1. October 2016
Work-Life Balance – What is it, how to
achieve it, and how to build it in your
workplace
© 2016 Willis Towers Watson. All rights reserved.

2. Presentation agenda
1
 Work-life balance definitions and myths
 Business impact of stress
 Evaluating your stress level
 How to improve your work-life balance
 Creating a culture that supports work-life balance

3. Work-life balance - What is it?
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Meaningful daily achievement and
enjoyment in all aspects of the person’s
life: Work, family, friends and self
A vital factor in achieving a balance is
making sure that work does not overwhelm
or dominate; and also, that it does not
cause damage to the individual by way of
negative stress

4. Work-life balance reality
3

5. 4

6. Work-life balance myths
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 Work-life balance is an oxymoron
 Work life balance means spending 50% of your time at work
and 50% of your time at home
 Women want more work-life balance than men
 Work-life balance is synonymous with work-family balance

7. 6
Business impact of stress

8. Stress costs employers billons
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Sources: The American Institute of Stress, HumanNature@Work, Towers Watson’s 2013/14 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey.

9. Job conditions that may lead to stress
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Design of Tasks
• Heavy workload, infrequent rest
breaks, long work hours and
shiftwork
• Hectic and routine tasks that
have little inherent meaning
• Do not utilize workers' skills
• Provide little sense of control
Management Style
• Lack of participation by workers
in decision- making
• Poor communication in the
organization
• Lack of family-friendly policies
Career Concerns
• Job insecurity and lack of
opportunity for growth,
advancement, or promotion
• Rapid changes for which workers
are unprepared
Work Roles
• Conflicting or uncertain job
expectations
• Too much responsibility
• Too many "hats to wear“
Interpersonal
Relationships
• Poor social environment
• Lack of support or help from
coworkers and supervisors
Environment Conditions
• Unpleasant or dangerous
physical conditions such as
crowding, noise, air pollution, or
ergonomic problems
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/default.html

10. Stress is a top lifestyle risk identified by employees of large
companies around the world
Stress
Lack of
physical
activity Obesity
Tobacco
use Presenteeism
Poor
nutrition
Substance
abuse
Asia
Pacific
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Europe 1 2 4 2 4 7 6
Brazil 1 2 3 7 6 5 4
Mexico 1 2 3 6 5 4 7
Canada 1 2 3 6 5 4 7
United
States
1 3 2 5 6 4 7
Top lifestyle risk factors
Source: 2013/14 Towers Watson Global Staying@Work Survey surveyed 22,347 employees of large companies in 12 countries (US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, UK, France,
Germany, Japan, Australia, China, India)
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11. Stressed?
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Holmes and Rahe stress scale - How many apply to you in the last year?
Score of 300+: At risk of illness.
Score of 150-299: Risk of illness
is moderate (reduced by 30%
from the above risk).
Score <150: Only have a slight
risk of illness.

12. Stress- Positive and negative
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 Affects each of us differently
 Some thrive under stress and others wilt
 40% of turnover is due to stress
 60% of accidents on the job are stress related
 Employees working 11 hours a day or more were 67%
more likely to have a heart attack

13. How do you know you are out of balance?
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 Physical: Headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, changes in
appetite, muscle tension, fatigue, heart palpitations
 Emotional: Feeling depressed, anxious, angry, or powerless. Feeling irritable
and have difficulty making decisions
 Personal: Missed opportunities to spend time with friends and family, feeling
job burnout, isolated. Self medicating with alcohol or drugs
Physical, emotional and personal symptoms

14. 13
How to improve your work-life
balance

15. Identifying sources of stress
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 Identify the sources of stress at work
Amount of work and deadlines
Relationships with others
Office politics
Ongoing change
 Identify the sources of stress in your life outside of work
Relationships/marriage/children
Financial
Too many commitments

16. Stress management techniques
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 Positive self-talk
 Emergency stress stoppers
Deep breaths and/or count to ten before you speak
Walk away and/or go for a walk
 Find your joy
Listen to music
Take a class or read
 Practice relaxation
Source: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Four-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp

17. How to improve work-life balance
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 Manage your time, set limits and learn to say “No”
 Unplug when you leave work
 Take ALL of your vacation time
 Talk to others about your stress level and lean on your support system when
you are especially stressed
 Resolve to take better care of yourself; get physical activity, eat well and get
an adequate amount of sleep
Five areas of focus

18. 9 successful people who prove you should use your vacation time
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 Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! CEO
 John Donahoe, Former President & CEO, eBay
 Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder (400+ companies)
“Maintaining focus on having fun isn’t just about rest and recuperation: When you go on vacation, your
routine is interrupted; the places you go and the new people you meet can inspire you in unexpected ways.
As an entrepreneur or business leader, if you didn’t come back from your vacation with some ideas about
how to shake things up, it’s time to consider making some changes.
I make sure that I disconnect by leaving my smartphone at home or in the hotel room for as long as
possible — days, if I can — and bringing a notepad and pen with me instead. Freed from the daily stresses
of my working life, I find that I am more likely to have new insights into old problems and other flashes of
inspiration.”
 Michelle Obama, First Lady
 Tony Schwartz, The Energy Project, CEO
 Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO
 Jim Moffatt, Deloitte Consulting Division, CEO
 JJ Ramberg host of MSNBC’s Your Business and co-founder of philanthropy organization GoodSearch
 Sarah Michelle Gellar, Actress
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/04/successful-people-vacations_n_3941344.html

