Work-Life Balance from HRM perspective.

  Implementing Work - Life balance 


Figure 1: Work and life balance (Source:https://www.mbaknol.com/human-resource-management/work-life-balance-programs-cost-or-investment/)

In today’s world the work has become the priority over everything else in our lives. This can be through the desire of becoming successful as a professional. But none realises that the own wellbeing is set aside. It is very critical to find a right equilibrium between work-life balances not only to improve the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing but also for the career development.  

In Summary, work-life balance is the art of equally prioritizing the demand of one’s career and demand of personal life (Marisa, 2021).

Advantages of work- life balance to the Employer.

  • Increased productivity.
  • Committed employees with loyalty.
  • To develop an innovative and supportive workspace.
  • Healthy and safer working environment with minimized stress.
  • Employee retention and less employee turnover.

Factors that drive for imbalance work-life

 Heavy workloads - This is does not imply that an employee is delegated with more tasks than it can be done in a given role. It also can be due to poor time management, unable to prioritize workloads, lack of social support, family conflicts and lack of skills.  

Salaries and wages - Salary should be able to compensate the employee expenses. If the take home salary is not capable of meeting the requirements, then the employee can start to feel to stress out.

Researches show that that an employee is satisfied with pay is more productive and motivated, even though pay is not only the factor (Zeynep Ton, 2022)

Longer working hours - Pressurising the employee to work longer hours to meet the expected output or results. This can definitely reduce the work-life balance of the employee.

Role of HRM to optimize work-life initiative

Figure 2: Work life balance

Flexible & remote working - It comes with no surprise, that the workforce values those employers who empower them to manage their own time. Employee must be given to choose between working remotely and from office. As per flex Jobs survey 73% out of more than 4000 respondents working from home during COVID 19 said that working from home improved the work-life balance. This actually allowed them to spend more time with their partner, family and pets. Also other studies suggest that less office drama and no time in commuting also increased productivity.

Recruitment & Training - Employee with proper skills should be hired and also training to be provided for employees. And creating awareness on prioritizing workloads with proper tools and techniques is a best practice.

Additional support for parents. This is not only restricted to female employees but for men as well.  A frame work with reduced working hours, maternity leave, shared parental leave should be proposed. If possible employers can considered as extension for child care cost.

Leave and off time - Drawing a rule to ensure that depicted weekly offs are taken on time and annual leave are spent with no option of carrying forward. This can help the employee prevent burnouts. If employee needs to work on weekends due to prioritizes, then comp off or premium overtime to be paid. 

Review the workloads - Workload must be reviewed on regular basis by the line manager to ensure that individuals are assigned with achievable workloads.

Encourage breaks - Create awareness of taking short breaks or taking a walk within the office. Sometimes a team chatter or a phone calls can be overwhelming.

Focus on productivity and not hours - Emphasis the managers to focus on completion of a particular task rather than Employee hours, some days an employee can work longer hours on task and will offset by the days when they don’t need to do a full eight hour day (Bamboo HR, 2022).

References

BambooHR, 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.bamboohr.com/hr-glossary/work-life-balance/
[Accessed 22 Mar 2022].

BeeKeeper, 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.beekeeper.io/blog/3-ways-hr-can-improve-employee-worklife-balance/
[Accessed 22 Mar 2022].

Forbes, 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2022/03/22/purpose-does-your-company-live-it-or-just-pay-lip-service/?sh=2fd5b1e518ce
[Accessed 22 Mar 2022].

Marisa, S., 2021. Business Daily News. [Online]
Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.html
[Accessed 22 MAR 2022].

MBAKnowledgeBase, 2021.[Online]
Available at: https://www.mbaknol.com/human-resource-management/work-life-balance-programs-cost-or-investment/
[Accessed 21 Mar 2022].

ProjectManager, 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/companies-help-employees-achieve-work-life-balance
[Accessed 22 Mar 2022].

Zeynep Ton, 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://work.chron.com/can-salary-influence-workers-performance-administration-25950.html
[Accessed 22 Mar 2022].

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Anuradha Wickramasiri22 March 2022 at 10:22

    Being a female and a banker, I perfectly agree with your comments withregard to work-life balance which is really important to perform in both status.

    HRM plays a vital role to ensure the work-life balance of its employees which directly impact to the business performance as well.
    An interesting article. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amjad Aboobakar22 March 2022 at 11:01

      Thanks Anuradha, these days many companies are adapting to work life balance, which was undermined for ages. Personal life, especially with kids cannot be forgo at any cost but on the other hand the economical status is also important.

      Delete
  2. Shibly22 March 2022 at 22:17

    A timely topic though it is been under discussion for sometime now. Some companies rigid about about working hours and weekends. I strongly feel that all th le companies should recognise 2 days weekly off and flexible working hours

    ReplyDelete
  3. Uditha Arawpola23 March 2022 at 05:42

    This is a broad topic in HRM. HRM is critical in ensuring that workers have a good work-life balance, which has a direct influence on corporate success. Well done!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kawshi M. Perera ♥️27 March 2022 at 04:13

    100 % agree with your ideas Amjad. Actually work- life balance is a major concern that we all have to face as employees . Definitely HRM can involve to this part . If the working environment is happy & independent , everyone can manage the personal life with the job smoothly .

    ReplyDelete
  5. FuardMBA246 May 2022 at 23:56

    Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Maintaining work-life balance can help reduce stress and prevent fatigue in the workplace. In this regard, HRM should implement the right plan to balance work life among the employees working in each company..

    ReplyDelete
  6. fahimmba7 May 2022 at 03:38

    Work life balance is very important for employees. If HR also involved in this its great.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Arjuna Medagama MBA #247 May 2022 at 05:00

    Well balanced work and life will give better results than the other .because those people can concentrate on work than the others. Definitely HR personnel must involve in this section. Then they can see the results.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gayan Marasinghe7 May 2022 at 11:51

    Employees will be pleased when they go to work if they have a good work-life balance. As a result, stress and the risk of burnout are reduced. Therefore, it helps to increase the performance of employees. Good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Darshana Undugodage7 May 2022 at 22:34

    In a dynamic world people are struggling to balance their personal life with work life. Managing their stress level will directly effects their outcome. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pasan Nanayakkara8 May 2022 at 06:14

    One factor that can directly affect the productivity of an employees' towards their organizational tasks as well as to their personal life overtime is work life balance. HRM plays a significant role in helping employees in maintaining a proper work life balance as HR professionals have realized the importance the topic of work life balance. Great article.

    ReplyDelete

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