Office Space News
Regus Survey Reveals Work-Life Balance A Must in New York
Published March 4th, 2010 by Jennifer LeClaire
Do concepts such as work-life balance go out the serviced office door in the midst of a recession? Not a chance. In fact, work-life balance issues may actually increase.
That’s because in the face of layoffs, pay cuts and tax hikes, many Americans are more stressed out than ever. Unfortunately, it shows in work-life imbalances such as working longer hours trying to stay employed. So says a just-released Regus Group survey.
The Regus survey reveals that 35 percent of Americans have felt what they describe as an “extreme increase” in workplace stress in the last two years. But it’s not working harder or longer hours, necessarily, that’s causing the extreme increase. Nearly 40 percent cited fear of unemployment as the culprit.
I take that to mean that folks are working harder and longer in hopes of keeping their job – and that’s leading the stress and work-life imbalances. It’s one thing to work harder and longer to reach a goal, such as a raise or a promotion. It’s another thing altogether to work harder and longer just to keep food on the table. With fewer staff, remaining employees tend to have to shoulder more work – and if they won’t someone else will.
Remote Control Work
How does this all fit into the Regus angle? Flexible work arrangements. Regus reveals that many employees are afraid to ask employers for the flexible arrangements they need to bear the brunt of longer hours. I can see how this could create more tension in the workplace because employees need a break, some may be approaching burnout, and the overall company morale could suffer. That’s bad for productivity and ultimately bad for the business, which could lead to more layoffs. It’s a vicious cycle.
“One of the most significant factors in improving employees’ work-life balance is offering the flexibility to work remotely,” says Donna Scott, east region vice president for Regus. “Flexible workplace solutions allow companies to offer employees the ability to work full or part-time from home, along with a breadth of alternative workplace arrangements. By taking advantage of such measures, businesses will be better positioned to attract and retain talented personnel, increase overall productivity and job satisfaction.”
Boosting Productivity
The problem is so severe that Mrs. Obama recently urged companies to implement policies that will help their employees balance their work and personal lives during a visit to the Department of Labor. The First Lady also offered advice to employers to boost productivity through work-life balance, including offering flexible time, part-time telecommuting and paid time off. (Regus and other executive office space providers must have eaten that up.)
Regus says some companies in New York are responding to the plea for a more balanced, productive workforce. Scott is seeing more and more companies, particularly small businesses, taking advantage of the company’s flexible work arrangements. She concludes, “Having employees work remotely a couple days a week and using business centers that are located closer to where they live instead of traveling to the city not only improves morale and productivity, but also keeps overhead expenses low.”
Although this is a clear plug for Regus’s executive office suites, I can see some truth it in. The only problem is it’s an extra expense out of the company’s pocket. With so many companies looking to downsize the office space they already have, I can’t see them renting more office space they really don’t need. It’s all about ROI. If the productivity went through the roof at a remote business center, it might catch on. But that’s a hard case to prove with any consistency.
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About the Author
Elizabeth Sanchez March 4th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I agree that work-life balance can be even more difficult to achieve in a recession — unless you are out of work. It’s stressful to be out of work and it’s stressful to be working at an office for what is essentially overtime without overtime pay.
Regus hit the nail on the head with this study and you did a great job analyzing the results, including the fact that serviced office space is not the silver bullet.
Bill Brookshire March 4th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Regus is a spin machine. But that’s just part of publicity. It works for them. They keep their name in the news with relevant issues. I’m not sure all their premises pan out, but you can’t blame them for trying to push serviced office space as a way to combat stress. I don’t see how that makes financial sense for many companies, either.