19. The key word is balance
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 Stop doing the things that aren’t working
 Find the right balance that works for you
 Focus on your small successes

20. 19
Creating a culture that supports
work-life balance

21. OLD NEW
• LIVE to work
• INDIVIDUAL achievement
• CORNER office
• PRESTIGE
• Work to LIVE
• GROUP oriented
• FLEXIBLE schedules/social media
• GIVING BACK
Source: Intelligence Group – Cassandra Report; 2013
New value system
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22. Work/life balance is now… Work/life integration
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88% of Gen Ys prefer
Work/life integration vs.
Work/life balance
Source: Intelligence Group – Cassandra Report; 2013

23. Workplace flexibility overview
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What is workplace flexibility?
A business strategy that allows workers to make choices about core
aspects of their work related to:
 Time – when and how long work is performed
 Place – where work is performed
 Task – the specific tasks that are performed

24. Why workplace flexibility … why now?
Workplace flexibility is good talent strategy
A broader talent pool
 National even global – not local or even regional
Buy in
 Employees want to prove a flexible work arrangement can be successful and thus are
highly motivated
Increased morale
 Studies show that organizations that offer workplace flexibility have less absenteeism
and turnover, and higher levels of engagement and productivity.
Value added
 Truly engaged employees do not leave the job behind when they are off the clock. They
carry their work and current projects with them 24/7.
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25. Building the business case
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5%
26%
62%
67%
32%
8%
0% 100%
Absenteeism Rates
Productivity
Increased Remained the Same Decreased
Source: SHRM 2014 – Overview of Workplace Flexibility
Changes as a result of telecommuting

26. Types of flexible work arrangements
Flexible Work Arrangements Description
Flex time Choose starting and finishing times
Compressed work week Work fewer than five days but still
the same weekly hours
Telecommuting Working somewhere other than the
corporate office/company building
Regular part time Work hours less than 40
Job sharing Share a full time job with another
employee
Phased retirement Allowing older employees to remain
employed in a different manner and
status
Leaves and sabbatical Authorized periods of time off
(usually extended)
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27. Workplace flexibility prevalence
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2010 2015
1 Telework on an ad hoc basis 83% 85%
2 Flex time (flexible start/start times) 84% 82%
3 Part time schedules 84% 82%
4 Phased return from leave 59% 56%
5 Telework on a regular, monthly basis (at least 1 day per
month)
58% 56%
6 Telework on a regular, weekly bases (at least 1 day per
week)
57% 53%
7 Compressed workweek (e.g. 4/10, 3/12) 52% 48%
8 Telework full time 37% 34%
9 Phased retirement 27% 30%
10 Job share 27% 21%
Source: Trends in Workplace Flexibility (WorldatWork, 2015)
Teleworking, flex time and part-time schedules continue to top the list.

28. Workplace flexibility
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Non-Existent Inconsistent Strategic Deeply Embedded
 Flexibility is rarely used,
if at all, and is not
viewed as an important
element in attracting,
motivating and retaining
employees, nor
achieving organizational
success
 Flexibility is viewed as a
special perk, if allowed
at all
 Some formal programs
and policies, but they
are not widely applied
 Some departments use
flexible work
arrangements, but their
use is inconsistent and
not organization-wide
 Flexibility options are
limited and may still be
viewed as a special
perk
 Flexibility is strategic
and viewed as an
essential organization
success, and is widely
used around the
organization
 However, formalities in
the process or policy
may limit the use of
flexibility
 The concept of
workplace flexibility is
part of our
organization’s culture
 There is universal
access to flexibility and
it is integrated into the
everyday work
environment
 Employees feel free to
request flexibility as
needed and managers
are encouraged to be
“flexible” as they work in
partnership with
employees to find
solutions that lead to
employee and
organizational success
Continuum

29. Business case
Through telecommuting, Aetna cut 2.7 million square feet of office space
for about $78 million in cost savings a year
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-yahoo-telecommuting-aetna-idUSBRE92006820130301
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30. Bottom line results
Employees are happier and healthier
Improved nutrition
 Greater control over food choices
 Access to a full kitchen = healthier eating
 No social pressure to eat out
Better physical health
 Less exposure to germs
 Ability to get up and move around
 Increased access to natural light
http://www.momcorps.com/press-room/blog/blog/2015/11/03/3-health-benefits-of-working-remotely
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31. Bottom line results
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Employees are happier and healthier
Decreased job stress
 Long commutes, toxic co-workers,
continual interruptions and an "always
on" work environment are a recipe for
one thing: STRESS.
Improved sleep – with a zero commute
time many workers are able to sleep in.

32. Turning up flexibility for the summer
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One day off per week
 Ex: School districts closing administrative offices
during summer Fridays (to save energy costs)
Compressed workweek
 Ex: 80 hours/9 days with every other Friday off
Early closing on Friday/shortened work day(s)
 Example: Paid half day Fridays from Memorial day
to Labor day
Change in core hours/schedule/shift
About 14% of organizations offer “seasonal scheduling”
Source: 2015 Employee Benefits Report (SHRM)

33. Impact of summer schedules
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Profound effect on employee morale –
tells your workers that you care about
them and their families
 Many employees take fewer vacation days as a
result of having longer weekends/more flexible
schedules
Can help offset negativity related to
program elimination, lack of merit and/or
bonuses
 Extra time off is a great perk at low cost
Serves as differentiator/incentive in
attracting talent

34. Summary
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 Identify your stressors
 Commit to making one small change
 Use you influence in the workplace to provide more flexibility for
your employees

35. Thank you
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