There is an increasing discrepancy between what employers say about work-life balance and how they actually act, finds a recent global study by WFD Consulting and WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress.
"We set out to study men and work-life integration, but, instead, uncovered workplace trends showing employees suffer a variety of job repercussions for participating in work-life programs, even when their leaders insist they support the business value," says Kathie Lingle, executive director of WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress. "This conundrum can be so oppressive that some employees go underground, resorting to 'stealth maneuvers' for managing their personal responsibilities.
"The good news is that 80 percent of employers around the globe avow support for family-friendly workplaces. The bad news is they are simultaneously penalizing those who actively strive to integrate work with their lives."
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Employee respondents say repercussions include being overtly or subtly discouraged from using flexible work and other work-life programs as well as receiving unfavorable work duties, negative performance reviews and negative comments from supervisor. They also cite being denied a promotion.
In the U.S., United Kingdom and Germany, the study reveals the more than half of the manager respondents believe the ideal employee can meet business needs despite the hours. Another 40 percent say the most productive employees do not have many personal commitments, and nearly one in three says employees who use flexible work arrangements will not advance very far professionally.
Those same leadership beliefs exist at a higher level in the emerging countries of Brazil, China and India.
"While the HR department designs and administers work-life programs, it's the managers who have to implement it," says Rose Stanley, work-life practice leader for WorldatWork. "Our studies find that a culture of flexibility correlates with lower employee turnover. Specifically, those with training and experience managing employees on flexible work arrangements are much more supportive of work-life than those without that training and experience.
"Closing the gap between what managers believe and how they behave will make every workplace a better place to work."
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