Park Ridge, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2012 -- Stress a Key Driver Shaping Work-Life Trends for 2012

Life Meets Work releases 2012 flexible work outlook for U.S. workforceCHICAGO, IL, Jan 5, 2012 – Life Meets Work, a leader in the flexible work consulting sector, released its 2012 Flexible Work Outlook today, outlining five key predictions that will shape work-life for U.S. workers in 2012.

“We saw a considerable resurgence in organizational interest in flexible work in 2011,” says Kyra Cavanaugh, president of Life Meets Work, a flexible work consulting firm.

Cavanaugh said she was surprised by how many new business inquiries came from companies that had already made a commitment to flex but wanted to extend their flex initiatives beyond policy to more systemic culture change.

“Coming off the recession, many companies became keenly aware they had some critical catch up work to do in terms of employee engagement,” Cavanaugh said. “But more exciting are the number of organizations committing to flex for reasons beyond talent management.”

Life Meets Work’s top five trend predictions for flexible work in 2012:

- 1 Boundaries and Workloads. Resiliency is a big word in work-life circles these days. Companies are focused on issues of work redesign and helping employees cope with workplace stress. Organizations will need to tackle this at the team level and find ways to cut unnecessary meetings, projects, and administrative tasks.

The 2011 Mercer What’s Working survey showed that the number of employees who reported their workload was “manageable” has dropped by five percentage points since 2006. The lingering effects of the recession means employees are still struggling to do more with less.

A study of 600 U.S. workers conducted by Workforce Management showed that 55 percent of respondents said their job responsibilities had increased during the recession, and of those, 51 percent said the added workload affected their well-being.

- 2 It’s About Wellness. With healthcare costs top of mind, organizations will continue to be focused on employee wellness—something that lost ground during the recession. As companies look for bigger, more systematic ways to impact employee health, leaders will look toward improving work-life balance and reducing stress.

“Companies are buzzing about wellness initiatives at work-life conferences,” says Cavanaugh. “Flex is the natural next step in employee wellness.”

Research shows that flexible workers can work longer with lower incidence of reported stress. Research also shows flexible workers engage in better health habits such as getting more sleep, exercising more, and eating better, Cavanaugh says.

- 3 Employee Movement. While job growth will be relatively stagnant, we can expect to see more job hopping. Employees who may have been scared to make a move the past couple of years are getting fed up and feeling more confident in their ability to find a new job. They’re looking for a company that promises a more satisfying experience for both work and life. As always, it’s the high-performing employees that will be the most mobile.

The 2011/2012 Talent Management and Rewards report from Towers Watson & Co. revealed that “work-related stress” was the number one reason high performing employees said they’d leave their organizations. The same report shows that more U.S. companies are struggling to retain key employees, jumping from 16 percent in 2009 to 31 percent in 2010, and 36 percent in 2011.

- 4 Flex Moving Beyond Work-Life. Heads of work-life in large organizations have seen their jobs eliminated—not because the company isn’t still committed to flex but because the role is being reimagined as a function within the broader context of the organization. HR, real estate, IT, organizational development, learning and development, and wellness, are all in the mix now. The big challenge will be for everyone to work together to change the culture.

- 5 Connection. Employees will struggle with connection on two fronts. On one hand, concerns are mounting about our 24/7 connection to technology. Employees will struggle with setting boundaries and finding time to unplug (see trend #1). On the opposite end of the spectrum, teams will struggle with maintaining connection as workgroups become more dispersed.

A 2011 study from Brandman University showed that among 40 percent of the nation’s largest employers, nearly half their employees work on virtual teams. And another study from Right Management showed that 41 percent of companies reported using more independent contractors over the last two years.

Companies that want to maximize productivity for their global/flexible/ dispersed team will invest greater resources for improving in teamwork and transparency.