NextGen: Managing work life boundaries

© 2013 Center for Crea/ve Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Managing WorkLife Boundaries

Kelly Hannum, Ph.D. Director, Global Research Insights


Workshop Overview

§  Why this ma;ers

§  A new way to think about work life

balance

§  Applying the concepts

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© 2013 Center for Crea/ve Leadership. All Rights Reserved. 4

In the meantime, the best available evidence suggests that encouraging more firms to consider adopting flexible practices can potentially boost productivity, improve morale, and benefit the U.S. economy. Especially at this time as the U.S. rebuilds after the Great Recession, it is critical for the 21st century U.S. workplace to be organized for the 21st century workforce.

Work-‐‑life Balance and The Economics of Workplace Flexibility Executive Office of The President

Council of Economic Advisers March 2010


Spotlighted in the News!


A New Reality


§ Think of a word or phrase that represents “work-‐‑life balance” at its best § Think of a word or phrase that represents “work-‐‑life balance” at its worst


Why this ma;ers to…

Individuals

§  Reduced stress & burnout §  Reduced worklife conflict §  Greater sense of

wellbeing §  More efficient use of time

Organizations §  A;racting top talent §  Reduced turnover §  Increased employee

engagement §  Higher productivity §  Reduced health/leave

costs



Work-‐family experts are not clear if there is one best way to manage work-‐life rela8onships.

There is no new normal.


•  Career •  Self •  Family •  Community

Not Balance but Harmony

The degree of consistency between your values and priorities and your arrangement of work and non-‐‑work roles at a given point in

time.


A new way to think about “balance”


Behaviors

Integrators

Separators

Work Firsters

Family Firsters

Cyclers


Work Focused Family Focused

Dual Focused

Other Focused

Iden/ty


High Boundary Control Moderate Boundary Control

Low Boundary Control

Control


Identify a Positive Perception

and a Negative Perception for

each Behavioral Style.

© 2013 Center for Crea/ve Leadership. All Rights Reserved. 18


5 Step Process


Strategies

•  Set aside time for yourself •  Experiment with creating connections between your

work and family roles •  Manage your mood and use transition times positively •  Leverage technology to help you control boundaries •  Communicate with stakeholders frequently •  Use substitutes to allow you to focus on the most

meaningful tasks •  Identify big priorities in life and focus on meeting those

demands first

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Share examples of 1-‐‑2 ways you successfully manage

multiple roles.

Pair & Share


Career Consequences

Workplaces are changing, but there are still vestiges of the idea that flexwork is a perk used by people not fully commi;ed to work.

–  There is evidence that engaging in flexwork can result in career penalties (constrained salaries, limited promotions, etc.) for people in some se;ings.

–  There is also evidence that flexwork can facilitate career success by improving engagement and performance and lead to higher rewards.

•  TIP: Focus on and communicate the positive workplace

outcomes Leslie, Park, & Mehng (2012)


Crea/ng a More Effec/ve Culture

q  Focus on performance. q  Communicate clearly about expecta/ons. q Respect different preferences for how people manage

work/non-‐work boundaries. q Be sensi/ve to signs of burnout in yourself and others q Seek and use crea/ve solu/ons. There is no “one size fits

all” solu/on.

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WorkLife Indicator CEO of Me by Kossek and Lautsch CCL Guidebooks

⁻  Managing Your Whole Life ⁻  Finding Your Balance ⁻  Building Resiliency ⁻  Managing Leadership Stress

CCL Whitepapers ⁻  Making Your Life Work ⁻  The Care and Feeding of the Leader'ʹs Brain

Other Resources