Work Life BalanceWork Life Balance
WorkshopWorkshop
ByBy
A.V.ChandrakanthA.V.Chandrakanth
SUDHEER REDDYSUDHEER REDDY
07/16/13 1Ratan Global Business School

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Achieving Work Life BalanceAchieving Work Life Balance
WorkshopWorkshop
 Purpose:
 To focus on how to successfully combine work, family
relationships and leisure time into a satisfying life.
 Approach:
 To create a skill set that enhances the ability to
evaluate priorities, focus on the big picture and use
long range planning
 Use prioritizing and organizational skills to make
sense out of conflicting demands

WORK LIFE BALANCEWORK LIFE BALANCE

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The Work – Life BalanceThe Work – Life Balance
 Work and personal world were once very
distinct.
 It is harder than ever to keep up with both your
work and personal activities.
 Activities and social spaces are becoming
ambiguous.

WHAT IS WORK/LIFEWHAT IS WORK/LIFE
BALANCE?BALANCE?
 Equal balance between work and personal activities?
 Is it same for everyone?
Varies from individual to individual and varies over
time on a daily basis as well over different phases of life
 There is no perfect, one-size fits all solution
 The best work-life balance is different for each of us
because we all have different priorities and different
lives
 Work/life balance, in its broadest sense, is defined
as a satisfactory level of involvement between the
multiple roles in a person’s life.

Is your life in balance?Is your life in balance?
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Some things people deal with on aSome things people deal with on a
daily basisdaily basis
 Getting ahead at work
 Spending quality time with your significant other
 Caring for elderly parents
 Doing chores at home
 Taking care of children

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Changes in the Work WorldChanges in the Work World
 Global economy
 International business
 Advanced communication technology
 Flex-time schedules
 Alternative or flexi-place work location
 Changes in family structure (dual-career)

Striving for a perfect
balance

Is it a 50-50 split?
Or is a 70-30 split?

Or is it aOr is it a
seesawseesaw
 Balance is elusive and
difficult to maintain.
 Compromises are
constantly made, with
the scales of balance
shifting along with the
occasional long workday
or work assignment,
family obligations, or any
one of a number of life’s
little surprises.

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Survey Results From More Than 50,000Survey Results From More Than 50,000
Employees from a Variety ofEmployees from a Variety of
Manufacturing and Service OrganizationsManufacturing and Service Organizations
FoundFound
(Source: Quintessential Careers article)(Source: Quintessential Careers article)
 2 out of every 5
employees are
dissatisfied with the
balance between their
work and personal lives
 The lack of balance is
due to:
 Long work hours
 Changing demographics
 More time in the car
 Deterioration of boundaries
between work and home

Work – activities done regularly for money

Life – everything else

NEED OF WORK LIFE BALANCENEED OF WORK LIFE BALANCE
“No one can have everything and do
everything at the same time”
-Oprah Winfrey
 The inability to balance work and family
demands has been linked to :-
 reduced work performance
 increased absenteeism
 lower commitment
 poor morale

Benefits of Work Life BalanceBenefits of Work Life Balance
Initiatives for EmployersInitiatives for Employers
 Reduced absenteeism and lateness
 Improved employee morale and commitment
 Reduced stress and improved productivity
 A more flexible workforce
 Increased ability to attract and recruit staff
 Potential for improved occupational health and
safety
 Fulfillment of equal opportunity objectives
 Good corporate citizenship and an enhanced
corporate image

Benefits of Work Life BalanceBenefits of Work Life Balance
Initiatives for EmployeesInitiatives for Employees
 Ability to manage work and individual commitments
 Improved personal and family relationships
 Flexible working arrangements resulting in reduced work
overload and stress
 Increased focus, motivation and job satisfaction knowing
that family and work commitments are being met
 Increased job security from the knowledge that an
organisation understands and supports workers with
family responsibilities
 Increased ability to remain employed.
 Increased ability to remain competitive in career
advancement
 Improved health and wellbeing of staff

 Work-life balance" was coined to address the
unhealthy life choices that many people were
making; they were choosing to neglect other
important areas of their lives such as family,
friends, and hobbies in favor of work-related
chores and goals
Work-Life balance - What is it allWork-Life balance - What is it all
about?about?

 But looking back, it is clear that the balance
I chose had consequences for the people
around me at home and at the office. For
instance, my kids were raised , largely
alone, by their mother, Carolyn.
 My defense, if there is one, is that those
were the times. Fathers were different then.
In general, it was assumed that wives
stayed at home to make everything run
smoothly.
 Jack Welch

