Work Life Balance Post Covid-19

The idea of work-life balance has been around for more than forty years; however, the last twenty years have seen seismic societal changes that have necessitated organizational implementation of work-life integration strategies to foster a healthy, sustainable workforce. Ever-changing family dynamics, technologies that make employees more accessible beyond standard hours, an aging population, a pandemic and ideological generational changes in career/workplace/life expectations have resulted in unprecedented shifts in the labor force. And, although ever increasing numbers of organizations have developed monetary and non-monetary benefits packages to increase productivity, loyalty, job satisfaction, brand reputation, and the personal well-being of their staff, the diverse nature of our current workforce makes it impossible to develop a one-size-fits-all strategy to promote a healthy work-life balance. While companies may balk at paying for the monetary strategies (vacation, 401k, medical leave, meals, education, child/elder care, etc.), studies show that the benefits outweigh the costs associated with high turnover rates, loss of staff morale/motivation, brand reputation damage, losses in operational momentum and organizational memory, productivity declines, and talent acquisition, training, and retention. Studies have also shown that non-monetary benefits like on-the-job training, personalized mentoring, flexible work schedules, regular feedback, remote work options, mandated break time, stress relieving activities, additional vacation days, and personal growth opportunities (language programs, cooking classes, exercise, sports, etc.) have the most benefit to an employee’s work-life balance. The purpose of this presentation is to identify the critical elements of these strategies and the challenges associated with implementation while presenting realistic solutions to this organizational dilemma