Standing Still is NOT an Option? Why Organizations Need to Focus on Work-Life Balance

Transcription

1 Standing Still is NOT an Option? Why Organizations Need to Focus on Work-Life Balance Dr. Linda Duxbury Professor, Sprott School of Business Carleton University, Ottawa

2 Outline Setting the Stage Role overload and work interferes with family What is the impact of high role overload and work interferes with family on key stakeholders? What causes these forms of work-life conflict? How can we reduce role overload? How can we reduce work interferes with family? Conclusions

3 Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What works? What does not? Answers to these questions are not straight forward What works? Depends What does not work? Many of the popular solutions Focus on policies rather than practice

4 Setting the Stage: What is work-life conflict anyway? The parable of the blind man and the elephant Our research looks at four types of work-life conflict Role overload Work interferes with family Family interferes with work Caregiver strain

5 Prevalence of various forms of worklife conflict Role Overload Work interferes Family Caregiver Strain Family interferes Work % with high

6 What does our research tell us about work-life conflict? Work and life no longer separate domains for most of Canada s workforce The four components of work-life conflict have different impacts on the physical and mental health of Canadian employees Two most problematic forms of work-life conflict in Canada at this time: Role Overload Work Interferes with Family

7 What does our research tell us about work-life conflict? This talk will focus on only these two forms of work-life conflict: Reducing these two forms of conflict will yield the greatest bang for the buck for both employers and employees Strategies to address overload also address work interferes with family and vice versa

8 Where do you go for complete details? Health Canada Web Site: Following summaries available: Role overload Work interferes with family Family interferes with work Caregiver strain Benchmarking Canadian employers, employees and their families Recommendations

9 Role overload and work interferes with family High levels of overload systemic in Canada s workforce 60% of Canadian employees experience high levels of overload Percent of employees with high role overload has increased dramatically over the past decade 11% between 1991 and 2001 Just over one in four Canadians (28%) report high levels of work interferes with family Employees 4 times more likely to let work interfere with family than to let family get in the way of work

10 Cost of Not Changing Our data link high levels of role overload and work interferes with family to: Increased absenteeism Greater use of Canada s health care system Increased levels of employee stress and depressed mood and higher intent to turnover Higher benefits costs Lower levels of commitment and job satisfaction Recruitment and retention problems

11 Impact of High Role Overload on Key Organizational Outcomes % with high levels of: High Overload Low Overload Commitment Job Stress Job Satisfaction Intent to Turnover

12 Impact of High Role Overload on Employee Mental % with high levels of High Overload Low Overload Job Stress Overall Stress Depressed Mood Burnout

13 The Hidden Costs of High Role overload and Work-Interferes with Family: Increased Absenteeism Our calculations indicate that absenteeism due to high work-life conflict costs Canadians approximately 6 to 10 billion dollars Note: This is a conservative estimate Direct costs of absenteeism due to high role overload alone estimated at $3 billion per year Indirect costs of role overload estimated to be another $1.5 to $3 billion a year Direct costs of absenteeism due to high work interferes with family estimated at $1 billion a year Indirect costs of work interferes with family estimated to be another $0.5 to $1 billion a year

14 Employers Could Substantially Reduce Absenteeism if They Reduced Role Overload and Work Interferes with Family Our calculations indicate that employers could reduce absenteeism in their organization by: 23% if they eliminated high levels of role overload 6.3% if they eliminated high levels of work interferes with family

15 They could also reduce the amount they spend on employee benefits Over past six months Spent Following $ on Prescription Medicine: High Role Overload Low Role Overload Nothing < $150 $150 or more 22 10

16 The Hidden Costs of Not Changing: Lower Birth Rates % men agreeing % women agreeing Had fewer children because of work demands Not started family because of work demands

17 Data also indicates that work-life conflict is making people sick and increasing the burden on Canada s Health Care System Work-life conflict in general and role overload in particular strongly associated with use of Canada s health care system Data strongly suggests that work environment and workloads are making people sick Suggests that one way to reduce health care costs is to focus on work environment issues

18 Consider the Following Over past six months: High Role Overload Low Role Overload visits to doctor 4+ visits other medical providers Visited Mental Health Professional Had Medical Tests

19 Reducing Demands on Canada s Health Care System By implementing policies that reduced role overload (from high to moderate) Canada could: Reduce the number of physician visits by 25% per year, Reduce the use of hospital emergency department visits by 23% per year, and Reduce the number of in-patient hospital stays by 17% a year.

