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UAE jobs: Top employees quitting? What your company could be doing wrong

Imagine a firm acting like a strict parent, setting all the rules and watching the clock

Question: In chasing the ever-elusive work-life balance, does all of it rest with the employee? How much active responsibility should employers undertake to create a healthier culture in the workplace?

Answer: The search for perfect work-life balance shouldn't be a solo act; it's more of a team effort where employers set the stage for success just as much as employees do. Transactional Analysis really flips the script on how we see work-life balance. It tells us that when a company acts like a strict parent, setting all the rules without room for discussion, employees might just start acting out or tuning out.

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Here’s a real-life example. A software company introduced 'no meeting Wednesdays' to give employees a breather in an otherwise meeting-packed week. Productivity didn’t dip; instead, employees reported feeling rejuvenated and more focused for the rest of the week.

Another example: A firm I know used to clock watch every minute and micromanage like it was going out of style. What happened? People started to leave. They weren't robots; they were skilled professionals who didn’t appreciate being treated like children. But then there was a shift. The company started treating them like the adults they were, giving them the freedom to manage their own time. The transformation was like night to day — people started to bring their 'A game' and the company's output and morale went through the roof.

Think of the workplace as a band. You need the drums, the bass, and the guitar all in sync for a great performance. That's our efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of life (MIT Sloan). If one is out of tune, the whole concert’s off. Everyone’s got to do their bit to keep the rhythm.

In a practical sense, an organisation that develops policies and cultivates a culture recognising employees as autonomous and resourceful will witness a transformative shift. An environment, which prizes adaptability and self-governance, equips employees to navigate their work-life balance with delivering outcomes.

Having said that, the responsibility to ensure that an organisation is future-fit rests with the employer. This entails creating a brand and culture that not only appeals to a diverse workforce, including millennials and GenZs, but one that also values and promotes flexibility.

So, who is responsible for maintaining work-life balance? The answer lies in a collaborative approach. While organisations must provide the necessary support and structures, employees should also be proactive in crafting a healthy work-life balance.

Roujin Ghamsari is an accomplished HR practitioner and fellow of the CIPD, a professional body for HR and people development. Named among the 'Most Influential HR Practitioners 2023', she excels at collaborating with C-Suite leadership to craft and implement robust people plans, enabling organisations to deliver their strategic objectives.

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