Is Work-Life Balance the Responsibility of the Employer?

Thought Paper: Is work-life balance the responsibility of the employer?

This thought paper is set to discuss whether work-life balance is the responsibility of the employer or if it is something that should be managed by the employee. In order to discuss the topic we must first define both work-life balance and work-life conflict. Work-life balanced can be defined as a state of well-being between one’s personal life and their work life; they are therefore able to focus equally on the two aspects and devote enough attention to both without feeling pulled in one direction more than the other. However the problem that arises when work-life balance is not achieved can be described as work-life conflict, in which according to Higgins and Duxbury (2005, p. 1) is when the cumulative expectations of work and non-work life roles become so great that participation in one role is made more difficult by participation in the other role. The responsibility of work-life balance should be placed on both the employer and the employee as they collectively contribute to the sub factors in work life and personal life.

Imagine having to wake up early every morning to get to work on time, to spend 8 hours or more doing a job that requires much more than your basic job description outlines for you and then you still have to go home and cook a meal or help your kids with homework, chores, etc. Finding the time to do both successfully is one of the problems we face on a daily basis if there is no balance in between both categories, and this can be very damaging to a person’s mental, physical and psychological states. Often times one out of the two factors demand more than the other causing an imbalance and inability to perform one or both effectively. If the work load appointed to the person is more than the usual amount due to the necessity to meet deadlines or downsizing in the organization it may become hard on the employee forcing them to either work through lunches and breaks to finish the work or even stay back after hours, therefore taking away time

from their duties outside of work (family and social life). According to H Higgins and Duxbury (2005, p. 4), employers are not supportive and motivating to their employees contributing to the imbalance of work and life duties. Bacik and Drew (2006, p. 139) also stated from a study conducted that the more responsibilities placed on an employee meant they were more likely to worker longer hours.

However, although the employer has some blame to take for the work aspect, the employee himself/herself share that blame as well. Employees have the right to decline in instances where the work load is becoming too much and the time in which it must be completed does not facilitate the amount of work to be done. Employees often feel as though they have no choice but to accept work their employer distributes to them which in return means they neglect their personal life by working longer hours or taking work home with them; but if there is not enough time to do the work or their job description does not include the additional work, they can politely and professionally decline or negotiate a way to balance the work load. By the employer allowing employees to take necessary breaks and vacations to regroup, and by employees accepting same and spending time with family or doing activities that do not involve work, it becomes a work in progress to balancing work and life and leads to a healthier and long lasting life.