THE HUMANASSET

2012-05-30T13:23:00.002-07:00

LET'S ALL BE FAMOUS!!

The new age effective workforce mantra: LET'S DO IT IN TEAMS
I can do the whole alone!
But efficiency and perfection can I hone?
How about forming a team of five?
We'll tune down and each job will be refine
We use talents, intellect and competency of all of us...
So instead of I trying at it, let's all be famous!!

What is an organization made up of? It is not a single person or group of people working in isolation. It is a collective arrangement of people who intentionally come together to accomplish a common goal or a set of goals. Thus the very essence of existence of an organization is based on TEAM-WORK.

How do we define Team-work? There are several definitions that one can look at, but the French language has an apt expression for teamwork: esprit de corps. The phrase means a sense of unity, of enthusiasm for shared interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of people closely related in a task, cause, enterprise, etc.

Talent wins games; teamwork wins championships”

-Michael Jordan

An effective team-work creates a success tale. Many organizations have deployed cross-functional work-teams and have achieved competency.

Do all teams achieve success? Is every team effort efficient enough to make the organization move a step closer to the goal? Does every team create the SYNERGY effect?

This can only be figured out after the team has performed. If success is achieved and synergy is created, the organization is in a good position. But if the team fails, and leads to a negative outcome, does the organization have any alternative left to work on the poor performance? Clearly, the answer is NO. The reason of the failure could be many, feeling of pessimism within the team, poor setting of standards, unclear goal setting, inter-team conflicts, and poor formation of teams. Of all the mentioned reasons, poor formation of teams is the most critical factor; a blunder at this stage would undoubtedly lead to a poor outcome. But what parameters should be kept in mind while forming a work-team? How can the leader anticipate that the team-work will be a success story? It is a difficult and a daunting task to comprehend about the performance of team beforehand, but here we have a few tips to ensure effective team building.

THE 7C’s FOR EFFECTIVE TEAM BUILDING:

1. Clear Goals: Has the leader clearly defined the goals that are to be achieved? Does the team know purpose of its formation? Does the work of the team receive sufficient emphasis as a priority in terms of the time, discussion, attention and interest directed its way by executive leaders?

2. Commitment: Do the team members want to participate in the team? Are members committed to accomplishing the team mission and expected outcomes? Do team members perceive their service as valuable to the organization and to their own careers?

3. Competence: Do the team members have the required skill, knowledge, and ability? Does the team feel that it has the appropriate people participating? Does the team have enough resources needed to accomplish the mission?

4. Control: Does the team have enough liberty and empowerment to feel the ownership necessary to accomplish the goals and work in a self-autonomous manner? At the same time, do team members clearly understand their boundaries?

5. Collaboration: Does the team understand team and group process? Are team members working together effectively on interpersonal aspects? Do all team members understand the roles and responsibilities of team members, team leaders, and team recorders?

6. Consequences: Do team members feel accountable for team achievements? Are the team members rewarded when teams are successful? Is reasonable risk respected and encouraged in the organization? Do team members fear reprisal?

7. Completion: Does the organization recognize that the team-based, collaborative output which maybe creating a pattern of difference in the traditional organizational structure? The achievement of goals should be followed by evaluation and feedback.

If your team building and improvement efforts are not living up to your expectations, this self-diagnosing checklist may help you find the reason.

2012-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

THE NEW AGE WORKFORCE

Increased diversity, participative work environment, longer life expectancies, knowledge workers, women as entrepreneurs, flexi work-hours, third place work concepts, greater strive to maintain work-life balance are the few aspects that characterize the NEW AGE WORKFORCE.

If we look at the changes in workforce conceptually, it is noticeable that:

Baby Boomers are attaining the standard retirement age.
X generation is placidly preparing to move towards the top management positions.
Y generation is progressing from academic level and filling a large section of middle and lower-level jobs.

