'Work-life balance': Employers learning employees now need more than just a paycheck

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The working world is certainly not what it used to be, with the pandemic changing all of it.

Primarily for the workers who now see there is an alternative to working yourself to death.

One company is helping more people "WorkHuman" and in fact, that's the name of the company. "WorkHuman.com" and they are trying to bridge the gap between employers trying to hold onto workers, and what workers want.

So much can be said about the impact of the pandemic but what is clearly undeniable is its impact on the workforce.

"People got a taste of the good life," laughed Meisha-Ann Martin, Ph.D. and Senior Director, Analytics at WorkHuman.com. "They realized they wanted more of that in their life moving forward.

The Jamaican-born Dr. Martin said the work-at-home flexibility of the pandemic was an awakening.

"It gives you a chance to think about what do you want for your life – that's different than what you currently have," she said.

You can call it "The Great Resignation" or whatever you want but workers are looking for what the pandemic spawned.

Dr. Martin said there's a glimmer of hope it can work and employers are seeing the demand in people leaving their jobs and need to react.

"I think the conversation needs to change instead of, 'what does an organization allow?'" She explained. "It should be, 'what does the employee need in order to be most successful?'"

That's where WorkHuman steps in to work with employers on ways to make us all feel better about where we work and hang onto the workforce.

Does that mean it's all about money? It's certainly an issue according to Dr. Martin but it's more about quality of life and feeling appreciated.

That's the new catchphrase – "Work-life balance" but it's more than just a slogan, it's the way we now want to live our lives.

It's not just about working from home, it's also about feeling valued in whatever workplace you spend your time.

Now, it's more than just a paycheck, workers experienced something in the pandemic lockdown they don't want to give up.

Gallup surveyed the workforce for WorkHuman.com and among the findings, only 28-percent would recommend their workplace to someone else.

"Actually, that doesn't surprise me at all," Dr. Martin said. "I think in many ways, organizations are failing people."

She said the worker dissatisfaction number is telling employers that this isn't just about money and flexibility, it's about "appreciating the whole person, treating people as human beings and not just as robots that contribute to the bottom line."

Dr. Martin said employers telling someone they did a good job isn't enough, companies need a recognition program.

"A recognition program is a way of institutionalizing those moments and making it a thing," she said. "Then you typically have a social feed component where people can see all these expressions of gratitude and know that they're existing in a company where this culture of appreciation exists."

Also, she said it's not just about the work component, it's also about things like "running a marathon, buying a house, or having children, so we're all about serving the whole human."

Companies paying attention to work-life balance are pushing back the tide of resignations, according to Dr. Martin.

"That's the environment where people want to stay and be a part of and also an environment where people want to give their best every day."