The global quest for work life balance & resilience

The merging of the working and living experience goes well beyond our WorkLife Nation. A quick review of the global economy reveals that the quest for work life balance is a slamming debate no matter the continent. many fear burnout is on the horizon. So I took a quick journey to bring you a glance of what’s happening. Here’s Judy Martin’s Work Life Global Watch this Wednesday, March 25.

Singapore

Of all the places calling to shore up emotional resilience, Singapore would not have topped my list . Yet the country, where the U.S. Department of State warns jaywalking, littering and spitting gum can land you in the can or with a hefty fine, is concerned about its citizens’ stress levels. The country’s health minister is behind a new educational campaign called Optimism for Mental Resilience. The message – “bad times don’t last forever.”

Health Minister, Khaw Boon Wan wrote in a statement yesterday that, ““Promoting an emotionally-resilient society is one of our priorities whether in good times or bad.”  The country is upping its mental health education program “to help working adults manage day-to-day stress, and to recognize signs of depression and anxiety.” Hmmm – I don’t think chewing gum is an encouraged stress reducer here.

Canada

Canada’s Financial Post just named the Top 100 Employers. The key criteria included: “ physical workplace; work atmosphere as a social setting; pay and benefits; vacation and provisions for time off; communication to employees; performance management; training and skills development and community involvement.”

Among the employee benefits at many of these companies is extended maternity leave. One firm offered top-up benefits – up to 93% and 52 weeks for new dads and moms. (Practically unheard of) Other work life initiatives included phased-in retirement, relaxation rooms and flexible working arrangements which allow employees to leave for just a few hours to do personal errands. The one perk that stood out; one company ended every week with a beer cart pushed through the office. Hmmmm – not sure that will catch on the U-S workplace.

United Kingdom

Stress levels are soaring in the U-K, according to an article on the Institute of Leadership and Management website:

“Research by the Work Life Balance Centre and Coventry University revealed that four of the five health-related stress indicators it monitors rose in the last year. This means that there was a rise in the number of people reporting chronic fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability and headaches, while at the same time the fifth, lack of concentration, fell by less than one per cent.”

The commentary in the article from experts warned that higher stress can impact career goals and an employers bottom line –  inevitably leading to more absenteeism, lower productivity and more mistakes made by employees.

New Zealand

An article in The Nelson Mail on Work-Life Balance, brings to light union concerns about the countries Holidays Act which mandates 4 weeks vacation time. There is a brewing debate caused by suggestions that employees might prefer to cash in on that fourth week, instead of taking the time. The fear is that employers which have suffered layoffs with other employees fearing job losses, might be pushing workers to put in more time which would impact work life balance.

Australia

In a site called SmallBusiness, Josh Gordon and Annie Lawson write that the economic woes might trigger more discussion about flexible working arrangements. In their article, Can a downturn give you better work life balance,?  - they suggest that many companies are reducing worker hours and encouraging employees to use up their holiday leave – instead of sacking their skilled workers.

The writers say that the trend is driven by two items – which for some reason is not generating the same response in the U-S.

1. Altruism: Companies trying to look out for employees with families and mortgages.
2. Optimism: When the economy turns around, these employees will be grateful, more engaged and loyal.