20 Summary Our national studies in this area leave little doubt that role overload and work interferes with family are associated with a number of indicators of substandard organizational performance Findings also indicate that employees who try and do it all and who meet heavy work obligations at the expense of their family are at risk of stress, burnout and depressed mood

21 Conclusion: Why Deal with Overload? Overload strongly associated with: Lower commitment and engagement Higher work stress and lower job satisfaction Increased absenteeism due to health problems and mental fatigue Higher intent to turnover Higher benefits costs (increased spending on prescription drugs and EAP) Negative view of organization as an employer

22 Conclusion: Why Deal with Work Interferes with Family? Impact of interference virtually identical to that noted for role overload That being said, it should be noted that employees with higher levels of work interferes with family Have the lowest levels of commitment and job satisfaction and the highest job stress and intent to turnover of any group Implications: Dealing with role overload and work interferes with family will help organizations recruit and retain employees and reduce costs due to physical and mental health problems

23 What causes these two forms of worklife conflict? Two things Work demands High number of hours in work per week High number of hours in supplemental work at home Organizational culture Culture of hours Culture focuses on policy not practice Culture talks people manages money and shareholder value Demands at home are NOT associated with the incidence of these two forms of work life conflict

24 What can be done to reduce work-life conflict? Three partners here: Employers Employees Families What are these groups doing to try and reduce work life conflict? Which of these strategies is effective? Ineffective?

25 What can employers do? Following strategies examined in our study: Flexible work arrangements Give employees more control of their work hours and work schedules (i.e. increase perceived flexibility) Develop and support good management Supportive policies and practices

26 What are organizations doing to help employees with work-life balance? Not Much! The use of alternative work arrangements is relatively low in Canada at this time 60% of employees work 9 to 5 workday 23% of employees use flextime 14% of employees work compressed work week Only 1% telework

27 While some Canadians perceive they have control over their work schedule the majority do not Low Flexibility Moderate Flexibility High Flexibility Perceived flexibility

28 Examination of the flexibility data indicate following: % with high flexibility Activity % high Take paid day off when child is sick 54% Have meals with family 51% Take holidays when want 51% Interrupt work day to deal with personal issues and return 50% Vary work hours 46% Take paid day off to care for elderly dependent 44% Arrange work schedule to meet personal commitments 38% Take time off to attend course 32% Telework 16%

29 Conclusions: Flexibility A lot of inequity with respect to perceived flexibility While many organizations recognize issues with respect to childcare, less has been done with respect to: Dealing with older children Eldercare Many organizations still operate under myth of separate worlds Many organizations not addressing needs of younger workers No telework No time off for training and development

30 Our data suggests that less than half of Canadian employees perceive that their manager is supportive Supportive Mixed Non-supportive Manager

31 Most Canadian organizations download costs of dealing with this issue to employees: best practice benefits are rare EAP 83% Unpaid LOA 83% Emergency day off 75% Time off vs Overtime 75% Short term personal leave 66% Flexible hours 50% Pro-rated part time 45% Personal day off pay 40% Telework 20% Child care referral 8% On site day care 7% Eldercare referral 6%

32 Which of these strategies work? Perceived flexibility key to reducing role overload and work interferes with family Two forms of flexibility particularly important: Ability to arrange ones work schedule to meet personal or family commitments Ability to interrupt ones work day to deal with a personal or family matter and then return to work

