Integrating WorkLife into Strategic Organizational Practices

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Integrating Work/Life into Strategic
Organizational Practices

• Presentation to the
• Presidents Commission on Women
• February 23, 2002
• Dr. Jennifer Swanberg

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Understanding The Relationship Between Work,
Family, and Personal Life

• Considering work/life issues in the
  organizational effectiveness paradigm is new.
• Relationship between job performance and
  workplace factors.

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Conceptual ModelEmployer Productivity
Characteristics of Life off the Job
Job Workplace Characteristics
Source Bond, J.T., Galinsky, E., Swanberg,
J.E. (1998). The 1997 national study of the
changing workforce. New York Families and Work
Institute
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Employer Productivity

• Job Satisfaction
• Commitment to Employers Success
• Loyalty
• Job Performance
• Retention

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• Job Characteristics Job Quality
• Job autonomy
• Learning opportunities
• Meaningfulness of the job
• Opportunities for advancement
• Job security

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• Job Characteristics Job Demands

• Paid/unpaid hours at main job
• Nights away from home on business
• Required paid/unpaid overtime
• Work day-time/non-day time schedules
• Bring work home
• Job pressures

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• Workplace Support
• Flexible work arrangements
• Supervisor support
• Supportiveness of workplace culture
• Co-worker relations
• Discrimination

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• Personal Well-being
• Job burnout
• Job-to-home spillover

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JOB SATISFACTION Explanatory Power of
DifferentJob and Workplace Factors
Explanatory Power
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COMMITMENT TO HELPING COMPANY
SUCCEEDExplanatory Power of DifferentJob and
Workplace Factors
Explanatory Power
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LOYALTY TO EMPLOYER Explanatory Power of
DifferentJob and Workplace Factors
Explanatory Power
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Summary

• The quality of workers jobs and the
  supportiveness of their workplaces are the most
  powerful predictors of productivity -- job
  satisfaction, commitment to company success,
  loyalty, and retention.

• .

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Predicting Job Performance

Characteristics of Life off the Job
Home-to-Job Spillover (Job Performance)
Job Workplace Characteristics
Job Burnout Job-to-Home Spillover (Personal
Well-Being)
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Job Performance Explanatory Power of Different
Factors

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Characteristics of Life off the Job
Home-to-Job Spillover (Job Performance)
2
4
33
Job Workplace Characteristics
Job Burnout Job-to-Home Spillover (Personal
Well-Being)
18
29
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Summary

• Employees with more difficult, more demanding
  jobs and less supportive workplaces.
• experience higher levels of negative spillover
  from work into their lives off the
  job-jeopardizing their personal and family
  well-being.

These effects set in motion a chain reaction...
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• When workers.
• feel burned-out by their jobs
• when they have insufficient time and energy
  for themselves and their families
• when work puts then in a bad mood
• ...these feelings spill back into the workplace,
  limiting job performance.

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• To retain and recruit good employees and maximize
  productivity
• employers must create supportive workplace
  environments
• work with employees to keep job demands in check
  

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Stages in the Development of Work Environments
Supportive of Employees Work/Life
Responsibilities

• Organizations evolve through four developmental
  stages
• Source Galinsky, E. , Friedman,D., Hernandez,
  C. A., (1991) The Corporate Reference Guide to
  Work-Family Programs. New York Families and Work
  Institute

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Pre-Stage I

• Few policies
• Barely aware of work/life issues

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Stage I Developing a Programmatic Approach

• Several policies, but not packaged as an
  integrated response
• Seen mainly as a womans issue with a focus on
  child care
• Its not a business issue

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Stage II Developing an Integrated Approach

• Multiple integrated responses
• Executive level commitment
• Centralized responsibility
• Perceived as a human resource issue
• Flexible work arrangements
• Attention to managers/supervisors role

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Stage III Changing Organizational Culture

• Innovative policies and programs are only
  effective as the culture is supportive
• Focus on gender equity and career development
• Management change is institutionalized
• A life-cycle approach
• Active community focus