HR PROFESSIONALS must rise to the challenge of implementing more complicated work/life balance plans when their organisations become multinational, according to a leading academic in the area
HR PROFESSIONALS must rise to the challenge of implementing more complicated work/life balance plans when their organisations become multinational, according to a leading academic in the area.
“When a business becomes global it means that the more complex set of business strategies require new HR strategies to be implemented across a broad range of cultures,” said Anne Bardoel, associate professor at Monash University’s department of management.
Among the findings of a case study prepared by Monash University for the recent Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW) conference, were three consistent themes stopping employees reconciling their work and personal lives: a lack of flexible work policies and practices; the availability and affordability of dependant care; and the negative impact of work overload and long working hours.
Amid unprecedented levels of global mergers, acquisitions and international growth, HR professionals working in multinational enterprises must define a global work/life strategy that establishes shared guidelines while allowing for local differences.
“A focus on work/life issues can be used as an effective avenue for understanding and sensitively managing a globally diverse workforce and also assist HR professionals to develop cultural sensitivity in local contexts,”Bardoel said.
HR can also help establish the business case in terms of a double agenda, Bardoel added. “The focus needs to be on adopting work/life policies and programs that benefit both the company and the employees,” she said.
“One way of doing this is to implement a pilot program to demonstrate how better management of alternative work schedules can contribute to the bottom-line.”
Conducting a needs assessment of the workforce to determine what the work/life priorities are and measuring effectiveness of outcomes is another.
The benefits of introducing work/life measures are numerous, Bardoel said, including a competitive edge in recruiting, enhanced corporate image as well as better productivity and staff retention (especially skilled) and a better return on training investments.
“A challenge for multinationals is to achieve competitive edge but not at the expense of human health, well-being and personal lives,” she said.