So, with that perspective we have four different generations working together in this era: Traditionalists, Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial; who were born, brought up and educated through entirely different modes.

Focusing on the new age workforce, i.e. Millennial, employees today have better knowledge regarding their work-areas, organizational policies, rewards and benefits and greater awareness of their skills and competencies as compared to the earlier picture. Millennials have a particular style and manner of doing things and they are changing ways in which work gets done. They prefer working in teams and use effective technology to work quicker and better. Their social mindset is also a significant factor, they like being connected and staying informed.

The workforce is highly diversified with people from different regions, people with different religions and from different ethnicity and backgrounds who come together and work in groups for a common purpose. For instance, the Nike factory employees’ more than 500 workers who come from about 44 countries and speak 19 languages. When the plant issues any notice or written announcements, they are printed in English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole.

Talking about gender diversity issues in the corporate, we have almost 55% of women employees in the corporate who affect the organizational policies, power and positioning. Diversity will be a critical competency for leaders and employees in the coming time.

According to Families and Work Institute’s National Study of the Changing Workforce: Among Millennials (under 29 years old), women are just as likely as men to want jobs with greater responsibility.

The new workforce represents distinctive desires to build create or invent something of their own. The thumb rule is to integrating innovation into the organizational DNA to make the workplace more participative and autonomous. This new-age workforce is more ‘achievement oriented’ rather than money or role focused. The employees want feedback to be provided on their performance and give greater significance to coaching and mentoring. They are knowledge workers with a different set of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The Gen Y highly values meaningful and challenging work.

One of the major challenges that organizations would face in attracting the next workforce, or preparing the current one, setting up a new workforce culture to better understand transnational teams, online collaboration, globalization and business process transformation. Managing Gen Yers expectations and channelizing their energy is what the organization needs to focus on to deal with this new age workforce.


We are different!

2012-05-02T12:33:00.002-07:00

WAYS TO DEAL WITH WORK PRESSURE

Deadlines, project changes, office politics, unforeseen obstacles, critical atrocities are just a few stressful issues that arise in the corporate world on a very routine basis. Handling these situations, one often feels a great deal of pressure on work.

PRESSURE: The stress or urgency of matters demanding attention, the burden of physical or mental distress, the constraint of situations.

Working under pressure is a very common phenomenon experienced by people in their daily lives. The way in which stress affects us can depend on how we choose to contemplate stress, use stress, and react to stress. Stress may not always be “bad”. There are situations when stress motivates us to change our behaviors and push us closer to our selected goals, and aspirations (referring to eustress). If we did not feel stress, we would have not been induced to act in ways that bring about significant change.

Working under constant pressure can lead to excessive stress (distress) which can interfere with productivity and impact one’s physical and emotional health. So all we need to do is manage this excessive stress and try converting it into eustress and if not convert, then at least minimize the effect of distress as much as possible.

Let us discuss a few ways that will help any individual cope up with the pressure at work:

1. PRIORITIZE WORK: Practice time management by prioritizing tasks. Think strategically, who among the internal customers do you most need to satisfy, given that you can’t please everyone? Create a daily realistic 'To Do' list. From the list, set priorities by coding the 'To Dos' with 1,2 and 3 - '1' as your top priority. Handle each piece of paper that comes in contact with your hand only once, at least try.

2. REVIEW & REFRAME YOUR ROLE: The idea here is to analyze one’s role carefully and reframe it to one of empowering things to happen instead of as one that causes doing things. Delegation of work will not only reduce your work pressure but will also help others develop in their areas.

3. PLAN AHEAD: Another strategy to avoid pressure, particularly on a project that has a tight deadline, is to break it into portions and complete it bit-by-bit. By doing this, you lessen the pressure that is put on. Reducing the amount of pressure that has been placed on you is one of the best techniques to cope up with tormenting situations. One can achieve this by simply being organized, and doing things in phases.