Determining Your PrioritiesDetermining Your Priorities
 What are the essential components to a
quality life?
 What are you truly passionate about in
life?
 What do you value most?
 Rank order these areas of your life
according to the amount of time and
energy you spend on each.
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Values and PrioritizingValues and Prioritizing
 Many of us are very knowledgeable about
taking care of ourselves.
 We know we should:
 Eat right
 Exercise daily
 Make time for relaxation
 Pursue spiritual wants and needs
WE KNOW IT SO WHY DON’T WE …..
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Learn how to say
YES
as well as
NO
It’s easier to say no to unwanted tasks if you’ve already
committed to something you do want to do.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Establish your
ABSENCE
as well as your
PRESENCE
Set a schedule for being physically elsewhere and
unavailable, and stick to it.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Do a
LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
as well as
ALL OF ONE THING
Master the art of multitasking.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Determine your
TASKS
as well as your
PRIORITIES
Many activities, small and large, are the steps
that lead to your goal.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Work until your
TIME IS UP
as well as until your
TASK IS DONE
Approach every task with the goal of making progress during
a specific amount of time, then move on to the next task to
maintain forward momentum.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Bring some of your
HOME TO WORK
well as some of your
WORK TO HOME
You live in both worlds; look for ways to bring them
together
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
07/16/13 27Ratan Global Business School

Seek to
INTEGRATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL
AND PERSONAL ACTIVITIES
as well as to
SEPARATE WORK AND PLAY
Doing so can maximize your effectiveness and satisfaction
in both spheres.
Work-Life BalanceWork-Life Balance
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Global PerspectiveGlobal Perspective
 1) New Zealand
 Employee’s perspective of work life
 Flexible start and finish times, and more leave - both paid and
unpaid.
 More choice about the way they work, including having more
input into rosters and shifts, and choosing the number of hours
they work
 Employers offering
 Using personal sick leave to care for others
 Flexible break provisions
 Study leave
 Governments initiative

Global Perspective –Contd.Global Perspective –Contd.
 Australia
Work life policy
This policy provides guidance and recommendations by
the Australian Computer Society (ACS) on work life issues
for employers and employees
• Flexible working hours;
• Work location options;
• Employee friendly working arrangements,
• Paid parental leave,
• Job sharing and part time work,
• Promoting healthy life style alternatives through membership of
gym and other recreational clubs.

Indian PictureIndian Picture
IBM
 Free membership to children of all IBMers to the GenieKids Resource
center through out the year - The Resource Center houses a library, activity
based games, pottery classes, computer classes etc.
 IBM employees can also attend Parenting Workshops at the Resource
Center, covering topics like "Developing Child's Intelligence",
"Communicating towards better parenting", "Developing parent child
relationships", at discounted rates through out the year
Accenture
 Incorporated family events into its employee calendars, with social
gatherings or outings where the whole family comes together.
Mandatory number of holidays, discounted gym and saloon memberships
and even in-house work-life effectiveness managers and career counselors
are all attempts by Accenture to counter stress and maintain the work life
balance.

Infosys unveils new HR practicesInfosys unveils new HR practices
 Paternity leaves
 Exams for employees who are
interested in other profiles, Job Rotation
 Lady employee will be allowed to work
from home (for particularly new mothers)
 initiated a pilot project for employees
giving them an opportunity to opt for a
one-year sabbatical at any point in their
careers

Employee Welfare at WiproEmployee Welfare at Wipro
 Education
 Medical
 Housing
 Canteen and other Recreational facilities
 Club membership
 Insurance Policy
 Mitr
 Freedom Of association

Evaluating a StressfulEvaluating a Stressful
Lifestyle Using Life GoalsLifestyle Using Life Goals
 Work: Performance objectives, challenge, opportunity
to learn, sense of accomplishment, financial rewards,
relationships with coworkers, subordinates, supervisors
 Family: Quantity and quality of time spent with spouse,
significant other, children, parents, siblings, extended
family
 Personal: Leisure activities, social life, physical health,
spiritual development
 We constantly juggle these goals, shifting time and energy
between goals and trying not to “drop the ball” for any goal.
 This juggling act reflects the amount of stress in our lives.
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% of children with a stay-
at-home mother
But things are different nowBut things are different now
% of women working
outside the home

Some FindingsSome Findings
 We find that women are more worried than men about their work
when they come home. We can notice that substantially 78%
women carry office tension home compared to just 60 % men.
 Married women comparatively carry more office tension back
home than single women.
 Approximately 90 % of the married women carry tensions back
home that 60% of single women.
 62% of the males and 50% of the females did not help out their
wards with their education.
 This could be attributed to the late working hours experienced by
the respondents.
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Does your family feel stressed too?Does your family feel stressed too?
What a Day!
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Some Quick Facts AboutSome Quick Facts About
Stress and the WorkplaceStress and the Workplace
 Americans are working longer and harder.
 46% of working adults view their jobs as very stressful
or extremely stressful.
 81% percent of respondents suffer from the ill effects
of stress at least once a week.
 In a survey of medical and personnel directors of
Fortune 1,000 companies, 70% said mental health
problems were fairly or very pervasive.
 Stress costs employers about $150 billion annually in
workers’ compensation claims, absenteeism, turnover,
and health and disability claims, reducing profits by
about 10%.07/16/13 40Ratan Global Business School

