LPAC’s Bibliography of Related Articles on:

Work/life balance

Dr. Linda Duxbury, Dr. Chris Higgins, Work-Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium – A Status Report prepared for the Healthy Communities Division, Health Canada (2001)

The issues associated with balancing work and family are of paramount importance to individuals, the organizations that employ them, the families that care for them, the unions that represent them and governments concerned with global competitiveness, citizen well-being and national health. Although much has been written about the topic, only a handful of “high-impact” studies have been conducted on this subject in Canada. Some of the issues addressed in this 120-page report include: What Is Work–Life Conflict? Why Should Organizations Care About Work–Life Conflict? Effects on the Organization, Why Should Society Care About Work–Life Conflict?, and Effects on Canadian Employees. Finally, it is postulated that the link between work–life conflict and these outcomes will be moderated by factors associated with both the organization in which the employee works (e.g. work arrangements used, perceived flexibility, work environment, management support, supports and services offered by the organization, ability to refuse overtime), as well as personal strategies that the employee and their family use to cope (e.g. work different hours from spouse, delay having children, have a smaller family, the use of various family-based and individual coping strategies).

Phyllis Horn-Epstein, Women-at-Law: Lessons Learned Along the Pathways

More and more women are choosing to enter this once male-dominated profession, not fully anticipating the many challenges they will face. Women-at-Law not only shares a wealth of practical guidance and direction for the law student or young lawyer, its lessons will also resonate with the seasoned lawyer who has wondered how her peers are managing their practices and their lives.
 

For this new guide, author Phyllis Horn Epstein interviewed over 100 women lawyers of all ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles in a wide variety of practice settings nationwide to address how women today are meeting the challenges of competing in an often all-consuming profession without sacrificing their desire for a multidimensional life. This unique resource provides a wealth of practical guidance and direction from experienced women lawyers who share their life stories and advice to inspire and encourage others by offering solutions to the challenges - personal and professional.

George W. Kaufman, The Lawyer’s Guide to Balancing Life and Work, Second Edition, June 2006

If you are dominated by work from the moment you arise until the moment you turn off the lights at night, you are not alone. Years of narrow focus, hard work, pressure, and endless striving for material reward are the hallmark of many lawyers' lives. This newly updated and revised Second Edition is written specifically to help lawyers achieve professional and personal satisfaction in their career.

Writing with warmth and seasoned wisdom, George Kaufman examines how the profession has changed over the last five years, then offers philosophical approaches, practical examples, and valuable exercises to help lawyers reconcile their goals and expectations with the realities and demands of the legal profession. You'll find information on empowering yourself to take charge of your environment and how to achieve your plan for personal growth.

The Lawyer's Guide to Balancing Life and Work, Second Edition is about how the law fits inside you, not how you fit inside the law. Making space for creativity and passion within your current workplace and at home can yield enormous emotional rewards. But, you must first make a conscious decision to shift your perceptions. To accept that, while you can't have it all, you can create a life that reflects your creativity and values.

Inside this essential guide, you'll find dozens of exercises and tools designed to bring the balance and passion back into your life, including how to:

• Craft a life-affirming vision statement and incorporate it into your daily activities
• Develop an action plan for making effective change
• Define the values in your life

Interactive exercises are provided throughout the text and on the accompanying CD-ROM, to help you discover how to reclaim your life. New lawyers, seasoned veterans, and those who have personal relationships to lawyers will all benefit from this insightful book.

Work-Life Balance No. 1: Is Work-Life Balance Still an Issue for Canadians and Their Employers? You Bet It Is!
Special Report by Kimberley Bachmann, Judith MacBride-King
June 1999, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 7 pages
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Almost half of Canadians are experiencing a moderate to high level of stress today as a result of trying to balance their work and home lives; 10 years ago, only 27 per cent felt this way. What has changed in Canadians' lives to make them more stressed?

Document highlights

• This briefing, the first of part one of a two-part series, points to a growing trend that has several implications for individuals, their families and the organizations that employ them. This briefing looks at: the work–life challenges of Canadians—are things getting better? Getting worse?
• What’s going on at work; and the impact of family responsibilities on individuals and their employers.
• Solutions suggested by Canadians have not changed much in the past decade. These are: flexibility in hours or work, work options and leaves of absence for various reasons; childcare options, particularly support for on- or near-site daycare; and understanding, compassion and sensitivity from employers.

