Work Life Balance is a concept including prioritizing between Work and Lifestyle.HISTORYThe expression "worklife balance" was first used in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK LIFE BALANCEIt is important to draw a distinction between work and life. People who are constantly tied to their jobs deal with the symptoms of stress and burnout. If a person doesnt have a time to relax and recharge, their ability to do their job decreases and their performance level suffers.Those who dont take time away from their job often end up getting sick more often because they dont eat properly, dont get enough sleep, and dont take the time to exercise. Thus, from a management point of view, it is important to encourage a person to take time off from work instead of putting in long hours. An employee that spends time with friends and family can return to work refreshed and ready to do their job. Thus, increasing the output for the company.Without creating a work-life balance a person isnt able to take time to enjoy the life they have worked so hard to create. They arent available for friends and family members, and often take their stress out on the ones they love. They can also suffer from illness and physical disorders that stem from prolonged stress such as heart disease, alcoholism, and even diabetes.WORK STATISTICSAccording to a survey conducted by the National Life Insurance Company, four out of ten U.S. employees state that their jobs are "very" or "extremely" stressful. Those in high-stress jobs are three times more likely than others to suffer from stress-related medical conditions and are twice as likely to quit. In the study, Work-Family Spillover and Daily Reports of Work and Family Stress in the Adult Labor Force, researchers found that with an increased amount of negative spillover from work to family, the likelihood of reporting stress within the family increased by 74%, and with an increased amount of negative spillover from family to work the likelihood to report stress felt at work increased by 47%. Spill over effects are externalities of economic activity or processes that affect those who are not directly involved.According to 2010 National Health Interview Survey Occupational Health Supplement data, 16% of U.S. workers reported difficulty balancing work and family. The number of stress-related disability claims by American employees has doubled according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association in Arlington, Virginia. Seventy-five to ninety percent of physician visits are related to stress and, according to the American Institute of Stress, the cost to industry has been estimated at $200 billion-$300 billion a year.CAUSES OF ILL-BALANCED WORK LIFE BALANCEThe feeling that simply working hard is not enough anymore is acknowledged by many other American workers. "To get ahead, a seventy-hour work week is the new standard. What little time is left is often shared up among relationships, kids, and sleep." This increase in work hours over the past two decades means that less time will be spent with family, friends, and community as well as pursuing activities that one enjoys and taking the time to grow personally and spirituallySYMPTOMS OF ILL-BALANCED WORK LIFE BALANCESymptoms of stress are manifested both physiologically and psychologically. Persistent stress can result in cardiovascular disease, sexual health problems, a weaker immune system and frequent headaches, stiff muscles, or backache. It can also result in poor coping skills, irritability, jumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating.

GENDER AND WORK LIFE BALANCEWork-life conflict is not gender-specific. According to the Centre for American Progress, 90 percent of working mothers and 95 percent of working fathers report work-family conflict.[14]However, because of the social norms surrounding each gender role, and how the organization views its ideal worker, men and women handle the work-life balance differently.Working mothers often have to challenge perceptions and stereotypes that evolve as a working woman becomes a working mother. Working mothers are perceived as less competent and less worthy of training than childless women. Another study, focusing on professional jobs, found that mothers were 79 percent less likely to be hired and are typically held to a higher standard of punctuality and performance than childless women. PERCEPTIONS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND GENDER DIFFERENCESThe moment when she becomes a mother, a working woman is held at a completely different norm than her childless colleagues. Men who became fathers were not perceived as any less competent, and in fact, their perceived warmth increased.Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa, evaluated how male and female workers perceive work-life balance and found that women are more positive than men in how they perceive their companys efforts to help them balance work and life responsibilities. The report is based on the analysis of data drawn from a representative sample of 10,000 U.S. workers who were surveyed through Work Trends, KRIs annual survey of worker opinions.The results indicated a shift in womens perceptions about work-life balance. In the past, women often found it more difficult to maintain balance due to the competing pressures at work and demands at home.YOUNG GENERATION VIEWS ON WORK LIFE BALANCEAccording to Kathleen Gerson, Sociologist, young people "are searching for new ways to define care that do not force them to choose between spending time with their children and earning an income". Young people do not believe work-life balance is possible and think it is dangerous to build a life dependent on another when relationships are unpredictable. They are looking for partners to share the house work and family work together.IDENTITY THROUGH WORKBy working in an organization, employees identify, to some extent, with the organization, as part of a collective group. Organizational values, norms and interests become incorporated in the self-concept as employees increase their identity with the organization. However, employees also identify with their outside roles, or their "true self". Egs. of these might be parental/caretaker rolesMost employees identify with not only the organization, but also other facets of their life (family, children, religion, etc.). Sometimes these identities align and sometimes they do not. When identities are in conflict, the sense of a healthy work-life balance may be affected.

