Managing a Diverse Workforce: Managing Work-Life Relationships in Organizations Ellen Ernst Kossek, Ph.D. Class Three 2009.

© SHRM Module Overview Class 1: Work-Life Policies: A Strategic Lever to Manage Diversity and Work-force Inclusion. Class 2: Linking Work-Life Policies to Organizational Culture and Effectiveness. Class 3: Managing Flexstyles and Work-Life Relationships.

Module Learning Objectives Work-life policies are a strategic lever to manage diversity and workforce inclusion and can be viewed from employee and employer perspectives with competing tensions (Class 1). Work-life polices must be implemented and linked to the overall HRM system, organizational culture and business objectives (Class 2). Flexstyles--different styles for work-life relationships-- are tools to manage the blurring 24-7 boundaries between work and home in a global work environment (Class 3). © SHRM

New Ways Are Needed to Think about Managing Flexibility and Work Life Relationships Technology ( , cell phones, text message), increasing workloads, shifting family structures, long commutes and the 24-7 global economy blur work and personal life relationships. Paradox: Many individuals are experiencing work-life conflicts despite the growing presence of many employer flexibility and work-life policies. Source: Kossek and Lautsch, 2008 © SHRM

Freedom to Work 24-7 Requires More Employee Self- regulation Employees with access to flexibility like or text messaging must actively self-regulate and shut off technology to focus on one task at a time. Although more people report multi-tasking, the faster they work, the more stressed they feel at the end of the day – and less work is actually done. © SHRM

Startling Statistics Home demands  Almost 80% of U.S. workers have daily family responsibilities when away from the workplace.  Not enough time for: o Children (67%). o Spouse (63%). o Self (55%). o Special groups: teens, elder care, sandwiched. Work demands  Compulsion to work more to: o Keep up with their workloads (47%). o Succeed in their career (43%). o Make ends meet financially (37%). o Keep their job (34%). Source: Bond et al., 2002 © SHRM

Stories from CEO of Me “If I’m such a success, why isn’t my life feeling more manageable? If my life is so ideal on paper, why do I have this nagging concern that relationships between work and home could be improved for the better? I know I can make some changes to improve things, but I just keep doing things the same old way.” Dan, 31 year old sales manager with 5 year old Source: Kossek and Lautsch, 2008 © SHRM

Developing Personal Work-Life Self-Management Strategies Many talented individuals have difficulty managing work-life relationships and need help making time for reflection and dialogue. Can benefit from coaching and support to enact and experiment with and learn new self- management strategies. Source : Kossek and Lautsch, 2008 © SHRM

Abnormal Is the New Normal We are in a new age of work and family where abnormal is the new normal. DUALCENTRICITY (defined as having two roles that are central to our lives such as work and family) is the norm for increasing number of workers. Employees of all demographic background want to work in different ways. Source: Kossek, 2006: Bond et al, 2002 © SHRM

Overwork Professional Cultures: Flexible Work Paradox May have access to flexible work schedules on paper but unable to fully reap advantages. At same time workloads are increasing, longer hours and visibility at work translated as career commitment. Exempt status: no additional pay for extended hours. Ambiguous work schedules: work as long as it takes.  How many hours comprise the standard for full time? 40,50,60,70? Source: Kossek and Lee, 2008 © SHRM

Professional and Managerial Workers Face Unique Flexibility Challenges Time, energy imbalance: putting work above everything else. Organizations reward imbalance. Factors contributing to the culture to overwork:  New technology makes it easier to bring work home, plus 24-7 global interactions.  Pressure to continually show you add value.  High identity between work success and self- esteem. Source: Kossek and Lee, 2008 © SHRM

Work-Life Is Part of Personal Career Strategy Individuals need to develop a work-life strategy as part of their career strategy. You will not have satisfying work-life relationships unless you have a strategy to manage work-life like managing career. Smart, high-talent people will not find balance unless empowered to make some work-life self- care part of their working style. Source: Kossek and Lautsch, 2008 © SHRM

Self Assessment and Reflection Is First Step to Manage Work- Life Relationships Why?  You cannot change things you do not fully understand. How?  Life bucket analysis Source: Kossek and Lautsch, 2008 © SHRM

Life Bucket Analysis Draw Your (Ideal) Life 1.Divide this bucket into segments representing the major work and nonwork dimensions of your life and the amount of time and energy you would really like to devote to each. 2.Think about your values and vision for what your life could be. 14 © SHRM 2009

Draw Your (Real) Life 1.This time divide the bucket into segments to reflect your life today. Be honest: Show your actual allocations of time and energy to the different dimensions–not what you think your allocations should be. 2.Compare the two buckets. Is there a mismatch? Life Bucket Analysis 15 © SHRM 2009

