Rupali Parsha
Blue Sky HR Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Sr. Executive – HR Operations
Work – life balance for women in organizations: emerging trends and strategies
In today’s era, work life balance is of utmost importance as it is directly proportional to the health and wellbeing of an individual and therefore the concept on Work life balance comes in picture. Work life balance is an organizational concept that gives power to employees to split their personal and professional life in such a way that they are able to do justice to both the roles simultaneously while being able to successfully achieve their goals, and yet save time for themselves and their families. Once an individual achieves this balance, it increases their morale; thereby increasing the productivity and profit an Organization.
Work – life balance for women is now becoming a topic of discussion amongst the HR professionals, as it is women who are required to attain this balance in their lives more than their male counterparts and moreover, it has become the need of the hour. This is said so because the so-called society thinks that it is primary responsibility of women to raise and take care of the children, do the household chores, take care of the in-laws/parents and if she is working then it means that she herself is looking at some additional responsibilities to be taken care of by her own will.
The two main aspects of work – life balance focuses on satisfaction and achievement and it is inter-linked to one another. This means that when a woman is satisfied with the work conditions and is delivering to the best of her capability, she will eventually grow and achieve her set goals. This will therefore result in positive work – life balance.
Organizations are adopting various schemes and developing strategies to provide a work – life balance for their female employees to basically keep the female employee turnover rates down as males v/s female statistics in the workplace has changed drastically. Gender diversity has increased significantly in the 21st-century workforce as more women have entered the workplace. In some cases, statistics support the notion of evolving gender equality. Other stats show that some work is still necessary to give equal opportunities to men and women across all levels and job types.
Let’s take a look at the emerging trends and strategies adopted by some great trend setters in the market.
Policy on work-life balance in organizations:
Several multinational companies are coming up with policies favoring work-life balance for female employees. The mechanism of the policy is aligned to the objectives, vision and mission of the company so that the business goals are not affected.
Dependent Care Program:
This program has gained popularity in the foreign market. However, it is yet to gain recognition in the Indian market. Most working parents are often worried about leaving their kid/s at home. In addition to this, they may also have their aging parents / in – laws to be taken care of. A dependent care program has proved to be very helpful and effective for parents who have no one to take care of their kids back home. This program provides the employees with care giving services or onsite daycare either in the same premises or within close proximity to the office. Parents can be rest assured and hence be more productive and relaxed at work.
Flexible work hours:
Most companies situated abroad are offering flexible work hours to employees, who have just entered parenthood or have no guardian to keep an eye on their children. Unlike the traditional nine to five job, this gives employees the flexibility to come late to work after dropping children to school/playgroup or leave early to pick them from babysitting. With this program, the parent can be rest assured that they will get quality time to spend with the children and will also be able to help the children with their studies. As long as employees work eight hours a day, they have the flexibility of choosing their start and finish time.
Telecommuting:
Telecommuting is also gaining a lot of popularity these days in multinational companies where employees are require to work in graveyard shifts or UK Shift. These benefits are also given to the backend/support team. Work from home sounds like an ideal job for mothers who don’t enjoy travelling as much but have the need to work to earn a better lifestyle for herself and her family. This also proves to be the best option for mothers who love to do household chores and yet have the determination to do something in life by pursuing their career.
Extended Maternity Leave:
This is a very important factor of creating work-life balance for an expectant or new mother for the birth and care of the baby. Most women think that this is the best of all the other benefits and want to utilize it to the fullest as this is the time for bond formation between the mother and the new born. Apart from the regular maternity break, there are companies which have offered their females employees an extended maternity break of up to 6 months.
Corporate Family Day
Corporate family fun days have become increasingly popular and these events are often used not only to reward staff for their hard work but as a team building opportunity for staff and a thank giving to their supporting families.
