Work. Family. Life.

A Crazy 40-Year-Old Experiment Suggests Work-Life Balance Is Possible

Anne and her husband Johannes Bulko, who have a 2-year-old son, Olvar, share one job — packer in a drug supply firm. They work alternate weeks. The spouse who's not working stays at home with Olvar and takes correspondence courses. "Our employer doesn't mind at all," said Johannes, "as long as there is always one Bulko signing in in the morning."

Sound like a novel arrangement? In fact, the details above are lifted almost wholesale from a story that ran in TIME Magazine about 40 years ago. The article described a pioneering five-year experiment, sponsored by the Norwegian government and conducted by sociologist Eric Grønseth to explore a radically different model of work-life balance. Thirty-two people took part, switching off between home and family. Some couples worked alternate days, and some alternate weeks. The Work Sharing Couples Project, devised and conducted by two men, ran from 1970 until 1975. As a point of reference, Ms. magazine was founded in 1972.

via healthland.time.com

Happy to be on PEI for Launch of Caring Coast to Coast - May 6, 2010 - Do join us!

A new project, focused on supporting employees who juggle work and caregiving responsibilities, launches on May 6, 2010 in Charlottetown. The project entitled, “Winning Strategies to Support Caregivers in the Workplace”, will be announced at the project’s first event, “Caring Coast to Coast”.  The event will be held at Confederation Centre of the Arts in Studio 1 from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and will be opened by Verna Bruce, Past Associate Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs Canada and recipient of the 2008 PEI  Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Administration.  The half day session will be held in an “open space” format allowing opportunities for participants to engage in open dialogue about the realities of managing the issues related to work and caregiving. Last month, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility .  Using the perspective of not only supporting employees who have caregiving responsibilities outside of work but one of economic necessity, our neighbours to the south have placed a national priority around creating more flexibility within workplaces. John Berry, Director of Personnel Management for the federal government, said, “Flexibility is the new email.  There are those employers that have it, and there are those that will.”  The time has come to understand and address the realities of employees who are stressed and overloaded. The Canadian Caregiver Coalition estimates that 4-5 million Canadians struggle to balance work and caregiving for a family member who is in need of support because of age, disabling medical condition, chronic injury, long term illness or disability. “Winning Strategies to Support Caregivers in the Workplace” will view these issues through both an economic and humanitarian lens. When employees and employers work together to resolve work and life issues, there are significant improvements to customer satisfaction, employee engagement and the bottom line.

Project Coordinator, Jane Boyd, couldn’t be more pleased with the team she has put in place for this project. She states that, “Collectively, our team has over 50 years of experience related to work life issues traversing across family, childcare, eldercare, health and human resources.”  Boyd has been actively involved in the early learning field and family related policy on the Island since 2007.  She is particularly pleased to have Rob Paterson, a leading advisor on social networks and on how human culture operates, serving as a project advisor. Based in PEI, his work flows between organizational design, research and the web 2.0 world. Paterson is pleased to be involved in this innovative project. He says, “The stage is set to utilize social networks and technology in gaining a national perspective around the issues and solutions for Canadian’s juggling work and caregiving responsibilities.” Paterson goes on to state, “Our hope is that we engage the hearts and minds of employers and employees as we venture on this journey of discovery. This journey will encompass the value of social media, collaborative stories and action.” In addition, the project's research partner, University of Guelph’s Centre for Families Work and Wellbeing, will be pivotal in ensuring that the discoveries are solid and useful in creating a less stressful experience for Canadian’s who provide care while employed. The Centre for Families Work and Wellbeing has already conducted extensive research in this area. In addition, they are very familiar with international best practice around this issue.

Members of the Project Team Include:

Jane Boyd - Project Co-ordinator

Dr. Carol Matusicky - Engagement Co-ordinator

   Wendy Creelman - Marketing Co-ordinator

   Robert Paterson - Social Media Advisor

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program, this three year project will aim to support employers in becoming best practice employers around the dual roles faced by many Canadian’s. By engaging employers, employees and service providers, the hope is that the resulting conversation will create innovative workplace supports, tools and resources that will assist employees who face the dual role of work and caring for their children, elders and other family members.

To register or for more information, please e-mail caringcoasttocoast@gmail.com. Space is limited.  You can also learn more at our Caring Coast to Coast Facebook Page.

Join us for Caring Coast to Coast on May 6, 2010 @ Confed Centre of the Arts

 
A new project, focused on supporting employees who juggle work and caregiving responsibilities, launches on May 6, 2010 in Charlottetown. The project entitled, “Winning Strategies to Support Caregivers in the Workplace”, will be announced at the project’s first event, “Caring Coast to Coast”.  The event will be held at Confederation Centre of the Arts in Studio 1 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and will be opened by Verna Bruce, Past Associate Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs Canada and recipient of the 2008 PEI  Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Administration.  The half day session will be held in an “open space” format allowing opportunities for participants to engage in open dialogue about the realities of managing the issues related to work and caregiving.