Everyone Has a Flexstyle Home Work Community Self 16 © SHRM 2009

Defining Flexstyles Flexstyle:  The psychological and physical ways we manage relationships between our job and personal life.  Step 1: Must understand your flexstyle to develop strategies to gain more control and alignment of work-life relationships.  Step 2: Must relate flexstyle to preferences and those of co-workers, managers, customers, family. © SHRM

Know Your Flexstyle What matters most for well-being: a) Alignment between your ideal personal values for how you prefer to allocate your life buckets. b) Control of how you manage work-life relationships (flexstyle). © SHRM

Self-Assessment: Identifying Your Flexstyle StatementStrongly Agree AgreeNeither Agree nor Disagree DisagreeStrongly Disagree 1. I rarely attend to personal or family issues during the workday When I’m at home I rarely think about work so I can fully get away from my job If I work (or ever were to work) from home, I would work in a space that is designated for that purpose only © SHRM 2009

4. In general, I don’t take work- related phone calls or s during evenings, weekends, holidays, or vacations With most of my family and friends, I tend not to talk about work issues as I like to keep work separate I do not think about my family, friends, and personal interests when at work so I can focus I usually handle s related to my family or personal life separately from s related to my work Calculate your score: Add up the total number of circles you placed in each column, and write the totals in the boxes to the right. Strongly Agree AgreeNeither Agree nor Disagree DisagreeStrongly Disagree 20 © SHRM 2009

Flexstyle Common Assumptions Don’t assume everyone works the same way you do. Understand how your flexstyle aligns with other stakeholders (family, boss, peers, customers). Identify your flexstyle to better self-manage work-life relationships. © SHRM

Change Tools: Leverage Flexstyle Tradeoffs Integrators:  Continually blend work and nonwork activities during the work day (and nonwork time).  Temporal, mental, and physical blending tactics. Separators:  Keep work and personal life compartmentalized during the day. Volleyers:  Sustained periods of higher integration of work and nonwork aspects and higher separation. 22 © SHRM 2009

Task-Flexstyle Tradeoffs Integrators, Separators and Volleyers Step1: What is good (pros) and bad (cons) about your style for effectiveness on and off the job? Step 2: Do you work with others with a different flexstyle than you and why is your style better? 23 © SHRM 2009

24 WELLBEING/ HAPPINESS LEVEL INTEGRATORSVOLLEYERSSEPARATORS HIGH Feeling in control; work and personal life have positive relationships. Fusion LoverQuality timeFirsters (Work or Family) LOW Overwhelmed, overworked, out of control, work and personal life often feel at odds. ReactorsJob WarriorsCaptives Model of Good and Bad Flexstyles

Integrators (Good and Bad) Fusion Lover  Experiences blending as psychologically positive, feels in control of timing and place of mixing, integration value fit, Reactor  Experiences blending as negative, unhappy with how balancing work and personal obligation, want more control over transitions, blending and more segmentation. 25 © SHRM 2009

Separators (Good and Bad) Firsters (Work or Family)  Feel in control of life and chose to place one part of their life -- work or family as highest priority. Captives  Do not feel in control of the fact that one part of their life – either their job or family – forces them to focus on one part of their life to sacrifice of other. © SHRM

Volleyers (Good and Bad) Quality Timer  Separate to give best to each role, integrate just at key times when necessary; in control and satisfied. Job Warriors  Lack control and satisfaction regarding when they switch between integrating and separating periods. 27 © SHRM 2009

Flexstyles Share Tradeoff Tenets Choose flexstyle that aligns with values. Some flexstyles not sustainable. All have pros and cons. If your life is overloaded, minor flexstyle changes won’t work because you lack control or resources. If you are undergoing major personal or professional change, it is likely your flexstyle is out of alignment. 28 © SHRM 2009

Integrator Tradeoffs Long days/Job or family creep  Others’ misunderstanding about availability.  Perceptions about professionalism.  Higher switching costs and role restructuring.  Lack of buffers. 29 © SHRM 2009

Separator Tradeoffs  Stunted personal, community or family or social life.  Lack of access to cross-domain enrichment and supports.  Stunted unhealthy social life (for work firsters) or downshifted career dreams (family firsters). 30 © SHRM 2009

Volleyer Tradeoffs  Job creep.  Difficulty prioritizing--must make tough choices.  Increased cognitive complexity.  Role confusion.  Job Warriors special needs ( fatigue, vulnerability to breakdown of support system. 31 © SHRM 2009

Individual level:  Are cons of style outweighing pros?  What about your ability to control work-life relationships and values (life bucket alignment)? Stakeholder Level: Perception is reality: Feedback from important others in life (family and work colleagues etc.). Do you need to change? Remember the Gut Test 32 © SHRM 2009

Take-Aways Understand your and your stakeholders (coworkers, customer, boss, family) flexstyles and leverage them to be more effective. People want to work in different ways- that’s not necessarily bad for organizations over the course of time but we do need to make sure we are supporting win-win solutions to benefit personal needs as well as job demands. © SHRM