by Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO, Monster.com APAC
Work-life balance (WLB) has gained significant attention from global researchers and HR practitioners in recent years as employers recognise the importance of employee wellbeing for business success. According to a recent survey by Monster.com that highlights WLB trends in the GCC, regional employers are in line with global trends with most respondents reporting that their workplace has a policy in place to encourage a healthy WLB. However, GCC businesses are finding that a major challenge is not in introducing policies that encourage a better balance, but in overcoming the stigma often associated with WLB ingrained in the corporate culture. This is especially true in this part of the world where the workforce is becoming increasingly competitive and career is a large part of the expat lifestyle. In order to reap the benefits of an effective WLB policy therefore employers must understand the cultural obstacles they face and find ways to navigate distorted attitudes towards improving the quality of life outside of work.
Regional attitudes towards WLB
More than 90 percent of respondents from the Monster.com WLB survey agreed that organizations will be more effective and successful if employees have a good WLB. However, while more than 70 percent believe they are able to balance work and personal responsibilities, almost half of the respondents said they were unhappy about the time they had with family and friends. This incongruous finding demonstrates a clear disconnect between the understanding of WLB and what a healthy WLB is.
The GCC region is heavily populated by expatriates who rely on employment visas to reside in the GCC. Many of these residents come from conflict-zones and economically challenging markets, making it difficult to find alternative living arrangements if they lose their job. At the same time, the attractive living conditions of most GCC countries, coupled with global economic challenges, has created a very competitive working environment. Magnifying the problem is the predominant Arab and South Asian culture that is centred around perceptions leading to working from home while sick and working late hours to demonstrate career commitment. Employees from this part of the world also face higher pressure to support extended family and these expectations sets the precedence for how one views their work at a young age. In fact, research suggests that Asian employees take an average of 2.2 days of sick leave per year compared to 10 days for Australians and 9.1 among British employees. We also see a significant difference in both the average number of hours worked and the amount of paid leave taken in this part of the world compared to the west with higher working hours and less time off taken in this region.
How to navigate barriers to achieve a healthy WLB in your workforce
- Cultivate a strong feeling of identity at work to create a unique corporate culture that is resistant to external pressures
- Regularly reinforce the importance of a healthy work-life balance for staff and the business
- Clearly communicate WLB policies and set well-defined boundaries to help employees understand what is acceptable and what is not
- Monitor the use of policies to ensure employees are utilising the benefits available to them
- Empower and entrust employees by not requiring employees to ask permission to make use of policies
- Encourage colleagues to respect the different working arrangements of those they work with
- Lead by example – make sure management demonstrates the accessibility and acceptability of the WLB policies by using them
GCC employers are going in the right direction by developing and implementing WLB policies that can help improve employee wellbeing and create a more productive workforce. However, to reap the benefits of such programmes, businesses must start by breaking the barriers set by employees on themselves. A cultural understanding of the regional workforce can help businesses uncover why WLB policies are being underutilised and making an effort to change employee perceptions around WLB will help foster a healthier and more efficient workforce across the region.