dedication to American working families, especiallymilitary families, and her intention to help them get adequate health care and mentalhealth services, as well as economic support. Married to Barack for 16 years, Michellecontinued to work at the university of Chicago Medical Center during the primarycampaign but resigned earlier this year. a media darling thanks to her fashion-forwardwardrobe, shes determined to keep her family grounded while living in the white house:Malia and Sasha are given chores, and theyre expected to do well in schooland toclean up after their new dog. we are proud to name the nations most famous workingmotherand the first African-American first ladyas our quintessential Working Mother

of the Year.

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Working perspective -

Doing it right and avoiding the pitfallsJIM BIRD

Executives concerns and opportunities that work-life affects :

Growth and profit impactAccelerated on and off-the-job stresses andexpectations are adversely affecting top andbottom-line growth, unnecessarily driving downproductivity. A well-implemented work-lifestrategy greatly reduces both the real andperceived overwork and out-of-balancepressures that hamper productivity, producing adramatic positive return on investment.

Full Engagement and customer service

A workforce that is out of balance, unnecessarilystressed, or disgruntled greatly reduces fullengagement with external and internalcustomers. Conversely, commitment to theorganization's objectives and clients' needs risesin direct proportion to the perception that theorganization is committed to both the work andlife success of each individual.

Competitive advantage for talentDemanding baby boomers--and even more, the smaller pool of younger workers--haveincreased their expectations of a positive work-life culture. Employees expect their employersto recognize that in addition to having a job, they have a life. This is reflected by the fact thatwork-life balance issues with the boss or the company are the number-one reason thatindividuals quit their jobs.

Health-care cost solutionThe rising organizational cost of health care is driving senior management to become more

proactive about employee health. Senior managers view engaging employees in improvingtheir own lifestyle behaviors and creating a healthier workplace as key components to thesolution.

"The way we get the most out of our people is by encouraging each of them to have alife." It is the job of the senior management team and specifically HR to make this happenin ways that are consistent with the organization's business and customer-serviceobjectives. Unfortunately, even as the demand for work-life solutions has skyrocketed,many work-life efforts have fallen short of their promise and potential to deliver the desiredresults for the individual and the organization. Positive new trends in the field, however,show that results can live up to expectations. In planning your own work-life efforts, becareful to avoid the pitfalls others have stumbled into and focus on implementing thesuccesses.

Environment in office is good, buthow to make them work efficiently isa big question !


Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love,to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.

- Henry Van Dyke.

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Role of HR for maintaining employees healthy WORK - LIFE balance -

One of the tools that managers use is a simplematrix. Along the horizontal axis are the keybusinesses goals; in the vertical axis the variousactivity areas or key competencies of HR. In theboxes created by this matrix we write in all thespecific project or activities that could usefully bedelivered, with a time and cost budget attachedto each. Almost invariably, the sum of all theseprojects exceeds the total budget allocated todepartment. HR can then engage the rest of theexecutive team in deciding which projects oractivities they want to drop. The same principleapplies to the workload of any department; theclearer the manager makes the choices, themore difficult it is for top management to demandmore. If they insist on trying to squeeze moreprojects into the plan, the manager's responsemust be: 'Which of these do you accept can beonly partly done or will not be done as well as itshould?'

Of course, the manager may still be told, 'How youdo it is your problem-you are paid to solve the issues.Now comes the key question for HR; how and to what extent are you prepared to support theline manager in resisting this kind of pressure? It is a question many HR directors are unhappyto address publically, and in private they sometimes admit that they do not carry the clout tointervene. At the very least, however, the HR director can raise the broad question at broad

level and attempt to discuss specific instances with senior management colleagues in private.

Possible practical measures which can be taken by HR department -

? Providing line mangers withconfidential advice when they feel thatpressure from above is underminingthe work-life balance policy.

? Using the employee survey to identifypockets of poor practice.

? Offering assertiveness training andnegotiation skills training to line

managers.? Persuading the chief executive to give

public recognition to mangers whostand up against this kind of abuse.

Providing an internal arbitration service to helpresolve disputes over what is an appropriate

workload (for teams or individuals).

HR

Employe

e

Family Com

munity

Work


I had never thought of advertising as a life work, though I had onthe side, written some very successful copy.

- Bruce Barton

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Relaxing control

Giving people more control over their work is directly associated with greater enjoyment oftheir work, with higher motivation, reduced stress and a reduced sense of being underpressure. Control is not just about when to work, it is also about how. Gradual relaxation of thereins gives both the employee and the manager time to adjust.

Allocating work

Managers' reluctance to make major changes in how work is done in their department oftenstems from very reasonable concerns about the potential for disruption and a reduction inoverall team performance. Studies of change management often place initiative fatigue near orat the top of the list of causes. Says author Lotte Bailyn : The only solutionis to bring thefamily needs above the line and include them upfront in the reconsideration of how work isorganized.

