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Work-life balance is so outdated: Why life-work synergy is the new gold standard for employers wanting to support and retain top talent

IN THE wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers face a landscape of new threats and unexpected opportunities. Navigating the former while leveraging the latter is no easy task, but what has emerged throughout the journey of the last two years is the critical importance of the human element. From striking a balance to embracing the flow An almost overnight migration to working from home seemed like the long-awaited solution to achieving work-life balance. However, when the mass shift to remote working didn't result in a balancing of those work-life scales, everyone started asking the bigger questions: Why was a balance so difficult to achieve? Why did it feel more like a work-life competition, in which employees simultaneously felt the strain of work- and home-related stresses? Was an equilibrium between the two attainable under any circumstances?

At UKG, our purpose is people. As strong believers in the power of culture and belonging as the secret to success, we champion great workplaces and build lifelong partnerships with our customers to show what’s possible when businesses invest in their people. Born from a historic merger that created one of the world’s leading HCM cloud companies, our Life-work Technology approach to HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people helps 50,000 organizations around the globe and across every industry anticipate and adapt to their employees’ needs beyond just work. To learn more, visit ukg.com.

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THE LIFE-WORK JOURNEY

It's an organization's people who determine the success of strategic goals such as driving growth, increasing revenues, and improving profitability. More than ever, employees (and future employees) are taking notice of how their organizations are working to truly understand their people and adapt to individual needs

Parvathy Sree, AmTrust Financial Services

As the lines between work and home blurred, it became clear that a more symbiotic, free-flowing ideal was required that hinged on negotiation. To be successful, employers had to meet employees where they were. Did they need flexible hours, different equipment, or more technological support? In addition, work-life negotiation requires a high level of trust – employees must manage their time efficiently, and employers must reward productivity and organizational impact, even during atypical hours or through unconventional means. Both parties must trust each other to hold up their respective ends of the bargain.

Life-work Technology spans the suite of UKG’s cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions. This ensures all tools and processes are tailor-made to manage and satisfy individuals' needs at every stage. It factors in employees' emotions and preferences, providing agency to empower them both in their personal lives and in their careers. This approach differs from existing systems by combining – and harnessing – the most powerful aspects of both people systems and work systems.

Organizations are empowered by Life-work Technology to tune into the individual people who do the work because it's a people-centred solution. It encourages employers to dig deep and ask what drives their employees, what delights them, and what stands in their way. It's time to get curious about those questions, and focus energy, tools, and resources to help people achieve their goals on and off the job. Because there is no magical balance to aim for, and there's no clear division between work and home any longer: it's all life, and UKG is leading the charge by creating tools to help organizations meet the evolving demands of the workforce.

In an increasingly fluid environment in which the workforce's expectation of flexibility is at an all-time high, these shifts in workplace culture will influence policies for decades to come

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of employees say the pandemic has changed their life-work development in some way

91%

or more than one in three, are reassessing their goals due to the pandemic

37%

say the pandemic created new opportunities for them

30%

say it has made them less financially stable

26%

Nearly 50% might leave their jobs post-pandemic if their employer doesn’t offer flexible work-from-home options

50%

Embracing forward-looking solutions creates a business that's able to attract and retain talent no matter how uncertain the future, and it’s organizations that are people-focused, life-aware, adaptable, and resilient that will keep pace with change – and become employers of choice

When these personal negotiations are successful, the result is life-work synergy – and that's the new goal of the employer-employee relationship. To evaluate current efforts and take that first step toward reimagining their role, employers should examine the life-work synergy trifecta of people experience, humanizing work, and human flourishing. The common theme? That critical human element. It's an organization's people who determine the success of strategic goals such as driving growth, increasing revenues, and improving profitability. More than ever, employees (and future employees) are taking notice of how their organizations are working to truly understand their people and adapt to individual needs. In an increasingly fluid environment in which the workforce's expectation of flexibility is at an all-time high, these shifts in