Work-Life Balance No. 2: Managers, Employee Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance
Special Report by Judith Mac Bride-King
June 1999, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 5 pages
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Managers and direct supervisors play a critical role in employee satisfaction and workers’ ability to manage their work and personal responsibilities. When companies do not respond to the work–life challenge of staff, a loss of key players can result.

Document highlights

• This briefing, the second of part one in a two-part series, outlines key data that focuses on the manager’s role in employee satisfaction and in the work–life balance of staff.
• For organizational success, it is essential to retain and maintain a satisfied, motivated workforce. Studies point out that while compensation, recognition and advancement opportunities are important contributors to employee satisfaction and retention, so too is the quality of the work environment—much of which is under the control of managers.
• This study looks at: the role of supervisors and managers in employee job satisfaction and retention; characteristics of good managers; managers caught in the productivity–flexibility crunch; top team support; supportive managers at BC Tel; and how IBM works smarter.

Work-Life Balance No. 3: Solutions for the Stressed-Out Worker
Special Report by Kimberley Bachmann, Judith Mac Bride-King
August 1999, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 5 pages
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What happened to all the talk about leisure time? What happened to all those dire predictions from futurists that technology would displace workers? Those predictions never materialized.

Document highlights

• This briefing, the third of part one in a two-part series, sheds some light on how Canadians are dealing with the multiple responsibilities of home and work and the choices they are making.
• Canadian workers are trying to juggle a number of competing priorities within their home and work environments. Whatever the cause, job stress and the stress of balancing work and personal responsibilities can result in high costs and, some would argue, decreased revenues for an organization.
• This study looks at: stress and job satisfaction; stress and absenteeism; how employers can help; workplace programs; and better working conditions.
   

Work-Life Balance No. 4: Caring About Caregiving: The Eldercare Responsibilities of Canadian Workers and the Impact on Employers
Special Report by Judith Mac Bride-King
October 1999, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 6 pages
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By the year 2041, 4 per cent of the population, or a whopping 1.6 million Canadians will be 85-plus. What does this have to do with you as an employer?

Document highlights

• One critical reason to take note of this demographic trend relates to the increasing number of workers who are providing care and assistance to elderly family members and friends. Eldercare is a growing reality for Canadian workers, and leading employers are beginning to pay real attention to the issue.
   
• This report, the final installment of part one of a two-part series, looks at: family support; who is caring for the elderly family members; who is receiving the care; the personal costs of caregiving; the sandwich generation—those providing support and care to elderly family members while they still have children at home; and the impact on employers and what they can do.
   

Work-Life Balance No. 5: Are Employers Listening?
Special Report by Kimberley Bachmann
June 2000, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 12 pages
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Recruitment and retention, high employee stress and low morale—are key challenges facing a growing number of Canadian organizations.

Document highlights

• This briefing, the first of part two in a two-part series, provides an overview of Canadian employers' efforts in support of work–life balance. The past decade's downsizing exercises, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring have not only radically changed the structure and operations of many organizations, they have also changed the way employers and workers view their relationship. No longer guaranteed a job for life, many workers are evaluating the extent to which their employers can meet their needs for personal growth, career development and work–life balance.
• This study looks at the various policies and practices that have been put in place to assist workers in achieving a better balance between work and home.
   

Work-Life Balance No. 6: Measuring What Matters
Special Report by Kimberley Bachmann
November 2000, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 11 pages
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For an increasing number of individuals, working for an organization that respects their need for a better work–life fit is what matters most. Measuring the impact of work–life programs can only help solidify these programs as a necessary component of an organization’s overall strategy.

Document highlights

• To determine the effectiveness of their work–life programs, organizations must develop an evaluation plan, preferably early in the process. If work–life programs are not tied to specific business imperatives such as recruitment, retention or productivity, they run the risk of being seriously jeopardized or even eliminated. This survey is part of a two-phase project that looks at Canadian private and public sector organizations to discover the extent of their efforts in support of work–life balance. A total of 220 organizations—which employs over 1.1 million workers—responded to the survey.
• This study examines various processes that measure work–life effectiveness, such as: the “plan, do, check, act” (PDCA) process which encourages organizations to think not only about the implementation of a program or process but also about the measurement of results and continuous improvement/adjustment over time; data-collection methods—pros and cons; accounting measures; and industry benchmarks.
   