Stressors and Work–Family ConflictStressors and Work–Family Conflict
Stressors
Dissatisfaction
Frustration
Depression
Work–Family
Conflicts
Work and
Family Stress
on Employee
Work Versus
Family
Creates Leads to
Triggers Possible
Outcomes
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What is stress?What is stress?
Stress - the “nonspecific
response of the body to
any demands made upon
it.”
Stressor – any physical,
psychological, or social
Condition that initiates
the stress response,
and can be either positive
or negative.
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Types of StressTypes of Stress
EUSTRESS - “good stress”
 Initiates emotional & psychological growth.
 Generates & initiates action.
 Leads to increase performance and improved
health.
 Provides the experience of pleasure, can
accompany a:
 Graduation
 Purchase of a home
 Development of a new relationship
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Types of StressTypes of Stress
DISTRESS - “bad stress”
 Results in negative responses.
 Can interfere with physiological &
psychological functioning.
 Long term distress may result in disease or
disability.
Homeostasis - the body’s attempt to
maintain a physiological balance.
Stress disrupts the balance.
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Chronic StressChronic Stress
 Long-term stress that
occurs when a person is
continually in a stress-
response condition.
 Can lead to illness or
even death.
 Increases risk for
disease, hypertension,
eating disorders, ulcers,
diabetes, and cancer.
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Physical EffectsPhysical Effects
 Increased susceptibility to illness
 Chronic high blood pressure
 Ulcers
 Headaches and migraines, backaches, and
body pains
 Diarrhea, heartburn, gastritis, inflammation of
the pancreas
 Exacerbation of acne, psoriasis, herpes, hives,
and eczema
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Emotional EffectsEmotional Effects
 Loneliness, depression, feelings of
hopelessness
 Irritability
 Anger, hostility, violence
 Disorganization
 Conflicts
 Mood swings
 Sleep problems
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Behavioral EffectsBehavioral Effects
 Alcohol abuse
 Drug abuse
 Excessive smoking
 Disordered eating
 Compulsive behaviors
 Ineffective use of work/leisure time
 Overreaction to mild work pressure
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What causes you stress?What causes you stress?
 Jobs and The Workplace
 Balancing family and work
 Financial Problems
 Personal Relationships
 Children
 Daily Hassles / Being Too Busy
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Most and Least Stressful JobsMost and Least Stressful Jobs
Most Stressful:Most Stressful:
 President of the
United States
 Firefighter
 Senior corporate
executive
 Race car driver
 Taxi driver
Least Stressful:Least Stressful:
 Medical records
technician
 Janitor
 Forklift operator
 Musical instrument
repairer
 Florist
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Stress ManagementStress Management
 Lifestyle
Techniques
 Time
Management
 Cognitive
Restructuring
 Relaxation
Techniques
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1. Lifestyle Techniques for1. Lifestyle Techniques for
Managing StressManaging Stress
 Social Support
 Communication
Skills
 Healthy Diet
 Adequate Sleep
 Regular Exercise
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2. Time Management2. Time Management
The Problem is Severe
 By some estimates, people waste about 2 hours per
day.
 Signs of time wasting:
 Messy desk and cluttered (or no) files
 Can't find things
 Miss appointments, need to reschedule them late
and/or unprepared for meetings
 Volunteer to do things other people should do
 Tired/unable to concentrate
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32%
23%
11%
6%
9%
9%
1%
3%
6%
Sleep
WorkTV
Leisure
Eating
Travel
Illness
Dressing
Religion
How we spend our dayHow we spend our day
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Know YourselfKnow Yourself
 Morning Person
 Long Concentration
 Procrastinator
 Work well under a
deadline
 Extrovert
 Night Owl
 Short
Concentration
 Do things NOW
 Don’t work well
under a deadline
 Introvert
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Manage YourselfManage Yourself
 Schedule hard work during your “up”
time
 Break up projects into manageable
segments
 “To do” lists with deadlines
 Do high priority work when you work
best
 Know how to recharge your energy!
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Be “Time Wise”Be “Time Wise”
 Do it now
 Say no
 Start projects as soon as they are assigned
 Divide each task into small, manageable
chunks
 Use small pockets of time well
 Use your best time well
 Don’t put things off
 Turn off the TV
 Try the 10-minute ticker07/16/13 57Ratan Global Business School

3. Cognitive Restructuring3. Cognitive Restructuring
How Can you Change the Way youHow Can you Change the Way you
Think About Stress?Think About Stress?
 Don’t worry about things you can’t control
 Regain control: problem solve & ID solutions
 Reasonable expectations
 Sense of humor
 Flexibility with self & others
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Relaxation TechniquesRelaxation Techniques
 Visualization or Imagery
 Mediation
 Deep Breathing
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Final Thought on the Work/LifeFinal Thought on the Work/Life
Balance….Balance….
 In the end, the key word is balance.
 Find the right balance that works for youyou
 Celebrate your successes and don’t dwell on your
failures.
 Life is a process .. and so is striving for balance in
your life.

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
• Employers who allow
flexibility and provide
work life benefits will
attract and retain the
best employees.
• Employees whose
personal lives are
under control are more
effective in the
workplace.
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