• Work–life balance is a broad
concept including proper
prioritizing between “work”
(career and ambition) on one
hand and “life” (Health,
pleasure, leisure, family and
spiritual development) on the
other. Related, though
broader, terms include
“lifestyle balance” and “life
balance”

Work-life balance is
about effectively
managing the juggling
act between paid
work and other
activities that are
important to us -
including spending
time with family,
taking part in sport
and recreation,
volunteering or
undertaking further
study.

Personal resource
supply
Time
Energy
money
Demands on our
resources
Work demands
Non work demands
Resource
allocation
Choice of
allocation to work
Choice of
allocation to non
work
Intervention
points
4
WORK LIFE BALANCE IS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION

RISING HEALTHCARE ISSUES
LOWER LEVELS OF COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY
REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY
LOWER JOB SATISFACTION
HIGHER RATES OF STAFF TURNOVER
HIGHER RATES OF ABSENTEEISM
POOR CUSTOMER
SERVICE

Work and personal world were once
very
distinct.

It is harder than ever to
keep up with both your work
and personal activities.
Activities and social spaces
are becoming ambiguous.

WOMEN DESIRE MORE WORK
LIFE BALANCE THAN MEN

Competition
Individual career
ambition
career

Global economy
Longer Working
hours

International business

Don’t overbook
Prioritize
ruthlessly

Learn how to say “NO”
Organize

Use technology
Know it won’t
always be perfect

• Marissa Mayer’s job as the CEO of
Yahoo and her pregnancy was
announced simultaneously
• She took a maternity leave of only
2 weeks
• Ban the company’s work-from-home
policy
• Construction of a nursery next to her
office for her four month old son

This case study shows that how Marissa Mayer’s
life who is the CEO of Yahoo was strongly
effected due to the work life imbalance and
mismanaged policies of the company such as
telecommuting i.e., the work-from-home policy
was also banned. This in turn posed a negative
influence on all other female employees who
could not take a maternity leave leading to job
dissatisfaction and reducing the morale of
these employees.

CASE STUDY 2:
HEALTH PROMOTION AT IKEA

Background:
Swedish home furnishing retailer
• IKEA’s dream is “to create a better everyday life for the
many people.”
• The Swedish national values of commitment to, and time
with, family and community, combined with concern for a
healthy environment, are strongly reflected in IKEA’s
organizational culture and management practices
Health Promotion:
• Health promotion program in IKEA’s Glasgow store
• Subsidized healthy meals from the popular public
cafeteria
• free podiatry and massage sessions during work time.
• A range of fitness and occupational health activities
during the “Fit for Week” week

Outcomes :
• Increases morale and commitment by improving
psychological contracts
• Employees feel that the company cares about them as
individuals and, as a result, gives them a greater sense
of loyalty
Learning Points :
• Work-life balance is tied closely to organizational culture
• Work-life balance is not just about flexibility in work for
life outside work, it also works the other way around
• The best way to engage more people in work-life balance
programs is to let co-workers who have experienced it
advocate it by word-of-mouth

Background :
• LBP employs 2,600 police officers and 1,100 support
staff
• The special diversity unit ensures work-life balance of
employees from different ethnic group
• The current work-life balance arrangements for which
employees in LBP can individually apply are:
- Flex time
- Job sharing
- Full-time or part-time work
- Special shift arrangements
- Career breaks
- Study leave
- Care leave
- Sick children leave

Career Break :
• Employees can take break from their services pursuing higher
qualifications
• Breaks are offered on valid personal reasons
• Help to retain people with key skills, reduce turnover,
employ more part-time staff and respond to fewer
requests for transfers
Learning points :
• Benefits the organization, as the employee come back
with added qualities
• Management style is a central part of work-life balance,
so it needs continuous development and support
• Work-life balance has to be a balance between what the
organization needs and what the individual needs

On the job training
 Surveys of employee work /life issues
 Set priorities for all work
 Train line managers to recognize signs of
overwork
 Seminars on work life balance

Make work more flexible
 Flexi time
 Job sharing
 Sponsoring employees’ family oriented
activities
Allow for time off from work
 A formal leave policy
 Paid childbirth or adoption leave
 Allow employees to take leave for
community service

 WORK NEAR HOME
“Try to cut down the commuting time.” says
Pushkar Singh Kataria, 38,VP,group
HR, Vedanta Resources. At lunch hour
he heads home-10 minutes from his
office.
 ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING CAN
WAIT
Curb checking your Facebook profile or
professional network account to set a time
during the day or week. “You can save time
and spend it on yourself,” says Anita Belani,
country head, Russel Reynolds.
Source:

 PAMPER YOURSELF
Indulge yourself. Spend a couple of hours in the garden,
play with children, or cook. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep
every night. “Pamper yourself a little more every day and you’ll see a
big payoff at work and home.” says Gurmeet Singh, area
director, India Maldives, Mariott Hotels.
Source:

• OFFER A FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE:
Flexi time is based on the assumption that employees
are paid for doing their quota of work and not for being
at the place of work for a fixed number of hours on
each working day.
The system of flexitime allows workers to assume
greater responsibility through creating opportunities
for them to make decisions about their work schedule.

Compressed work week
schedule has a favorable
impact on employee
absenteeism, turnover,
productivity and job
satisfaction. It provides
employees with more leisure
time, decreases commuting
time ,decreases requests
for time off for personal
matters ,makes it easier for
the organization to recruit
employees and decreases
time spent on tasks such as
setting up equipment.

Allow employees to take an unpaid leave of absence for
activities and events such as:
--the premature birth of a baby who is hospitalized for an
extended time period,
--nursing a parent with a serious illness in another state,
--settling a relative’s estate in another state,
--extending maternity leave for an additional 4-8 weeks,
--exploring moving to a new location with a spouse without
burning the bridge to current employment,
--attending grad school full time to complete classes that
were only available during the day, and
--attending online grad school in another state for the four
required two-week onsite sessions a year.

Employers tend to believe that every job is a full-
time job, but not all jobs need a full time employee.
Consider the talent that would be available to your
organization if you hired employees for part time
hours. With the appropriate two people, job sharing
can also work effectively for employees who you
want to retain while they start families or home
school, for example.

• Feel more rested and organized
• Working more productively and
get more accomplished, leading to
greater career success
• More fulfillment from work
• Improving relationship with family
and friends

• Better physical and mental health
• Making choice about your
priorities rather than sacrificing
any
• More leisure time to spend with
loved ones or for yourself

• Measured increase in productivity, accountability
and commitment.
• Better team work and
communication.
• Improved morale.
• Less negative
organizational stress.

TO INDIVIDUAL
• More value and balance in daily life.
• Better understanding of work life balance
• Increased productivity.
• Improved on-the-job and off-the-job relationship.
• Reduced stress.

• A balanced life style boosts the sense of responsibility
and ownership.
• Build better relationship with management.
• Builds confidence.

“Life is all about balance, too much and too
little can kill. The best way to balance life,
is by setting your boundaries in learning to
say Enough.”

“Never become so busy making a living
that you forget to make a life…!!”