(Group 1)

Group MembersGroup Members

Anushree Rao 65Anushree Rao 65Evette Quadros 78Evette Quadros 78Fiona Alphonso 79Fiona Alphonso 79Janet Martin 82Janet Martin 82Steena D’Souza 115Steena D’Souza 115

The expression "work-life balance" was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life

Experiencing burnout due to overwork and increased stress

Problems caused by stress have become a major concern to both employers and employees. Symptoms of stress are manifested both physiologically and psychologically.

Result would lead to an increase in the levels of absenteeism, rise in workers’ compensation claims, rise in workplace violence, high levels of attrition etc

To remain competitive, employers are emphasizing on the importance fo work-life balance programmes

Some of the initiatives are flexible work options job sharing child-care programmes agreed leave policies telecommuting/working from home maternity and paternity arrangement Higher levels of motivation, job satisfaction, work-life

commitment, reduced stress levels and higher productivity

Reasons for Work Life Reasons for Work Life ImbalanceImbalance Global Economy

International business

Longer hours

Changes in family roles

Advanced communication technology

Striking the best Striking the best work-life balancework-life balance

Learn to say no Time management Leave work at work Nurture yourself Get enough sleep Take advantage of your options Take MEDITATION breaks & not

MEDICATION breaks

Company’s Role in Company’s Role in Employee Work Life Employee Work Life

BalanceBalance Companies have started implementing flexible work options like:

Childcare Wellness programs Financial planning These work/life benefits encourage employees

to be more productive and committed to the company

Work PoliciesWork Policies

1)Time

2)Leave

3)Benefits

4)Dependant care

5)Counseling and wellness

6)Personal convenience

Offer some degree of schedule flexibility to accommodate employee needs.

Allow employees to leave work early or come in late on occasion.

Allow for occasional days off to deal with family emergencies.

Allow employees to take important phone calls about family issues at work or get them phone messages as quickly as possible

Allow employees to take important phone calls about family issues at work or get them phone messages as quickly as possible

If feasible, allow employees to work at home from time to time.

Being sensitive to employees’ family responsibilities.

Company benefitsCompany benefitso Supports business and organizational goals

o Reduce absenteeism

o Increased competitiveness in recruitment and retention of staff

o Better customer service

o Potential for reduced disability costs

How can employers help How can employers help their employees manage their employees manage

workloads?workloads?

Managers should keep Managers should keep the following tips in the following tips in

mind:mind: Keep workloads realistic: Schedule time accurately, manage resources wisely,

prioritize tasks, and say "No" to projects that would overload the team. Review work processes and load distribution regularly to see if you can help lighten the burden.

Remove interruptions: Setting aside specific interruption-free periods during

the work week can result in increased productivity and a less stressful work environment. Interruptions prolong the workday and are symptomatic to work performance.

Work Arrangements: Accenture provides flexible work arrangements such as flex time, part-time, job sharing, telecommuting/home working in more than 30 countries around the world.

Working Away from Home Location: Where significant professional travel is involved, which is often the case for many of our consulting people Fly-backs and client-site flexible work arrangements

Video Conferencing: To reduce the amount of travel required by employees video conferencing technologies such as Telepresence, a ‘like being there’ video conference solution, and RoundTable, a 360 degree visual conferencing tool, are used.

Be it flexible work arrangements or child care services, IBM India recognizes that these have a positive impact on employee productivity & retention, and therefore are looked upon as a business imperative. Complementing these policies are Well-being services, which spans several areas ranging from Influenza Vaccination to Emotional Well-being programs.

Not surprisingly IBM India is well known in the industry for its work life balance, and for the nineteenth year in succession, has featured in the 'best companies' list of various magazines, including Working Mother.

BENEFITS OF BENEFITS OF WORK-LIFE WORK-LIFE BALANCEBALANCE

Balancing work, family and Balancing work, family and lifestyle commitments can lifestyle commitments can

be difficultbe difficult The result of which in the workplace can be that employees

are less productive are absent more often, or for longer disguise the real reasons for their absence have lower levels of morale are more stressed are more likely to leave a workplace

BENEFITS FOR THE BENEFITS FOR THE EMPLOYEEEMPLOYEE improved work-life balance – a reduction in the

impact of work on home and family life

reduced stress levels

increased focus, motivation

and job satisfaction

increased job security

BENIFITS TO THE EMPLOYER reduced staff turnover rates lower recruitment and training costs, associated

with reduced turnover increased return on investment in training reduced absenteeism reduced use of sick leave reductions in worker’s stress levels greater staff loyalty and commitment improved productivity

Work-life balance improves the efficiency and

affectivity of the individual and

the organization