Study Finds Supervisors Pay Lip Service to Work-Life Balance

WorldatWork Newsline

Sept. 12, 2011 — From receiving unfavorable job assignments to hearing negative comments from supervisors, there is a growing imbalance between what employers say about work-life balance and what they actually do, according to a global survey released by WorldatWork.

Every October since 2003, WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP) has led a national awareness campaign promoting work-life effectiveness as a key contributor to productivity and success in the modern workplace. This year, the campaign is calling attention to a troubling gap between leaders' beliefs and behaviors at many organizations.

The original intent of the study was to look at men and work-life integration, but one of the unexpected findings was that employees suffer a variety of job repercussions for participating in work-life programs, according to Kathie Lingle, executive director of WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress.

"This conundrum can be so oppressive that some employees go underground, resorting to 'stealth maneuvers' for managing their personal responsibilities," Lingle said. "The good news is that 80% of employers around the globe avow support for family-friendly workplaces. The bad news is they are simultaneously penalizing those who actively strive to integrate work with their lives."

Employee respondents reported repercussions that included:

• Being overtly or subtly discouraged from using flexible work and other work-life programs
• Receiving unfavorable job assignments
• Receiving negative performance reviews
• Receiving negative comments from a supervisor
• Being denied a promotion.

The study found the following prevailing leadership attitudes in developed countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany):

• More than half of the surveyed managers think the ideal employee is one who is available to meet business needs regardless of business hours.
• 40% believe the most productive employees are those without a lot of personal commitments.
• Nearly 1 in 3 think that employees who use flexible work arrangements will not advance very far in the organization.

The same leadership attitudes prevailed in emerging countries (Brazil, China, India), but on a larger scale.

"While the HR department designs and administers work-life programs, it's the managers who have to implement it," said Rose Stanley, work-life practice leader for WorldatWork. "Our studies find that a culture of flexibility correlates with lower employee turnover. Specifically, those with training and experience managing employees on flexible work arrangements are much more supportive of work-life than those without that training and experience. Closing the gap between what managers believe and how they behave will make every workplace a better place to work."

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