33 Which of these strategies work? Other forms of flexibility that are important to the reduction of these forms of work-life conflict include: Ability to take holidays when want Ability to be home in time to have meals with family Ability to take paid time off work to deal with childcare or eldercare issues Work interferes with family also strongly associated with ability to take time off for course or conference

34 Who you work for and how they behave also key to reducing role overload and work interferes with family The following behaviours associated with increased levels of overload and work interferes with family Manager has unrealistic expectations with respect to work Manager works long hours and expects employees to do the same Manager makes employees feel guilty about time off for personal or family reasons Manager focuses on hours of work not output Manager not effective at planning the work to be done Manager does not make expectations clear Manager is not available to answer employees questions

35 Impact of Management Behaviour On: Key Work Organizational Outcomes % High Commitment % High Job Stress % High Job Satisfaction % Thinking of Leaving Weekly + Supportive Mgr. Non-Supportive/Mixed Mgr.

36 Impact of Management Behavior On: Why People Leave More interesting work Lack of recognition Career advancement Supportive Mgr. Non-supportive/Mixed Mgr.

37 Impact of Management Behavior On: Why People Leave Supportive Mgr. Non-supportive/Mixed Mgr Non-supportive work env. Frustrated work env. Unrealistic work exp. Personality conflicts

38 Impact of Management Behaviour On: Spending on Prescription Medicine In past six months, percent of employees have: Supportive Mgr. Non-Supportive/Mixed Mgr. 0 Never purchased Spent more than $200

39 Impact of Management Behaviour On: Employee Mental Health Supportive Mgr. Non-supportive/Mixed Mgr. 0 High Stress High Burnout High Depression High Life Satisfaction

40 Impact of Management Behaviour On: Absenteeism Due to Mental/Physical Fatigue Supportive Mgr. Non-supportive/Mixed Mgr % who took mental health day % with 3+ mental health days

41 Impact of Management Behaviour On: Ability to Manage Change Supportive Mgr. Non-supportive/Mixed Mgr. 0 Upward Feedback Trust Mgr. Sat. with Policies

42 Being best practice in terms of policies makes little difference The work arrangement the employee uses has little impact on role overload or work interferes with family None of the benefits examined in this study are associated with reduced levels of these two forms of work-life conflict

43 Being best practice in terms of policies makes little difference Implications: companies who implement flexible work arrangements or introduce family friendly benefit packages will not see a reduction in work-life conflict if they do not address issues associated with use of these policies and benefits

44 What Can Employees Do? Our data indicate Canadians use myriad of strategies to cope with stress Social support Talk to others Seek help from others Active coping prioritize, schedule, plan, delegate Avoidance try and forget about it Reactive coping strategies to reduce feelings of stress drink, prescription drugs, work harder, reduce quality

45 Unfortunately data also shows that many Canadian employees not coping effectively Most Canadians use active coping strategies Unfortunately most who use these strategies give higher priority to work than family Very few Canadians cope by delegating No one to delegate to in time crunched workplace and home Very few Canadians seek help from others Try and cope on their own

46 Unfortunately data also shows that many Canadian employees not coping effectively One in three use escapist strategies One in ten use reactive coping Half cope by trying to do it all Work harder, sleep less Half of Canadians cope by reducing family size (have fewer children, delay starting family) Take the family out of work family

47 Advice to employees on how to cope Following strategies do not help employees cope with either role overload or work interferes with family Social support Escapism Scheduling and planning Having a drink So what does make a difference? Important to make a distinction between helping and making things worse

48 Advice to employees on how to cope Don t use the following strategies: Work harder or reduce quality of work Higher use of both of these strategies associated with higher use of role overload and work interferes with family Hard to determine direction of causality here which comes first higher levels of work-life conflict or higher use of the coping strategy Regardless, strategies do not lead to lower overload or work interferes with family

