What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are applied to issues of critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.

Work in the 21^st Century: The Role of I-O in Work–Life Programs

Karen May

Terranova Consulting Group

Balancing work and life seems to be getting more complicated—and I don’t think it’s just me! As we move into the 21^st century, both work and life are changing along multiple dimensions. Today’s workforce brings expectations that create a demand for jobs in which people can succeed in all aspects of their lives. In addition, the tools and organizational structures with which we work make our work simultaneously more flexible and more complicated. The evidence is mounting that companies able to keep up with the needs of their employees benefit from their efforts. Reports on the results of work–life programs show increased employee satisfaction, motivation, organizational commitment, and productivity, along with reduced turnover, absenteeism, and burnout. In this issue of TIP, I will review two categories of work–life programs and discuss the role of I-O psychologists in this area.

Although many people seem to be working longer hours and in more demanding jobs, the glorified workaholic may be fading. Today’s workforce (made up of baby boomers who attempted corporate loyalty and were rewarded by downsizing and reengineering efforts, and Generation Xers who watched them and know better) expect their work lives to deliver more and demand less. These expectations take two forms:

1. that their jobs allow them the flexibility to pursue nonwork priorities in their lives, and
2. that they are able to meet some of their lives’ needs through their work—work that has meaning, involves learning, and provides intrinsic value.

Programs designed to support employees and provide them with flexibility (e.g., telecommuting, flex-time) have a common, underlying strategy: to reduce the level of distraction employees feel at work regarding their non-work priorities, so that when they are at work they can give 100% to the job. These programs are sometimes called work/family programs, but many organizations and authors have changed their label to work–life in order to be more inclusive and to make clear that these programs aren’t just for parents. Programs designed to increase the intrinsic value and rewards associated with work (e.g., employee involvement, learning programs) are also connected by a common strategy: to increase employees’ commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs. Both types of programs are linked by a common reality: focused and satisfied employees are more likely to stay with the company and perform effectively. Although the programs designed to meet these two expectations may focus on different aspects of work, they can be quite complementary.

The range of programs that are considered work–life policies and strategies is broad. The Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility provided the following list of examples: alternative work schedules, flex-time, job sharing, telecommuting, child care, information and education, referral systems, elder care assistance, wellness and health education, sabbaticals, parental or health-related leave policies, employee assistance programs, emergency time-off pools, and a spectrum of training and support for managers and employees. Added to those programs are the tools that help employees gain flexibility by working anywhere, anytime: such as cellular phones, e-mail, voice mail, videoconference capability, and pagers.

There are multiple strategies for increasing people’s ability to meet their life’s needs through work, including:

• designing the job to include assignments and responsibilities that are meaningful and/or challenging to the employee.
• placing people in jobs that they find stimulating and meaningful.
• involving employees in decisions regarding the content and structure of their jobs.
• allowing employees to spend some of their work time doing volunteer work.
• providing learning opportunities on and off the job.
• creating and using reward and recognition systems.
• providing support for employees’ career development and planning.

I-O psychologists play a central role in the development, design, and implementation of work–life programs in (at least) three ways: (a) defining the problem, (b) creating the solution, and (c) measuring the results. Each of these areas is described briefly here.

Understanding employee needs is one of the first steps to launching a successful a work–life balance effort. Programs based on limited information, perceptions of selected managers, and/or benchmarking other organizations’ efforts run the risk of missing the mark and potentially reducing the willingness of organizational leaders to make work–life programs a priority. Some of the methods we use regularly—employee surveys, interviews, focus groups, and organizational analyses—are ideal for understanding the range of employee concerns and preferences. This step is particularly important to the success of any new program, because it increases the likelihood that resources will be allocated in the right place, and that the program will be a success.

There is a range of work–life balance solutions to which we can make significant contributions. A few of the areas in which we may make the most valuable contributions are job design, career development, organizational culture, and management training:

• Job design approaches are a fundamental way to create flexibility and meaning in jobs through a careful analysis of responsibilities, assignments, expectations, and interdependencies with others in the organization. The quality of programs such as job sharing, telecommuting, and flex-time depends in part on the skill with which the work tasks are distributed across people, a logical area for I-O to contribute.
• Career development, while not typically considered a work–life program, is becoming a more and more valuable employee benefit. It complements more traditional work–life programs by providing employees a way to evaluate their career choices given their values, priorities, and skills. A successful career development program may help companies retain employees concerned with balancing life and work by helping them find ways to pursue interests through new jobs or new skills.
• An organization’s culture is often a strong factor underlying the success of work–life balance initiatives. A recent Personnel Journal Work–Family Advisory Board identified culture (societal and organizational) as a barrier to the success of work–life programs, noting that many traditional cultures still value "face time," and reinforce the message that working in nontraditional arrangements means that you are not serious about work. I-O psychologists, through our abilities to assess culture and support organizational leaders in creating culture change, may be able to provide some critical support.
• An individual’s experience of a company’s work–life balance program may be largely influenced by his or her manager. Ideally, every manager would understand the programs available, accept them, and be able to help employees make good choices about how to balance the needs of the job and coworkers with personal needs. I-O psychologists can develop and/or provide training to help managers better support their employees.

To some extent, the long-term success of work–life programs is dependent on their return. I-O psychologists can measure the individual and organizational level results of work–life programs, and in turn, influence the overall success of the programs. If we are involved early enough, we can design the measurement strategy appropriately from the beginning, gather relevant pre-intervention data, and increase our confidence in determining the impact that a new program or initiative has on the organization.

In the next TIP column I plan to explore recent work in the area of change management, and the role of I-O psychology in that work. I would appreciate your thoughts and ideas about this topic, as well as suggested readings in the area. In particular, what are our strengths and weaknesses related to organizational change? What contributions can we make to large-scale change efforts? I can be reached at Terranova Consulting Group 61-F Avenida de Orinda, Orinda, CA 94563, Phone: (925) 253-0458, Fax: (925) 253-9432, or karen@terranovaconsulting.com

TIP

Vol. 36/No. 2  October, 1998

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