4. STAYING FIT: Find some time for exercising, be it only a 20 minute walk around the block. Physical exercise gets the adrenaline flowing, keeps you fit and gives you valuable time when you can think about how you are going to complete the next task.

5. SHARE A LAUGH: Transfer the tension and pressure into humor. Laugh out, share jokes, have a laugh with your friends or work colleagues. This makes the work environment lighter and cheerful and it will help you rechanneling your vigor to getting the task at hand completed.

Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle. ~Bill Phillip

These easy pressure coping tips will not only help you keep organized but will also ensure a maintenance of a work-life balance.

2012-03-15T03:33:00.001-07:00

THIRD PLACE WORK: The Right place to Work?

If the first place is the home, second is the work, what is the third place?

The fall morning is thankfully fog-free today, which springs up S. Kapoor’s steps of as he rolls for work. In short order, he fires up the computer, turns on his cellphone and orders breakfast.

Though he has toiled on these premises for a few months now, he doesn't know anyone here well except for Thomas, who brings him his hot coffee. That's because Kapoor, 39, works out of ‘The grEAT’, a bohemian food joint in the city's eastern part that caters to a growing army of office-less employees.

"Working from a place like this is less stressful and more comfortable than being in an office, and I find I get a lot more done," says Kapoor, RSM of an organization, a growing FMCG company. "

A 'third place', between home and office, for working, is gaining popularity and has its own distinct advantages, as per a survey. These ‘third places’ encompass business centres, clubs, libraries and informal areas such as coffee shops.

The survey, demystifies the myth that flexible working means home-working. It shows how a commonplace third place working, neither home nor office has become in modern business. It also says that being able to work in a place close to home radically improves people's work-life balance, job satisfaction and productivity.

The independent research report, "revealed that 'third place' working brings a wide range of benefits, including improved work-life balance, reduced stress and improved productivity for the employee, as well as cost-effectiveness, scalability and reduced property commitment for businesses."

"Today's dynamic technological, economic and social conditions create opportunities and pose new challenges for both individuals and organizations. Attracting and retaining talent is a central challenge for business. Third place working that improves the overall quality of work life supports this situation," the report says.

Looking from the corporation’s point of view, third place working reduces property commitments, allows flexible use of amenities on demand, and yet maintains a highly professional business image, it says.

"With advancing technology options, is physical place still important in work life? Can dispersed work settings across global cities compensate for the physical presence and be beneficial to both the parties?

Key findings from the report include the revelation that 52 per cent of third place workers globally use business centres for some or all of their working time.

Almost 72 per cent of these third place users spend over three days a week in their favourite business centre or other third place, and 70 per cent of business centre users find these environments more conducive in terms of productivity, as compared to more informal locations, she said.

Most of those interviewed did not want to work from home. They wanted to work amongst other people who are working, motivated by the synergy and common purpose of other people working around them, with no distractions, benefiting from access to technology and facilities not available at home, and the freedom to focus on their work in a non-domestic, professional environment.

Third place work maybe just the right place and way to work!!

(SOURCE:REGUSBLOG)

2012-03-13T11:10:00.002-07:00

EEQ: How to maximize organizational performance

MODEL FOR EQ ASSESSMENT

EEQ i.e. Employee Emotional Quotient is one of the factors that organizations today can use as an effective tool to provide them with competitive advantage over others. Wondering how?

Let me draw the contours for the above statement first.

Employee Emotional Quotient can be defined as the ability of an employee to understand, assess and manage his/her emotions along with the emotions of the coworkers such that it leads to a more cooperative and cohesive work environment. But how is it related to corporate? The answer is that when one understands, EQ is one of the most dynamic aspects of organizational behavior and communication that can have a striking impact on the organizational functioning.

Is EQ and IQ the same? No they are not, EQ is quite different. Unlike IQ that measures the intellectual capital of an individual, EQ measures the ability to sense, comprehend and to effectively apply the power and wisdom of emotions to facilitate high levels of cooperation and efficiency.

