Demographics and generational attitudes are coming together to make substantial flexibility demands on employers. That’s why work/life balance, once a nice-to-talk-about concept, has moved to the front burner in many organizations.
Boomers have the skills you want to retain, but these days they want more time off. Gen X and Gen Y workers, similarly skillful, also demand more flexibility. What does it all mean? You’re going to deal with work/life balance whether you want to or not.
Today’s experts, Diane Kubal and Janice Newman, blogging on workforce.com, share insights on how work/life balance is playing out in today’s workplace. Kubal is CEO of Fulcrum Network, a Chicago firm that brokers HR consulting talent. Newman, who is SPHR and MHRM certified, is principal of Chicago-based HR Focus Consulting.
Conditions Tend to Push Organizations
When it comes to how to handle work/life issues, company age and size don’t matter, the experts say. It’s these conditions that prompt organizations to move to address work/life balance:
- Revenue or market share crisis,
- Organizational transformation,
- Chronic shortage of qualified talent,
- Outside organizations plundering your employees,
- Realization of the toll and cost of turnover, or
- A naturally family-friendly culture.
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When companies respond, it’s often with one or more of these common arrangements:
- Flex scheduling that accommodates school or doctor visits—or just personal time
- Telecommuting, from once a week to full time
- Compressed workweek, for example four 9-hour days, or three 12-hour days
- Job sharing, where typically two people share one job, often overlapping for 1 day
- Part-time seasons for full-time workers, like a school schedule—work full time most of the year, part-time or not at all during the summer
Factors Necessary for Success
Kubal and Newman have identified these factors as contributing to success in addressing work/life balance issues:
1. Find your fit. Any alternative work arrangement must make sense for both the organization and its employees.
2. Focus on retention, not rules. If a high-potential employee wants a flexible schedule, find a way.
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3. Clarify responsibility. Set ground rules at the outset.
4. Secure C-Suite buy-in. Success requires full support from top management.
5. Invest in communication. Make sure that participants have the technology to access needed work resources and managers to monitor the work.
6. Employee self-management. But set regular times for checking in.
7. Withhold value judgments. Change the corporate mentality to avoid thinking of those on alternative work plans as “less-committed, with misplaced priorities.”
8. Embrace the whole employee. Companies find success when they work with the “whole person,” say Kubal and Newman.
Enter FMLA
There’s another aspect of work/life balance you’ll need to deal with. That’s the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This law has been a bear to employers since the day it was passed. And now, in addition to its original challenges, including its famous (some say infamous) intermittent leave provision, there have been calls to add such features as mandatory paid leave and an expanded menu of reasons FMLA leave must be granted.
With change in the air, it’s vital that managers consult with you on any question involving leave. But what reference will you consult with?
Our editors suggest BLR’s Family and Medical Leave Act Compliance Guide, for these important reasons:
First, the book is written in plain English and is packed with examples and common situations.
Second, it covers the law in sequence. Requests for leave are covered before maintaining benefits during leave. Next is return from leave, and that’s followed by how to document and time-track leave against the federal 12-week maximum.
State Leave Laws Usually Predominate
Third, the program explains state leave laws, which are frequently more liberal than the federal. The Guide puts state provisions next to the federal and highlights the differences.
Fourth, the book delves into how the Americans with Disabilities Act compares with the FMLA, and also workers’ compensation. It also covers jury duty, court appearances, or military service.
A final section includes all the materials needed for a leave program, including posting notices in English and Spanish, and forms for leave notification and time tracking. And to keep up with the changes, the initial purchase includes quarterly updates and FMLA newsletter, both at no extra cost.
The program is available to try for up to 30 days, with no obligation to buy it. You can get a sense of it now by clicking on the samples links below. Then click here to learn more or begin your no-cost trial.
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