‘Work-life balance’ has been a key concept in human resource management for some time. Policies and cultures aimed at improving work-life balance are said to be ‘win win’ for both employees and employers: increasing wellbeing and satisfaction for employees, and improving recruitment, retention, performance and employee engagement for the employer.
In practice, however, research suggests that many organisations adopt a rather narrow conception of the work-life interface when developing policies and provisions. For a start, there is a tendency to conflate ‘work-life’ with ‘work-family’ and, more specifically, to the issue of balancing work alongside parenting young children. Focusing only on narrowly defined ‘family friendly’ provisions has the potential to ignore the challenges experienced by other employees, or even alienate these staff groups, such as those who are single, childless, child free or at other stages of their lives.
Even within suites of family-friendly provisions, there can be significant omissions, including:
Furthermore, the content and language of family-friendly policies are not always inclusive for those in non-traditional relationships and/or family structures, such as single parents; those in LGBTQ+ relationships; those in step families; those building a family via surrogacy or adoption; and those in inter-generational households or transnational families.
As a result of engrained gender roles in society, there is a tendency for family-family concerns and policies to be considered a women’s issue. This can create disadvantages for men and women: men who act against gender norms and take advantage of leave and flexible working policies can experience ridicule or suspicion (a ‘fatherhood forfeit’), while women continue to experience progression and pay disparities (the ‘motherhood penalty’). Furthermore, the experiences of male employees can be overlooked in any discussions around things such as fertility issues or pregnancy loss.
Work-life balance research and policies often focus on those in the middle of their careers, and neglect the needs of those right at the start of their working lives, either juggling study alongside employment and/or feeling pressure to ‘pay their dues’ and show excessive commitment to build a reputation; or those approaching the end of their working lives and navigating retirement, which is rarely as clear cut as it was historically.
Research also suggests that the narrative around work-life balance is skewed towards the time and energy-based concerns of middle-class, professionally employed workers (too much work, too little time), neglecting financial concerns and under-employment for working-class and precariously employed staff, and issues with social mobility.
Finally, the divide between ‘work’ and ‘life’ suggests that certain issues belong in one domain and not the other. Certain issues are labelled as ‘personal’ or ‘private’ and often carry taboo in the workplace, such as menstruation, menopause, chronic illness and grief. Individuals do not leave these issues at the door when they come to work, and yet needs are not always met, and policies and provisions can be lacking.
I suggest thinking should evolve from ‘work-life balance’ to ‘work-life inclusion’: a term that brings together consideration of the work-life interface, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion. Rather than separating out the realms of work and personal life, we emphasise the need for flexibility, creativity, understanding, trust and support to enable working people to manage their co-existing and fluid personal experiences and work commitments. Work-life inclusion is an ongoing process that requires continual review and adaptation across people’s lives. Such approaches are central to employee wellbeing, engagement, retention and productivity.
So how does an organisation become work-life inclusive? Here are some initial actions:
- Increase flexibility and autonomy in roles where possible, ensuring this applies to all demographic groups and contract types.
- Take a critical look at your suite of policies and wellbeing provisions, asking whether these are truly inclusive when it comes to various work-life challenges that workers may face across the life-course.
- Examine data on flexible working requests and manager responses – are people asking for flexibility in relation to a range of non-work needs? Are managers responding fairly? Raise awareness around the recent legislative change, and ensure managers are properly equipped to deal with requests.
- To aid with a critical review of policies and provisions, consult with your staff, and especially any staff networks. Are there any identities, issues or needs that they feel are missing?
- Raise awareness of varied work-life, wellbeing and diversity issues via internal communications channels. This can include marking national awareness weeks, showcasing staff blogs and signposting to external organisations.
- Ensure senior staff lead by example. When leaders and managers focus on their own work-life integration, it sends a clear message to employees that managing their co-existing and fluid personal experiences and work commitments is supported and valued.
- Use varied examples of non-work challenges in training and development interventions focused on work-life integration, EDI and wellbeing.
Krystal Wilkinson is a reader (associate professor) in human resource management at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Decent Work and Productivity, and co-editor of Work-Life Inclusion
