An inadequate work-life balance can have detrimental effects on employee performance, retention and satisfaction. According to previous research, the flexibility of schedules and the number of working hours were found to be two of the main indicators of work-life balance. Evidence suggests that long working hours tend to risk the safety of employees, raise stress levels and impair personal health, as workers tend to be unhappy with the amount of time devoted towards work and the adverse consequences it has on their personal lives.
Work-life balance policies could be implemented by organisation s in order to enable employees to attain a proper balance between work and their personal commitments. Flexible working hours, part time and term time working, job share arrangements, working time policy and maternity leave are some examples of these work-life balance policies. However, the implementation of these policies will not be sufficient for them to successfully ‘work’. The support of the workplace culture, which reflects the values and norms of the entire organisation is essential for them to ‘work’. It is also important to raise adequate awareness of the policies and educate the managers about the significance of the policies and how to implement them.
Sources
- http://www.centrallancashire.nhs.uk/Library/Documents/policies/WORKLIFE%20BALANCE%20POLICY.pdf
- http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2003/hsl03-02.pdf
- http://www.genet.ac.uk/workpapers/GeNet2005p10.pdf