49 Advice to employees on how to cope What does work? Prioritizing and delegating This strategy works because employees give work priority and delegate family tasks to others Delaying starting a family or having fewer children This strategy works because it reduces demands and interference on the family end These strategies work - but at what cost

50 What Can Families Do? Our data indicate Canadian families use five different strategies to cope with stress Restructure and redefine family roles Have children help out, cover family tasks for each other Put family first Limit job involvement, modify work schedule, plan work changes around family Sacrifice personal needs Reduce sleep, leave things undone around house, cut down on outside activates Seek social support Purchase help form outside family

51 Many Canadian families not coping effectively 77% leave things undone around house 75% cope by covering household responsibilities' for each other 56% cope by cutting down on outside activities 55% cope by getting less sleep 42% hire help from outside the family Only one in three actively work to put family first Leave work problems at work, plan work around family needs, modify work schedule

52 Many Canadian families not coping effectively Data supports the following conclusions on how Canadian families are coping: By meeting work demands at expense of family By trying to buy balance By expecting family members to adapt to work By sacrificing their personal needs Very few are bucking these trends and putting family first Data suggest that while laudable, those who are using this set of strategies are putting career at risk

53 Advice to families on how to cope Do not use the following strategies: Sacrifice your personal needs Strategies such as cutting back on sleep and outside activities associated with higher levels of role overload and work interferes with family Again, hard to determine direction of causality Which comes first higher levels of work-life conflict or higher use of the coping strategy Regardless, strategies do not appear to work

54 Advice to families on how to cope What does work? Employees who put family first report lower levels of both role overload and work interferes with family They do this by: Modifying work schedule to meet needs of family Working to keep work and family domains separate (i.e. leave work at work) This strategy works, but defies many of the norms placed on managers and professions by employers

55 Advice to families on how to cope What does work? People who hire help on a weekly basis and who occasionally leave things undone around the house more able to cope with role overload and work interferes with family Higher use of these strategies more problematic for woman suggesting that high use of these strategies inconsistent with how women have been socialized Living in an egalitarian family where family tasks shared Can deal with heavy demands at work if you have someone at home to pick up the slack

56 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: Provide employees with a greater sense of control over their hours of work and their work schedule Give employees paid time off to attend job related training sessions, courses and conferences Give employees a fixed number of paid personal days off work to deal with Introduce new performance measures that focus on objectives, results and output Move away from focus on hours

57 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: Increase the number of supportive managers within the organization They can do this by identifying why managers are not supportive Competing explanations from our data include: Don t know how Don t have time Managers themselves are overloaded Good people management needs time Aren t motivated Not rewarded for being supportive (in fact, often rewarded for being non-supportive) Prefer (and are more comfortable with) the operational piece of the job Culture does not support good management

58 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: They can increase number of supportive managers by giving managers at all levels: the skills they need to manage the people part of their job the tools they need to manage people the time they need to manage this part of their job The incentives to focus on the people part of their jobs (i.e., measurement and accountability around the people piece of the job, 360 feedback, rewards focused on recognition of good people skills)

59 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: Increase the number of managers within their organization who consistently display the following behaviours: Make work expectations clear. Are effective at planning the work to be done. Provide constructive feedback when performance standards not met. Ask for employee s input before making decisions that affect their work. Have realistic expectations with respect to the amount of work that can be done in a given amount of time. Do not expect their employees to put in long hours, just because they do.

60 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: Change the culture of their organization Key ideas here: Success spiral External environment for health care has changed but have you?

