Work-life balance, parental leave, and corporate policy in America

Work Life Balance

When planning to have children there are ideals that one may wish to achieve; a good work life balance is one. The idea scenario would be to have a successful career which will provide for a good income and quality of life, and the ability to enjoy that good quality of life with the family. Quality of life includes the provision of material well being, such as a comfortable house in a good neighborhood, to have nice holidays, and not worry about paying the bills. However, quality of life also includes psychological well-being, and intangible aspects of life, including time to spend with loved ones, including helping children learn and enjoying watching them grow, playing with them were relaxed and happy, and being an integral part of their lives.

The problem faced by many is the way in which this balance can be achieved; it may be necessary to work hard in order to provide material requirements and desires, but that hard work may increase stress which will reduce the ability to enjoy life, and may also have an impact on general physical health (Llena-Nozal, 2008). In addition to the physical or mental health implications of hard work, hard work may also reduce the time that is available to facilitate a good work-life balance. It maybe argued that the culture in corporate America, and accompanying mindsets, do not accommodate a good work life balance. There are some companies which are instigating policies that may help with work-life balance, such as flexi-time, job share, and the ability to take time off family needs, Eddie Bauer is one of the companies (Faught, 1997), but a cursory examination of the majority of U.S. companies indicates they are unusual.

From a personal perspective, I understand why an employer would want to ensure that they have commitment and engagement from the employees, but I also believe that an employee is more likely to be motivated if they also have a good home life. Therefore, I would like to have an employer to facilitate a home life balance, with policies to facilitate the ability to take time off family when needed, and strategies to help ensure stress reduction, for example not calling employees while they are at home.

Question 2