IT’S TIME TO RESTORE WORK/LIFE BALANCE

Improved job prospects bring worker demands for balance

After the onset of the 2008 global recession, the topic of work/life balance was pushed to the
sidelines for many years. With massive layoffs and high levels of unemployment, workers were
happy to have jobs even if those jobs were difficult to juggle with personal priorities.
In 2016, unemployment levels have recovered in many locales. There are global talent shortages
in numerous fields including technology, analytics, science, engineering, and health care. As
workers gain employment options, they will seek to restore balance between their work and
personal lives, making it a prime time for employers to revisit their approaches to this issue.

COMMON WORK/LIFE BALANCE PRO GRAMS

A large majority of organizations offer employees some support for work/life balance. Roughly
half of organizations responding to APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking® on rewarding and
retaining employees offer relaxed dress codes and flexible work hours. One-third have
telecommuting programs and one-quarter provide child-friendly policies (e.g. on-site child care,
emergency child care, or child-care provider referrals).

Programs that the Business Entity Offers to Support Work/Life Balance

Flexible hours 54.0%

Relaxed dress code 48.0%
Telecommuting/work-at-home 31.0%
Child-friendly policies 25.0%
Reduced overtime 21.0%
None of these programs apply 15.0%
Home services at work 12.0%
Reduction in company travel 11.0%
Other 13.0%

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0%

N=559

Figure 1

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 THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK/LIFE BALANCE PROGRAMS
Work/life balance programs help organizations attract and retain top talent while maintaining or
increasing workforce productivity. When employees are unable to balance professional and
personal obligations, stress increases, health problems arise or worsen, and job satisfaction
declines. Absences from work and mistakes at work become more common. Ultimately,
overburdened employees are at risk for leaving the organization either voluntarily or
involuntarily.
Failure on the part of employers to address work/life balance challenges is expensive, leading to
workplace safety violations, lower levels of job performance, increased staffing expenses, and
growing health care expenses. Accordingly, proper investments in work/life balance programs
can provide a big return for organizations.
WORK/LIFE BALANCE BES T PRACTICES
APQC research has shown that it is a best practice to take a comprehensive view of work/life
balance. Such an approach involves the organization going beyond offering relaxed dress and
flexible hours to provide holistic support for employees while they are at work and at home. The
best-practice organizations that APQC has studied offer a range of options to help employees
pursue work/life balance including:
 health and safety programs,
 work-at-home policies and practices,
 fitness benefits,
 support for dual-career families, and
 sabbaticals.

Other programs that organizations can use to holistically support work/life balance include:
 paid parental leave,
 flexible work hours,
 onsite amenities (e.g., fitness facilities/classes, dry cleaning, banking, health clinics, etc.),
 job sharing , and
 courses for employees on how to manage work and life.
For employers, providing a variety of work/life programs is only half the challenge. Equally
important is creating a workplace culture that encourages employees to use these work/life
options. To create such an environment, employers need to communicate with all employees
regarding what work/life options are available and how these can be used. Next, leaders and
managers need to use these programs themselves, role modeling desired work/life balance
behaviors. Finally, HR and people managers will want to watch that employees who use
work/life balance programs are positively recognized and not negatively affected for doing so.
Specifically, HR and people managers should watch that work/life balance does not negatively
affect performance assessments, employee rewards, or career progression.

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 CONCLUSION
Emulating work/life balance best practices will become increasingly important for attracting and
retaining workers as well as for maintaining workforce productivity. More than half of the
organizations represented in APQC’s Talent Trends survey predict that by 2020 employees will
be overworked. Yet, only 37 percent said their organization’s current work/life programs are
market competitive.

ABOUT APQC
APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s
foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement,
and knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a
differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations
worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s
leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at www.apqc.org, and learn how you can make
best practices your practices.

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