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TRADING PERKS FOR LOYALTY ISN'T WORK LIFE BALANCE

By Ian Hutchinson

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The majority of Australian companies continue to treat the serious issue of balancing competing work pressures and employees' personal life needs with a 'band-aid' effect by offering more benefits or 'perks' to win their loyalty.

Despite the rhetoric of work life policies and self-imposed badges of 'employer of choice', the actions of many Australian corporations translate to gym memberships, lunchtime massages and volunteering programs. These benefits may be generous and well regarded by some employees, but they similarly may alienate others with unaligned personal interests.

True work life balance is achieved when employees have a greater clarity around what is important to them and they are organisationally empowered to make decisions about work and life to fulfill these desires.

The question this raises is this: Is corporate Australia committed to the so-called 'work life balance' phenomena which promises to create more meaningful and productive workplaces or is this merely window dressing to keep the troops happy while business continues at an ever-increasing pace?

So offering short-term band aid perks to employees doesn't work in many situations.

"True work life balance is achieved when employees have
a greater clarity around what is important to them and
they are organisationally empowered to make decisions
about work and life to fulfill these desires".

Work life balance may be the hottest management 'buzz phrase' at the moment, but the underlying social issue which created this concept remains valid: Australians are working harder and longer than at any other time in our industrial history

We are gripped in a generation of over-consumption and materialism which has fuelled the over-work epidemic. Our lifestyle expectations have escalated so rapidly in the past two decades that working harder and longer is seen as the only way to live the standard of life we desire. Yet research says that despite longer working hours and greater income levels, we are less happy than previous generations.

But the backlash against excess has started and the ground swell is expected to gather momentum as innovative companies are sponsoring work life balance education programs so that individuals can take responsibility and make the tough decisions around work life balance themselves, rather than look to employers to provide solutions.

Making work life meaningful for your employees

So how can work life balance be meaningful and contribute to deeper employee well being?
The core issue is to address is time: time spent at work and time allowed for non-work life obligations and opportunities by employees.

Companies seeking to develop a work life balance culture into their organisation also need to invest in educational programs for employees to make better informed decisions about their working and lifestyle patterns.

While busy at work we seldom find time to stop and think about what is really important in our lives and whether striving for a higher pay packet is the ultimate objective. Employers will gain vastly increased employee commitment and loyalty by offering work life education programs to employees which help them clarify their work and life goals and strategies.

Employees need a comprehensive and holistic program which allows them to assess and prioritise how they wish to spend their time in life. This ranges from fulfilling work to social and community contributions to relationships and health. We all ultimately have limited time and resources. Once we know what's important to us, we can plan a practical time budget and strategies to do justice to the many parts of our life competing for our attention.

Life by Design®, one of Australia's leading work life balance group, has designed a holistic process for helping employees make better informed decisions. At the end of the day, it's a personal decision - but innovative, forward thinking organisations are educating their people with work life education and personal strategy planning sessions so that individuals can feel happier and more successful in their work, life and the balance between the two.

Ian Hutchinson (G.Dip.Psy, B.Bus, APS), Founder of Life by Design®, has built a reputation as Australia's leading lifestyle strategist. He has studied overseas with some of the world's leaders in lifestyle planning, and his lifestyle strategy work has been profiled throughout the media. His entertaining presentations are in demand throughout the world including Europe and the Middle East. Life by Design® can be contacted by phone on (02) 9979 4949, or visit www.lifebydesign.com.au.

For permission to reproduce this article in whole or in part,
contact Tanya Mottl by phone (+ 612) 9979 4949, fax (+ 612) 9979 4969,
or email info@lifebydesign.com.au

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