What Is Work-Life Integration?

Work-life integration is a business management philosophy that recognizes that employees have significant life concerns that can affect their ability to effectively perform their jobs. Under this philosophy, employers seek to provide supportive services within the context of the workplace that can assist employees in meeting family, personal, and wellness concerns. Employers that are concerned with work-life integration encourage employees in a variety of ways to address these concerns while also maintaining and improving job performance.

One primary way for many companies to develop work-life integration is by offering employee assistance programs. These programs provide professional counseling services and other interventions in a variety of areas that often have a direct impact on the lives of employees. For example, an employee who is coping with trying to care for a sick and elderly parent may be able to contact an employee assistance program counselor for assistance in finding help in caring for his or her parent. The employee may also be able to receive a referral for stress management treatment as well.

Another way in which an employer may support work-life integration is by offering flexible schedules and telecommuting opportunities. Employees who are primary caregivers to children, elderly relatives, or household members with disabilities may be able to take advantage of the opportunity to work from home one or more days per week. This can reduce transit time and expense for these employees while also helping the employee to keep working at his or her job. Some companies, particularly those that require employees to spend a great deal of time at the office, may offer additional in-house services in order to support work-life integration and reduce the amount of time that employees must spend running errands or attending to personal care issues. Examples of these services include a concierge who can obtain event tickets for employees as well as medical clinics and even hair salons.

Other approaches to work-life integration include providing on-site opportunities for individuals to improve their health. Some companies may offer fitness opportunities to employees by sponsoring regular exercise classes or even providing an on-site gym. Other companies work with insurance providers to provide incentives to employees who take steps to make positive lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking or losing weight. These incentives may include points for completing certain lifestyle change tasks, such as joining a weight-loss support group or attending a smoking cessation clinic. Recipients of these points can redeem them for gift certificates or other prizes. Such a system not only benefits the employee, but may also benefit the employer, as a healthy employee may be more productive than one who is often ill.