Importance of Work Life Programs in Australian Organizations

This essay explores the critical role of work-life programs in Australian organizations, emphasizing the need for employees to balance their personal and professional lives. It highlights the increasing number of single parents and working mothers in Australia, underscoring the importance of implementing well-defined work-life policies. The essay argues that simply introducing policies is insufficient; both employees and the organization must recognize the associated benefits. Examples such as in-house crèches for young mothers and the need for flexibility for single parents are discussed. The essay further contends that companies have an obligation to look after their employees' welfare, which in turn promotes employee motivation, commitment, satisfaction, and retention, ultimately benefiting the company economically. It concludes by emphasizing the necessity of introducing robust work-life programs and measuring their success through planning, customization, supportive culture, and demonstrated value.

Running head: WORK LIFE PROGRAMS
Work life programs
Name of the student
Name of the university

1WORK LIFE PROGRAMS
Irrespective of the nature of the organization, employees are usually under tremendous
pressure to balance their personal and professional lives (Lyness & Judiesch, 2014). Most
employees in Australian organizations have liabilities, as far as their families are concerned –
and thus, a well defined work/life policy must be implemented at the workplace.
This is all the more imperative, given the fact that Australia has more than 950,000 single
parents employed in their organizations. Another factor that must be considered in this respect is
the fact that out of all the women working in Australian companies, at least 25 % of them are
new mothers. This data is enough to establish the importance of proper work/life initiatives.
However, it must be understood that simply introducing new policies for such groups of
individuals would not be enough. It is important for both the employees and the organization to
actually realize the benefits associated with such a program. For instance, when it comes to
young mothers, there are numerous responsibilities that one would have to fulfill. This is because
between ages 0 to 5, mothers need to constantly be around their babies. However, the primary
concern in this case is to find sufficient time which would help new mothers fulfill both their
professional and personal responsibilities. Work life initiatives in this case would include
policies like in house crèches; this would enable mothers to keep an eye on their children while
at work. The same can be said for single parent families as well. The number of single mothers
and fathers raising children in Australia increased 33 % to nearly 70 % in the year 2016
(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2018). In single parent families, there is usually a lack of
flexibility, since there is no other parent to coordinate with. Young children require intensive
care and attention which would be impossible for working single parents. It must be realized that
companies, by nature, are obligated to look into the welfare of their employees (Kalysh, Kulik &
Perera, 2016). This would be beneficial for the companies as well. Implementation of a favorable

2WORK LIFE PROGRAMS
organizational culture which takes into account the importance of work life balance and family
policies would create an impression that the organization is genuinely concerned about the
welfare of employees and supports them. This, in turn, promotes employee motivation and
ensures a greater degree of commitment (Bophela & Govender, 2015).
As a matter of fact, implementation of work life policies would be beneficial for the
companies as well. It would promote employee satisfaction and retention, and would also have
economic benefits. Measurement of work life policies can be done in the following manner:
PLANNING AND ALIGNMENT This includes the implementation and planning for
work life policies. It is important to recognize the
unique needs of the employees, and create policies
that cater to them.
CUSTOMIZATION The policies must be customized to suit the needs
of the employees. For instance, if a company has
more single working mothers, then suitable policies
must be made for them.
SUPPORTIVE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP The success of work life initiatives would largely
depend on the quality of leadership and a favorable
and positive working environment.
DEMONSTRATED VALUE Such plans are expected to have social and
economic impacts.

3WORK LIFE PROGRAMS
To conclude, it can be said that it is essential for companies to introduce suitable and
robust work life programs as part of their organization culture. Moreover, it is equally important
to measure the success and efficiency of such programs.

4WORK LIFE PROGRAMS
References:
Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2018). Facts and Figures. Retrieved from
https://aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures
Bophela, N. R., & Govender, P. (2015). Employee assistance programs (EAPs): tools for quality
of work life. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 13(2), 506-514.
Kalysh, K., Kulik, C. T., & Perera, S. (2016). Help or hindrance? Work–life practices and
women in management. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 504-518.
Lyness, K. S., & Judiesch, M. K. (2014). Gender egalitarianism and work–life balance for
managers: Multisource perspectives in 36 countries. Applied Psychology, 63(1), 96-129.