Survey employees, supervisors, and managers.Assess the workplaces' current situation and objectives. To research needs and to implement the program, suggested steps to take are as follows:ġ. When starting, it is best to appoint an individual or in some cases, form a joint work/life balance committee. What are some steps to take when setting up a program? However, it should not take away resources or distract attention from addressing other health and safety concerns or hazards that may be present in the workplace. A program dealing with work/life issues could, for example, be part of a complete health and safety program. While most people would agree that these issues should be addressed, they may not know where they can be resolved.
It is very important to remember that for many workers balancing work/life demands is just one of the many challenges they face on a regular basis. An evaluation or feedback systems should also be part of that process.
As with other health and safety programs, for work/life initiatives to be successful and sustainable, both employers and employees must take responsibility for making the program work effectively. This 'best fit' should be done with frequent consultation with employees. Each workplace should tailor its work/life policies to suit their own particular needs and corporate culture. Meeting both the employees' and overall business needs requires a significant commitment from senior management. The initiatives can be written as part of existing health and safety policy, or particular guidelines can be referenced in the overall company human resources policy or the collective agreement (if applicable). Work/life balance initiatives can be part of a complete health and safety and/or a health promotion program in the workplace. There are many factors to consider such as the different generations at work, age, culture, family needs, and socioeconomic status. Work/life balance plans cannot be a one size fits all model. Why should a workplace consider these programs?
Work/life initiatives can potentially deal with a wide range of issues including: Simply put, work/life balance initiatives are any benefits, policies, or programs that help create a better balance between the demands of the job and the healthy management (and enjoyment) of life outside work. Caregiver strain: Caregiver strain is a multi-dimensional construct defined in terms of "burdens" in the caregivers' day-to-day lives, which can be attributed to the need to provide care or assistance to someone else who needs it.įrom: Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn't?, Health Canada, (2008)īalance is also one of the identified psychosocial risk factors that can impact an individual's mental health.Family-to-work interference: This type of role conflict occurs when family demands and responsibilities make it more difficult to fulfill work-role responsibilities (e.g., a child's illness prevents attendance at work, conflict at home makes concentration at work difficult).Work-to-family interference: This type of role conflict occurs when work demands and responsibilities make it more difficult to fulfill family-role responsibilities (e.g., long hours in paid work prevent attendance at a child's sporting event, preoccupation with the work role prevents an active enjoyment of family life, work stresses spill over into the home environment and increase conflict with the family).Role overload: This form of work-life conflict occurs when the total demands on time and energy associated with the prescribed activities of multiple roles are too great to perform the roles adequately or comfortably.Research for Health Canada indicate that there are four broad categories associated with work life balance:
There are often two main aspects associated with work/life balance – the first is lack of time and scheduling conflicts, and the other is feeling overwhelmed, overloaded or stressed by the pressures of multiple roles.
0 kommentar(er)