Work-Life Balance No. 7: Improving the Odds of Relocation Success
Special Report by Kimberley Bachmann
May 2001, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 11 pages
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This final installment in our series of briefings on work–life balance looks at the issues around relocating employees and what many organizations are doing to ameliorate the situation for employees and their families, as well as alternatives to relocation.

Document highlights

• Increasing complexity of life—both at work and at home—demands flexible solutions.
• This briefing looks at work–life considerations: during candidate selection; when preparing to move; after the move; during repatriation; and offers alternatives to relocation.
   

Gender Diversity Toolkit No. 4: Balance at the Top: Encouraging Work-Life Effectiveness for Executives
Report by Kimberley Bachmann , Penny Brady , Denise McLean
May 2003, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 20 pages
Price: no charge, funded by The Conference Board of Canada

The fourth in a series of information resources that address key issues identified by women executives as hallmarks of a women-friendly organization.

Document highlights

• Work-life effectiveness is a priority issue for executive women. While this issue is of concern to all employees, female executives are faced with unique challenges. Considering Canada's current leadership crunch, providing an environment where work-life issues are a priority can influence female executives to remain in organizations and can elevate firms as 'employers of choice.'
• It is essential that organizations recognize that: fulfilling their work and personal commitments can be a challenge for executives; female and male executives in general face different work-life issues; the response to executive work-life issues must address the organization's culture regarding flexibility, control, and capacity, and practical solutions must be tailored to the individual executive's needs.

Work-Life Initiatives in a Global Context
Report by Jean-Marie Martino
June 1999, Source: The Conference Board, Inc., 39 pages
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This report, based on the 1999 Work and Family conference in New York, evaluates how this strain affects workers and businesses on a global level.

Document highlights

• Work pressure is putting a strain on employees' work-life balance. This report, based on the 1999 Work and Family conference in New York, evaluates how this strain affects workers and businesses on a global level.
• Studies on various work-life initiatives and how different companies and countries handle these pressures are also included. Speakers are from organizations such as IBM, Citigroup, and the Labor Project for Working Families.
   

Canadian Council on Integrated Healthcare (CCIH), a Discussion Paper on Workplace Health, October 2002
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In particular, this paper puts forward the argument that there is a very real value proposition for employers who adopt a more proactive approach to workplace health: Given the costs of ill health, and pressing issues such as the serious challenge of an ageing workforce, there is a ‘bottom line’ incentive for employers to focus on a healthier workplace.

Canadian Mental Health Association, National Office
Phenix Professional Building
595 Montreal Road, Suite 303
Ottawa ON, K1K 4L2
Tel: 613-745-7750
Fax: 613-745-5522
info@cmha.ca
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12 Steps for living a healthy life as a lawyer

1. Establish clear priorities.
2. Develop and practice god time management.
3. Implement healthy lifestyle practices: eat right, sleep enough, exercise, avoid health-threatening habits.
4. Live beneath your means.
5. Don’t let technology control your life.
6. Don’t take a step onto the slippery slope of improper conduct.
7. Embrace law as a higher calling.
8. Just say NO to some clients.
9. Stay emotionally healthy.
10. Be a person first.
11. Be as generous as possible with your time and resources.
12. Pace yourself.

Andrea L. Rocanelli, Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Delaware Supreme Court


So You're a Lawyer, Can you Be Happy? by Rebecca Nerison, American Bar Association: GPSOLO “ Bumps in the Road II” Vol. 21, Number 7, October / November 2004.

This article takes a look at several factors that hurt lawyers’ performance, relationships, and satisfaction with their work: under-functioning, over-functioning, and exploding.
 

Technostress, by Kimberly S. Young, American Bar Association: GPSOLO “ Bumps in the Road II” Vol. 21, Number 7, October / November 2004. 

Because technology lets us do more, we can take on too much. We end up feeling overwhelmed and never really “finished” because we are always plugged in. The constant accessibility—even while we’re on vacation—can lead to burnout by giving us the means to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption.