Is work-life balance more talk than walk?
One-third of respondents to survey report mismatch between what companies say and what they do
Does your employer support work-life balance? We mean … genuinely support it?
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve surveyed more than 12,000 Canadians with the help of the Angus Reid Forum. We asked if employees who put their family or personal needs ahead of their jobs are looked upon unfavourably or face career penalties. Our surveys consistently show that two-thirds of Canadian workers perceive a supportive work-life culture — and yet, one-third aren’t so pleased.
What’s the problem? We followed up to flesh out the details. When describing work-life culture, a major theme emerged: a perceived mismatch between what employers say and their actions.
Across the responses, that troublesome little conjunction — but — kept coming up. And the words that followed often conveyed doubts about employers’ authenticity.
Some described disingenuous stances and disapproving judgments. “When I say I need to take time for family my employer is understanding, but when I return they tend to give me the cold shoulder,” said a 49-year-old executive assistant. A 52-year-old business development manager agreed: “On the surface, the employer seems supportive, but there are passive aggressive comments made jokingly that indicate it is not as it seems.”
Others identified the complete devotion to work as a status display, and how competing priorities threaten that status. “The company says they allow for flexibility, but in the end employees who prioritize work above all else tend to be viewed as harder working and more successful,” said a 30-year-old executive recruiter.
So, can you take care of family or personal needs on company time? “You can, but if the time exceeds a portion of a day, your dedication to the company is questioned,” said a 55-year-old events manager. “Through the years I’ve come to realize that compassion has an expiration date.”
Norms that define a supportive work-life culture start at the top, but if the higher-ups aren’t modelling it, the consequences trickle down. A 44-year-old office manager lamented, “Anything we have to do for personal reasons has to be done on personal time, and if we need to take care of family matters, we are told it’s OK to take time. But we are made to feel super guilty because our CEO could do everything on her personal time … so, why can’t we?”
“Senior management takes the time to take care of their families and personal lives, but at the same time I know they’re always connected to the network, even outside of the 9 to 5,” said a 27-year-old policy analyst. “They’re never truly disengaged from work, which makes me feel like there’s a need to never fully disconnect from work in order to advance in my career.”
A supportive work-life culture can enhance employees’ mental health, but it needs to be real. “It feels like lip service to me,” said a 46-year-old university administrator. “My employer outwardly says that work-life balance is important, but if you don’t get your work completed on time, you’re looked at as a weak link in the team or undependable. My employer puts on a show that mental health is important, but to truly advance you have to be willing to work outside normal business hours.” A 47-year-old in sales echoed the point: “My employer sends all sorts of mental health/well-being emails, but they don’t like it when people actually follow the advice.”
“They pay lip service to wellbeing and equity in the workplace but they lack policies to support flexible work,” said a 38-year-old researcher. Lip service is defined as “an avowal of advocacy, adherence, or allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds.” This undermines trust. And the hollowness of lip service smacks into the stigma associated with requests for flexibility. “Anyone who needs flexibility must out themselves by asking for an accommodation, which is received as not being able to live up to the demands of the job.”
We heard countless stories about how many employers distributed surveys to solicit feedback about work-life balance. But as employees completed these surveys, many wondered: Does management genuinely care or is it just a performance?
“Corporations may talk the talk, but they walk when you need to talk,” complained a 58year-old sales manager. This lack of forthright communication and tangible action is a problem, especially during the era of the “big quit.”
In any healthy relationship, we need to mean what we say and say what we mean. At work, the duplicity perpetuates an unsupportive work-life culture, which, in turn, undermines job satisfaction and increases turnover intentions. Perhaps this is one reason why some employees are choosing to walk.