The second part of the work/life business case lies in the assessment of employee needs. It is important to spend time on clarifying not just how work/life connects with organisational priorities but how work/life meets the needs of the people in your organisation. It is important to listen to employees and managers to learn what kind of work/life help they need. The real business value of a work/life perspective is its ability to address the people issues that matter to the business.
As well as finding ways to meet business needs it is important to ask of staff: “What is important to you?” Many senior executives want to know how their staff members respond to that question.
Understanding which initiatives will be most valued by staff is the key to developing an effective work life balance strategy.
The types of initiative that will appeal to an organisation’s workforce will depend on where employees are at in their work life cycle. Many organisations have concentrations of employees from a particular gender or age cohort, particularly within sections of occupations.
The first step in developing a work life strategy focuses on identifying the needs and desires of current employees, and determining which options would best assist them to balancing work and lifestyle commitments.
The aim is to gather information about the specific needs of employees within your organisation. Some strategies for identifying needs are:
In larger organisations, it might be useful to establish a work life balance consultative group with representatives from various sections and/or roles within the business. The consultative group could work on identifying the needs of employees and then assist with the other steps in implementing a work life balance program.
Be aware that the needs of the workforce may change over time, as employees change their family and lifestyle arrangements. It is important to regularly check that work life balance initiatives are continuing to meet employee needs.
Find out what employees want
www.business.vic.gov.au
Work/Life needs assessment should involve individual needs assessment and personal responsibility (as well as organisational responsibility) for addressing work/life balance issues.
Personal /Self Assessment Tool
www.education.vic.gov.au
Conducting a work life balance survey need not be a complex process. The survey can be short and simple, and could be used to:
Work and Family Questionnaire
www.business.vic.gov.au
Work life balance initiatives need to work for the organisation as well as for employees. The second step in developing a work life balance strategy is to assess what flexible work arrangements and initiatives will be feasible for your workplace.
It is important to think broadly when examining the impact of such initiatives. If the work/life balance initiatives include flexible work arrangements (as they probably will) each flexible work option needs to be examined in terms of usefulness to employees and impact on the business. For example, if considering establishing a job sharing arrangement, it needs to be remembered that such an arrangement might require additional involvement and time in the setup phase, but result in a higher level of productivity in the long term.
Other issues to consider in relation to the feasibility of flexible work arrangements include:
Associated issues such as insurance, workers’ compensation, legal liability, security, taxation and superannuation implications, equity and supervision need to be considered carefully for some of the flexible work practice options.
Similarly, other work/life initiatives need to be assessed strategically. For example, initial requests for a school holiday program may require such steps or considerations as: further consultations to establish the true level of need, the opportunity to partner with local service deliverers or to programs offered by other companies or workplaces, consideration of legal implications, and access to suitable accommodation and providers.
It is also important to consider the cost and level of administrative support required for any new initiatives. Some initiatives, such as establishing a workplace family room, may require initial expenditure but be very cost efficient in the long term.
As part of the decision making process, employers could conduct a cost benefit analysis of proposed flexible work arrangements to ensure there are real advantages to both the employer and employees, and that the advantages outweigh costs.
For example, your organisational self assessment may have identified work life conflicts as a major source of turnover and as staff turnover has cost implications, employers could calculate the cost of staff turnover, i.e., the costs of:
Any additional costs of work life balance friendly initiatives, such as the cost of additional equipment in setting up a workplace family room or working from home arrangements, should be calculated over the life of the equipment and be offset against savings associated with retaining skilled productive employees.
Costing Guide
http://www.workplace.gov.au
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
It’s About Time - Sample Survey p34
http://union.org.n
State Services Authority, Victoria.
Tool #3 Needs Assessment Checklist p 19
http://www.ssa.vic.gov.au
Ministry of Manpower Singapore Work/Life Harmony
Self- Assessment for Employers
http://www.mom.gov.sg
Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
Cost Benefit Analysis
http://www.mom.gov.sg/
WFC Resources
Climate Survey
http://www.workfamily.com
Work and Family Questionnaire
Work and Family Balance Manual
Industrial Relations
Business Victoria http://www.business.vic.gov.au
Reducing Role Overload in the Health Care Sector
You are invited to attend a special forum on the topic of Reducing Role Overload in the Health Care Sector arranged by the Work/Life Association in conjunction with Monash University's Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW) and Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association.
+ MoreFor presentations from the Right to Request Flexible Work business forum held on 19 May click here.
+ MorePresident Obama and Michelle Obama are taking a keen interest in workplace flexibility
The Obama Administration announced plans to hold a Forum on Workplace Flexibility on March 31st at the White House.
+ MORETowards flexibility being the “new normal” in the American workplace
A recently released US report from Workplace Flexibility 2010, a Georgetown Law-based think tank, outlines a comprehensive set of policy solutions to expand Americans’ access to flexible work arrangements (FWAs) such as compressed workweeks, predictable schedules, and telework. The common-ground solutions described in the report can benefit both working families and businesses.
+ MOREAustralian men yearn for work/life balance
This article reports on a growing trend among males in the workforce to be wanting to better match their work and family responsibilities.
+ MOREFlexibility for men and women and all ages
Perhaps one the key to normalizing flexibility in the workplace is for men to speak up about their desire to have the same flexibility for family time as many women have been expressing and acting on for years.
+ MORE