61 Modern Madness these problems included lust for power, feelings of grandiosity, desire to micromanage, high need for control and to dominate others many organizations have institutionalized sickness not only a fundamental part of culture but also exercises tremendous pressure on normal people to become sick to fit in

62 Culture of Policing is Part of the Problem Problematic Cultures: Boiled frogs Emperor has no clothes Suck it up Stoic Hierarchal Reactive/urgent (not proactive/important) Work or family Cynical Teflon Fish bowl

63 The Connected Culture

64 Why is it important that managers and leaders understand the concept of culture? Most transformative change initiatives fail because: Organization introduces changes into old culture Leadership has a different view of the culture than organizational members Managers and leaders are transmitters of the culture in the organization and while they talk they talk they do not walk the walk Key Analogy: Blue lights at Grandma s house

65 Cultural Change Requires Good Management and Good Leadership Leaders and managers both key to successful change but their roles are very different Leader is to determine what has to be changed Manager is in charge of the how These roles are often confused Remember: You cannot be a leader without followers Leadership does not necessarily come from position Successful change is both top down (vision) and bottom up (strategies and participation)

66 How Does One Change Culture? It is all about Leadership Primary mechanisms leaders can use to create, transmit or change culture are: What leaders pay attention to, measure and control on a regular basis The reactions of leaders to critical incidents and organizational crisis Observed criteria by which leaders allocate scare resources

67 How Does One Change Culture? It is all about Leadership Primary mechanisms leaders can use to create, transmit or change culture are: Deliberate role modeling, teaching and coaching Criteria they use to allocating rewards Criteria they use to recruit, select, promote, fire and excommunicate staff

68 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employers need to: Deal with the issue of workload

69 Why are workloads an issue? Why are workloads an issue? Unrealistic expectations Organizational anorexia at the management level Technology has had a negative impact on managers Poor planning crisis management Idea that hours linked to advancement Poor role models at the top Lack of administrative support Poor change management Organizational culture 69

70 Dealing with workloads - - Solutions Hire more people OR increase administrative support Spans of control should be decreasing not increasing with knowledge workforce Typing and photocopying poor use of managers and professionals time Promote more good people managers into the management role Separate operational management from management of human resources Give more attention to succession planning 70

71 Dealing with workloads - - Solutions Give managers the appropriate training to do their jobs Project management and priority setting key Communication skills (how to say NO!) Develop some etiquette around the use of , other forms of technology Identify critical success factors and set priorities accordingly Examine what you do and how you do it Identify where spending time on the urgent rather than important Get rid of unimportant work 71

72 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employees need to: Reduce the use of the following coping strategies: working harder and trying to do it all reducing the quality of things that they do just try and forget about it Employees need to educate themselves on how to deal effectively with work life conflict Prioritizing and delegating does help

73 Recommendations: To reduce role overload and work interferes with family employees need to: Get enough sleep each night Maintain a healthy social life Maintain personal standards at home Make a real effort to keep work and family domains separate Mentally and physically Modify work schedule as necessary to manage demands at home Cover family responsibilities for each other

74 Ways forward Both employees and employers are at a cross roads with respect to this issue Seller s market for labour means that employers cannot continue to ignore these issues Physical and mental health data suggest that employees also cannot continue to burn the candle at both ends There is no they and there is no time like the present

75 Your Role: An Agent of Change Keys to success Control your attitude Glass half empty versus glass half full Take some ownership of the changes There is no they Chose your battles carefully Run with the wind, not against it Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win Establish credibility by operating in your span of control and picking low hanging fruit

76 Becoming a change agent Keep your sense of humor Sense of humor will not prevent the problems from occurring, but it will help you handle it it is healing Laughter helps keep things in perspective Don t let your strengths become your weaknesses Shift yourself to match change in organization As you are the only one you can really change, the only one who can really use all your good advice is yourself Tom Peters

77 Closing Thoughts: Why Focus on People? For organizations to "thrive" (not just survive) in the new millennium, they need to make human resources and supporting employees a high priority Leaders have a key role to play here - "If you want to be able to compete in the knowledge sector, you must treat workers as your most important asset." (Peters and Waterman)

78 Closing Thoughts: Why Focus on People? (continued ) "Little of today's technology is proprietary. Technology is easily obtained and replicated and only levels the playing field. An organization's valued human assets cannot be copied." Bill

79 Final Words More than anytime in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen