Balancing act: The strategic benefits and legal necessity of the work/home life balance. (Legal watch).

In the last column, we looked at why stress is a management problem. This column focuses on one of the greatest sources of employee stress - the need to balance work and home life. This important topic has both strategic human resource and legal implications.

The need for employees to achieve balance in their lives has received a lot of attention as of late but, in many respects, employers are merely paying lip service to it. Organizations are creating policies that, on the surface, appear to recognize the balance issue but these policies are all too often ignored. In fact, a major conference organizer recently developed a conference on work and home life balance because it was such a popular issue but they had to cancel it due to a lack of registrations!

Perhaps it comes down to the carrot or the stick argument. Many people claim to be motivated by the "carrot" (strategic human resource management) but in reality, are only motivated to action by the "stick" (lawsuits). Whatever your motivator, there are important reasons to consider this issue.

WHY THE SUDDEN CONCERN WITH BALANCE?

There is no single factor that has caused this interest in balance but there are a couple of key ones.

Double Income with Kids

The effect of having two parents working should not be underestimated. Obviously, having both parties work means that they cannot both put in long hours without considering how that will impact on child care.

But beyond that, there is a cultural shift as well. Many men are taking a more active role in child rearing and want to spend quality time with their children.

Downsizing Damage

Downsizing has had a dramatic effect on the collective psyche of employees. Many people felt burned by organizations that encouraged their employees to put in long hours and make great sacrifices in the name of company loyalty, only to find themselves dispensable when times got tough. The resulting employee philosophy is to be loyal only to yourself and not to give all to your employer.

Generation X Goes to Work

Downsizing affected the generation who watched their parents get burned and who vowed not to experience the same fate. These workers are interested not only in money, but in benefits that allow them to "get a life". Indeed, one of the hottest benefit issues today is vacation entitlements, with prospective employees negotiating for greater and greater periods of time off.