"Middle Managers: A Key Link to Successful Work-Life Initiatives"
Angelina B. Laycock
WorldatWork Journal, Fourth Quarter 2006
Available
online (fee)
In her study that appears in the Q4 2006 edition of the WorldatWork Journal, work/life specialist and midwest coordinator for the U.S. Department of Labor's Flex-Options project, Angelina Laycock, cites not just anecdotal evidence but current HR literature in supporting the case that middle-management behaviors are an important element in creating effective work environments.
A central theme in Laycock's study is that "even the most skilled supervisor cannot make up for incongruity between stated policies and practices of top management." In other words, if on paper workers are allowed three weeks of out-of-office time (sick, personal and/or vacation leave) per year, everyone from the CEO to middle managers to front-line workers should be reassured that the approved leave is encouraged to take by staff's actual use of the leave as well as a demonstrated commitment to the same benefit through avenues such as staff meetings and the company newsletter.
In a section entitled "Factors Driving Change," of note among the external factors the author points to – including global economic competition, technology, increased workplace diversity and a greater realization by employers of the high cost of turnover – is a look at the aging Baby Boomer demographic's effect on the perception of work-life balance and actual work-life initiatives. Laycock waits with studious anticipation as Boomers' active redefinement of retirement (including not leaving the workforce at all, but merely changing their work schedules) affects both the number of workers in front-line and middle-management positions as well as their knowledge base.
The author finds ample evidence to support the link between middle managers' influence and approach to work and their supervised workers' achievement of a suitable work-life balance. For instance, she notes, "Discovery Communications [the global media and entertainment company which owns the Discovery Channel] learned that 95 percent of their employees in the U.S. say that availability of flexible work arrangements is a critical factor in taking a job." Laycock also cites a 2004 study by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau which found "a strong correlation between organizations that embrace a culture of family-friendly policies, and the overall productivity and loyalty of its employees."
The author identifies several key approaches that a company's leadership can implement to both better equip middle managers to deal with people issues and instill a greater degree work-life initiatives within the firm – the effects of which are greater retention and an enhanced public reputation: