Work/Life Programs on the Rise as Companies Seek "Savvy" Employees

One of the hottest trends in workplace benefits is work/life programs and policies that many large and more recently smaller organizations, are offering as a way to attract and retain good employees.

Job seekers are becoming increasingly savvy about these options and seeking these programs to help them make wise decisions as to where to find gainful employment in family friendly environments.

What exactly does all this mean? According to Runzheimer International, "Family friendly workplaces are those where policies, benefits and practices have been modified for the purpose of giving families more flexibility in meeting their job responsibilities as well as their fundamental need to nurture and be nurtured across at least three generations."

Over the years there has been minimal support from companies for working parents to assist them in meeting the stringent demands and pressures of work and home. However as society and demographics have changed, organizations are realizing that the reality cannot be denied. Some facts from Runzheimer reinforce the issue: "Within the next five years, two out of three women will be in the labor force: One in five working fathers has child care responsibilities and by the year 2000, one out of every three workers will be caring for an aging relative."

Work/life programs can include, but not be limited to, the following:

Wellness programs offer varying degrees of perks from an onsite fitness center to reduced health club membership fees. Health programs such as smoking cessation or weight reduction, along with others, frequently are available for employee education.

Employee assistance programs provide a safe and confidential avenue to help deal with problems that one does not want to share with coworkers.

Resource and referral programs provide workers with the information to assist in the decision making processes surrounding dependent care issues such as child care, elder care, sick care/emergency resources and adoption to name a few. Companies can purchase resource and referral services on a per employee rate or a fee for service basis.

Dependent care programs provide on- or off-site resources for child or adult day care, sick dependent care, before and after school care, and day camps. These programs can be shared by different organizations, or companies can establish agreements for reduced rates at existing off-site facilities.

Family friendly practices also may include part-time schedules or job sharing arrangements, flextime, four-day-a-week work schedules, flexplace (meaning that one does not have to be at the place of employment to perform work duties, including telecommuting). Other policies can include no fault leave, family leave, relocation and spouse employment assistance. Some companies offer cafeteria benefit plans where one can select benefits that are important for the family, or flexible spending accounts that allow employees to "bank" a portion of the salary to pay for dependent care programs or unreimbursed medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. Companies also benefit in that these programs reduce their FICA contributions.

There are many other types of work/family benefits that exist varying from company to company. Some include adoption benefits, work-family support groups, corporate foundation giving, family illness days, long term care insurance and on-site caregiver fairs.

The benefits of work/life programs are immense. It has been shown that they improve morale among workers, increase productivity, enhance recruitment, and decrease absenteeism and tardiness. In addition, these programs can significantly reduce stress, foster a healthy workforce and demonstrate without a doubt that the company cares about the employees. Many workers will return to a company that offers these benefits after taking a leave. And most important, work/life programs can decrease company costs.

So with this knowledge in hand, how does a job seeker go about finding family friendly work places? The first thing to do, as with any aspect of job seeking, is to do your research. Through the newspaper, local human resources organizations such as the

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Internet, other professional associations such as the Association of Work/Life Professionals and networking contacts, job seekers can determine which companies offer a particular benefit or policy that is important to their personal and family well being.

A work/life specialist at The IMPACT Group offers the following advice. "Give yourself permission to evaluate your values and decide what is important. Ask yourself what did not work at my last position. Don’t just look at salary and location, but review the entire package. Ask good questions to determine their policies. Do part-timers get benefits? What EAP do they use or do they have a resource and referral program? How are these policies adhered to and practiced in the company?"

As in any job search, remember that you have the right to interview the prospective company just as they have the right to interview you. However, do not appear greedy by asking right away about specific benefit programs. These questions usually are reserved to a second interview. Remember that you still need to sell yourself and your skills to the company so that they want to hire you.