The WorldatWork Handbook of Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards: A Comprehensive Guide for HR Professionals

Chapter 22. Work-Life Effectiveness

It has been said that the only thing we can be certain of is change. That’s certainly true in today’s business environment. In addition to constant change in the way companies do business, employees’ personal lives continue to change and have become far more complex than ever before. Dramatic change in the world of work and in peoples’ lives has accompanied us into the twenty-first century. The focus on a competitive, fast-paced global economy, the ever-changing challenges of personal and family life, and the dramatic impact of technology have forced profound changes in how we define the workplace, the workforce, work, and our personal lives.

Companies have long said that employees are their most valuable assets, and today they face a human capital crisis. More than ever before, organizations are realizing that—if they want to remain competitive—they must find innovative ways of engaging employees that encourage and support their commitment and improve their performance. Companies today actually compete to become the employer of choice, the best place to work, the best work environment, and so forth, in order to attract and retain employees and to improve productivity.

In response to these dramatic changes, companies now view implementing effective work-life initiatives as a business imperative. Companies need to distinguish themselves from their competition by “connecting the dots” between issues such as overwork, stress, and increased health care ...