Managing for Balance

As published in the Human Resources Association of Calagry Perspectives Magazine

According to the 2007 Desjardins Financial Services “Health is Cool” Survey only 14% of Canadians feel they can talk about work/life balance with their supervisors. In the current economic climate it is inevitable that that percentage is getting lower. We all know that balance needs to be more than just rhetoric and a set of meaningless policies. Having an authentic group of managers supported by targeted polices who manage individuals as individuals, is the best way to foster work life balance in your organization. As an employer this requires a two pronged approach to encourage balance and mitigate stress:
Making an official statement through policies and programs
Creating a culture of balance that moves the policies and programs from rhetoric to reality

Making an official statement through policies and programs
A Towers Perrin survey found more than 100 variations of work/life balance policies and programs. Beyond the more mainstream items such as EAP programs, wellness programs, time off in lieu, part-time work, and flex-time here are some other innovative ideas:

Blackberry policies: Encourage employees to truly take a vacation. Fostering the idea that the place will blow-up without them will simply add to their stress so make sure they actually have the support that allows them to unplug. According to a recent survey by the cruise planning site Tripharbour.ca, 21 percent of working Canadians are always connected to their workplace. In response, hotels have started offering “e-tox” services where guests can check their blackberries at the front desk for the duration of their stay. Implement your own e-tox policy that encourages employers to ‘switch off’ outside of business hours or at least for certain times in the evening, on weekends and, of course, while on vacation.

Concierge services: For busy families it is often difficult to get the little things done like dropping off the dry cleaning, making reservations, grocery delivery, scheduling household services or even getting a massage or flu shot. Having the opportunity to get these things done at the office allows the time your employees spend out of the office to be quality time.

Pro-rated vacation policies: Allowing employees to take vacation anytime within the year whether they’ve technically accrued it or not generates a culture of trust and true balance. At Graycon our vacation policy is pro-rated. You can take vacation any time in the year (including your first year on the job) and the requirement to use all your vacation each year is enforced. If you leave the company having taken more vacation for that year than you accrued that does need to be reimbursed to the company but this is a rare occurrence.

Creating a culture of balance
Policies and programs focused on balance are truly rhetoric if they are not re-enforced everyday on the job. Like so many business issues it all comes down to people and how they are managed. As HR professionals, we need to bring forward innovative ideas and rehash the best tried and true methods that will transform the rhetoric into reality.

Hire/train/support good people managers: Basic motivation principles dictate that the absence of good management leads to job dissatisfaction. At the other end of the spectrum a manager who trusts her employees to deliver results, who exhibits the behavior she expects and takes an individual approach with her employees will get the best results. When it comes to balance, the level of personal control an employee feels over their work and time is directly correlated with their ability to cope with stress and create the balance they need. As HR professionals, and people managers ourselves, ensuring that the tools and support mechanisms are in place to allow managers the flexibility and training needed to be good people managers is the key to work life balance.

Take trust to the next level: For information workers the idea of the Results-Only Work Environment (R.O.W.E.) is the next big idea in work life balance. Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson implemented this policy at Best Buy in the U.S. and have authored the book Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, documenting their work. R.O.W.E. means that workers come and go as they please as long as they deliver the work in the end. Many workplaces are taking baby steps towards this with flexible schedules but R.O.W.E. takes it to the extreme and requires a very large shift in culture. That being said, if your environment allows it, the shift may be well worth it. At Best Buy this policy resulted in lowered voluntary turn-over and increased involuntary turnover, valuable results when difficult times mean having to make difficult staffing choices.

Play to people’s strengths: A standard approach to work and work life balance will only satisfy a portion of your work force. As Marcus Buckingham has proven over years of study and a number of bestselling books, managers who can manage “variance”, otherwise known as individual personalities, are the ones who get the best results. Playing to peoples strengths allows each individual to be their most productive. Managers who find a way to create work arrangements that maximize the use of an individual’s strengths and minimize the need to work in the areas they are weak spend more time getting the work done and less time fighting to make people fit the mold. Apply this principle to work life balance and we come back to the R.O.W.E. concept, allowing people options and flexibility to work when and where they work best. The combination leads to happy, productive employees.

We all know that fostering balance is a win/win for both employer and employee, especially when the added stress of the times can reduce productivity even further. Healthy employees are much more creative and productive in the long-term than people stretched to their limit. As work becomes more information based and technology allows for more and more flexibility, letting go of our traditional view of the work day still proves to be a difficult challenge. As employers we need to make a shift to what Henry Mintzberg called “No longer the management of human resources but rather the human management of resources.”

By Kathleen Saddington Durston, Training and Development Consultant at the Graycon Group Ltd.

Just keep learning

As you know from my July post I recently made some changes in my career. It has now been almost six months and those changes have moved from uncomfortable to invigorating. Yes I still have moments of doubt but I would be worried if I didn't. The moments of doubt mean I am still being challenged, still stretching.

For me the criteria for a great job is learning. Once I stop learning I stop wanting to do the work. I think it is important to know these key criteria for yourself. For you it may be a comfortable schedule, a dynamic team, friendships in the office or clearly defined tasks that can be satisfyingly checked off each day. Whatever keeps you charged up and gives you a sense of satisfaction as you end your day is what is going to keep you getting up each morning and going to work with a smile on your face.

If you are in a job right now that isn't satisfying you, think about what you feel is missing and start writing those items down. Essentially start writing your ideal job description.

Now, keep in mind there will always be those things in every job that we don't love but that's okay because they just make us more grateful for the other exciting things we get to do.

Lessons from my bus driver

I've started taking the bus home from work everyday and much to my surprise it has become one of the highlights of my day - as long as I catch the 4:24 bus! I know it sounds strange but the bus driver is not your ordinary transit employee. He is an entertainer!

Here is a guy who truly loves his job or at least makes the very best of it.

Everyday he posts a joke or funny fact on the ticket box for your enjoyment when entering the bus. If you ask him how his day is going he will always answer with a joke and he thoroughly encourages interaction between riders.

The 30 minutes I spend on that bus I am thoroughly entertained and by the time I get home the stress of the day is gone.

I think we can all learn something from the driver of the 4:24 bus. Here's what I've learned:

• A good attitude is infectious
• Loving what you do is a choice
• Being friendly to strangers can improve your life
• A good joke goes a long way!

Think about how you approach your day. Do you dread your day at work? Do you make an effort to be positive? Have you chosen to look at the good or the bad in your daily routine? A positive perspective can change your life and the life of those around you! My bus driver's changed mine;-)

The transformative powers of fall

There are two times of year when I feel the strong urge to make plans, set goals and generally get organized. The first is that media imposed New Years Resolution time and the second is about now when the crisp scent of autumn and school supplies fills the air. The first cool day after Labour Day I am filled with the urge to buy a new notebook and pen and to start making lists.

I think this is true of a lot of people, business starts to get busy again once everyone is back from the lazy days of summer. So what are you doing this fall to improve yourself and your life?

It is a perfect time to sign up for a continuing education class, take up yoga or curl up with the latest business book. Whatever it is, get motivated! This was a time of transformation from when you were 4 to 20 something. Why stop the trend?

20 Rules for Career Success

Scrolling through the archives of the Globe and Mail Careers section I found this article about career success. Since I couldn't say it better myself click here to read the article.

My favorites are numbers 8,9, 14, and 19. What are your favorites?