Join our nationalcommunity

Ask the majority of working parents if they’ve achieved work life balance, and they’ll probably scoff. Work life balance seems such a good idea in theory – but in practice, it’s near impossible. There are too many demands, both at work and at home, that send us off kilter.

 We know that happy employees are good for business. Happy employees work harder, are more effective and go above and beyond. But those who are struggling with their work life balance are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job, absent from the workplace or considering quitting. Not good.

So what can a workplace do to better support working parents?

 We ran a study recently with the University of Adelaide and found that what people really want are flexible hours, the ability to work from home, quality part-time work, and wellbeing programs.

But the problem is that too few organisations offer these initiatives or if they do, they’re ineffective. Why? Because work life policies are not enough. The workplace culture has to support the policies.

Here’s an unsupportive workplace culture: ‘Sure, you can have part-time work but you’re going to be marginalised in a lower skilled role and there will be no room for promotion.’ ‘Or sure, you can have flexible hours but don’t mind us when we’re here until 7pm and you’re off having fun with your family.’

The biggest barrier to organisations being family friendly is the mindset of management. Does management truly believe that the ‘whole’ person and not just the worker bee is important at work? Do they demand unreasonably long hours? Do they judge employee performance based on time at the desk rather than outputs or outcomes? All of these get in the way of work life balance.

Any business, no matter their size, can be family friendly if they have the right intention, which is to support staff to be their best at work. This involves acknowledging that employees also have a home life with caring responsibilities and other demands. The best workplaces and the best managers understand this and are living it.

But organisations aren’t solely to blame. Achieving better work life outcomes is a joint responsibility between employer and employee. An organisation can provide best practice workplace policies but there are some employees who don’t have the personal skills to make the most of them. And ultimately, an organisation cannot make you happy and well. Only you can. So what can you do to help yourself?

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Acknowledge the benefits you get from both your work life and your home. How do the two together make up a good life?
2. Instead of trying to achieve the ever elusive balance, focus on trying to optimise work and home life. This involves getting the most out of your time at work when you are at work, and getting the most out of your time at home when you are at home/
3. Focus on your wellbeing – appreciating what’s good in life, thinking optimistically, and using your strengths – so you live and work better. People who are happy and well are more effective at work and they enjoy a better home life.
4. Recognise that a happy life is a meaningful life. When you work and raise a family there are many opportunities for challenging yourself, achieving success, and creating meaning

Work life balance is the big issue of our time. But it’s my belief that the only way we are going to achieve balance is by forgetting balance altogether, and instead focus on wellbeing. A happy and well life is the goal – not balance.

Jodie Benveniste is director and founder of Parent Wellbeing – The place for parents. Visit www.parentwellbeing.com. She's also a Business Chicks member, based in Adelaide. Connect with Jodie by clicking here.