Work life balance in an organisation/stress management.

[John C. Ter]

How organisation can achive this is becoming impossible.

[Chavah Golden]

Let's start with a definition of work if balance. Maybe some misunderstand it. If everyone has their own definition, I can see where it can become impossible. Maybe I want more time off. Someone else wants free lunches. Another wants to bring their baby to work. Another wants to bring their dog... Now that's impossible. What is work life balance anyway?

[Daniel S. Bowling, III]

Research shows that work-life balance is probably not the right concept; whether your work is aligned with your strengths and interests is the real determinant of job satisfaction. Persons talking the most about work-life balance are probably in the wrong careers (I see it all the time with the young lawyers I counsel). It has less to do with hours on the job than with whether you enjoy those hours. Some of the happiest people I have interviewed are people working around the clock, doing something that provides them with meaning and engagement. I have a book coming out next year called "Happy at Work: How the Science of Positive Pschology will Revolutionize Employment" focused in part on these issues. This is not an ad, but if anybody would like a preview send me a message.

Dan Bowling, JD, MAPP

[Kathleen]

There are two players when it comes to enhancing work-life balance - the employer and the employee. The employer can offer work-life and family-friendly policies and practices that make it easier for employee's to do and take care of things that are personally important to them. This is not enough, however. Staff must also be encouraged to use and take full advantage of these provisions. Unfortunately, too many organizations flaunt their work-life balance policies but in practice, the managers' actions demonstrate that they take a dim view of those who take those policies to heart. If a staff member started late so he could take the kids to school, worked from home on school holidays, would he still be considered a front-runner for promotion? So that's the employer's role. Providing the means for people to do their work AND handle things from the personal side of life, AND recognize and reward that individual to doing so. And it's already well known that a well-balanced employee is a better, more productive employee. Stress can often be managed if you provide the means for someone to manage competing demands.

The second piece of the puzzle is empowering employees to seek and achieve greater work-life balance. They need to be encouraged and/or perhaps need to learn how to advocate on their own behalf. All the work-life balance policies and practices in the world will not help someone who is not prepared to help themselves. How does an organization help make that happen? By modeling good work-life balance practices. And nothing speaks louder than leaders of the organization leading the way. You might also want to send out regular work-life balance bulletins, provide lunch-n-learns, profile a staff member on the company intranet, host a speaker series, etc. The options are limitless. The cost? Often little to none. It's a partnership. I help you and in return, you do a great job for me. It's a win-win all round.

[Dave Crisp]

Both employees and bosses tend to overwork each other and have expectations that everyone will be available to answer phones and emails day and night. Everyone has to set some limits for him/herself and seek support from his/her boss and colleagues. That's a tall order and agreements can break down if not tended to and checked-in on regularly.

As SVP, HR my key VP let me know he needed to come late and go early 3 or 4 days a week to pick up his daughter at school for 'maybe the next two or three years.' Did I panic? He was certainly hesitant to ask even though I was well known as flexible and, in fact, said I appreciated his work, didn't care when it got done as long as it continued to be... and we went on for several years without a hitch. But if I'd been unhappy with his work at any point? or if things started to change and he didn't let me know and just assumed I'd go along? or... you can think up any number of things that might rock this boat. And he was only one staff member. What about others who had many different 'arrangements' on the go or in mind. How many could I keep track of? That becomes an issue of whether you give everyone everything they want or need or ???

Many managers can't handle this complexity even with 2 or 3 reports, let alone 20 or so that Jack Welch says you should be able to juggle. This is one of many reasons why we need to train our leaders better than at any time in the past and train staff in general to take leadership in their own lives to work out what's workable and what isn't with minimum rocking of the boat. Companies are getting better, but a huge amount depends on the individual boss. Who's training yours???

[Mouna SEBBAHI]

hello Mr BOWLING,
i'm very intersted on your new book, could u plz send me an overview as u promised in your answer.
many thanks
Mouna

[Francisco Gomez]

Mr. Bowling, I would like to preview your book. It sounds really interesting!
Thanks,
Francisco

Daniel S. Bowling, III said:

Research shows that work-life balance is probably not the right concept; whether your work is aligned with your strengths and interests is the real determinant of job satisfaction. Persons talking the most about work-life balance are probably in the wrong careers (I see it all the time with the young lawyers I counsel). It has less to do with hours on the job than with whether you enjoy those hours. Some of the happiest people I have interviewed are people working around the clock, doing something that provides them with meaning and engagement. I have a book coming out next year called "Happy at Work: How the Science of Positive Pschology will Revolutionize Employment" focused in part on these issues. This is not an ad, but if anybody would like a preview send me a message.
Dan Bowling, JD, MAPP

[kathryn cole]

It is not up to the organization to provide work/life balance, it is up to the employer to listen and respond (where appropriate and reasonable) to employee requests. When employee requests reach a tipping point (majority) the employer responsibility is to creatively act and seek solutions where financially feasible. Employer responsiveness is the key, open communications and collaboration are critical. I see the frustration on both the employee and employer side of the equation. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

[Bill Kaminski]

Daniel S. Bowling, III said:

Research shows that work-life balance is probably not the right concept; whether your work is aligned with your strengths and interests is the real determinant of job satisfaction. Persons talking the most about work-life balance are probably in the wrong careers (I see it all the time with the young lawyers I counsel). It has less to do with hours on the job than with whether you enjoy those hours. Some of the happiest people I have interviewed are people working around the clock, doing something that provides them with meaning and engagement. I have a book coming out next year called "Happy at Work: How the Science of Positive Pschology will Revolutionize Employment" focused in part on these issues. This is not an ad, but if anybody would like a preview send me a message.

Dan Bowling, JD, MAPP

[Bill Kaminski]

Dan - in my opinion you hit the nail on the head with your comments "Happy at Work". When that condition exists, it becomes much easier to find a balance with my personal needs. When I don't like my work, it screws up my personal life and the stress seldom goes away...... Billk

Bill Kaminski said:

Daniel S. Bowling, III said:

Research shows that work-life balance is probably not the right concept; whether your work is aligned with your strengths and interests is the real determinant of job satisfaction. Persons talking the most about work-life balance are probably in the wrong careers (I see it all the time with the young lawyers I counsel). It has less to do with hours on the job than with whether you enjoy those hours. Some of the happiest people I have interviewed are people working around the clock, doing something that provides them with meaning and engagement. I have a book coming out next year called "Happy at Work: How the Science of Positive Pschology will Revolutionize Employment" focused in part on these issues. This is not an ad, but if anybody would like a preview send me a message.

Dan Bowling, JD, MAPP