Work/Life Balance Steady

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Manish Kathuria
Work/Life Balance Steady
by Jared Shelly | HRE Online June 04, 2008

The uncertain economy hasn't negatively affected work/life balance policies on the whole, according to a recent study. But not all of the news is positive. Paid-time off for maternity leave has decreased and some of HR's focus has shifted from work/life to wellness initiatives.

Although the United States is in the midst of an economic downturn, the frequency of policies that promote work/life balance has not only held steady, but increased in certain aspects, according to the 2008 National Study of Employers.

The survey, released May 21 by the Families and Work Institute, of 1,100 companies with 50 or more employees located throughout the United States found, for example, that 79 percent of employers now allow at least some employees to periodically change their arrival and departure times, up from 68 percent in 1998.

Providing access to elder care increased from 23 percent to 39 percent, and employee-assistance programs rose from 56 percent to 65 percent.

Ellen Galinsky, president and founder of the New York-based Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research organization, says that even through rocky times, employers understand the importance of promoting work/life balance.

"They're seeing things like flexibility, caregiving leaves, child- and elder-care assistance, and health and economic security as ways to retain employees, which is important to do in good times and bad," says Galinsky. "That's different because, in the past, employers have tended to see these more as soft issues or perks for valued employees."

Over the past 10 years, there was no reduction in the maximum length of caregiving leaves offered to new mothers and fathers following childbirth or to employees caring for seriously ill family members, according to the study.

"The fact that there hasn't been a change in a difficult [economic] time indicates to me that these [policies] are becoming more mainstream," says Galinsky.

Bruce Byington, vice president of the Americas region for the Greensboro, N.C.-based Center for Creative Leadership, says that creating a work/life balance for employees is a pivotal issue for the executives who attend training classes at the nonprofit executive-education institute.

"The organizations that are progressive enough to understand that productivity does go up and leadership does improve, they have not backed off," says Byington.

The NSE survey, however, also showed work/life initiatives declining in some areas. Possibly the most glaring is that just 16 percent of employers provide full pay for maternity leave, compared to 27 percent in 1998.

"Having fewer companies providing paid-time off for new mothers after having a baby can really hurt," says Galinsky. "Those are significant changes."

Since maternity leave often comes under a company's disability policy, says Tom Klett, a senior consultant with Washington-based Watson Wyatt, the amount of paid leave really depends on the amount of time the employee spent working for the company.

"If you have a maternity event or break your ankle, if you've been with the company less time you're going to get less benefits," says Klett.

Although the NSE study showed an increase in the number of employers providing flexible work hours -- eight out of 10 allow it -- Klett says the increase in flexibility may not have come from companies trying to help employees, but is just a byproduct of the times.

"If you take this on a 10-year period, it's a little misleading," says Klett. "They also give people BlackBerries and laptops. Yes, you have more flexibility but if you get an email at 8 o'clock [a.m. or p.m.], they expect you to answer it. So it's come at a cost on the work-family side."

Klett says that many programs or initiatives geared to provide more of a work/life balance have been pushed to the back burner because of healthcare costs and the promotion of wellness plans.

"The emphasis has shifted," he says. "Many companies have tried to encourage their employees to be better consumers of healthcare. That takes time and effort and may have come from focusing away from more traditional work-family benefits."

Byington says that human resource executives should understand that creating policies that are more employee-friendly should positively affect profits.

"The challenge is helping people understand there is a bottom-line improvement if, in fact, we can develop a better work/life balance for people," he says
 
Work/Life Balance Steady
by Jared Shelly | HRE Online June 04, 2008

The uncertain economy hasn't negatively affected work/life balance policies on the whole, according to a recent study. But not all of the news is positive. Paid-time off for maternity leave has decreased and some of HR's focus has shifted from work/life to wellness initiatives.

Although the United States is in the midst of an economic downturn, the frequency of policies that promote work/life balance has not only held steady, but increased in certain aspects, according to the 2008 National Study of Employers.

The survey, released May 21 by the Families and Work Institute, of 1,100 companies with 50 or more employees located throughout the United States found, for example, that 79 percent of employers now allow at least some employees to periodically change their arrival and departure times, up from 68 percent in 1998.

Providing access to elder care increased from 23 percent to 39 percent, and employee-assistance programs rose from 56 percent to 65 percent.

Ellen Galinsky, president and founder of the New York-based Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research organization, says that even through rocky times, employers understand the importance of promoting work/life balance.

"They're seeing things like flexibility, caregiving leaves, child- and elder-care assistance, and health and economic security as ways to retain employees, which is important to do in good times and bad," says Galinsky. "That's different because, in the past, employers have tended to see these more as soft issues or perks for valued employees."

Over the past 10 years, there was no reduction in the maximum length of caregiving leaves offered to new mothers and fathers following childbirth or to employees caring for seriously ill family members, according to the study.

"The fact that there hasn't been a change in a difficult [economic] time indicates to me that these [policies] are becoming more mainstream," says Galinsky.

Bruce Byington, vice president of the Americas region for the Greensboro, N.C.-based Center for Creative Leadership, says that creating a work/life balance for employees is a pivotal issue for the executives who attend training classes at the nonprofit executive-education institute.

"The organizations that are progressive enough to understand that productivity does go up and leadership does improve, they have not backed off," says Byington.

The NSE survey, however, also showed work/life initiatives declining in some areas. Possibly the most glaring is that just 16 percent of employers provide full pay for maternity leave, compared to 27 percent in 1998.

"Having fewer companies providing paid-time off for new mothers after having a baby can really hurt," says Galinsky. "Those are significant changes."

Since maternity leave often comes under a company's disability policy, says Tom Klett, a senior consultant with Washington-based Watson Wyatt, the amount of paid leave really depends on the amount of time the employee spent working for the company.

"If you have a maternity event or break your ankle, if you've been with the company less time you're going to get less benefits," says Klett.

Although the NSE study showed an increase in the number of employers providing flexible work hours -- eight out of 10 allow it -- Klett says the increase in flexibility may not have come from companies trying to help employees, but is just a byproduct of the times.

"If you take this on a 10-year period, it's a little misleading," says Klett. "They also give people BlackBerries and laptops. Yes, you have more flexibility but if you get an email at 8 o'clock [a.m. or p.m.], they expect you to answer it. So it's come at a cost on the work-family side."

Klett says that many programs or initiatives geared to provide more of a work/life balance have been pushed to the back burner because of healthcare costs and the promotion of wellness plans.

"The emphasis has shifted," he says. "Many companies have tried to encourage their employees to be better consumers of healthcare. That takes time and effort and may have come from focusing away from more traditional work-family benefits."

Byington says that human resource executives should understand that creating policies that are more employee-friendly should positively affect profits.

"The challenge is helping people understand there is a bottom-line improvement if, in fact, we can develop a better work/life balance for people," he says

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