Last month, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility .  Using the perspective of not only supporting employees who have caregiving responsibilities outside of work but one of economic necessity, our neighbours to the south have placed a national priority around creating more flexibility within workplaces. John Berry, Director of Personnel Management for the federal government, said, “Flexibility is the new email.  There are those employers that have it, and there are those that will.”  The time has come to understand and address the realities of employees who are stressed and overloaded. The Canadian Caregiver Coalition estimates that 4-5 million Canadians struggle to balance work and caregiving for a family member who is in need of support because of age, disabling medical condition, chronic injury, long term illness or disability. “Winning Strategies to Support Caregivers in the Workplace” will view these issues through both an economic and humanitarian lens. When employees and employers work together to resolve work and life issues, there are significant improvements to customer satisfaction, employee engagement and the bottom line.

Project Coordinator, Jane Boyd, couldn’t be more pleased with the team she has put in place for this project. She states that, “Collectively, our team has over 50 years of experience related to work life issues traversing across family, childcare, eldercare, health and human resources.”  Boyd has been actively involved in the early learning field and family related policy on the Island since 2007.  She is particularly pleased to have Rob Paterson, a leading advisor on social networks and on how human culture operates, serving as a project advisor. Based in PEI, his work flows between organizational design, research and the web 2.0 world. Paterson is pleased to be involved in this innovative project. He says, “The stage is set to utilize social networks and technology in gaining a national perspective around the issues and solutions for Canadian’s juggling work and caregiving responsibilities.” Paterson goes on to state, “Our hope is that we engage the hearts and minds of employers and employees as we venture on this journey of discovery. This journey will encompass the value of social media, collaborative stories and action.” In addition, the project's research partner, University of Guelph’s Centre for Families Work and Wellbeing, will be pivotal in ensuring that the discoveries are solid and useful in creating a less stressful experience for Canadian’s who provide care while employed. The Centre for Families Work and Wellbeing has already conducted extensive research in this area. In addition, they are very familiar with international best practice around this issue.

Members of the Project Team Include:

Jane Boyd - Project Co-ordinator

Dr. Carol Matusicky - Engagement Co-ordinator

   Wendy Creelman - Marketing Co-ordinator

   Robert Paterson - Social Media Advisor

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program, this three year project will aim to support employers in becoming best practice employers around the dual roles faced by many Canadian’s. By engaging employers, employees and service providers, the hope is that the resulting conversation will create innovative workplace supports, tools and resources that will assist employees who face the dual role of work and caring for their children, elders and other family members.

To register or for more information, please e-mail caringcoasttocoast@gmail.com by May 3, 2010. Space is limited.  You can also learn more at our Caring Coast to Coast Facebook Page.

Video of President Obama speaking at Flex Forum

White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility

JOIN THE LIVE CHAT

VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Why investing in the early years is critical...

HELP is pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled "15 by 15: A comprehensive Policy Framework for Early Human Capital Investment in BC".

This report dramatically illustrates why all of us - individuals, businesses, and governments - should care about the real brain drain in BC resulting from early vulnerability.

Health Work and Wellness coming to Vancouver in 2010

Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2010

Thinking Organizations...SUCCEED!

Hyatt Regency Hotel
Vancouver, B.C,
September 30 - October 3, 2010

Think, think, think,... our brains are always doing it and our organizations are always counting on it. When change and transformation are happening so rapidly in business and in the world around us, we need to be more fluid in our thinking on one hand, while being better critical thinkers on the other. We need to tap into our right brain more often for that intuition and emotional awareness that is there, yet not lose sight of the left brain logical, objective thinking.

For 2010, Health Work & Wellness™, Canada's leading forum on organizational health will focus on helping you to build a "thinking organization". This requires engaged, empowered leadership. It requires us to narrow the "knowing-doing gap". It means integrating organizational health with business objectives. And it may require a big culture shift.

As we emerge from economic recession, the success of organizations will be determined largely by their ability to think in a new business environment. Optimal performance at all levels will depend on optimal thinking.

via conferences.healthworkandwellness.com

National Work Life Network Society - has just launched!

I am very excited to announce that I have teamed up with my colleagues Dr. Carol Matusicky and Wendy Creelman to launch the National Network Society this week.  We are working on some very exciting things that are moving along a pretty fast pace!  For now, here is what you need to know:

The National Work Life Network Society (NWLN) supports and promotes workplace practices that encourage employee health and wellness. Through best practice research, collaboration, and awareness raising the society works to educate the actions of Canadian employers to become employers of choice. Outcomes such as environments that support the multiple roles of workers provide the platform for healthy productive Canadian families.

