Wlb 1

AMERICAN

WORK-LIFE BALANCE NATHAN LAMB

The phrase work-life balance has been tossed around frequently over the past decade. While it seems to be have gotten an increasing amount of publicity in recent years, it isn’t a new phenomenon. What has changed, however, is a shift in the values that determine the very definition, and what an acceptable work-life balance looks like. Understanding generational attitudes among employees today will prove critical to governments and management in maintaining a healthy and productive workforce.

Baby Boomers The U.S. is the only nation that does not require paid time off and parental leave (1). This policy of unpaid leave likely stems from a cultural mindset born of the struggle, free enterprise, and an understanding that hard work yields achievement. Baby boomers were the first generation born after World War II; consequently, they were raised to value commitment and steady jobs that would enable them to provide for their families adequately and consistently. They often prioritize work over time spent with family, feeling as though it is the best way to love and serve them. The majority worked and continue to work hard and long hours but feel that it is expected of them. With such loyalty to their companies, many baby boomers are just now retiring or are still working in executive and managerial positions, and they have shaped the culture of our businesses and the overall workforce.

Generation X As Generation X now fills a large majority of the work scene, we have witnessed an interesting clash of cultural ideals.

https://www.lynda.com/Leadership-Management-tutorials/Bustingmyths-about-generations-workplace/625917/669627-4.html

Generation X watched their parents work the long and tireless hours, often missing their children’s events and rarely getting away to vacations and fun. As this new generation went into the workforce themselves, they began to develop a preference for freedom from work (2). In the past decades, we have seen a noticeable shift in work-life values thanks this generation. Because of them, many companies now offer better flexibility, including paid time off. With the surge in technological advances we have also seen an increase in working remotely and at varying hours. However, the problem clearly isn’t solved yet. Flexibility has increased, but work load and stress have continued to rise. As of 2015, 41% of Americans didn’t even use the paid vacation days they were given (3).

More than national policy, this is the result of a culture within the American workplace.

41% of Americans didn't use the paid vacation days given For the last decade, we have witnessed employees hesitant to take the vacation days offered because of the message it may send. With upper management often in a different mindset, doing so may signal that he or she is not fully committed to the company. In a dog-eat-dog business world filled with a generation raised with the tendency “to rely more on themselves” and to “make their own opportunities” they feel they can’t afford to do anything less (2). It is not uncommon to sit in a break room of coworkers or with friends and listen to others boast about how they only get four hours of sleep each night, are running three projects at once and haven’t taken a vacation day in years. It is seen as a status symbol and a boost to your ego and self-worth. It is very likely that the previous generational values are driving this type of workaholic culture. It is the expectation that employees respond to emails late into the night, arrive early and stick around past regular hours. Blue- and white-collar jobs alike have merely continued to see long physical hours at work and although they may receive vacation time, they never actually leave the office mentally.

Currently the United States ranks in the bottom 10% in the category of work-life balance according to the OECD Better Life Index (5). With a push for greater flexibility colliding with old baby boomer habits, the lines between work and life have simply blurred if not meshed completely.

Millennials The Millennial generation is just now entering the workforce, and once again, a new definition of work-life balance has entered the scene. More than any other generation of workers, they are seeking a lifestyle over a job. It is not just leisure time that this group values, but more importantly, physical and mental health, relationships, and social contribution. Research has been done to analyze the current work-life balance and its implications. As a whole, “the notion that working long hours and not taking holidays makes for a more productive work force is a managerial myth” (5).Greg McKeown, in his book Essentialism, explains the downfalls of such a thought process: “If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that, I mean our minds, our bodies and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution. . . Sleep will enhance your ability to explore, make connections, and do less but better throughout your waking hours” (6).

In essence, getting leisure time and adequate rest allows us to make better use out of fewer hours. Exploration, innovation, making connections, and problem solving are some of the most important skills to contributing to the massive growth and advancements seen in Americas history. “The effects of introducing work-life balance practices on employee attitudes and perceptions include job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job stress and turnover intention. All of these factors, in turn, affect job performance, direct and indirect absenteeism costs, costs associated with the loss and replacement of valued employees, customer satisfaction, and organizational productivity” (7). Once again, this generation doesn’t want to repeat the perceived mistakes of their parents who overworked themselves and were too often stressed despite the efforts of employers to offer fixes. “[Millennials] believe that the quality of their work is more important than the number of hours worked. Their goal is to balance workplace success with a healthy lifestyle (8)”.

“Millennials believe that the quality of their work is more important than the number of hours worked"

Moving Forward Today’s businesses are a mix of three generational cohorts all with varying experiences, cultural inclinations and values. However, “with the millennial generation of workers projected to take up to 75% of the workforce by 2025,” it’s more critical than ever to understand how they view work-life balance and to adapt, accordingly (10).

VS. National policy can and should be changed to help every business have a standard for time off, but true change starts from the inside out and from the top down. Accomplishing this could come in a variety of ways, and will be unique to each business. As a general rule, “It’s important to stay up to date on what new generations want. . . The key is to listen to your workers about what matters to them. Knowing what each demographic in your organization values will help you make the adjustments necessary to retain top talent and attract promising new recruits" (11). Ultimately, as John Morrey, vice president and general manager at Expedia.com, said "No one retires wishing they'd spent more time at their desk!" (12). It is time to lead from the front by creating a new culture and redefining work-life balance for the success of the business and employee alike.

References 1) Ray, R., Sanes, M., & Schmitt, J. (2013, May). No Vacation Nation Revisited. Center for Economic Policy and Research. doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.1p.216 2) Parker, C. C. (2007). Generational Differences in Work Life Balance Attitudes(Unpublished master's thesis). State University of New York. 3) Rueters, P. (2015, July 07). 'Americans are definitely workaholics'. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/r-checking-work-emails-athome-its-part-of-the-job-for-most-americans-2015-7 4) OECD. (n.d.). United States OECD Better Life Index. Retrieved from http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/united-states/ 5) Gregoire, C. (2016, November 22). The American Workplace Is Broken. Here's How We Can Start Fixing It. Retrieved November, 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/american-workplace-broken-stress_us_566b3152e4b011b83a6b42bd 6) McKeown, G. (2014). Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less. London: Virgin. 7) Lazar, I. (2010). The Role of Work-Life Balance Practices in Order to Improve Organizational Performance. European Research Studies,13(1). Retrieved November, 2018, from https://www.ersj.eu/repec/ers/papers/10_1_p14.pdf. 8)https://search.proquest.com/docview/922065831/fulltextPDF/C83C2C6CC88F4045PQ/1?accountid=4488 9) Rook, D. (2017, August 29). The Changing Definition of Work-Life Balance. Retrieved November, 2018, from https://www.griffinbenefits.com/employeebenefitsblog/the_changing_definition_of_work_life_balance 10) Kohll, A. (2018, May 23). The Evolving Definition Of Work-Life Balance. Retrieved November, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/03/27/the-evolving-definition-of-work-life-balance/ 11) Margaret Deery, Leo Jago, (2015) "Revisiting talent management, work-life balance and retention strategies", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27 Issue: 3, pp.453-472, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-12-2013-0538 12) Perman, C. (2014, April 09). And the No. 1 source of stress at work is ... Retrieved November, 2018, from https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/09/argggh-80-of-americans-stressed-out-at-workjobsstress.html