|
COVER
STORY
Who
Benefits from Work-Life Balance? : Paramount Considerations
for the Global HRM Practitioner -- Jane Waddell and Paul Carr
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.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
Work-Life
Balance : Art of Balancing -- Mallikarjun Krishnamurti
While a man needs to work for eking out his livelihood,
he has to give himself a healthy break from the daily drudgery
in the interest of his body, mind, family and society. He
should be enabled to achieve this balance so that the employer
derives the benefit of having a satisfied employee. Consequently,
the subject of `work-life balance' is now increasingly becoming
the focal point of study by HRM experts and the managing teams
of the employing corporates. Work-life balance is as vital
to the employing corporates, as it is to the employee. For
an employer, a highly satisfied and hardly stressed employee
is an invaluable asset and a virile source of productivity.
For an employee work-life balance would mean stress-free,
enjoyable private life.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
Work-Life
Balance : Making it Work for YOU(R) Business -- Rashmi Joshi
With
the global labor market becoming highly competitive and companies
outsourcing to reduce labor costs, employees feel compelled
to put in longer hours to achieve, and preferably exceed,
expectations to protect their jobs. As a result of this, the
boundaries between work and home tend to get blurred. It is
easy for work to invade the personal life making both work-life
and personal life go out of balance. Thus, finding Work-Life
Balance (WLB) in today's fast-paced world presents a major
challenge to both employers and employees. This article tries
to look at various aspects of achieving the WLB from the employee's
point of view and the practices that an employer can adopt
to promote WLB in an organization.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
Harnessing
Work-Life Balance : A Shared Responsibility -- Indranil Banerjee
Jobs are getting increasingly demanding, as the organizations
face competition and become leaner in structure, leading to
conflict between people's professional deliverables and personal
requirements. It is acknowledged that continuous disregard
of personal issues ultimately lead to employee's underperformance
and so people often discuss Work-Life Balance (WLB) but seldom
act on it. So, the focus now is "who is going to bell the
cat?". For tackling the problem, multi-Pronged effort, comprising
the organization, the employee, the government, the industry,
the society, etc., is required.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
In
Search of Work-Life Balance -- Rachana Gupta
Though
the attractive monetary incentives are the primary reason
for an employee to stay with an organization, flexible working
arrangements have become quite instrumental in retaining staff
at all levels in an organization. The article throws light
on how smart companies are changing their approach to working
arrangements to curb the attrition rates and achieve an overall
satisfaction of their workforce.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
The
Role of HR in Maintaining Work-Life Balance -- Sivaram Tekuru
Work-Life
Balance (WLB) is all about the need for individuals having
complete control over their work, i.e., deciding when, why,
where and how to work. Finding these pressures encroaching
into their private life and time, they are unable to do anything
about it and are finally squeezed out. Organizations should
consider WLB as an extension of the fringe benefits offered
to the employees. This will help both the employees and the
organizations.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Stress
at Work and How to Manage it -- Arun Bhatia and Rashmi Bhatia
Day-to-day
life is full of stress-both on the personal and the professional
fronts. Pressure of time often results in people reporting
to their workplace with migraine attacks, body aches, mental
strains, etc. Stress, therefore, is a costly business affair,
that affects two aspects-first, the employee's health-which
directly affects the second-the organization's profits. This
is so because, if the health does not allow the body to function
normally, it will lead to increased absenteeism, late comings
and short leaves in the organization, which directly affect
the organization's growth and profit since employees are the
main source of profit generation for an organization.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BUSINESS
STRATEGY
From
Strategy to Business Results : It's All about Employee Engagement -- Arun Bhatia and Rashmi Bhatia
Strategy
alone cannot create value for organizations. What companies
need are highly motivated and dedicated employees who are
emotionally and intellectually involved in their work and
their organization. In other words, they need `engaged employees'
to execute strategy and achieve business results. It calls
for a certain culture, leadership model and HR philosophy
that build and sustain employee engagement.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
The
Induction Program -- Dharmesh K Mishra
The
corporate induction program is the first meeting between an
organization and a new joinee. The induction program gives
an inductee a brief insight into the vision, mission, policies,
facilities and culture of the organization. The induction
plan should not be too short too long or for it may lose its
importance or it may lead to information overload. The duration
of the program would also depend upon how large the company
is and the location of its facilities. The company tries to
make the employee comfortable during the program. A special
bonding may also develop among the joinees on the same day
which may last for a life time. Induction need not be an elaborate
exercise, but it must be thought out in advance, carried out
in a timely and careful manner and evaluated to ensure that
it meets the needs of the organization.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR
Monitoring
Workforce in Workplace : The Electronic Way
-- Srikanta Kumar Padhi
Employee
inspector! Sounds very weird. It's not a legal authority but
rather a virtual name of Electronic Monitoring System (EMS).
It is a computerized system to monitor employee performance.
However, there exists resistance from behavioral aspects like
attitudinal and motivational factors. This article focuses
on the conceptual framework, types, benefits and pitfalls
of computerized monitoring system. Further, it focuses on
legislative provisions and experiences related to EMS in the
US.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ORGANIZATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Value
Clarification and Value Building, Only Way to Future -- Prashant Saxena
The
article presents three basic assumptions, supporting them
with arguments and empirical research outcomes: Firstly, to
prove that "values are integral part of individuals and organization
and influence the overall behavior, actions and decision-making
process of both". Secondly, it identifies that "Value conflicts
are a major source of organizational conflicts, hampering
organizational efficiency and development", which leads to
resource wastage, emotional dissatisfaction and spiritual
depletion in society at large. Thirdly, that by "integrating
the Individual and Organizations' values by forming a shared
vision could unlock the organizational potential, enhance
creative participation and lead to better decision-making
and satisfaction."
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CASE
STUDY
24X7
Work Culture in the US : Working to Live or Living to Work? -- Swapna Gopalan and Shalu Bindal
The
case focuses on the increasing work pressure and the demands
of the job for employees working 24X7 in the US. The 40-hour
weeks once thought to be the path to glory are now practically
considered part time. Family, health and leisure-time , considered
critical to human flourishing, are being squeezed by longer
hours of work. Though the trend of alternative work schedules
in the US is on the rise still the competition in the fast
globalizing world economy demands long working hours. This
24X7 work culture amongst the Americans raises the issue:
Whether they work to live or live to work?
© 2007 IBS case Development Center.
All Rights Reserved.
SHORT
BOOK REVIEWS
Employee
Commitment - An Introduction -- K Sangeetha and Sanjeev Kr.Singh
To
be successful in the global economy, the people who run corporations
must look beyond their own geographic boundaries and envision
all possible business strategies. Competition, coordination,
maintaining creativity and excellence, local flexibility and
the like are all attributes for an HR manager to cater at
a time when his company has decided to "Go Global".
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
|
