Nurturing employees’ work life balance in a meaningful workplace

After two years in the military, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky left to pursue a career as a writer. His writing was known for capturing the torment and happiness of the human soul and he also had strong opinions regarding work.

“Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

We certainly work a lot and while most of us have not gone off the deep end, we’re certainly struggling as a society to better balance our work life and strive for more meaning at work.  How many of us truly embrace work as vocation? It’s a question rarely asked. And if employees and corporate chiefs started thinking of ways to provide a canvas for more meaningful workplaces – would it impact productivity?

Reframing How and Where We Work

Professor and Organizational Development expert Neal Chalofsky PhD addresses those questions in his new book, Meaningful Workplaces: Reframing How and Where We Work (Jossey-Bass 2010). His book is based on years of research which explore how some Human Resource driven programs impacted workplace culture, by focusing on a humanistic approach to organizational effectiveness. That means nurturing employees and recognizing their work life needs.

He offers a retrospective on how we’ve traditionally worked; the extreme overworked culture which has been acceptable up until now. But even with high unemployment, the traditional view is changing at the speed of light with Gen Y debating the attributes of working 9-5, Boomers rethinking their life skills and potentially switching careers, and many of us wondering, “why can’t I have a more fulfilling work life?”

But this book is not just another, “bring your whole self to work” book on exalting the human spirit in the workplace. It’s based on case studies and Chalofsky’s own experiences working for the government and in academia. And Chalofsky doesn’t dwell in the land of the white collar worker, he visits the hourly wage earners in car plants, working mothers trying to strike a work life balance, employees at insurance firms and the call center workers in the airline industry, among others.

It’s not just about perks

“First of all it’s not just about the perks, it’s about the overall culture, ” says Chalofsky in his book. He goes on to explain that there are benefits in shifting to a more humanized work life culture, because the company culture essentially values the employee, a departure from the “almighty dollar” approach he describes:

“Our culture has put human development in the service of economic development. Learning, skill development and the mastery of talent are more about increasing one’s ability to be more productive or make money than about developing one’s human potential. ”

Chalofsky argues that when the employee is embraced in a humane workplace, a climate is created which not only supports the growth of employee, but also creates a community in which the workers want to take on the commitment of loyalty to the company. He contends it makes for more engaged employees who share common values with the mission of the company, thus creating a pool of more productive employees.

Managing the tensions of work life balance issues

Chalofsky spends a good chunk of time on employees work life concerns. He cites a number of studies over the last decade which still demonstrate that work life balance employee assistance programs continue to be a hot potato which some companies embrace, but others give lip service as they see it as a money drainer. He examines flexible work arrangements, Results Only Work Environments and Mass Career Customization. He is neither advocate or opposition, he looks at both sides of the coin.

The Benefits of a Meaningful Workplace

Chalofsky says there is a need for more meaningful workplaces, and offers stats based on research done by the Society for Human Resource Management to present his argument. Among them, increased global competitiveness, demographic changes which might lead to a shortage of high-skilled workers, the aging of the workforce, and boomers making greater demand for work life balance. All of these factors are already impacting the workplace. Clearly, there needs to be more attention and awareness of the changing workforce.

The author is extraordinarily thorough in his research. I know this as I’ve been covering work life culture for much of the last decade. And the elements of a meaningful workplace are well thought out. While academic in nature, Chalofsky’ book is an easy read with some great anecdotes.  My only disappointment with this book is the prohibitive price. I hope that the $45 dollar cover price doesn’t dissuade potential buyers because the material is very much a blueprint for a new way of making work – work in a company setting.

The Elements of a Meaningful Workplace

In closing, derived from Chalofsky’s studies, here are the prevalent themes in a meaningful workplace.

1. Living a values-based culture
2. Caring about employees
3. Caring about the organizational mission
4. Work, play and community involvement

Chalofsky’s Elements of a Meaningful Workplace:

1. Values-Based Organizational Cultures, including Leadership and Work Life Issues
2. Social responsibility and Diversity
3. Employee Engagement and Commitment, and the Workplace as a Community

Which of these themes resonates with you? Are some topics too far off the interest of the corporate spreadsheets to be recognized as bottom-line concerns? How would you define a meaningful workplace? Would a more meaningful workplace impact productivity? Please share your thoughts.