A question of leadership: What can managers do to promote work-life balance for themselves and others?
✍ Scribed by Joan Glubczynski; Ellen Ernst Kossek; Susan J. Lambert
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Weight
- 45 KB
- Volume
- 23
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1093-6092
- DOI
- 10.1002/lia.1030
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
about their work-life balance needs can help managers retain key people.
Innovation and flexibility in scheduling is a key way to improve work-life balance. Consider establishing core business hours for the organization and letting employees personalize their schedules on either side of those hours-starting and leaving work either earlier or later in the day. This approach has the added potential benefit of increasing productivity and efficiency, because managers and their subordinates can consider individual work styles in setting schedules-"morning people," for instance, can opt to start work earlier in the day, when they are most energized and creative. Flexible scheduling also helps employees meet their family and other nonwork responsibilities and attend important events outside of work. It's important, however, for managers to set parameters for themselves and those who work for them-hours during which it is critical that they be available to clients and co-workers.
A healthy lifestyle is an important factor in work-life balance, and organizations and managers can promote health by encouraging exercise and full use of vacation time. Some companies have made exercise convenient for employees by establishing on-site fitness centers and letting employees set aside time each day to work out, or by subsidizing memberships in off-site gyms. But managers can also promote health through simpler actions, such as organizing lunchtime walks. Equally important