Top Ten Work Trends Quarterly Updates

A diverse group of SIOP members are serving as Trend Champions for the people-related work trends that SIOP members collaboratively predicted to be the most impactful in 2023. Each Trend Champion has expertise in and professional passion for their trend subject. SIOP appreciates their service to the profession in providing quarterly updates on their chosen topics.

Find the full list of topics and links to the other Top 10 Work Trends here. 

The Latest on Trend #10: Integrating Work, Life, and Family

2023 1st Quarter Update

Here’s the hard truth - work is no longer the center of the organizational universe. Recent events, from the pandemic to the Great Resignation, have fundamentally changed the idea of a balance between work and home life . Dubbed the “ new normal ,” the emergence of hybrid work, accelerated use of digital technologies, exposure of work inequalities, changes in the labor market, and the sudden need for organizations to pivot following a period of great unrest for workers and demands for change have come rapidly and with no end in sight.

Work-life balance is a multi-faceted topic that has become a priority for employees and leaders at all levels and in all settings. Organizations are beginning to take notice but most do not have the expertise or insight to address it. Improving the flexibility for employees to shift the boundaries of what is work and what is personal time has created opportunities for leaders to leverage ways to integrate both to improve employee focus, engagement, performance, job satisfaction, and productivity while reducing stress, absenteeism, and turnover. At one time, work and family were firmly separated and a clear delineation between hours on and off the job were in place. Today, the walls (literally and figuratively) of the office are often blurred, hours are no longer 9 to 5 in many instances, and roles have become more fluid in expectations of performance levels, time spent on tasks, and where and when the work gets done. This has spurred the attention on areas of work-life balance which are integral to address, including worker well-being, job growth, attracting and retaining talent, cultural sensitivity, leadership skills, and policy management.

How do we define work-life balance? From the employee’s perspective , it is the way in which an equilibrium between work and home can be sustained to reduce stress and anxiety and increase joy and motivation. From the employer’s perspective , it is how to create processes and structures that support workers in their jobs to uphold the organization’s mission and culture while recognizing the needs of the whole person. Employee well-being directly correlates to work-life balance, which is why wellness programs have exploded in recent years. In 2021, 83% of large firms offer wellness programs and 75% of employees (up from 70% in 2019) agree that wellness programs are important to them .

What does all of this mean for work-life balance? Or more importantly, how do we shift the narrative from work-life balance to work-life integration? According to Deloitte’s WorkWell podcast, “ designing a fulfilling life isn’t about balance, it’s about creating a rhythm that integrates all the key ingredients of a meaningful existence. ” The framework for building solutions to work-life integration starts with a workplace model that incorporates all key stakeholders and recognizes the triciprocal relationship between work, family, and community. It is the responsibility of the collective to collaboratively cultivate ways that work-life integration can benefit the business bottom-line and the workforce that it depends on.

Work-life integration looks different for everyone. In the next quarterly update, we’ll examine strategies for employees, leaders, and organizations to consider in developing integration approaches which satisfy both business and worker needs.