Work- Life Enrichment Practices for Sustainability

*Prof. S.V.Satyanarayana **Sreelakshmi Shanker Abstract Work intensification has forced the new-age employees to seek sovereignty and autonomy. Today, it has become difficult to define what work is and what life is. Work, in todays scenario has no fixed place and timing; young professionals work beyond what they ideally should and strive to meet targets even at the cost of their physical wellness. Advances in technology have made worklife balance complex. Employees are expected to be available 24/7 with the usage of mobile phones, internet connectivity, data cards and text messaging. This makes compartmentalizing work and personal life nebulous. The millennial generation seek a work environment that provides flexibility in time and location. Their perception of work-family balance has changed, and hence the term work-life enrichment .This paper conceptually examines the strategies organizations can adopt to help their employees achieve work-life enrichment. Provides insight into what 'work-life balance' means to people Keywords: work-life enrichment, work environment, work culture, HR strategies Introduction: Contemporary changes in the socio-economic environment have brought to light the importance of work-life balance. Salaried jobs are much more sought after than what it was a decade ago. Youngsters migrate to the cities in search of regular income and better standard of living. The joint family business system has seen a dramatic change over the years. Stay-at- home mothers is no more a tradition; the income they bring home is valuable and crucial in most families. Families, today, understand the importance of each individuals work-life and recognize their efforts. They respect each others responsibilities and priorities at work. Managing work and personal life involves a lot of challenges, proper planning and time management. *Professor, Department of Commerce, Osmania University **Junior Research Fellow, Department of Commerce,Osmania University

Better the balance, happier the families. Today, we have moved an extra mile. Work-life balance is a thing of the past; we now focus on Work and Life Enrichment. Work-life Enrichment: HR Strategies Organizations across the globe are forced to demand more from their employees and pressurize them to deliver the best. They focus on motivation and recognition of employees to enhance productivity. A healthy work and personal life of employees is a strategy that the new-age employers are aiming at. Research findings show that Work-Life Balance Programs help employees manage work and family better (Thomas and Ganster, 1995). Changes in employee demographics have led to an increased concern regarding the boundary between employee work and non-work lives (Hochschild 1997). The health benefits of reducing stress through a balanced life, as well as the difficulty of achieving a balanced life, are well known (Quick et al., 2004). Research from North America has shown that organizations with a greater concern for employee work life strategies find it easier to attract and retain valued employees (Bailyn 1993). Availability of work-life balance programs reduces employee absenteeism (Dex and Scheibl, 1999) and enhances organizations productivity (Sands and Harper, 2007). Family, friends, entertainment and hobbies are given predominance and employees fear that they may unconsciously neglect personal interests. Employees who juggle between work and home trying to enrich both impose immense pressure on their employers. Work-Life enrichment practices enable employers to cater to the employees need for better quality of work-life. Review of Literature: Felstead et al (2002) examine 12 hypotheses that were developed from the literature review and tested them on management data contained in the 1998 workplace employee relations survey. The authors state that many of these tests pass weak statistical tests but fail on stronger logistic regression tests. They conclude that work from home options is more likely to be available in large establishments and work environments where individuals are responsible for the quality of their own output. Paula J.Caproni (2004) illustrates (a) how the work/life discourse reflects the individualism, achievement orientation, and instrumental rationality that is fundamental to modern bureaucratic thought and action and (b) how such discourse may further entrench people in the
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work/life imbalance that they are trying to escape. She draws on feminist and critical perspectives in her study. Linda McDowell (2004) assesses the implications of changes in the nature of the labour market in Great Britain, in the assumptions that lie behind welfare provision under New Labour and in the position of women and men in Britain. She portrays how the dominance of an individualistic ethos pervade both the labour market and the welfare state, undermining notions of collective welfare and an ethic of care, within the wider context of the hegemony of a neoliberal ideology in global as well as national politics. Gillian Maxwell and Marilyn McDougall (2004) suggest that there is often a lack of 'connection' between the inherent issues on the macro, organizational and individual levels. This article explores connections between macro, organizational and individual levels of WLB policy and practice. It does so through recent research based on seven case studies - five in the public sector and two in the voluntary sector and proves from the experience of the case organizations that the connections between macro, organizational and individual levels are critical. Una Byrne (2005) discusses the development of the concept of work-life balance as a means of tackling the problem of increasing amounts of stress in the workplace as people try to juggle a wide range of factors in their life/work environment, including: work; family; friends; health; and spirit/self. She argues that, of the factors involved, work is the one which is most elastic and can be managed in such a way as to avoiding jeopardizing the other factors. The author considers some of the issues which might arise when implementing a work-life balance strategy and offers advice on implementing such a scheme. Rosemay Crompton and Clare Lyonette (2006) examine national variations in reported levels of work-life conflict, drawing upon questions fielded in the 2002 Family module International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) surveys for Britain, France, Finland, Norway and Portugal. Their study finds evidence of a societal effect in the cases of Finland and Norway, in that significantly lower levels of work-life conflict are reported in these countries even after a range of factors have been controlled for. However, they state that the support for childcare in France does not appear to have had a similar impact. Further explorations of the data they collected reveal that the domestic division of labour is relatively traditional in France, and that this is associated with higher levels of work-life conflict. A notable exception in the literature was a study by Fisher-McAuley, Stanton, Jolton and Gavin (2003). The researchers examined the antecedents and outcomes of work life balance among fitness trainers and managers from the United States and Canada with a 19 item instrument designed to capture employee perceptions of work life balance. Jeremy Hayman (2004) reports and
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validates a new measure to capture employee perceptions of work life balance while discussing implications for human resource practitioners in the Asia Pacific. He undertook an exploratory factor analysis and evaluated the worth of an instrument developed by Fisher-McAuley, Stanton, Jolton and Gavin (2003). They found that the instrument has acceptable validity and reliability, indicating the instrument has potential for providing managers with a useful tool for determining work life perceptions among employees. Objective of the paper This paper conceptually examines the strategies organizations can adopt to help their employees achieve work-life enrichment. . There are many work-life enrichment practices that can be adopted to facilitate an enriched worklife. However, these practices have to be followed through with rigour and enthusiasm to deliver positive outcomes and bring about sweeping changes in the organizations work culture. Key HR Strategies which facilitate the same are categorized as follows: Key HR strategies for Work-Life Enrichment
1) Recruitment and Retention

