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Here is a sampling of recent and innovative studies and initiatives by business groups and by labor and partnerships to ease the work-family bind: Business Initiatives
The companies featured in “Juggling Work and Family” – Baxter International, Hewlett Packard, Marriott and the Greater New York Hospital Association -- are far from being alone in recognizing the need to address the tensions that exist between work and home life. Many companies are beginning to realize that ignoring the stress between work and family is not only bad for their employees, it’s bad for business. Boston Bar Association The legal profession, and private law firms in particular, are on a collision course with lawyer's family needs, according to the Boston Bar Association's 1999 report, "Facing the Grail". Market competition has lead to increased focus on the bottom line as a measurement of success, creating a workplace culture in which "getting ahead" is equated with dedicating one's self to the firm at any hour of the day, seven days a week when necessary, at the ongoing expense of family relationships. The BBA report followed a ten-month study conducted by the BBA Task Force on Professional Challenges and Family Needs (now called the Task Force on Work-Life Balance) and urges law firms to take prompt remedial action. According to the findings, 43% of associates leave their firms within three years and attrition rates are even higher for women and minorities. Since associates do not provide a financial return on their firms’ investment in them until their fourth year, this results in a significant business expense. With women making up nearly half of all law school graduates, firms cannot afford to lose this segment of their workforce. Many private practices now offer reduced hours and flexible parental leaves, however the prevailing 'culture of success', which demands excessive hours and 24x7 availability, is a significant barrier to the implementation of these policies. As a result of the widespread attention "Facing the Grail" received, the BBA task force developed a plan to help bring about a commitment to work-life balance in the legal profession. One initiative has been to assist Managing Partners at 21 of the largest law firms in Massachusetts to evaluate their work-life programs and to institute more responsive strategies. Each of the Managing Partners has agreed to implement at least one new work-life practice in their firm such as job-sharing, part-time, or establishing work teams which will allow lawyers greater flexibility with balancing work and family. For more information, check out www.bostonbar.org/workfamilychallenges.htm
or contact: Nancer Ballard at Boston Bar Association, 16 Beacon
Street, Boston MA 02108 Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts "More Than Part-Time", a study conducted in 2000 by the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, highlights the impact of part-time work arrangements on the retention, recruitment and success of women attorneys in law firms. Though ninety percent of law firms have some type of official part-time policy, only four to five percent of lawyers work reduced hours, according to the report. Many lawyers believe that working reduced hours is "detrimental to one's career." The impact of a firm's policies and attitudes on part-time work extends far beyond those who have a reduced-hours arrangement. The vast majority of women who leave their firm do so because of the way part-time policies are implemented. They leave to work for employers who they perceive to be more family-friendly. For more information, check out www.womensbar.org/WBA/PartTimeReport.htm Corporate Voices Marriott International, led by their Vice President for Diversity and Workplace Effectiveness, Donna Klein, spearheaded the launching of Corporate Voices in April 2001 to promote a public dialogue on contemporary work-family issues. Specifically, the coalition seeks to bridge the gap between corporations and policymakers through links to academic research, advocacy groups, and state and federal policymakers. Companies like Verizon, IBM, Merrill Lynch and AOL Time Warner have banded together to find common ground and help policy-makers understand the challenges that businesses face on childcare, eldercare, family leave and workplace flexibility. Specific areas of dialogue include: changes to Family and Medical Leave Act, the Earned Income Tax Credit, tax incentives for corporate investment and the availability of all-day Kindergarten or Pre-K. For more information, contact Donna Klein, Executive
Director, VP Workforce Effectiveness, Marriott International Incorporated,
