Oh, readers. I’m so, so disappointed. I thought we were making real progress (or at least having a
According to WaW’s survey, conducted annually through its Alliance for Work-Life Progress, although 80% of employers around the globe say they support family-friendly workplaces, employee respondents report that when they took advantage of work-life programs, they:
* Have been overtly or subtly discouraged from using the programs.
* Received unfavorable job assignments.
* Received negative performance reviews.
* Received negative comments from a supervisor.
* Have been denied a promotion.
The fact that this survey was global is particularly troubling. I thought
I don’t blame you, though, and neither does WaW. The problem is not with HR/benefits pros, but rather with managers — more than half of whom think the ideal employee is one who is available to meet business needs regardless of business hours, and nearly 1 in 3 think that employees who use flexible work arrangements will not advance very far in the organization.
“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. “Closing the gap between what managers believe and how they behave will make every workplace a better place to work.”
Stanley offers more indepth comments in EBN October’s cover story on flexible work. Meantime, what do you think? Are individual managers impeding employees’ efforts toward work-life balance? How can benefits professionals change minds and in turn, organizational culture? Share your thoughts in the comments.