Organizations should strategize their policies such that recruitment is a wholesome process where the HR explains the job description, career roadmap, disciplinary requirements, dress code, work patterns and expectations. Effective recruitment should aim at minimizing attrition. This calls for strategic retention policies such as providing flexi- work environment, revised incentive plans, updated technology and others depending on the employees reason to quit. 2) Productivity and Compensation Increasing efficiency and effectiveness in productivity is a top priority in organizations across the globe. A clear definition of the target, proper allocation of resources, measurable performance metrics should be incorporated by the HR of the organization.
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Bonus and incentives policies should be framed such that it is in line with the market payout for similar jobs. Monetary rewards are a strategic plan to reinforce the need for employees to perform better and deliver the maximum productivity. 3) Rewards and Recognition Rewards and Recognition are the key to having a win-win situation for the employer and employee. It ensures that the employers requirements are fully met, and also raises the spirit of the employees. This is more so because recognition comes with a surprise element making the recipient feel overwhelmed. It is important for the HR to make their rewards and recognition policy simple, straight-forward, powerful and most importantly, immediate.

4) Technology and Communication Seamless and speedy access to the latest technology is every employees right. Organizations that have had success stories are definitely those which have bestowed their employees equitable access to technology. Timely communication of key policy messages, changes in the organization structure, updated employee benefit schemes, leave plan policy and employee success stories are few of the quick-hit HR strategies of successful organizations. 5) Work Time Patterns and Leave There are numerous strategies that the organizations can adopt and drive with regard to work time patterns and leaves. Reduced work hours, Term Time Working, Job Sharing, Variable Hours, Tele-working / Work from Home options, Career Breaks, Extended maternity leave, Paid Paternity leave, Child care allowance are few of the strategies that have been extended in organizations across the globe. 6) Environment, Health and Safety Organizations must provide a safe and healthy work environment to their employees, develop an awareness of rescue operations in case of emergency, and work towards
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safeguarding employees from environmental and health hazards. HR strategies of organizations should be in line with those of with public health organizations in providing employees with a safe environment. 7) Fun and Entertainment Non-monetary benefits such as fun activities, offsite events, potluck lunch, theme parties and the like which provide an opportunity for employees to showcase their innate talents should be organized at frequent intervals. These strategies, most commonly referred to as Fun at Work, have the potential of bringing positive and delightful changes in the work environment.

Conclusion Smart organizations ensure that they put Work-life enrichment programs in the heart of their organizational strategy. They focus on enriching employees work and personal life through flexitimings, work from home options, extended maternity/paternity leave, fun activities at work, and comfortable environment with fitness centres, cafeteria and recreation rooms. Effective communication, planning for forthcoming deadlines and setting priorities can go a long way in creating effective work-lives. Strategic policies that would create more equitable workplaces will help organizations gain through effectiveness of work processes and progress competitively in the changing society. Work-life enrichment is a positive step towards employee delight, which in turn assures the organization of higher productivity, efficiency and ultimately global sustainability.

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Crompton R and Lyonette C .2006.Worklife Balance in Europe, Acta Sociologica, 49, 379393. Dex,S. and Scheibl,F.1999. Business Performance and Family-Friendly Policies, Journal of General Management,24, 22-27. Felstead, Alan, Nick Jewson, Annie Phizacklea, Sally Waters.2002.Opportunities to work at home in the context of work-life balance, Human Resource Management Journal, 12, 54-76. Fisher, G.2001. Work/Personal Life Balance: A construct development study, Dissertation Abstracts International. Fisher-McAuley G., Stanton, J., Jolton, J., & Gavin, J.2003.Modelling the relationship between work life balance and organisational outcomes, Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial-Organisational Psychology, 1-26. Hayman,J.2004.Psychometric Assessment of an Instrument Designed to Measure Work Life Balance. Hochschild, A.R.1997.The time bind: When work becomes home and home becomes work, New York: Metropolitan Books. Maxwell,G. and Dougall, M.2004.Work-life balance, Public Management Review,6, 377393. McDowell L.2004.Work, workfare, work/life balance and an ethic of care.Progress in Human Geography,28, 145-163. Quick, J. D. and Henley, A. B. The balancing act: At work and at home, Organizational Dynamics, 33, 426-438. Sands, J. and Harper,T.L.2007.Family-friendly Benefits and Organizational Performance, Business Renaissance Quarterly,2,107-126. Thomas, L.T. and Ganster,D.C.1995 Impact of family-supportive work variables on workfamily conflict and strain: A control perspective, Journal of Applied Psychology,80,6-15.
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Una Byrne.2005.Work-life balance Why are we talking about it at all, Business Information Review, 22, 53-59. __________________________________________________________________________