• Keller Williams Realty took the top spot on Indeed’s 2019 list of 100 top-rated companies for work-life balance; In-N-Out Burger and Capitol One followed.
• Top companies used various strategies to create work-life balance, Indeed said, including allowing employees to set their own schedules; paying above-average wages; consistently accommodating work, school and other life responsibilities; offering alternative childcare options; offering remote work options; providing on-site medical and fitness centers; and allowing workers to swap shifts electronically.
• According to the job board, employees might appear to be productive by putting in demanding hours, but a balanced work style makes them happier, healthier, more productive and less likely to quit. Indeed said it used its 100 million ratings and reviews to create its list.

As Indeed pointed out, employees with a strong work-life balance​ are said to be twice as happy, productive and loyal to their employers than workers who struggled with trying to find balance, according to a 2018 study by Robert Half. And the onus is increasingly on employers; of the 2,800 employees in the survey, 39% said employers were responsible for creating work-life balance.

But not all employment experts think work-life balance is achievable or even exists. Although work-life balance was cited along with salary and job location as a top employee motivator, the lines between work and non-work hours have blurred now that technology allows people to multitask nearly 24/7. Lisa Sterling, ​Ceridian’s chief people and culture officer, told HR Dive in a 2018 interview: “You’ve got to get to a point at which work and life integrate, and you figure out organizationally and individually how to make those two things work together.”

One common thread among the Indeed winners is flexibility. Increasingly, workers desire it within their work lives, study after study has shown. Flexibility allows for that work-life integration, allowing employees to make the choices and take the leave they need when they need it, so long as the work gets done. To adopt flexible work, employers have traditionally focused on providing remote work, telecommuting and job-sharing options.

[originally published in HR Drive – April 26, 2019]