Tracy Brower, Ph.D., MM, MCR
Tracy Brower, Ph.D., M.M., MCR
Why work-life balance is dead
#LimeadeWorkLife
@Limeade
@TracyBrower108
It’s totally possible.

Today’s speaker
Tracy Brower, Ph.D., M.M., MCR
Tracy is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work and the
Global Vice President of Workplace Vitality at Mars Drinks. Before that, she
served as the Director of Human Dynamics + Work for Herman Miller.
Tracy focuses on the sociology of work – how humans affect their work-life and
how it affects them back

Overview #LimeadeWorkLife
@Limeade
@TracyBrower108

What is work-life integration?
Integration means coordinating,
blending and bringing elements of
work and life into a unified whole.

What are work-life supports?
Benefits, formal policies and
information practices that help
employees navigate the
demands of work and life.
Send a strong
message to
employees
regarding the
extent to which
they’re valued

Poll: What’s your experience with work-life supports?
I’m a work-life ninja: I’ve seen and done it all.
I’m confident: I have a good amount of experience.
I’m not an expert, but I’m trying some new things out.
Work-life supports are new to me: I’m eager to learn.
I’m here to learn as much as I can.
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An abundance of options
Amenities
Care-related
solutions
Hours of work
Insurance/
benefits
Job
management
Physical work
environment
Technology
Wellness &
mental health

Example: Oil & gas company
• Work at home with permission
• Option for Friday afternoons off in summer
• Special programs for special needs
 Highly conservative
 HR seeking to change the culture

Example: Financial organization
• Core hours
• Employee recognition programs
• Employee activity programs
• Leadership development efforts
 Multiple locations nationwide
 A ‘bulge’ workforce

Example: Packaged goods company
• Employee recognition programs
• Community programs
• Variety of benefits
• Policy-driven flexible work
• Leadership development
• Employment life cycle for touches and selection
 Publically held
 Multinational
 HR right-hand to CEO and C-suite
 Legacy of employee-focused culture

Example: Manufacturing company
• Few policies at all but extensive flexibility
• New policies blossoming for where, when
& how people work
• Flex time
• Flex place
• Rich environment
 Legacy culture of employee-centric
participation

Example: University
• Office hours & traditional schedules
• Emphasis on presence for student support
• Benefits focus on university
• Onsite childcare
• Private offices
 Variety of roles
 Campus and student centric
 Traditional university environment

Example: Tech company
• Friday work at home option
• Extensive use of desktop video
• Time-zone-based work hours
• Generous parental leave
• Dogs in the office
• Concierge services
 Entrepreneurial company
 Primarily millennial workforce
 Three sites
 Global

Be creative within boundaries
• Rotating hours
• Purchase of extra vacation
• Pools of employees and hours for emergency
time off
• Full time service with part time responsibility
that is employee customer-facing
• Cross training
• Technology
• Training and development planning
• Tuition reimbursement
• Onsite childcare
 Call centers
 Cable guys
 IT Help groups
 Healthcare
 Machine-tied jobs
 Desk-tied jobs
 Customer-tied jobs

When companies provide work-life
supports they enhance employee…
Engagement Satisfaction
Retention Health

Poll: Does your company manage change well?
My company is brilliant at managing change.
No one is perfect, but we do it quite well.
It’s spotty: sometimes things go well but we could do better.
Honestly, we can use all the help we can get.
Change management? We call it command and control.
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Making the business case
Background and problem statement
Goals and objectives
Criteria
Options and analysis
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Risks
Outcomes
Action plan
Summary
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Formula for change
Vision
Knowledge
Dissatisfaction
Vision Dissatisfaction Knowledge of
practical first steps
Perceived costs
V D k Pc≥

Measuring success
Depending on your company, you can measure using:
• Employee survey data (if you try a pilot version,
survey the team before, during and after)
• Attendance records
• Customer satisfaction
• Turnover rates
• Exit interviews

Lessons learned
| Everything counts
| Start small
| Focus on leadership
| Align with work
| Count, measure, track & gather feedback
| Continuously improve
| Focus holistically
Remember:
work-life supports
are more than just
flexibility

Wrapping it all up #LimeadeWorkLife
@Limeade
@TracyBrower108

TracyBrower.com
tbrower108@gmail.com
limeade.com
marketingteam@limeade.com