Employers frequently talk a good game about work/life balance.  Some even truly make it a priority.  These days, however, all employers should be paying attention because work/life balance applies to employees of all ages.

Quite simply, work/life balance is recognizing and making room for the demands of life.  Achieving it in the workplace is a dual responsibility of employers and employees.

While employees of all age groups require work/life balance, each generation has its reasons.  Here’s a quick look at whom we’re talking about:

•    Traditionalists (or the World War II generation) are workers born before 1946. Members of this group, which comprises about 5 percent of the workforce, are now in their 60s or better. This group wants to strike a work/life balance to make room for travel, families, giving back to the community or pursuing hobbies.

•    Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, comprise 45 percent of the workforce.  The oldest members of this generation, known for valuing meaningful work and career opportunities, are beginning to retire this year at age 62. An estimated 78 million boomers are projected to follow suit over the next 20 years. This large group has varied reasons for wanting to balance careers and life outside of work. Some are part of a “sandwich generation” required to simultaneously care for children and aging relatives; others are interested in devoting time to volunteerism, while still others want time to pursue long-held interests.

•    Generation X are workers born between 1965 and 1980. This group comprises 40 percent of the workforce. Its members are busy raising families, building careers and volunteering. Unlike the two previous generations, Generation X members are known for working to live instead of living to work.

•    Millenials (or N-Gen) are workers born after 1980—now 10 percent of the workforce.  Its members want important, interesting work but also want time away from work for themselves and to serve others. Community service has been the norm for this group throughout high school and college.

From youngest to oldest, employees have different needs at different times in their lives.  Employees themselves are making it clear that work/life balance is desirable. In fact, work/life balance was the fourth most important contributor to job satisfaction (behind compensation, benefits and job security) in the Society for Human Resource Management 2007 Job Satisfaction Survey.

What can employers do?

Progressive employers recognize that work/life programs can deliver employee loyalty and productivity, and cut down on expensive turnover.

Here are some ways to help achieve work/life balance:

•    Start at the top. If work/life balance isn’t important to top management, the rest of the organization won’t take it seriously.

•    Pay attention. Develop programs and policies that are in synch with your specific company, employees and industry.  Success comes from carefully listening to what your employees (of all generations) want and learning from the experiences of other companies.

•    Create and promote volunteer programs. Volunteerism is work/life balance. What’s more, volunteering is something that all four generations in today’s workforce have in common.

•    Share responsibility with employees in making work/life balance work. Demonstrate trust that work/life balance programs will be used properly.

•    Develop family-friendly employee activities. Including families sends a signal that employees have a stake.

•    Encourage employees to use their vacation/personal time. Paid time off is the original work/life balance. Yet, more than a third of U.S. employees don’t use their full vacations, according to the 2004 research report “Overworked in America” from the Families and Work Institute.

What can individuals do?

Individuals aren’t off the hook! Here are a few things that individuals should do:

•    Leave your cube! Sounds like a no-brainer, but work/life balance won’t occur without the life part. This can be something as basic as spending time with family, developing a hobby or getting a pet.

•    Volunteer. Your community needs your time and talents in more ways than you ever imagined. A balance between career and the rest of life naturally includes serving others.

•    Understand your employer’s  policies (i.e., family leave, flex time, and so on) and stay abreast of all changes.

It’s a brave new world

The employers with the best people win—that’s no cliché, it’s a fact. In a world marked by a fiercely competitive business environment and a constantly changing economy, people are the differentiator.

The winners in today’s battle for talent are those who understand what the different generations want and work to give it to them. These winners also recognize that work/life balance is more than a catchphrase, it’s a concept that benefits the entire organization.

		Debra Clem is the executive vice president of Manpower of Lansing, Inc.