Explode the myths to get the work-life balance right

By GREG THOMPSON

Much has been written about the work-life balance debate since Labour Minister Margaret Wilson announced in August that a steering group was being formed to consider the issue.

But there haven't been many surprises. Employers have expressed concern about the cost of complying with proposals such as an additional week of annual leave.

Workers have applauded the proposals, despite some predictions that compliance costs may be passed on through deferred wage increases and cuts to benefits such as training allowances or bonuses. Cynics have slated the moves as a blatant attempt to buy votes.

Whichever side you favour, one thing is certain: for many workers, something is a-kilter in the balance between work demands and family life and leisure time. But will an extra week's leave each year, more stringent regulation of overtime and legislation against harmful workplace stress make much difference?

For work-life issues to be properly addressed two things need to happen: long-standing employment myths need to be exploded, and employers need to take the lead in workplace reform.

Myth 1: balance means fewer hours

The work-life balance debate assumes that the working week, and year, is too long, harming health and family life. But for many people, achievement is about challenge and reward at work.

Employers who want to provide employees with greater life-work balance need to make work more liveable - more fun, challenging and rewarding.

Workers having fun are more likely to be productive; productivity is likely to result in reward; employees are more likely to feel good and share this with their families.

Much recent debate has focused on hours and weeks. Ironically this reinforces a notion of work culture in which time dominates and clocks are watched. But if employee work quality and output meet (measurable) expectations, hours don't need to be rigid. What is needed is less focus on hours and more on rewarding productivity.

Myth 2: Work and life are separate

Work is a large - and often important - part of life. Setting these at opposite ends of a scale in need of balance is problematic.

Employers need to find ways of making work more liveable for their staff - and it's not just a matter of more social events or allowing casual dress. It's about making the workplace something more than the place people grudgingly go to earn their keep.

This needs a radical rethink of company culture, openness to change, and genuine respect for staff.

Myth 3: Stress is damaging

Workplace stress can result from work that is unchallenging and poorly paid; from being in the wrong job; from rigid rules and schedules that preclude autonomy and creativity. And for many people, some stress is what makes work fun.

Again, it's a matter of balance, but balance that can't be legislated or generically determined.

What's fun for one person may be agonisingly difficult for another; the stress that adds zing to one person's work-life may be unbearable to someone else.

One of the best ways to reduce employee stress is to ensure proper job-fit from the outset. This involves assessing more than a person's work-related skills, but also their personality and wider interests. It also needs regular reassessment of people and their roles to ensure ongoing fit.

It's not just a matter of compliance

If we're really going to address work-life balance, we need a fundamental mindset change on the part of employers and employees.

Clock watching still dominates many organisations, perhaps because time is so easily measured. But time in the office is not an adequate measure of productivity or quality of output. Employers need to institute new ways of measuring employee contributions.

In many jobs, employees need to be available for meetings, client inquiries, customer service and so on. But in others, work can be done in far more flexible ways and from many places.

This is notably so for knowledge workers - those who work with ideas, creating, evaluating, planning or decision-making at any level of a business or organisation.

Ideas are hard to generate on demand and within rigid, time-bound schedules. Providing knowledge workers with time to think may be a key indicator of performance in the 21st century.

Addressing workplace culture is the fundamental way to achieve work-life balance. Studies show that workers now entering our workforce are driven less by money than by lifestyle. Ensuring staff have a rewarding lifestyle - even, and perhaps especially, at work - is what will count.

Addressing work-life balance will become increasingly important to business success as the diminishing labour force becomes far choosier about where they work. Smart employers will start thinking now about ways to provide the kind of balanced workplace that will attract the skilled staff of tomorrow, rather than waiting for government to mandate changes.

* Greg Thompson is general manager of Hudson Global Resources