How Is Your Work-Life Balance Right Now?

If you are employed in the U.S., chances are great--really great-- that it needs to get better.

Only 15% of Americans say they achieve work-life balance even though 90% agree that it's an important issue. This from a survey of 981 adult full time employees conducted by Opinion Research Corp  for Work + Life Fit Inc. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3%.

Are you in the 15% or 85%, and why?

What jumps out of the survey results are the reasons for an out-of-sync lifestyle. It appears that we sabotage ourselves when it comes to the issue of balance. More than half of the respondents said that they haven't had a conversation with their supervisor about the issue; but more than two-thirds believe it really isn't solely he company's responsibility to develop a more ideal environment.

I found that particularly poignant since I was just in a meeting with an executive who had asked me to coach a high-performing manager who he thought was "out-of-balance." He was concerned that the person might implode without taking a good look at what was reasonable and what was not. Yet 32% of those in the survey thought their bosses would say "no" to issues impacting work-life balance. And 32% also said that, while their companies had programs to address such issues, they thought that it really "wasn't OK" to bring them forward.

In fact, 28% thought that they might actually lose their jobs as a result of surfacing their concerns.

What Else is Happening?

Peer pressure clearly isn't something that went away after our teenage years. The fear that others might see us as "not being hard workers" was expressed by 29% of the survey population. And 45% said that if they change their work style they might make less money.

There are a lot of assumptions and fears driving the issue of work-life balance. What seems to be happening is that both individuals and the organization are aware that the issues exist.  Yet  it remains  "the elephant in the room" that isn't getting discussed honestly for what it is and then acted upon in an equally honest way.

As long as fear and unconfirmed assumptions are the driving forces, the kind of healthy balance needed will remain elusive. It's time to start surfacing "what is" and "what can be " instead of secretly worrying about "what might be."

A word to organizations:  Yes, there is a lot of individual responsibility involved. Employees agree with that. But the fact that people's livelihoods rest with their jobs means that you--the company--have the power. This is a choice point to use that power wisely for the long run or risk churning the workforce.

Do the right thing. Start the discussion in earnest.

What do you think as readers, employees, and entrepreneurs? This is the kind of topic that clearly has universal meaning.

Comments

[Lora Banks]

Hi Steve:

Happy New Year. Just to let you know, you've been tagged and the blogosphere wants to know five things we might not know about you.

All the best,

Lora

[Steve Roeler]

Hello, Lora,

OK, done deal. Besides, anyone who focuses on organizations, relationships, and systems has already Googled my mind.

Best wishes,

Steve