The issue of finding and attaining a good balance between work and personal life is a growing trend for employees when making career decisions. Sixty percent of employees surveyed in a recent US-based Work/Family Directions Study said the key reason they accepted their current position was its effect on their personal/family life.

Research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that between 1991 and 1998 there was a 50 percent increase in the number of persons employed in their main job on a part-time, casual or temporary basis.

This change has gradually come about for many reasons, whether they are new parents, students, caretakers for elderly relatives or have simply reached a point in their lives where they are financially stable and want more leisure time, today's employees demand greater flexibility from employers than ever before.

So should employers concern themselves with this issue? A recent Internet poll undertaken by Spherion in Australia found that balancing work and family was the biggest issue effecting working women in Australia (36 percent of respondents). An employer's willingness to work with employees to develop solutions for work-life challenges reflects the value and importance the individual brings to the organisation, and can often mean the difference between retaining and losing talented staff.

The 1999 Emerging Workforce Study, conducted by the Spherion Corporation and Louis Harris & Associates, in the US, found that people who feel their work-life balance has improved over the last five years report a higher level of job satisfaction. They also felt their loyalty had increased and they had a higher level of trust in their employers than those who felt their work-life balance was worse. All of these items impact employee retention, a critical issue in today's labour market. Companies that want to attract and retain the best talent are increasingly recognising that it is a good business decision to help employees find the balance they seek.

How can employers address this issue?

Open communication between managers and employees about the company's business priorities and the employee's personal priorities are key, and the next step is to work together to ensure both sets of priorities are met and be open to experiment with the best ways for employees to do their jobs.

Following are a few options - some relatively new - that employers are offering today. Not all will be appropriate for every organisation, and each situation needs to be evaluated independently.

• Flexible scheduling
  Allowing workers to vary the times they begin and end their day often makes a critical difference to people with outside obligations, such as those who must take or pick up a child from school. Flexible scheduling is clearly on the rise. An Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) study conducted in November 2000 found that 39 percent of workers had flexible work schedules. This proportion, which represents more than three million workers, has risen from 37 percent recorded three years previously in the August 1997 survey.
• Reduced workweek and job sharing
  Sometimes great employees with a proven track record need to scale back their hours due to personal reasons. In addition to simply reducing hours when possible, job sharing is another option. This occurs when two people work as a team, each on a part-time basis, to fulfill the work usually handled by one full-time employee. The ABS study conducted in November 2000 found that more than 404,000 Australians currently job share.
• Telecommuting
  According to an estimate from the Gartner Group, by 2003 there will be more than 130 million tele-workers worldwide. Letting employees telecommute or work from home is possible for a number of jobs that require predominantly phone and/or computer work. Many employers today are experimenting with this option by letting employees with special circumstances telecommute on a full-time basis or a few days a week, depending on the nature of their position. Other companies let employees work from home on a short-term basis, such as when they are recuperating from an illness that prevents them from coming into the office.

In addition to these options, many employers find providing on-site concierge services like daycare, dry-cleaning, work-out facilities, travel planning and car washing services help people balance their lives by reducing the responsibilities they must attend to after hours. While some of these services are cost-prohibitive for small and mid-sized companies, others are easy to set up with a local vendor, and all contribute to the overall impression that you, the employer, care about your employees and are helping them improve their work-life balance.

Employers know the costs, both economical and knowledge-based, of losing skilled employees. It's now time to take that next step. By providing flexible work conditions, you send a simple message to your employees; that you value their contribution to your business and also respect their personal lives.

Jane Beaumont is the managing director of Spherion Recruitment Solutions Asia Pacific.

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