By Joan R. Kofodimos
Center for Creative Leadership
Summary
The conflict that many people experience between their work and personal lives has received a lot of attention in recent years. Organizations have attempted to alleviate this conflict by establishing work-family programs, or WFPs, that address such issues as child-care assistance, parental leave, elder care, flexible working arrangements, wellness and fitness, and stress management. The existence of such programs is a tangible acknowledgement of the seriousness of the conflict and the of the challenges that it poses for individual well-being and organizational effectiveness. The problem is, WFPs are not working very well. They provide some assistance to some people, but most programs are not widely used and potential beneficiaries often view them with indifference or even resentment. This report offers an explanation for the failure of WFPs and suggests how they can be reconceptualized to be an important part of a broader effort to create organizations that support a balance between work and personal life.
Citation
Kofodimos, J. R. (1995). Beyond work-family programs: Confronting and resolving the underlying causes of work-personal life conflict (Technical Report No. 167). Center for Creative Leadership. https://doi.org/10.35613/ccl.1995.2005
