The need for companies to stay competitive has resulted in longer customer service hours, more atypical schedules, heavier workloads and pressure on employees to work longer hours. At the same time, many of us are struggling to meet family and social obligations. It’s becoming harder and harder to find a balance between work and home.
Chris MacDonald, assistant-vice president, wellness, absence & disability management services, group benefits and retirement solutions, with Manulife, noted that companies implementing practices for reconciling work and personal life are 70% more likely to receive fewer mental health-related claims from their employees. This is one of the conclusions of Salveo, a comprehensive study researching major mental health problems in the workplace in Canada.
Work/life balance is becoming increasingly important to both younger and older workers. Studies show companies promoting healthy management practices that include addressing work/life balance are more likely to attract and retain skilled workers and increase motivation, job satisfaction and productivity while decreasing disability claims, absenteeism and presenteeism.
Any company, regardless of size, can implement initiatives to help its employees, continued Virginie Gosselin, senior consultant, health & wellness, with Manulife. She suggested two key initiatives.
- Increase the degree of perceived flexibility. All employees must feel they have control over their work schedule and hours. Flexible work schedules, job sharing and teleworking are helpful, but, more importantly, the corporate culture should focus on objectives and results rather than the time spent at work.
- Increase the number of supportive managers. By their behaviour, managers determine the extent by which employees feel they have control over their work and schedules. Provide manager training so they can better understand the needs of their employees and the programs and resources the company offers.
“And, let’s not forget that managers are also employees under stress,” said Gosselin. “They need to ‘walk the talk’ and take advantage of the programs and resources offered by the employer.”
Finding solutions to work/life conflicts is a shared responsibility however. Employees also have to create strategies to better manage their work and personal responsibilities and commitments by doing the following:
- communicating concerns about work/life balance with their manager;
- learning to say no if demands are unreasonable;
- setting priorities and delegating; and
- leading a healthy lifestyle and better managing personal time.
All the articles from the event can be found in our special section: 2015 Mental Health Summit Coverage.