This paper examines how business managers should address work-life balance challenges in the workplace. Drawing on peer-reviewed and professional literature, it explores the distinct perspectives employers and employees hold on flexible working, identifies six organizational conditions that prompt workforce plan changes, and outlines nine success factors for sustaining work-life balance initiatives. The paper also reviews practical improvement strategies — including flexible hours, telecommuting, and parent assistance — and highlights the measurable benefits of work-life balance programs, such as reduced absenteeism, higher employee engagement, increased productivity, and significant cost savings. Workforce management (WFM) technology is presented as a key tool for aligning staff preferences with business needs.
The present economy has made the survival of businesses a challenging pursuit, with climbing labor costs and rising operating expenses. However, flexibility is a primary characteristic of businesses that will survive the current economic climate. In addition to these economic pressures, a report published by the Society for Human Resource Management — specifically the Workplace Forecast — found that 57% of human resources professionals "agreed that there will be an increased demand for work-life balance in the coming years" (Avats, 2010, p. 1). A separate study reported by the Society for Human Resource Management found that difficulty relating to work-life balance was responsible for 41% of employee retention problems.
Avats (2010) notes that the terms "flexible working" and "work-life balance" are interpreted differently by different individuals. To the employer, flexible working generally means "a way to ensure staff availability at the right times to meet customer demand," while to the employee, work-life balance means "freedom to pursue outside interests, whether leisurely pursuits, education, or family commitments, and to schedule work around these activities" (Avats, 2010, p. 1). Because of these differing conceptual views, there is reported to be "a daily battle of managing the conflicts between staff preferences and business need" (Avats, 2010, p. 1).
The solution proposed by Avats (2010) is the use of technological advances "such as workforce management (WFM) technology" (p. 1). WFM technology has been shown to "reduce the number of hours supervisors spend producing and managing schedules by as much as 80 percent" (Avats, 2010, p. 1). This may also translate "into thousands — even millions — of dollars or more in savings per year, as well as productivity and revenue gains from higher employee satisfaction and customer service" (Avats, 2010, p. 1).
Working pattern changes that are designed hastily or without proper planning are not productive. By contrast, "WFM solutions take into account the impact of employee schedule preferences, sickness, training, meetings and many other work/availability exceptions, and automatically factor these into the schedule" (Avats, 2010, p. 1).
Kubal and Newman (2008), in their work "Work-Life Balance Becoming a Key Tool for Retention," report that the conditions most likely to prompt organizations to change their work scheduling plans include the following:
(1) There is a revenue or market-share crisis in the business — that is, the top and/or bottom line is thinning; (2) organizational transformation is underway; (3) there are chronic shortages of qualified talent; (4) outside organizations are "plundering" the incumbent employee population; (5) the organization recognizes the high cost of turnover; (6) it is the "natural" next step, given the underpinnings of a family-friendly culture (Kubal and Newman, 2008).
According to Kubal and Newman (2008), there are nine success factors for establishing and maintaining a manageable work-life balance initiative within organizations. Those nine factors include the following:
"Framework for sustaining effective work-life balance programs"
"Practical strategies and measurable organizational benefits"
"Recap of key findings and managerial implications"
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