Until recently emotions at workplace were to be concealed and not to be mixed with business decisions stringently. They were not to be discussed and did not have any importance in business. Employees demonstrating any kind of emotion were considered incapable and weak.

But today the scenario is different. Researches show that employee emotions can actually act as a trigger to the organizational performance and create the difference. Emotion such as creativity, freedom to think and independency etc. affect the way an employee works and contributes to the attainment of goals. EQ may affect a employee’s ability to perform under pressure, settle conflicts and cope with the challenges.

The key to using EEQ such that it yields a competitive advantage is to convert the ineffective believes and negative emotions into positive actions.

Each emotion expressed has an originator whether it is a personal factor or a professional element. What is needed therefore is, that organizations diagnose, and react aptly to these emotions specially if it’s a negative one such as-fear, anger, frustration or disgust etc.

EQ is a trainable skill which can be moulded through emotional competency training. Raising the collective EQ of the organization will not only affect the employee morale positively but will take the organization to new heights of success and achievement. The first step towards working on EQ would be assessing the current levels of emotional intelligence possessed by the employees in the organization which will provide us with the accurate data of ”where we stand”. The next step after determining the current situation would be to work on certain parameters of EQ of the employees which would directly impact interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. These parameters would include:

· Self-awareness- the ability to sense and understand one’s emotions and their impact on others.

· Self-management- the ability to regulate or control one’s emotions and urges adapt to changing situations

· Motivation- the drive or impetus to achieve something, which may be external or internal.

· Social awareness- the ability to ascertain and comprehend other’s emotions

· Relationship management- the ability to develop, manage and improve relations with others

Helping employees to develop on these parameters will affect the five major areas which are directly proportional to increased productivity and success:

· intellectual capital

· customer service

· organizational responsiveness

· productivity

· employee attraction and retention

By helping management create an environment that stimulates and preserves positive emotions and nurture human talent, HR managers can align EEQ with the strategic goals of the business that will provide a competitive edge over others.

2012-02-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

SABBATICALS: The new retention tool?

Daily routine work, deadlines, stiff competition, market forces, target, peer pressure, meetings, overloaded mailbox, stressed work-life!

What would you do if you had extra time off and a stack of cash to accomplish something on your bucket list?

Would you go for scuba-diving lesson at Maldives, work with an NGO for some social cause helping or simply relax and meditate.

Sabbaticals are the new retention tool that the organizations are using today. A sabbatical is a period away from work, agreed with your employer. The word is sometimes used interchangeably with 'career break' or 'adult gap year', but the specific feature about a sabbatical is that you will come back to the same job. It can be a paid one or an unpaid one.

Organizations have understood that providing its employees time off while still being paid can be used as an excellent retention tool. "The people of an organization are one of the most important elements for that organization to succeed and it is inevitable that they feel motivated to perform at all times.

"The theory behind sabbaticals is that everyone wishes to do something perhaps radically different for some period of time," said J. Robert Carr, SHRM's chief professional development officer.

A sabbatical can sway a burned-out employee to stay, says Rita Foley, co-author of Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break (Beaufort Books, 2011)

Who? When? How?
Most companies that offer sabbaticals tie participation to years of service, thereby improving retention, HR professionals say. The most common threshold is seven years of service, but a few companies reserve the benefit for those with 20 years or more.

One to two months is the normal length of sabbaticals, paid programs usually provide full pay and benefits.
Some companies offer sabbaticals to all employees, while others only provide them for upper-level executives. Some HR professionals note that companywide eligibility eliminates resentment among employees who are left behind. When every individual with enough years of service gets a turn, it makes workforce coverage easier and takes the heat off employees returning from sabbaticals.

Do paid sabbaticals increase productivity? Yes, it does. Employees return contented with more vigor and zeal, perform better, and thus increased productivity. It also improves employer brand of the organization which in turn helps in attracting new talent and thus creating a great workforce.