The goal of the National Work Life Network Society (NWLN) is to recognize the complexity of family life today and the need for and importance of having workplace strategies that support workers/employees to balance caregiving responsibilities and workplace responsibilities. To that end, the NWLN seeks:

 

• To raise and sustain awareness of the importance of work-life strategies/best practices and the benefits to workplaces in supporting workers and their caregiving responsibilities;
• To identify and promote some of the best practices and practical tools already existing in workplaces and to identify new practices, as these relate to the caregiving issues that families face;
• To identify, profile and recognize employers and workplace leaders and champions;
• To identify incentives that promote more workplace involvement in supporting caregivers in the workplace;
• To increase the level of collaboration among all sectors in developing and sustaining policies and practices that support caregivers in the workplace.

Stay tuned...there are good things to come!

Why Islander Day REALLY is good for business (and families)

Last year in the PEI government's Throne Speech it was announced that there would be a new stat holiday for the Province starting in February 2009.  The holiday, called Islander Day, is to be on the second Monday of every February.  This coming Monday will be the first official Islander Day on PEI and many individuals and families will be enjoying their new found time to relax, play and generally celebrate life on PEI. 

Unfortunately, is seems that there are some businesses who are complaining that this new stat holiday will negatively impact business on the Island.  According to a CBC news report, these businesses feel that the holiday will cost too much in terms of lost payroll with no additional revenues coming in the door on the day. 

Premier Ghiz, on the other hand, feels that the day will enhance business productivity,

"We'll actually see an increase in productivity," said Ghiz. "Usually after people have a day off they go back to work, they're a little more invigorated, they want to get a little more done. I see this as a win-win situation for the province." 

While I have been known to disagree with Premier Ghiz on many occassions about how his government is supporting Island families from a public policy perspective; in this case I fully agree with his thinking.  This seems to be one occassion where he really gets it.  He recognizes that investing in people will pay off for the Island in multiple ways.  What a good thing that is.

Dan James recently wrote a good post on his blog CEO Blues about this issue. In particular, this quote stood out to me:

"My advice to any island business owners reading this: This holiday wasn't meant to help you. It was meant to help your staff. It's a decision made by the public (the government) for the good of the people. We've deemed it healthy to have more time off, just like we deemed it a good idea to compost and recycle. It has to be legislated or greed would creep in and ruin it. Suck it up. Even with Islander Day we're at the bottom of the pile for statutory holidays in the country."

So after considering everything, here is my take on this issue....PEI (and Canada for that matter) need more CEO's that think like Dan James.  Dan totally gets the big picture here.  Even Premier Ghiz sees the value this holiday brings.  The simple truth of the matter is that investing in people pays off. Employees need time for their personal lives.  Employers who take steps to help their employees achieve better work-life balance are rewarded in more ways than we can count.  More and more employers are recognizing that it pays off to offer employees increased flexibility, time off, family supports and more.  Happy employees are more engaged in their work and ultimately that is good for the bottom line.  Study after study shows this. Leading employers demonstrate this through studies that show enhanced employee engagement scores in exchange for things like increased work work-life flexibilty, better communication, improved employee workload control and respect by management. 

Dr. Linda Duxbury, a business professor at Carleton University's Sprott Shaw School of Business, recently delivered her sixth and final report on work-life balance with the warning that policies to support working families are a must to get the economy rolling again.  She argued policy-makers must recognize that heavy workloads and their interference on family life are key reasons for Canada's declining birth rate and labour force. They need to develop strategies, polices and interventions to help stem this work-life "tsunami.

So for those businesses who disagree with this new holiday I say this....get with the program. (Or - even better - as Dan says: Suck it up.)  As a Province and as a Country we need to be doing more to invest in the wellbeing of our people and our communities.  What goes around comes around.  Believe it or not, your employee's wellbeing will be all the better for the extra time this new stat holiday gives them. Enhanced employee wellbeing truly translates to a better bottom line....even in these tough economic times.

Being family friendly is critical to surviving the tough economy

From Ottawa Citizen - January 22, 2009

Linda Duxbury, a business professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, delivered her sixth and final report on work-life balance yesterday with the warning that the federal government's stimulus package should include policies that support working families to get the economy rolling again.

She argued policy-makers must recognize that heavy workloads and their interference on family life are key reasons for Canada's declining birth rate and labour force. They need to develop strategies, polices and interventions to help stem this work-life "tsunami."

"We're going to hire all these construction workers to build roads, which we need; but what about support for elder care and child care?" she said in an interview.

