Study: Employers Can Do More to Enhance Work-Life Policies

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RISMEDIA, Nov. 29, 2007-The majority of today’s employees believe work-life balance policies are important when considering whether to take or quit a job; yet, many workers lack confidence in their current organization’s support of work-life policies, according to survey results released by WorkLifeBalance.com.

Despite the fact that 81% of employees believe a company’s work-life balance policies and training are important when deciding whether to take or quit a job, only 57% feel that their current organization is supportive of employees’ personal commitments and life outside of work. In addition, three-fourths of workers want their employers to provide training of practical skills to help improve their work-life balance, suggesting that organizations can further enhance their work-life programs to support key business objectives, such as employee retention and productivity.

“While work-life balance benefits such as flextime and employee assistance programs are important, employers can do more to fully realize the value of their work-life policies and help their workers maintain a better work-life balance,” said Jim Bird, CEO of WorkLifeBalance.com. “With work-life balance training, individuals learn to assess their unique work and life needs, which in turn helps them better utilize an organization’s existing work-life benefits. Organizations that offer effective work-life training will immediately impact their employees’ daily achievement and enjoyment on and off the job, while also realizing organizational improvements such as increased productivity and employee satisfaction.”

On and off the job stress counter-productive for employers

The survey findings also reveal that many employees are overwhelmed by stress at work and at home. What’s more, many report that stress, regardless of its cause, negatively impacts job productivity and motivation.

Almost all employees (99%) have felt overwhelmed by work-related stress at times, with 97% of these respondents claiming that job stress sometimes negatively impacts the quality of their work and motivation on the job.

Stress away from the office also negatively impacts performance on the job. Of the respondents who have felt overwhelmed by non-work-related stress (98%), almost all (95%) feel that their personal life stress at times negatively impacts the quality of their work and motivation on the job.

For more information, visit www.worklifebalance.com.

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