How business and government can bring young people into work
How business and government can bring young people into work
lworkife balance is a concept including proper prioritizing between "workaholics" (career and ambition) on the one hand and "lifestyle" (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. It is the term used to describe practices in achieving a balance between the demands of employees‘ family (life) and work lives. The increasing prevalence of work life conflicts and increasing concern about work life issues in the corporate arena present both a challenge and opportunity for Human Resource (HR) Professionals. Work-life balance initiatives designed to help employees balance their work and personal lives are not only an option, but also a necessity for many employers today. There is a need for organizations to adopt human resource strategies and policies that accommodate the work-life needs of a diverse workforce in the current business environment. This paper presents the results of the study on organizational polices and provisions regarding work-life balance of the employees, which was carried out among a cross-section of leading corporate entities in Pune representing equally the four industrial sectors, namely, Manufacturing, Information technology, Educational and Banking sector. The results reveal the commonalities and differences in work-life balance provisions across the four sectors. KEYWORDS: Work life balance, WLB initiatives, Human resource strategies, Business Environment, Organizational Policies, Conflicts. ______________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Work-life balance is the term used to describe those practices at workplace that acknowledge and aim to support the needs of employees in achieving a balance between the demands of their family (life) and work lives. The work foundation, earlier known as the Industrial Society, believes that 'Work-life balance is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when an individual's right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society'. The concept of work-family (life) balance has emerged from the acknowledgement that an individual's work-life and personal/family life may exert conflicting demands on each other. Work-life balance is an important area of Human Resource Management (HRM) that is receiving increasing attention from government, researchers, management and employee representatives International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research________________________ ISSN 2277- 3622 Vol.2, No. 3, March (2013) Online available at www.indianresearchjournals.com 199 .Factors contributing to the interest in work-life balance issues are global competition, renewed interest in personal lives/family values and an aging workforce (Lockwood, 2003). Sverko et al (2002) attribute the growing relevance of work-life balance in industrialized societies to changing technology, changing values and changing demographic trends. Other factors include increasing complexity of work and family roles, the increased prevalence of dual income households and the expanded number of women entering the workforce. In the present scenario, a vast majority of people seem to be working longer and harder than ever before and as consequences are finding it ever more difficult to achieve a much desired WL. In particular, technological, structural and demographic changes brought about in employment, together with greater than ever demand for more multiskilled and flexible ‗knowledge workers‘ are being allied with negative experiences of work such as involuntary contingent work and role overload. These experiences have been correlated directly and indirectly to the quality of family life, psychological well-being, and health. A balance between work and life is supposed to exist when there is a proper functioning at work and at home with a minimum of role conflict. Therefore, the incompatibility between the demands from the work and non work domain give rise to conflict and consequently, people experience a lack of WLB. There is confirmation of the fact that people entering the workforce today are laying emphasis on the importance of WLB more than their predecessors. In spite of this, the extent to which this balance is being achieved is far less than what is desired. In fact, the researchers bring to mind that graduates are being drawn into situations where they have to work for progressively longer hours and so experience an increasingly unsatisfactory balance between home life and work life. From the prospective of employees, WLB is the maintenance of a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. Work life initiatives are those strategies, policies, programs and practices initiated and maintained in workplaces to address flexibility, quality of work life and work family conflict. In other words, WLB is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. Strategies of WLB in organizations include policies covering flexible work arrangements, child and dependent care and family and parental leave. Several studies have shown the benefits associated with the provision of work life in organizations.
lworkife balance is a concept including proper prioritizing between "workaholics" (career and ambition) on the one hand and "lifestyle" (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. It is the term used to describe practices in achieving a balance between the demands of employees‘ family (life) and work lives. The increasing prevalence of work life conflicts and increasing concern about work life issues in the corporate arena present both a challenge and opportunity for Human Resource (HR) Professionals. Work-life balance initiatives designed to help employees balance their work and personal lives are not only an option, but also a necessity for many employers today. There is a need for organizations to adopt human resource strategies and policies that accommodate the work-life needs of a diverse workforce in the current business environment. This paper presents the results of the study on organizational polices and provisions regarding work-life balance of the employees, which was carried out among a cross-section of leading corporate entities in Pune representing equally the four industrial sectors, namely, Manufacturing, Information technology, Educational and Banking sector. The results reveal the commonalities and differences in work-life balance provisions across the four sectors. KEYWORDS: Work life balance, WLB initiatives, Human resource strategies, Business Environment, Organizational Policies, Conflicts. ______________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Work-life balance is the term used to describe those practices at workplace that acknowledge and aim to support the needs of employees in achieving a balance between the demands of their family (life) and work lives. The work foundation, earlier known as the Industrial Society, believes that 'Work-life balance is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when an individual's right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society'. The concept of work-family (life) balance has emerged from the acknowledgement that an individual's work-life and personal/family life may exert conflicting demands on each other. Work-life balance is an important area of Human Resource Management (HRM) that is receiving increasing attention from government, researchers, management and employee representatives International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research________________________ ISSN 2277- 3622 Vol.2, No. 3, March (2013) Online available at www.indianresearchjournals.com 199 .Factors contributing to the interest in work-life balance issues are global competition, renewed interest in personal lives/family values and an aging workforce (Lockwood, 2003). Sverko et al (2002) attribute the growing relevance of work-life balance in industrialized societies to changing technology, changing values and changing demographic trends. Other factors include increasing complexity of work and family roles, the increased prevalence of dual income households and the expanded number of women entering the workforce. In the present scenario, a vast majority of people seem to be working longer and harder than ever before and as consequences are finding it ever more difficult to achieve a much desired WL. In particular, technological, structural and demographic changes brought about in employment, together with greater than ever demand for more multiskilled and flexible ‗knowledge workers‘ are being allied with negative experiences of work such as involuntary contingent work and role overload. These experiences have been correlated directly and indirectly to the quality of family life, psychological well-being, and health. A balance between work and life is supposed to exist when there is a proper functioning at work and at home with a minimum of role conflict. Therefore, the incompatibility between the demands from the work and non work domain give rise to conflict and consequently, people experience a lack of WLB. There is confirmation of the fact that people entering the workforce today are laying emphasis on the importance of WLB more than their predecessors. In spite of this, the extent to which this balance is being achieved is far less than what is desired. In fact, the researchers bring to mind that graduates are being drawn into situations where they have to work for progressively longer hours and so experience an increasingly unsatisfactory balance between home life and work life. From the prospective of employees, WLB is the maintenance of a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. Work life initiatives are those strategies, policies, programs and practices initiated and maintained in workplaces to address flexibility, quality of work life and work family conflict. In other words, WLB is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. Strategies of WLB in organizations include policies covering flexible work arrangements, child and dependent care and family and parental leave. Several studies have shown the benefits associated with the provision of work life in organizations.
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