In 2012, work-life conflicts must be resolved

Jan. 03, 2012
In 2012, work-life conflicts must be resolved
Cindy Krischer Goodman | McClatchy Newspapers

Is the work-life conversation going anywhere?

Sit on the sidelines of a child's soccer or baseball game and you will see both men and women handling work issues from their cellphones or iPads while cheering from the bleachers. Today, the workplace goes wherever we go, and these parents are trying to juggle it all.

Have employers come to see work-life concerns as more than just "mommy" issues?

The beginning of a new year is a great time to step back and look at where the work-life conversation has come from and where it is going. What kind of support are you getting from your employer to help you do your job well? Are the right people at companies involved in the work-life conversation?

Donna Klein, CEO of Corporate Voices for Working Families, has suggested that the conversation has evolved. "Work-life conflict is no longer an issue confined solely to working mothers, but how a diverse group of working mothers and fathers, caregivers, nursing mothers and students balance the dual demands of work and life."

True, but do businesses understand that evolution? Do they care about job satisfaction, increasing recruitment and engagement, and building a compassionate policy that will nurture future talent? In nearly a decade of writing about work-life issues, I've spent hundreds - no, thousands - of hours searching for an answer to this question. Sometimes, I think the country has taken a giant step forward. Sometimes, I think we're stuck, or worse, have taken a step backward. Here are the positive changes I've seen:

1. Organizations like the WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress, the Families and Work Institute and Corporate Voices for Working Families have come to the forefront to push policies, highlight corporate initiatives and recognize best practices. At the same time, some companies are eager to tout their best practices to recruit and retain working mothers and fathers.

2. More business leaders are part of dual-income families and want the same flexibility that their staffs desire. This has forced some to understand and embrace requests to shift work hours, work from home on occasion and have four-day weeks. More of these proposals and requests are coming from men, particularly those near retirement age.

3. Men are taking to blogs. I see more men writing about their juggling act and commenting on blogs that cover work-life topics. As men take more responsibility for child care and house work, they are sharing their struggles with balance, if not at work, then at least on the Internet.

4. The work-life conversation isn't going away. I see the conversation going on in big companies, small companies, at the White House, at national conferences, even at monthly meetings of business groups. There is increased awareness that issues such as elder care, paid maternity leave and quality after-school care are concerns for a growing population of American workers.

5. Paid sick leave has gained national attention. While we don't have a national policy yet, there's momentum. I'm hoping that one day soon people won't have to feel compelled to go to work sick or bring a sick child to work with them.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:

These are the areas where we have room for some improvement:

1. Employer programs that support work-life balance exist but are underutilized because workers fear that it will cost them their jobs. The results of a global survey by WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress disappointed me: "We set out to study men and work-life integration, but instead uncovered workplace trends showing employees suffer a variety of job repercussions for participating in work-life programs, even when their leaders insist they support the business value," said Kathie Lingle, executive director of the organization. "This conundrum can be so oppressive that some employees go underground, resorting to 'stealth maneuvers' for managing their personal responsibilities."

2. Businesses still don't understand that you can't pile more and more work on a person and expect them to be on call at all hours without the person burning out or disengaging. I've asked companies what they plan to do about overworked or disengaged staff. Few have solid plans.

3. With the ubiquitous smartphone, the work day has begun to encroach on family time. Men and women are struggling to set boundaries. But few are having the conversations about this encroachment with their managers or supervisors. More of us need to find the courage to stand up and push back.

4. Too many business owners believe the conversation about the bottom line conflicts with talk about work-life issues. Companies need more education to prove that the two can go hand in hand.

THINKING AHEAD:

This is where I'd like to see the work-life conversation go as we head into a new year:

1. Businesses should survey employees to find out which work-life issues they face and which services they'd like to see offered. Men and women at all levels should be encouraged to participate. Some of these services cost employers little and make a huge difference in the lives of their work team.

2. Experts should drive the point that a culture of flexibility correlates with lower employee turnover. The cost of training a new employee surely is higher than allowing a good worker to come in an hour later and stay an hour later. The conversation must change to re-frame flexibility from a perk to a strategic initiative that makes good business sense.

3. Employees need to speak up about why they quit or change jobs. If work-life conflict becomes so onerous that it forces a worker to resign, he or she needs to make that known along with what the company loses - talent, knowledge, etc. - by his or her departure. If it helps even one manager "get it" that can make a difference going forward.

As we bring Americans back into the workforce after unemployment or deployment, my hope is that new patterns will evolve and that 2012 becomes the year when management commitment to help workers achieve work-life balances moves beyond conversation.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Cindy Krischer Goodman is CEO of BalanceGal LLC, a provider of news and advice on how to balance work and life. She can be reached at [email protected]. Read her columns and blog at http://worklifebalancingact.com/.