A sabbatical if used rightly, could act as a propeller which would not only benefit the employee and the organization but also develop a beneficial mutual relationship between the employee and the employer.

2012-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

FEED-FORWARD vs. FEEDBACK

“What were my faults in the last quarter’s performance? “ OR “Am I improving in CRM in this sector”

Which question would you like to address. The former relates to the issues pertaining to your past performances with a touch towards employee development and the latter focuses on improving the present.

Since both focus on employees’ performance enhancement, what factors draw the line of difference?

As per Marshall Goldsmith: Traditional feedback can at times be painful. We’re uncomfortable giving feedback and even more uncomfortable receiving it. There could be situations of defensiveness, frustration, embarrassment as a part of performance review and human experience. Another issue with traditional feedback could be: it focuses on the past, on what has already occurred—not on the infinite variety of opportunities that can happen in the future. As such, feedback can be limited and static, as opposed to expansive and dynamic.

On the other hand, feed-forward will provide individuals, teams and organizations with suggestions for the future and to help them achieve a positive change in behavior. Based on the responses, a customizable report is generated that provides a rich source of ideas and suggestions about how to achieve positive, measurable change in behavior.
Feed-forward is a kind of exercise, where participants are each asked to play two roles. In one role, they are asked provide feed forward--that is, to give someone else suggestions for the future and help as much as they can. In the second role, they are asked to accept feed forward--that is, to listen to the suggestions for the future and learn as much as they can. The exercise typically lasts for 10-15 minutes, and the average participant has 6-7 dialogue sessions.

On a personal note, I feel if the performance review process is used solely to document and discuss past performance, then the exercise has defeated its purpose which is in fact to feed towards the future.

The performance appraisal process and its discussion should have two important results:
1. encourage the continuance of good performance and
2. Identify the areas of improvement to enhance future performance.

I agree with Marshall Goldsmith's position that feedback deals with the past and that it is static. What happened was past! But, based on what happened one can work on the weak areas for future. Employees want to know from their supervisor how their work, efforts and completed goals are valued.. Every review should include aspects of how to move forward to create or continue the ongoing communication process. I believe that employees should be more involved in the process and that documenting performance discussions should be a 50/50 process for the employee and supervisor.

Thus the problem is not the tool; but the capacity of its utilization. We're not using it to its full potential. It would be fair to say that the feed-forward culture supports the performance review feedback.

2012-01-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

The New Pay Reform: Pay for Performance

Compensation and Benefit Structure is the backbone of any organization. Researchers have found out that it is imperative for all organizations to adopt an innovative salary structure as it directly affects the company’s growth. The last decade witnessed a sea change in the compensation structure of employees in India Inc., which is now in a transition phase. It is adopting some of the best practices in C&B from its counterparts in the west. This is in light of:

'When an employee's extra efforts are not reflected in rewards and recognition, it erodes performance and commitment to the organization, said Tom McMullen, reward practice leader at Hay Group, a pay consultancy. At the same time, managers often confront a general notion of fairness among workers that goes back to childhood, which he summed up as "If he gets that, then I should get that, too."

But treating everyone "equally," despite their varying contributions to the organization, is not always fair. So managers can find themselves in a bind. "Don't confuse equitable treatment with equal treatment. A one-size-fits-all approach won't work," said Mark Royal, reward practice leader at Hay Group.

"There is a strong possibility for sour grapes if there is a lack of confidence in the process of allocating rewards. As rewards professionals, we impact perceptions of fairness," McMullen added.

Traditional compensation methods may hold a company back from adequately rewarding its best workers. When compensation is tied to a base salary and a position, there is little flexibility in the reward system. Some new compensation systems, on the other hand, focus on reward for skills and performance, with the work force sharing in company profit or loss. One core belief of new compensation policies is that as employees become employee owners, they are likely to work harder to ensure the success of the company. Indeed, programs that promote employee ownership—and thus employee responsibility and emotional investment—are becoming increasingly popular.

