Reward insight
Work-life integration
Nicole Bello, vice president of SMB and Channel Sales, EMEA at Kronos Incorporated, argues this is the future
W ith tight deadlines, conflicting schedules and the pressure to progress in your career, the modern world of work is stressful. In fact, work is the most common cause of stress for adults in the UK, with over half (59%) experiencing stress in the workplace. With stress comes the need for release. At work that means either taking allotted breaks or adequate time off to rest and recharge. During that time employees are looking to spend time with family, friends, or on personal development or a hobby. ‘Work-life balance’, which is usually the term used to describe a clear delineation between work and personal lives, remains at the forefront of debate about workplace wellness. However, with the lines becoming more blurred, I’ve taken time to rethink this concept – with my unique situation at-hand – in order to more realistically balance the nature of work and personal life. Of course, everyone’s situation is different, and every day is different – so how can it be possible to strike a perfect balance between the two? There isn’t a one-size-fits all solution when work commitments may dominate one day, and personal or out-of-work commitments may take priority on others. To me, it is all about being more fluid in the way we approach this subject. I call this concept ‘work-life integration’ – a term I live by – and as a people manager, I work with my teams on their own definition and what works for them. Work-life integration is a concept based around having the freedom to choose when and where I can get work and life tasks done instead of the stark contrast of taking a full day or extended period of time off. In recent years, I’ve seen a huge
rise in desire from employees to work in a way that suits them and accommodates their lifestyles or their families. Recent research (http://bit.ly/2Rl0h0T) found that 79% of workers believe that working flexibly would make them more productive. It is clear from this that many are in favour of ditching the traditional 9–5 lifestyle in favour of a more malleable approach. ...freedom to choose when and where I can get Typically, when discussing the need to make time for both work and personal commitments, people tend to assume this predominantly applies to employees who have children or families to care for. However, I strongly believe that work-life integration is applicable to everyone. There are many scenarios in which work-life integration can be adopted: for example, if I have a personal commitment mid-afternoon – maybe I have a doctor’s appointment, this only takes a few hours and I don’t need an entire day off to do so – I work from home in the morning, log off during the appointment while clearly communicating to my team where I am and how to reach me, and then log back on when I’m available. Aron Ain, our chief executive officer here at Kronos, always says, “if working for Kronos is your number one priority, you’ve got your priorities mixed up”, and he usually closes conversations by saying, “thank your families for me.” work and life tasks done...
I and my fellow Kronites are lucky to work in an environment where family and personal needs are valued and encouraged to be put first. This is because we know that if employees are able to work their way, it will result in a happier more engaged employee which translates back to benefit the customer and larger organisation. Building a philosophy of work-life integration means making some cultural changes to an organisation, which can take time. Technology can be a powerful enabler to provide the necessary tools and platforms to get their work done efficiently and effectively, regardless of when and where they are doing it. This can be anything from access to work systems remotely, to having the right communication tools in place to aid collaboration between managers, employees and larger teams. Ultimately, work-life balance is still the more widely known concept, and organisations are still very much at the start of their journeys when it comes to work-life integration. However, it is time employers began introducing this concept of greater working fluidity as it can help to build a satisfied, productive and well-balanced, empowered workforce. Employers that listen to the desires of the modern employee and adapt their approaches accordingly will in turn be the most successful in retaining staff and attracting new talent. I know my employer has listened, and the proof is in the pudding – we are certified as a great place to work in every country where we have a significant presence, and we continue to provide the best service and innovation to our customers due to our happy and engaged employees. n
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 52 | July/August 2019
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