The purpose of The Work-Life Evolution Study is to review the history of the field, examine current trends, and project potential future directions for employers and practitioners in the work-life arena. In this study, we examined the following:

1. How have large companies’ workforce management strategies evolved in response to the need for work and family integration over the past 15 years?
2. What are the current and anticipated trends that thought leaders in the work-life field view as important?
3. How will these anticipated trends impact workforce management practices and the focus of the work-life field going forward? In this report, we will discuss the study’s results and how they suggest we shift our thinking about ways to effectively manage people through their career life cycle, thereby yielding positive outcomes for employees, organizations, and society. This undertaking is one of the ways that the Boston College Center for Work & Family is striving to bridge the worlds of research and practice in the work-life field.