WOMEN AND WORK LIFE BALANCEToday there are many young women who do not want to just stay at home and do house work, but want to have careers. About 64% of mothers whose youngest child was under age six, and 77% of mothers with a youngest child age 6-17 were employed in 2010, indicating that the majority of women with dependent care responsibilities cannot or do not wish to give up careers. While women are increasingly represented in the work force, they still face challenges balancing work and home life. Both domestic and market labour compete for time and energy. For women, the results show that that only time spent in female housework chores has a significant negative effect on wagesMATERNITY LEAVEMaternity leave is a leave of absence for an expectant or new mother for the birth and care of the baby. This is a very important factor in creating a work-life balance for families. Yet in the United States most states do not offer any paid time off, for this important time in ones life. Many mothers are forced to return to work only weeks after having given birth to their children; missing out on important bonding time with their child. At this age, new-born babies and their mother are forming an important bond and the child is learning to trust and count on their parents.FACTS RELATED TO MATERNITY LEAVEFor example, the study notes that the United States is one of only five countries out of 173 that does not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave. (The other countries are Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea).[30] Other differences include the fact that fathers are granted paid paternity leave or paid parental leave in sixty-five countries; thirty one of these countries offer at least fourteen weeks of paid leave. The U.S. does not guarantee this to fathers. (Survey) Sweden, Denmark and Norway have the highest level of maternity benefitsSweden provides 68 weeks paid maternity leave, Norway provides 56 weeks paid maternity leave and Denmark provides 52.MEN AND WORK LIFE BALANCEMen know that work alone may not provide their lives with meaning. Young men can lose their meaning of life; they want a balance between paid work and personal attachments without being victimized at work. More men are realizing that work is not their only primary source of fulfilment from life. A new study on fatherhood (2010) shows that more men are looking for alternatives to their 40-hour workweek in order to spend more time with their family. Though working less means a smaller pay check and higher stress levels, men are looking for flexibility just as much as womenTECHNOLOGY AND WORK LIFE BALANCETechnology has improved peoples lives in many different ways. People can live longer, healthier lives because of technological advancements. A student can access vast resources of information to complete assignments and a mother can see and talk to a daughter that is thousands of miles away. The advancements in the way people access information, communicate with one another, and complete tasks have allowed for flexibility in the workplace. It has also created a lack of distinction between work and family time.With email, text, instant messaging, and fax, people can communicate instantaneously. With the advancement in smart phones, laptops, and tablets, employees are able to leave the office but still do their work. This has allowed more employees to bring their work home with them. While such access does allow them to spend more time at home, it has blurred the lines between work and life. If the boss sends a text at eleven at night, does the employee have to answer it? When should a person shut down the laptop and spend time with friends and family?Technology also allows some employees to work from home offices full-time and they never have to visit their place of business. While telecommuting eliminates the need to drive to the office, the ability to work from home can make work consume a persons life. What was once a forty hour a week job can easily become a sixty hour a week job! In this scenario, the person will have no time to enjoy life.COMPANY VIEWS ON WORK-LIFE BALANCETexas Quick, an expert witness at trials of companies who were accused of overworking their employees, states that "when people get worked beyond their capacity, companies pay the price." Although some employers believe that workers should reduce their own stress by simplifying their lives and making a better effort to care for their health, most experts feel that the chief responsibility for reducing stress should be management.According to Esther M. Orioli, president of Essi Systems, a stress management consulting firm, "Traditional stress-management programs placed the responsibility of reducing stress on the individual rather than on the organization-where it belongs. No matter how healthy individual employees are when they start out, if they work in a dysfunctional system, theyll burn outTIPS FOR BETTER WORK LIFE BALANCE1. Build downtime into your schedule.When you plan your week, make it a point to schedule time with your family and friends, and activities that help you recharge.2. Drop activities that sap your time or energy."Many people waste their time on activities or people that add no value -- for example, spending too much time at work with a colleague who is constantly venting and gossiping," says Marilyn Puder-York, PhD, a psychologist and executive coach in New York and Connecticut.Her advice: Takestock of activities that don't enhance your career or personal life, and minimize the time you spend on them.3. Rethink your errands.Consider whether you can outsource any of your time-consuming household chores or errands.Could you order your groceries online and have them delivered? 4. Get moving.It's hard to make time for exercise when you have a jam-packed schedule, but it may ultimately help you get more done by boosting your energy level and ability to concentrate.5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.Don't assume that you need to make big changes to bring more balance to your life. Brooks recommends setting realistic goals, like leaving the office earlier 1 night per week.

COMPANIES THAT HAVE HELPED WORKERS IN MANTAINING WORK LIFE BALANCEW.L. GORE AND ASSOCIATESW.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is a global, privately held company headquartered in Newark, Delaware. It employs approximately 8,000 employees (called associates) in more than 45 locations worldwideTECHNIQUES1. Working hours, according to Gillies, are central to Gores approach. There are no set working hours; 2. Personal and family responsibilities are okaypeople have no need to explain if they are not going to be at work, but tend to anyway because we are fair to each other. 3. When commitments require staffing for specific hours, the team in that area decide individuals hours of work4. EXAMPLE: Ben Stewart, currently a leader, when he was involved in a global project requiring him to spend large amounts of time in the U.S. When a change in his home circumstances arose, Stewart evaluated the time he spent travelling and reduced it significantly by using videoconferencing and conference calls. He adds that his sponsor also encouraged him to travel less, and to take time off to compensate when he does travel.

OUTCOMES1. Gores corporate culture which encourages a healthy work life balance directly contributes to the award-winning success the company has long enjoyed.2. Gores approach to work-life balance contributes to its repeatedly being included in Fortune magazines best companies list.

MOTOROLAMotorola was founded in 1928 in the U.S., and currently employs more than 100,000 people worldwide.TECHNIQUES1. Job Sharing: Job sharing means that two people share a full-time job between them, splitting equally the number of hours worked.2. EXAMPLE: Mary McDonald, a single parent with two children, applied for a job-share on the day shift. She felt the full-time shift pattern was too onerous given her family situation. In making her written application to the Human Resource department, she gave her personal and operational reasons. Her application was successful and, matched with her job partner, Heather Chalmers, she works in the wafer fabrication production area. McDonald says this system has worked very well for her. Im full of energy for the days I workMotorola gets 100 percent from me. She is extremely positive about job sharing, especially for people with families...it is very good for family life.OUTCOMES1. Job share allowed us to retain our pool of highly qualified and well-trained talent2. Created a different management dimension in developing supporting procedures, such as procedures for holiday and absence cover.