In addition to competition of globalization and products, organizations face competition related to employee retention. At the same time, employees face competition for their time. As increasing number of employees face competing demands between work and family, the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance is of paramount consideration. In spite of family-friendly policies, many employees perceive negative consequences associated with availing themselves of these policies. At the same time, over 50% of American employees fail to take their allotted vacation time. Failure to achieve a healthy work-life balance can lead to overload, which may result in loss of employees. Encouraging a healthy work-life balance benefits both the organization and employee.

A major challenge of balancing the competing demands of work and family is not new. But the amount of research being conducted on the topic is an indication of its importance to both organizations and individuals today. Whether you are the executive attempting to balance the needs of the organization with the needs of your employees, the employee trying to balance the needs of the organization with your individual needs and the needs of your family, or the mid-level manager caught in the middle, this issue is of paramount importance as the number of dual-income families and single parent households continues to increase.

An additional consideration related to overload is related to the enjoyment one may derive from work—it can be suggested that one can have a potentially unhealthy situation when work becomes the main endeavor in one's life. This scenario also deserves some attention in any conversation related to work-life balance. Jacobs (as cited by Premeaux, Adkins & Mossholder, 2007) advises the percentage of dual career couples between the ages of 18 and 64 increased from 35.9% of the American population in 1970 to 59.6% in 2000.

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