Work-life balance 

is a concept that describes the ideal situation in which an employee

can split his or her time and energy between work and other important aspects of their
life. Achieving work-life balance is a daily challenge. It is tough to make time for family,
friends, community participation, spirituality, personal growth, self-care, and other
personal activities, in addition to the demands of the workplace.

Because many employees experience a personal, professional, and monetary need to

achieve, work-life balance can be challenging. Employers can help employees achieve
work-life balance by instituting policies, procedures, actions, and expectations that
enable them to pursue more balanced lives, such as flexible work schedules, paid time
off (PTO) policies, responsibly paced time and communication expectations, and
company-sponsored family events and activities.

The workplace that enables employees to achieve work-life balance is particularly

motivating and gratifying to employees, which makes them happy. And happy
employees, whose needs for work-life balance are achieved, tend to stay with their
employer and are more productive.

Work-Life Balance for Parents 

Work-life balance can be an elusive goal for working parents. But, you can take steps
as a parent to make it a reality for you and your children. Like many great
achievements, work-life balance takes time and organization—but it’s worth the effort—
for parents and their families.

Managers are important to employees seeking work-life balance. Managers are the

source of many of the expectations that cause employees to have difficulty finding work-
life balance. In their efforts to please their managers and succeed at work, employees
can miss out on the rest of the opportunities available for an enriching life.

Managers also serve as a source of inspiration. Managers who pursue work-life balance
in their own lives model appropriate behavior and support employees in their pursuit of
work-life balance.

Determine How Your Job and Its Location Affect Work-Life Balance 

Parents should think carefully about job location: the commute to daycare can make or
break your ability to spend invaluable bonding time before, during, and after work with
your children. The satisfaction you get from seeing your child more often will make you
much more relaxed and productive at work, and reduce your stress significantly. Make
quality of life an aspect of your job criteria before you commit.
During your interview for a new job, keep your ears open to hear the company’s view
on telecommuting, work culture, time flexibility, and so on. All of these aspects of
employment will affect your ability to pursue a work-life balance. If they're not mentioned
during the interviews, you'll want to ask specific questions to assess the workplace's
compatibility with your work-life balance needs.

Usually, benefits are spelled out at the time of the job offer, and sometimes they'll be
listed on a company’s website. If you get the chance to chat with other employees, ask
if the corporate culture is family-friendly. Are there daycare benefits? Is there enough
personal time off for emergencies—a sense of empathy for parents?

Prioritize Family Times to Achieve Work-Life Balance 

Experiencing calm and no chaos each weekday morning seems difficult, especially
when winging it at 7 a.m. has been the norm. Try starting the day on a positive note with
an unhurried, sit-down, healthy breakfast with your family.

A brief, morning family meal—even for 15 minutes—cuts down stress for everyone. It
also assures your children that they are your priority. In case you can’t get together for
dinner because of other commitments, then you at least have had this meal together.

If you can’t pick up or meet your child at lunchtime, then arrange to place a call. It’s
reassuring for a child to hear from a parent during the day. A brief check-in will be
rewarding for both of you.

In the evening, designate a quality time—especially at dinner. A little extra time with
your children now will prove enormously beneficial as they grow.

"If I could wave a magic wand, I would make sure that every child in America had dinner
with his or her parents at least five times a week. Dinner serves as an ideal time to
strengthen the quality of family relationships and helps kids grow up healthy and drug-
free," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Founder and Chairman Emeritus of CASAColumbia
and former US Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.1

Instead of letting the TV, YouTube, or computer games fill up the evening, plan pre-
bedtime family activities. Even if you have to catch up on work, keep your family
members somewhat engaged and nearby.

Other Work-Life Balancing Techniques 

Bring your children to the office if and when you can, and let them see their photos or
their creative work on your desk. This lets them know that they are in your mind and
heart. It helps them to understand, that you think of them often—and they will also feel a
part of what you do. Make their special day an adventure.

Employee Benefits

Employee benefits typically refers to retirement plans, health life insurance, life
insurance, disability insurance, vacation, employee stock ownership plans, etc. Benefits
are increasingly expensive for businesses to provide to employees, so the range and
options of benefits are changing rapidly to include, for example, flexible benefit plans.

Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee in
return for their contribution to the organization, that is, for doing their job. Some benefits,
such as unemployment and worker's compensation, are federally required. (Worker's
compensation is really a worker's right, rather than a benefit.)

Prominent examples of benefits are insurance (medical, life, dental, disability,

unemployment and worker's compensation), vacation pay, holiday pay, and maternity
leave, contribution to retirement (pension pay), profit sharing, stock options, and
bonuses. (Some people would consider profit sharing, stock options and bonuses as
forms of compensation.)

You might think of benefits as being tangible or intangible. The benefits listed previously
are tangible benefits. Intangible benefits are less direct, for example, appreciation from
a boss, likelihood for promotion, nice office, etc. People sometimes talk of fringe
benefits, usually referring to tangible benefits, but sometimes meaning both kinds of
benefits.

You might also think of benefits as company-paid and employee-paid. While the
company usually pays for most types of benefits (holiday pay, vacation pay, etc.), some
benefits, such as medical insurance, are often paid, at least in part, by employees
because of the high costs of medical insurance.

Employee Compensation

Compensation includes topics in regard to wage and/or salary programs and structures,
for example, salary ranges for job descriptions, merit-based programs, bonus-based
programs, commission-based programs, etc. (Also see the Related Info (including
Benefits)

Compensation is payment to an employee in return for their contribution to the

organization, that is, for doing their job. The most common forms of compensation are
wages, salaries and tips.
Compensation is usually provided as base pay and/or variable pay. Base pay is based
on the role in the organization and the market for the expertise required to conduct that
role. Variable pay is based on the performance of the person in that role, for example,
for how well that person achieved his or her goals for the year. Incentive plans, for
example, bonus plans, are a form of variable pay. (Some people might consider
bonuses as a benefit, rather than a form of compensation.) Some programs include a
base pay and a variable pay.

Organizations usually associate compensation/pay ranges with job descriptions in the

organization. The ranges include the minimum and the maximum amount of money that
can be earned per year in that role.

Employees have certain monies withheld from their payroll checks, usually including
federal income tax, state income tax, FICA (social security) contributions, and employee
contributions to the costs of certain benefits (often medical insurance and retirement).

Philippines Compensation Laws

The minimum wage in the Philippines depends on the location of your business. A
general estimate is that an employee would need at least 9,064 pesos to make a living
throughout the country. Employees are entitled to overtime of 1.30% of their regular
wages if they work on Sunday or a paid holiday. If an employee works more than eight
hours a day, they should receive 1.25% of their regular wages. However, these figures
could change if an employee is part of a union or collective bargaining agreement.

Employers are also responsible for giving employees a 13th-month salary. This 13th-
month bonus is equal to one month’s salary and has to be given to employees before
December 24. Most employers will try to give out 13th-month bonuses at the beginning
of December since Filipinos often use these bonuses to purchase Christmas gifts.

Guaranteed Benefits to Know

Your Philippines benefit management strategy must include statutory benefits that every
employee is guaranteed to receive. For example, employees must get five days of paid
time off that can be used for vacation or sick leave. The Philippines has two types of
holidays — regular and special non-working days. Employees get paid time off for
regular holidays and non-paid time off for special non-working days.