The term “pay for performance” refers to a pay strategy where evaluations of individual and/or organizational performance have significant influence on the amount of pay increases or bonuses given to each employee. These programs, sometimes referred to as variable pay programs, generally offer compensation incentives based on employee performance or on the performance of a team. Pay for performance rewards high performance and does not reward mediocre or low performance, and is the definition of the "merit" system.

In a true merit based system, there are a few conditions which must be satisfied for it to be meaningful:

Employees must have control over their performance. If employees are overly dependent on the actions and output of other employees or processes, they may have little control over their own performance.
Differences in performance must mean something to the business. If there is little difference between a high performer and a mediocre one, merit pay won't work.
Performance must be measured regularly and reliably. A clear system of performance appraisal, with defined criteria that are understood by the employee and regularly scheduled meetings must be in place.

“Pay for performance can be a powerful driver of organizational change and success, with one condition: You don’t confuse it with traditional merit pay systems,” said MacLean, who urged attendees to “drop the use of merit increases and merit matrixes altogether.”

However, merely adopting practices from the West would not help as they need to be adapted well. The organizations in India need to formulate the remuneration mix keeping in mind that an employee has varied aspirations. For instance, in India a person’s family holds a lot of importance for him as compared to US or UK, where people usually lead an independent life. Therefore, companies in India have started giving medical insurance to employees and their dependents.

Another important point to remember is that the dynamics in the industry are changing and changing fast. Hence there arises a need to constantly upgrade the C&B plans. Also people programs and policies need to be aligned to the business strategy with a focus on talent management.

The effectiveness of pay for performance in facilitating recruitment, retention, and motivation (and the resulting improvements in individual and organizational performance) depends heavily upon matching the approach to the situation.

2012-01-19T03:44:00.000-08:00

HR & The Phases of Transition

Since the last twenty years, the word Personnel has synonymously been used to refer to Human Resources management. But gradually, the term “Human Resources” has replaced the antiquated term, “Personnel”. The term, personnel, was not changed simply because it needed a facelift, but because the role of personnel has evolved and morphed into something of a much greater magnitude. And the currently growing evolution of Strategic Human Resource Management will soon replace HRM.

Personnel Management >>> Human Resource Management

Traditionally the term personnel management was used to refer to the set of activities concerning the workforce which included staffing, payroll, contractual obligations and other administrative tasks. In this respect, personnel management encompasses the range of activities that are to do with managing the workforce rather than resources.

There are several contributing factors that changed the use of the word personnel in modern day workforce management or administration. Key amongst those factors include: Technology, Legislation, Diversity, and Globalization. HRM differs from personnel management not only in its broader scope but also in the way in which its mission is defined. HRM goes beyond the administrative tasks of personnel management and encompasses a broad vision of how management would like the resources to contribute to the success of the organization.

In the last two decades there has been an increasing awareness that HR functions were like an island unto itself with softer people-centered values far away from the hard world of real business. In order to justify its own existence HR functions had to be seen as more intimately connected with the strategy and day to day running of the business side of the enterprise.

Human Resource Management >>> Strategic Human Resource Management

Many writers in the late 1980s, started clamoring for a more strategic approach to the management of people than the standard practices of traditional management of people or industrial relations models. SHRM can be defined as an approach that establishes an integration or linkage between the overall strategic aims of the business, human resource and its implementation. Strategic human resource management focuses on human resource programs with long-term objectives. Instead of focusing on internal human resource issues, the focus is on addressing and solving problems that affect people management programs in the long run and often globally. Therefore the primary goal of strategic human resources is to increase employee productivity by focusing on business obstacles that occur outside of human resources.

