Kenexa Research Institute finds Men and Women are not created equal

Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa (NASDAQ: KNXA), a leading provider of talent acquisition and retention solutions, evaluated how men and women perceive work/life balance. The report is based on the analysis of data drawn from a representative sample of 10,000 U.S. workers who were surveyed through WorkTrendsô, KRIís 2007 annual survey of worker opinions.

In todayís fast-paced world, companies are taking strides to help employees better handle the pressures of their jobs as well as their families. However, do men and women view the efforts of their employer in the same way? The WorkTrends survey asked participants about their companyís support for balancing work and family/personal responsibilities.

The latest research indicates that women are more positive than men in their perceptions of their companyís efforts to help them balance work and life responsibilities. Regardless of gender, those who indicated more favorability toward their organizationís efforts to support work/life balance also indicated a much lower intent to leave the organization.

Women who are working in small (100-249 employees) and moderately large (5,000-9,999 employees) companies are significantly more satisfied with their companiesí ability to allow for work/life balance than men who work in those same sized organizations.

The results also revealed that women in clerical and operative roles are significantly more satisfied about their organizationís effort in helping employees manage both work and personal needs than their male counterparts. Though women laborers felt more positive about their organizationsí efforts to help them balance work and personal responsibilities than their male counterparts did, those in this job type were the lowest in satisfaction among all surveyed workers.

Women working in light manufacturing, transportation services, accounting/legal, other personal services and education industries felt more positively about their organizationsí efforts to help them balance work and personal responsibilities than men did in these same industries.

ìThe results indicate that there has been a shift in womenís perceptions about work/life balance. In the past, women often found it more difficult to maintain balance due to the competing pressures at work and demands at home. For many employees today, both male and female, their lives are becoming more consumed with a host of family and other personal responsibilities and interests. Therefore, in an effort to retain employees, it is increasingly important for organizations - especially those in knowledge industries - to recognize this need for balance,î said Jack Wiley, executive director, Kenexa Research Institute.