Education & Training Committee: Work Life Balance Seminar

Thank you to all those who attended the Education & Training Committee’s Work Life Balance Seminar for contributing to the success of the event!

The Education & Training Committee’s half-day seminar on work life balance attracted HR managers and directors from multinational companies looking for ideas on how to implement work life balance policies, as well as senior level executives and other individuals seeking ways to add more balance in their personal and work lives.

In the first session “Defining Work Life Balance: Is it an Issue in China?” Dr. Debi Yohn and Jeffrey Fan framed the issue using statistical and anecdotal evidence. Dr. Yohn explained that issues of work life balance for expatriates can be exacerbated since they have to shoulder the added pressures of living in a culture that is foreign to their own. Fan explained that the pervasiveness of work life imbalance among local employees is evidenced by higher rates of late marriages and deferred parenthood. In a session on organizational best practices in work life balance, Ralph Grippo described how he imposes the same discipline on himself when scheduling family time as he would any business obligation. Deborah Delaney shared her company’s policies, which promote high performance and high engagement. The final session on individual management of work life balance allowed attendees the opportunity for self assessment. Dr. Tak Chan discussed the health impacts of stress and the different ways individuals can manage stress. Marjorie Woo concluded the seminar by leading the attendees in an exercise to help them identify the areas in their lives that have been neglected and that need more attention.