Work-life balance: research results

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Work-life balance: research results

Published on 20 Oct 2014

Gary Taylor

Some topics in HR seem to remain largely static, with not too much research or new thinking. The issue of work-life balance has been a tricky one, where wellness counsellors tell leaders how they should be running their lives, quoting anecdotal burnout stories and making workaholics feel guilty. Work-life balance does not come in a container with a recommended daily allowance (RDA) for work, leisure and sleep. So, how do senior people achieve a balance in a realistic way, given the competing demands on our 24-hour day?

Research by Blue Steps (a service of the Association of Executive Search Consultants) caught my eye recently. This is a survey completed in mid-2014 among 571 executives globally, which sought to provide some insights as to how executives themselves view the issue of work-life balance:

The average work week (including travel and work away from office) is 58.5 hours for most, but over 60 hours for 39% of executives.
When asked, 52% of executives are satisfied or very satisfied with their balancing act, 22% are OK with it, and 20% dissatisfied.
The research indicates that executives are definitely thinking about the balancing dilemma, which is now better described as 'work-life integration' rather than seeking an elusive pass mark on the subjective issue of work-life balance.

Peter Felix, CEO of AESC, puts it this way: "Senior executives are clearly working out how to balance the extreme demands that globalization and 24/7 accessibility can make on them. Technology, while creating this accessibility, has also provided a form of liberation from the traditional workplace environments and the constraints on personal freedom that they can create."

For example:

Only 3% of executives are not available while on vacation,
While 51% are always (and 44% sometimes) accessible to colleagues and clients.
Is this good or bad? If you believe that people must take an absolute break from work when they are away, you would condemn this behaviour. However, if you accept that the executive is less stressed by being in touch, then an e-mail from Club Med is as normal as a personal Facebook or Twitter post during the working day.

The lines between work and personal space are becoming increasingly blurred

This is happening as the executives are learning from the Millennial generation. It is far too simplistic to suggest that it is just about "how much more time can I have away from work for family and relaxation, and what career price am I prepared to pay for that?"

On the one hand, 81% of executives consider work-life issues to be critical when considering a new role. However, 57% of this group regard work-life issues as equally important as earnings, and 63% say that they would not accept lower pay for fewer hours. HR practitioners seeking to guide work-life policy and practice should take note of these sentiments.

In the realm of non-financial employee benefits, executives ranked flexible work schedules and telecommuting significantly ahead of maternity/paternity leave, comp time and (lastly) fitness support programs. We may disagree with their judgement, but should not dismiss what this key group regards as important.

Perhaps one of the important contributions from HR practitioners is to optimise technological support for remote access to and from executives, e.g. video-conferencing participation at meetings. Particularly where global contact involves differing time zones or weekend dates, these issues need to be addressed in practical ways.

Impressions? The concept of striving toward an undefined ideal work-life balance is probably an outdated concept which polarises two opposite forces. The debate has been replaced by the daily reality of ongoing work-life integration, which will affect all employee groups, but executives more acutely.

Author: Gary Taylor is a master HR practitioner and mentor with the SABPP. He qualified from UCT, did the IPM Diploma and then completed post graduate studies at the Stellenbosch University and Harvard business schools. He has been in HR for his entire career, and has been working at a multi-national university in Saudi Arabia since 2008. Gary has been endorsed for his expertise in leadership development.

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