Creating a climate that encourages experimentation and learning

Most teams are so focused on task achievement that they fail to build in sufficient reflectivespace to review learning and plan for future learning. This narrow focus inevitably leads toreduced performance as the teams become busier but less effective.Managers of high performance teams create a balance of focus between task and learningwhile encouraging supportive behavior between team members. In the context of work-lifebalance, the manager can ensure that occasions when work demands become burdensomeare analyzed within the team to establish what has happened and how to prevent or diminishthe impact of any recurrence.

Managing up

The reality in most organizations is that much of the work that gets passed down is of little realvalue to the organization. Requiring senior managers to think before they ask for work to bedone is by and large good for the organization, as well as for the employees for receiving endsof such requests. For this a manager has to show courage in informing the senior managersabove about the actualization of unimportant projects by presenting a reasoned and verifiablecase for the work-life balance.

Making work satisfying and fun

One of the outcomes of our work on learning teams is a distinction between fizz (theenjoyment people gain from the work they do) and buzz (the enjoyment that comes fromsocializing with colleagues). A manager who can instill both of these attributes can reduce theimpact of long hours that do have to be worked into the team culture by making them fulfilling.There is a big difference between going home tired but content and simply going home tired!


There is not in the world so toilsome a trade as the pursuit of fame; lifeconcludes before you have so much as sketched your work.

- Jean De La Bruyere

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Build-Your-Own Balance Plan -

Step 1 - Assess yourself

Step 2 - Plan the right mix

Finding answers

If you are a good employer, chances are you already do a lot to foster healthy work-lifebalance for your employees. Maybe you dont have formal programs or perfect policies, butyou have a personal attitude and a work environment that is build on trust, mutual respect andsupport. This is an essential foundation for any work-life balance plan.

What will work for your workplace ?The answer will be a unique as your employees and there is a usually no single solution. Infact, you will probably need to consider a number of related changes. Whether your plans aremodest or grand, the following five steps will help you shape a clear and positive process.

The need for change -1. Why do think there is a problem with

work life balance ?2. What is being done now or has been

done in the past to address the worklife balance ?

The kind of work-1.What positions or work areas would

benefit from work life options?2. How will these influence the choice of

work life options ?

# Check around first# Set and communicate clear objectives# Ensure sufficient and balanced input# Ask, dont tell - seek suggestion before providing yours# Keep and open mind and listen carefully


Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take yourheart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.

- Meryl Streep

Now you have learned what you need to know. The next step is to decide what work-lifepractices you will put in place. These decisions might fall to the owner, manager, themanagement team or, ideally to a joint management. If there are several issues under

discussion, consider assigning task to separate solution teams to address different concerns.e.g you might set up a travel time task force to find ways to limit travel time for employeeswhich will reduce the stress on them, as some people spend huge amount of time in traveling.

Periods of unemployment are a fact of life in the industry - we cant change thatchange that. So, we came up with a plan to help workers through those times so atleast they wouldnt lose their benefits. Records are kept of a workers hours andanything above what is required for that months goes into their personal hours ofbank account. Down the road the worker gets laid off for two months - thoseaccumulated hours can be deducted to pay for benefits until they are back at work. It

also works across companies .. if the worker is laid off from one employer and startselsewhere, the coverage continues.

- CEO, employer association, construction industry,Edmonton

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Step 3 - Try it Out : Implementation

Step 4 - Spell it out : Communication

Step 5 - Work it out : Lead by example

Building on a solid need analysis, a careful choice of options and some well consideredpolicies, you are now ready to put your plan into action. If possible, start small: test yourprogram with few individuals or work units to test your systems as well as your assumptions.

The kind of data you may wish to collect to evaluate return on investment might include:

# rates of absenteeism, turnover, overtime or other indicators# employee satisfaction measures# productivity targets and results# employee participation statistics

Communication is the key. We need to know what options are available to us, how eachoptions work and how they can apply. It is important to communicate how the program willbenefit the entire organization, to individuals or work units that cannot participate.

Your communication can and should take many form such as:# briefing sessions# staff memos# company newsletters# intranet notices or FAQ# information brochures to family members

Action speak louder than words - the supervisor who says work-life balance is important butworks excessive hours and rewards only those who work long hours as well sends a very clear

message about what is really valued in your organization if participating in or even expressingan interest in a flexible work options brands an employee as less committed, not a teammember, not management material, then these programs are more risk than rewards

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References :http://www.articlesbase.comGovt. of Alberta - Human Resource Department - websitehttp://www.worklifebalance.comhttp://www.jobquality.com

http://www.nqi.ca (national quality institute)http://www.vifamily.ca (vanier institute of family)

Documents

Work Life Balance Final One (Roll No. 8,18,28,38,48,58)