Truth 47. How to Reduce Work–Life Conflicts

The typical employee in the 1960s or 1970s showed up at the workplace Monday through Friday and did his or her job in eight- or nine-hour chunks of time. Both the workplace and hours of work were clearly specified. That’s no longer true for many in today’s workforce. Employees are increasingly complaining that the line between work and nonwork time has become blurred, creating personal conflicts and stress.

A number of forces have contributed to blurring the lines between employees’ work life and personal life. First, the creation of global organizations means their world never sleeps. At any time and on any day, for instance, thousands of General Electric employees are working in countries throughout the world. The need to consult with colleagues or customers 8 or 10 time zones away means that many employees of global firms are “on-call” 24 hours a day. Second, communication technology allows employees to do their work at home, in their car, or on the beach in Tahiti. This lets many people in technical and professional jobs do their work any time and from any place. Third, organizations are asking employees to put in longer hours. Over a recent 10-year period, the average U.S. workweek increased from 43 to 47 hours; and the number of people working 45 or more hours a week jumped from 24 to 37 percent. Finally, fewer families have only a single breadwinner. Today’s married employee is typically part of a dual-career couple, often with children at home. In 1980, about half of married women with children worked outside the home. Today, that number is more than 70 percent. This makes it increasingly difficult for married employees to find the time to fulfill commitments to home, spouse, children, parents, and friends.

Employees are increasingly recognizing that work is squeezing out personal lives, and they’re not happy about it. For example, recent studies suggest that employees want jobs that give them flexibility in their work schedules so they can better manage work–life conflicts. In addition, the next generation of employees is likely to show similar concerns. A majority of college and university students say that attaining a balance between personal life and work is a primary career goal. They want “a life” as well as a job! Managers who don’t help their people achieve work–life balance will find it increasingly hard to attract and retain the most capable and motivated employees.

So, as a manager, what can you do to help your employees who are experiencing work–life conflicts? The overlying answer is: Give employees flexibility and options. The more obvious examples of options include providing employees with flexible work hours, telecommuting, paid leave time, and on-site support services like child-care and fitness centers. But other options that can make life easier for employees include job sharing, summer day camps for children, elder-care referral services, dry cleaning pick-up and delivery, on-site car maintenance, help in finding jobs for spouses and partners, and free income tax and legal information advisory services.

Many high-tech firms are setting the pace in helping employees balance work–life obligations. For instance, Intel has opened satellite offices around the San Francisco Bay area to accommodate employees who don’t want to come into the head office. Cisco Systems has opened a $10 million child-care center that can accommodate up to 440 children. Microsoft offers free grocery delivery. Qualcomm has on-site fitness centers. And Google has free doctors on site and gives new parents up to $500 for take-out meals during the first four weeks that they are home with a new baby.