"Governments aren't paying attention to this issue. All the focus is on the economy and how to stimulate it. ... We aren't paying attention to fundamental issues like our fertility rates and labour shortages, which are as big, if not bigger, issues for our long-term competitiveness."

About the Report listed above
As listed on Canadian Social Research Links Website:

Report:

Work-Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium:
Key Findings and Recommendations From The 2001 National Work-Life
Conflict Study
Report Six
December 2008 (PDF file date)
By Dr. Linda Duxbury and Dr. Chris Higgins

Complete report:

HTML version
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/index-eng.php


PDF version (2.6MB, 76 pages)
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/balancing_six-equilibre_six-eng.pdf

Executive Summary
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/sum-res-eng.php

The 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study and the reports produced from
this research to date have given business and labour leaders,
policy-makers and academics an objective 'big picture' view of this
issue. This report, the last in the series of six reports, provides a
summary of the key findings and recommendations coming from this
research program.

Earlier reports in this series:

Report One:
The 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report1/index-eng.php
March 2002
- puts the series into context by describing the sample of employees who
participated in the research and examining the various risk factors
associated with work-life conflict.

Report Two:
Work-life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium: A Status Report
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report2/index-eng.php
October 2003
- makes the business case for change by looking at how high levels role
overload, work to family interference, family to work interference,
caregiver strain and spillover from work to family affect employers,
employees and their families.

Report Three:
Exploring the Link between Work-Life Conflict and the Use of Canada's
Health Care System
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report3/index-eng.php
March 2004
- focuses on how work-life conflict affects Canada's health care system
(i.e. quantifies the system demands associated with high work-life
conflict and attempts to put some kind of dollar value on how much it
costs Canada to treat the health consequences of such conflict).

Report Four:
Who Is at Risk? Predictors of High Work-Life Conflict
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report4/index-eng.php
September 2005
- identifies key risk factors for role overload, work interferes with
family, family interferes with work and caregiver strain.

Report Five:
Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn't?
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing-equilibre/index-eng.php

August 2008
- examines what employers, employees and their families can do to reduce
work-life conflict.

Source:
Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php
[ The survey was commissioned by Health Canada
to examine how Canadians are coping with the demands of their work and
family lives. ]

Caring for our parents

 

Released yesterday from Stats Canada:

In 2007, about 2.7 million Canadians aged 45 and over, or approximately one-fifth of the total in this age group, provided some form of unpaid care to seniors (people 65 years of age or older) who had long-term health problems.

Between 2002 and 2007, the number of people providing care to seniors increased by more than 670,000.

A factor that will impact caregiving for seniors is the aging of the population. According to census data, the population of seniors surpassed 4.3 million in 2006, up 11.5% from 2001. Population projections suggest that the proportion of seniors in the general population will increase from 13% in 2006 to 21% in 2026.

In 2007, the majority of caregivers, 54%, reported that they were coping "very well" with their caregiving responsibilities. Another 42% said they were "generally okay" with this role.

Many people giving care to seniors are balancing this with other responsibilities, such as jobs and care for their own children. About 43% of caregivers were aged between 45 and 54, when many Canadians still have children living at home. Caregivers were more likely to be women who were employed and married.

In 2007, one in four caregivers, or about 675,000 people, were themselves seniors, and one-third of these senior caregivers were over the age of 75.

From Calgary Herald Article

When her dad died and her mom fell seriously ill nearly seven years ago, Kimberley Holowka didn't think twice about becoming her surviving parent's primary caregiver: she moved her mom to Calgary from Saskatoon.

Since then, Holowka has dedicated her days and nights to caring for her 65-year-old mother, Gayle, who has faced a litany of health problems.

"For me, it wasn't an option," she said, noting she has never considered putting her mom into a long-term care home. "That would have killed her."

Friday, October 17, 2008 was Work-Life Balance Day in Hong Kong

From Does Your Company Support Work-Life Balance?

Representative surveys of the Hong Kong working population in 2006 and 2007 have highlighted that Hong Kong employees work long hours, regularly work overtime and that poor work-life balance adversely impacts productivity, health and family life. Hong Kong employees also believe that their employers can do more.

That’s why Community Business is working with the business community in Hong Kong to promote Friday 17 October 2008 as Work-Life Balance Day. Companies of all sizes will be taking the initiative to promote work-life balance on that day. It could be as straightforward as encouraging all employees to leave on time, allowing an hour for exercise or providing healthy snacks in the pantry. It may be a small step, but every little action can contribute to changing mindsets and encouraging your managers and staff to think differently.

The results of The University of Hong Kong's 2008 Work-Life Balance Survey can be found here.