Work-life Balance in Healthcare Organizations

Speaking to a room of employers, benefits consultants and union representatives yesterday at the 2007 Health, Work and Wellness Conference, Lowe and Elisabeth Ballerman, president of the HSAA, presented key findings from the survey. The survey asked union members about their work hours, job conditions, training and professional development, work relationships, and supervisors and management.

Among other key findings, the survey revealed that:

• beyond the pervasiveness of heavy workloads, the need for training and professional development was not being met adequately;

• while employees were working well together, supervisors need to be more effective in supporting employees in their jobs;

• one quarter of survey respondents disagreed with the statement “my work environment is healthy,” and fewer than half said their workplaces were both healthy and safe;

• employees who trusted senior management were more than twice as likely to think they work in healthy and safe environments;

• employees who reported healthy and safe work environments were more likely to be engaged in their jobs and get along well with their supervisors; and

• employees with access to health promotion programs at work gave those programs high marks.

“This, again, is making a series of connections with people’s work environments and their performance,” Lowe said.

Overall, the main point to take away from the survey findings is that “values, policies and practices, especially people practices, have an impact on the quality of work-life balance, but also on the quality of services provided,” he added.

The researchers also identified several actionable steps the healthcare organizations should take to address the issues highlighted by the survey. The researchers recommended:

• effective communication of existing health, safety and wellness programs;
• better accommodation of injured or ill employees in return-to-work processes; and
• ongoing consultations with employees on their health promotion needs.

Ballermann said the union is meeting with senior managers from six health regions to address some of the issues, and in some cases, working with the employers to implement improvements.

The complete study is available on HSAA’s website.

The Health, Work and Wellness Conference is taking place at Toronto’s Sheraton Centre from October 17-19. This year’s theme is “Conquering the Chaos.” The annual event is one of the leading conferences for wellness, human resources and health benefits professionals.

For more about work-life balance, check out our Health & Wellness Guide. To view it, click here.

To comment on this story, email nancy.kuyumcu@chm.rogers.com.