The primary actions of a strategic human resource manager are to identify key HR areas where strategies can be implemented in the long run to improve the overall employee motivation and productivity. Strategic HR managers need a change in their outlook from seeing themselves as relationship managers to strategic resource managers. Kossek (1987, 1989) argues that major HRM innovations occur when senior management takes the lead and adoption of innovative SHRM practices is dependent on the nature of relationship of the HR Department with the CEO and the line managers.

Personnel Management (till 20^th century)	SHRM (21^st century)
· Reactive	· Proactive
· staff function	· strategic function
· production oriented	· people oriented
· people as liability	· people as investment
· just as resource in the production process	· key player in competitive advantage
· isolated from company’s goals and planning	· integrated role in company’s goals and planning

Thus, SHRM is based on HRM principles, which integrate the concept of business strategy. Strategy here refers to “the pattern of organizational moves and managerial techniques or approaches used to attain organization objectives and to pursue the organization’s mission” (Inyang, 2004:20). SHRM is a more radical and systematic approach to the management of human capital, placing more emphasis on organizational performance rather than individual performance. It is this approach that helps to create a fit or congruence or integration of HR practices with business strategies that enables the organization to achieve sustained competitive advantage.

2012-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Naisha Singh has a husband, three kids and a public relations business in Gurgaon.
Her hectic life speaks volumes about what time management means to her. As she puts it: "I'm running all the time."
In the 3G fast pace life, there are many pressures that new-age couples have to deal with- running a home, managing daily chores like cooking/cleaning, raising children and handle the tough deadlines at work!
Ever wondered how the 21st century couples deal with all this? How can they divide their daily work, make sure their children get the right amount of attention and time and also be productive at work?
The changing economic conditions and social demands have changed the nature of work throughout the world. Originally, work was a matter of necessity and survival. Throughout the years, the role of "work" has evolved and the composition of the workforce has changed.

Today, work is widely viewed as a source of personal satisfaction. A good balance in work and life can play a phenomenal role in the attainment of personal and professional goals.
By definition work life balance is about people having measure of control over when, where and how they work. There is a view that work-life balance only in the framework of what the company does for the individual.

However, work-life balance is a two-pronged approach. The other prong of work-life balance, which many individuals overlook, relates to what individuals do for themselves. The core of work life balance could also be summed as achievement with enjoyment.
To understand the need of work life balance, one first needs to understand about work life imbalance, as with the understanding of the origin, causes and effects of this imbalance, the balancing act becomes easier. The corporate world of today is exceedingly demanding. The work culture varies from organization to organization.

Today the deadlines are getting tighter and an individual's job is not only to match that deadline but also to give quality output. Due to this work pressure it becomes exceedingly difficult to maintain a family life. It becomes very difficult to have the engagement of mind with the engagement of body. In every individual's life there are four stakeholders- own personality, job, family and society.
Lifestyle stress manifests at different levels. At a somatic level the body physiology changes, causing a disturbance in sleep patterns and appetite, unexplained aches and pains and fatigue. Stress impacts the mind and brain function, reducing the attention span, increased forgetfulness and causing a tendency to brood unnecessarily on matters which are sometimes trivial.
The imbalance also has a negative impact in the personal life of working people-some of which have even become social hazards- increasing number of divorces, infertility due high stress levels, advent of nuclear families etc.

Professionals today seem to be more interested in jobs that give them increased flexibility at work. Working people have different needs at different stages of their working life. As a result, people strive for balance in their working hours and their personal commitments. Work life balance has now become a sensitive issue because it offers obvious benefits to organizations and its employees.

Successfully addressing this issue can lead to a healthy synergy in the working environment of an organization and its employees. Organizations can look forward to a phenomenal increase in efficiency and working hours and their personal commitments. Work life balance has now become a sensitive issue because it offers obvious benefits to organizations and its employees.
Today, technology not just makes your life easy and simple, but also brings a work-life balance. There are many working couples, who constantly stay connected on mobile Internet- using email, social networking websites.

ere are 10 principles you can use to get more done in less time—and get back to a healthy balance between time spent at work and home:

1. Set Goals. Set specific goals with actions and incremental milestones that you can track. Define your goals in terms that create a vivid mental picture of your desired end-state. Written goals help you establish clarity of purpose and provide accountability. Regularly review them and your progress against them. Like going on a road trip, you will get to your destination much easier if you map the best route.

