Work-Life Balance a Top Driver for Employee Attraction and Engagement
According to a recent research study by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), work-life balance is now the second most important driver of employee attraction and commitment. More than 60% of the employees polled in the CEB study identified flexible schedules as "the most important work-life practice their employer could provide." Employees who feel they have a better work-life balance "tend to work 21% harder than those that don't."
Source:BusinessWeek.com, April 2009, "Special Report: Work-Life Balance"
Workplace Flexibility: Innovative Programs and Best Practices
In an Employee Benefit News audiocast, Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE Inc.) President Karen Kerrigan highlights the key lessons and practices that were shared by three company CEOs in the Flex Options teleconference: "Innovations in Flexibility: Taking it to the Next Level." This five minute feature offers tips and information helpful for businesses or organizations looking to implement or enhance flex-arrangements for their workforce.
On October 23, the U.S. Department
of Labor hosted the 2008 Opportunity Conference in Orlando,
FL. At the workshop session, “Flexibility
in the Workplace: How to Start or Enhance Flex Options for
Employees,” Jim Bird, CEO, WorkLifeBalance.com, reviewed
the many benefits of flexibility in work and life. Jim has
kindly shared his power point slides, which can be viewed
by clicking here.
Many thanks to Paulette Lewis,
Regional Administrator, Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department
of Labor, and Beth McCarty, Director, Talent Solutions,
Darden Restaurants for their outstanding presentations
at the workshop session as well.
//
National Study of Employers
Click here to see the full presentation, as provided by Ellen
Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute
Ms Kay Hirai, President of Studio 904, is strongly
committed to the company's mission of providing a high level
of service for her clients. When faced with
the challenge of maintaining an environment that would
continue to exceed customer expectations, while keeping
employees happy with schedules that met their needs,
Ms. Hirai and her management team developed a fact-seeking
process that ended up being a classic "win-win-win" for
customers, employees and Studio 904. Read
the full story here to learn how Studio
904 developed its successful flex scheduling program.
Special thanks to the Seattle Regional
Women’s
Bureau Office, U.S. Department of Labor, for submitting
this employer Best Practice in workplace flexibility.
Please join the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau for the next Flex Options teleconference on June 24, 2009 - 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT. Updates will be provided in key areas related to workplace flexibility including public policy, and the findings of a new study on flexibility for hourly workers. Guest experts include Elizabeth Watson, Legislative Counsel, Workplace Flexibility 2010, and John Wilcox, Deputy Director, Corporate Voices for Working Families. During this teleconference, you'll have an opportunity to join the discussion, ask questions, share best practices, and learn from other participants from across the nation. For more information, or to register, please click here.
In this recent Businessweek.com article "How Women are Redefining Work and Success" the reporter looks at how women are using "their increased economic power to bring about more creative, manageable work schedules." The article excerpts the new book Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success where co-authors Claire Shipman and Katty Kay note their desire for a path to success based on results, not hours worked, and provide data and examples on how and why the rules of work are changing.
According to the 2009 Work+Life Fit Reality Check annual survey, 94 percent of employees would be willing to accept a change or reduction in their schedule or take a pay cut to avoid layoffs. The "Reality Check" summary, which lists the types of actions and flexibility arrangements that employees would be willing to accept instead of a lay off, can be accessed by clicking here.
This free event, hosted by the Telework Forum in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, will feature presentations from fourteen companies offering ideas on how to cut costs and save money. You must register to attend this event. For additional information, please click here.
"Workplace flexibility initiatives for hourly employees are as successful as those designed for professional staff," according to a new study by Corporate Voices for Working Families. Businesses that offer hourly employees flexible work options find that they are "critical management tools that enhance recruitment, retention, engagement, cost control, productivity and financial performance." The study, Innovative Workplace Flexibility Options for Hourly Workers, was released May 7, 2009. Highlights and key findings of the report can be found in a media release by clicking here.
How do you go about implementing workplace flexibility? Where do you go to learn about creating a flexible workplace culture, or developing policies and procedures? This document was developed by Linda Rountree, Roundtree Consulting, LLC and Karen Kerrigan, Women Entrepreneur's, Inc. under a contract with the U. S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau for its Flex-Options Project. The updated guide includes the latest information about workplace flexibility, and new model practices to help business leaders, managers and employees develop and implement flexible workplace solutions. The Flex-Options Guide spells out flexibility definitions, benefits and common approaches; shares tools to "get started"; and includes helpful templates.
The Flex-Options editorial staff is solely responsible for the content of the up-dated Version 2: April 2009
// Flex-Options Contractor Team
Meet our diverse team of work-life specialists and women business experts working in collaboration to make Flex-Options for Women a great success.
This special advertising section in Fortune Magazine
includes several articles about work-life success
stories and programs. This special focus on
work-life demonstrates how flexibility
is hitting its stride as a widely utilized and growing
solution in the workplace.
National-Louis University (NLU)
developed a “Flexible Work Options” policy with support from the president of the university, as well as with input from various staff and administrative representatives. NLU's Vice President of Human Resources Thomas R. Bergman unveiled the new policy in a detailed memo, explaining how the policy was developed, the specific flexible arrangements that are offered and how employees can be considered if they wish to work flexibly. The memo also links to full policy. To read the memo about NLU's "Flexible Work Options" policy,
please click
here.
Special thanks to Region V, Women’s Bureau, U.S.
Department of Labor, for submitting this employer Best
Practice in workplace flexibility.
This Special Report published by Business Week covers
a range of issues regarding work-life balance including
the increasing call for work-life programs, telecommuting
(“once a perk, now a necessity”), and
a section dedicated to Twitter work-life balance
tips. One
section highlights recent Corporate
Executive Board (CEB) research, which finds that
work-life balance is "the second most important
driver of employee attraction and commitment." Accordingly, "the
best organizations recognize that the most appreciated
service they can provide their employees is the 'gift
of time.'" More than 60% of
the employees polled in the CEB study identified
flexible schedules as the most important work-life
practice their employer could provide.
To access “Special Report: Work-Life
Balance,” please click
here.
