Importance Of Work Life Balance In The Workplace

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Recommended: A short brief introduction about work life balance

A significant component of an employee’s well-being in today’s world is the ability to maintain a healthy balance between their profession and family life. As the prevalence of dual income families has increased, so has the idea of maintaining the responsibilities at home, as well as, ensuring one is productive at work. The attainment of work-life balance continues to be a prominent standard not only for employees in the workforce, but also for the organizations that employ them (McMillan, Morris, & Atchley, 2011). Work/life concerns are dominant across all cultures and can involve individuals of every gender, occupation, income level, and age. Moreover, in the 2007 SHRM Job Satisfaction Survey Report, “flexibility to balance life and work issues” ranks as “very important” for 52% of total respondents and 48% of HR professionals (Frincke, 2007). This small sample of research findings suggest that the work/life issues facing employees and organizations are far more widespread than we may think. This paper will go into a further analysis of the topic of work-life (family) balance; specifically defining what it is and its various components, outcomes and effects on an individual’s well-being, and examples of work/life programs that employers may implement within their organization. The concept of work-life balance most arguably came into view during the 1970s, when a large amount of women started entering the workplace (McIntosh, 2003). This is an issue that has continued to rise as more and more women, not to mention men, have entered the workforce and feel the pressure of juggling both work and their personal life. Fairly recently, a press release from the U.S Census Bureau revealed that today’s workforce is comprised of 147.9 mi... ... middle of paper ... ...itself. In conclusion, a critical issue that employees face is balancing their time effectively between their work duties and their family-related responsibilities. There are a number of negative effects associated with work-life imbalance and it is up to the employer to provide employees with the resources necessary to enhance their overall quality of life. With proper and legal implementation of a work-life program, organizations will be able to reap the benefits of increased employee commitment, reduced turnover, and increased productivity. In turn, the employee will benefit from an overall sense of meaningfulness in their life, not to mention increased job satisfaction and motivation. Lastly, it is vital that organizations recognize the need for an employee to maintain a work-life balance, and to take the steps necessary in providing them with various options.

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