2. Focus on the Important. With the many communications channels and other distractions vying for your attention, staying focused is a constant challenge. Don’t let the urgent, the convenient and the immediate distract you from the important. Stay focused on reaching the milestones that support your goals. Be proactive. Create the habit of working intentionally. Minimize your distractions. Make a “not to-do” list and adhere to it.

3. Set Your Own Standards. Don’t mindlessly follow social and cultural norms. Instead, follow your own values. Establish your own principles of operations. Define the few principles by which you will operate your business and your life. Let them guide you instead of following the latest fads and over-hyped products.

4. Learn to Say “No.” You cant do everything. You can’t attend every seminar or go to every social function. You can’t even go to every family gathering. Of course you might like to, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Learn to say no. Or if it is truly worthy, learn to use “yes, if …” instead of just “yes.” In other words, put conditions on activities you can influence like adding “if you can make the food this time” or “if there is a way to shorten the event to a half-hour.”

5. Delegate. Just because there are activities that you can’t say no to doesn’t mean you have to be the one that does them. No one is successful on their own. Solicit the help of others. Outsource activities that others can do as well as or better than you. Delegate responsibilities to people that have more bandwidth than you. If you have a house to clean and a teenager at home who needs some spending money, outsource the cleaning to them. It’s a win-win solution for you both. If you were hit by a bus tomorrow and had to spend the next month in a hospital, consider who would do your work and start delegating it to them now.

6. Be More Productive at What You Do. For those activities you must do yourself, find ways to be as efficient as you can. Your time is your most valuable resource—don’t squander it. Create reusable templates for anything that you do repeatedly. Employ tools and computer applications to automate your tasks as much as possible. Streamline your processes so that there is little wasted time and effort, particularly where there are hand-offs between people.

7. Get Organized. You can’t be your most productive if you’re not organized. Stacks of inbound correspondence mixed with reference material and time sensitive documents aren’t conducive to quick reference and follow-up. Establish a filing system that gives you ready access. Set up a “one-touch” approach to dealing with e-mails, letters, text-messages, bills, reference materials, voice messages and other requests. Utilize the “Do, Delegate, Delete or File” principle.

8. Maintain Your Energy. Being tired robs you of the energy you need to stay productive and focused. Get a good night’s rest of uninterrupted sleep—seven hours, if possible. Eat a balanced diet and follow good nutritional guidelines. Take vitamin and mineral supplements. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week at your doctor-recommended cardio levels—it will recharge your body’s battery just like a cell-phone charger.

9. Don’t Worry. Leave your worries behind. Do what you can to resolve your problems and that is good enough. Worrying and chronic stress are bad for your health and energy level and provide no substantive benefit to you or others. Studies show that 92 percent of what people worry about has already happened, won’t change a thing or is completely unfounded. Channel your energy into more productive uses. Go exercise instead.

10. Maintain Some White Space on Your Calendar. Pretend there isn’t as much availability on your calendar as it affords. Take a break. Carve out some time for reflection. The cliché that your best ideas come to you in the shower is more fact than fiction. When relaxed, your brain is free to unleash its power. Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Archimedes of Syracuse and countless others were relaxing when they came up with their world-changing ideas.

The concept of Work life balance is becoming more and more relevant in a never-dynamic working environment. The role played by the individual is as important as that of the organization in managing this tumultuous see saw. One of the novel approaches to this is by the use of one's emotional intelligence.

This will help people realize what they want to do, which in turn will lead to stronger organizations based on stronger values, orientations and ethics.