workplace culture will influence policies for decades to come – and it's HR departments that serve as the conduit and focal point for employees. Facing a future sure to keep HR professionals on their toes, it all starts by accepting that life and work are inseparable; it's not one vs. the other, but instead, it's all life. Transforming core areas of the business to adapt to the new future of work is crucial. Still, for employers to navigate these challenges successfully, they need the right tools – and many of the existing technologies for HR, payroll, time tracking, recruiting, reporting, and other common-yet-critical workplace processes don't reflect the reality of the new normal. Many organizations still grapple with siloed systems that don't efficiently share information, that involve too many manual transactions and a reactive rather than proactive operation, and where people are treated as resources rather than individuals. Life-work Technology To help organizations respond to this transformed working world, UKG developed the life-work journey framework, designed to highlight the vastly different experiences employees may have depending on where they are personally, both at home and on the job. From At Risk, to Stability, Growth, Fulfillment, Influence, and Legacy, each stage has different priorities, and for most people, it isn't a linear progression. Instead, the stages are fluid, which underscores the importance of adaptability and intentional effort on the part of employers to understand their workforce as individuals. It is vital to recognize what stage employees are in and provide them with the unique support they require at that moment.

Embracing forward-looking solutions creates a business that's able to attract and retain talent no matter how uncertain the future, and it's organizations that are people-focused, life-aware, adaptable, and resilient that will keep pace with change – and become employers of choice.

Maintain a stable, comfortable life while accruing financial resources

Inspire others with a sense of purpose, help others succeed and give back

Create, share ideas, gain respect for my expertise, and build trust

Be inspired, lead others , and amplify my impact on the organization

Take some risks, discover new things, and anticipate rewards for doing so

Focus on payment for work, partially or wholly due to a lack of a financial safety net

71%

69%

38%

33%

37%

32%

40%

27%

67%

36%

30%

66%

35%

22%

57%

29%

22%

51%

Just over half of employees say that "focus on payment for work, partially or wholly due to a lack of financial safety net" is a life work goal to a high or very high degree

These HR.com survey results show how dramatically individual needs and priorities can vary for employees in different phases

CURRENT WORK & LIFE GOALS

High degree

Very high degree

At Risk

Stability

Growth

Fulfillment

Influence

Legacy

Employees who are At Risk will have vastly different priorities compared to those aiming to secure their Legacy, and to those at every stage in between. These stages are fluid, and most of us do not move directly from one to the next in order.

The former, people systems, inspire the workforce by enabling genuine autonomy and flexibility, fostering purposeful connections between colleagues and amplifying the impact by understanding human signals. The latter, work systems, help businesses thrive. Offering exponentially higher productivity, optimizing teamwork, and providing more opportunities for people to support one another and their communities, they point employers in the right direction regarding what employees need to fulfill their roles to the utmost. Together, the people-management solution addresses the complexities between home life and work life and helps employers nurture employees at every stage.

The pandemic’s impact

Transforming core areas of the business to adapt to the new future of work is crucial. Still, for employers to navigate these challenges successfully, they need the right tools – and many of the existing technologies for HR, payroll, time tracking, recruiting, reporting, and other common-yet-critical workplace processes don't reflect the reality of the new normal. Many organizations still grapple with siloed systems that don't efficiently share information, that involve too many manual transactions and a reactive rather than proactive operation, and where people are treated as resources rather than individuals. Life-work Technology To help organizations respond to this transformed working world, UKG developed the life-work journey framework, designed to highlight the vastly different experiences employees may have depending on where they are personally, both at home and on the job. From At Risk, to Stability, Growth, Fulfillment, Influence, and Legacy, each stage has different priorities, and for most people, it isn't a linear progression. Instead, the stages are fluid, which underscores the importance of adaptability and intentional effort on the part of employers to understand their workforce as individuals. It is vital to recognize what stage employees are in and provide them with the unique support they require at that moment.

Life-Work Synergy: Work and the Workplace Will Be More Centered Around Employees’ Lives

To dive deeper into the life-work journey – or perhaps to take your first step on this new path – read UKG's white paper "What’s Next: Life-work Technology.”

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