1 Marriott Drive , Dept. 935.12, Washington, DC 20058; The Employer Group The Employer Group is a consortium of companies with a significant entry-level, low-wage or hourly employee base, which meet to exchange experience, ideas and best practices. The members realize how important this segment of the workforce is to the bottom line at their companies. The group has met with key representatives from the Domestic Policy Council of the White House, the National Governor's Association, the U.S. Child Care Bureau, the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Census Bureau and congressional staff in D.C. to discuss the issues particular to their segment of the workforce and learn about public policies that affect their employees. Utilizing the expertise and information of researchers and policymakers, the Employer Group looks at ways to address the changing demographics and the needs of the growing immigrant population in an effort to attract and retain their workforce. These companies have learned that work-life policies are often a key factor in the equation. Developing flexible work arrangements, assessing child care needs and solutions, and understanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are among the critical issues this group addresses. Members of The Employer Group include Aetna Inc., ConAgra, Dress Barn, Federated Department Stores, Hyatt Hotel Corporation, Marriott International, Sears Roebuck & Company, and Target Stores. For more information contact: Kelly Sakai Work and Family Roundtable The Center for Work and Family at Boston College has developed two unique corporate membership associations: The National Work and Family Roundtable and the New England Work & Family Association (NEWFA). These partnerships not only create a valuable opportunity for corporate leaders to convene and explore the common challenges associated with addressing the work-life strategies for their companies, but they also provide a "sounding board" to ensure that the Center's research responds to the needs of the workplace. Workplace flexibility and elder care issues are at the top of the agenda for the Work and Family Roundtable, a national membership organization of approximately 50 employers, many of whom have been meeting together for a decade to address the needs of the changing workforce. Academics and consultants work with the group to address these challenges and provide new ideas that offer a return on investment. The Roundtable provides the leadership to shape corporate and public responses to the demands of the workplace, family, home, and community in order to enhance employee effectiveness. For more information, check out: www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/csom/cwf/center/ Work-life Leadership Council of the Conference Board Employee stress has been linked to rising health care claims and costs. The Work-life Leadership Council has taken an in-depth look at what can be done to make a difference to the bottom line and to employees’ health and well-being through work redesign and stress reduction practices. The council, which meets twice a year, has been a catalyst within the business community, focusing on the well-being of individuals, families and communities as essential to long-term workplace success. Since its formation in 1983, the council has identified emerging issues in the work-family field and has helped to shape and communicate appropriate business responses. For more information, check out: www.conferenceboard.org/search/dcouncil.cfm?councilsid=589
Several labor unions, among them, SEIU/Local 1199’s childcare fund, which is profiled in “Juggling Work and Family,” have mounted collaborative efforts with management to help ease the burden on working families. Unions and employers have come up with successful solutions that increase productivity and profits and benefit working families. Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Telephone Companies. The management of some of the nation’s top phone companies has joined with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to create family leave programs and child and elder care projects. Benefits vary at different sites but include 12-month maternity leave with an option of returning to work on a reduced schedule, family care leave for health emergencies, childcare referral services, and a Dependent Care Assistance Program. At BellSouth Telecommunications, CWA members enjoy flexible start and stop times as long as they are present during a core period of the day. Bell Atlantic offers employees on-site child care for children who are on school holiday. Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), Local 2 and the San Francisco Multi-Employer Group HERE took a more direct approach to a business/labor partnership. By illustrating the direct link between absenteeism and employee’s work-family juggling act, they persuaded 37 other San Francisco area hotels to create family-friendly policies. The resulting partnership led to the establishment of the 2/Hospitality Industry Child and Elder Care Fund in 1994. A joint labor/management committee oversees the fund. The fund provides subsidies to union members for childcare, youth programs and eldercare based on need. Since the fund started, employers have reported a decrease in absenteeism and efficiency has increased. Employers also grant union members Paid Time Off (PTO), a combination of sick and personal leave separate from their vacation time, which can also be used for caring for a sick family member. Union members can also claim up to $150 per month for non-reimbursed expenses related to care for a spouse, parent, grandparent or domestic partner. SEIU/Local 1199 and New York Hospitals It was a rumble of complaints about child care from hospital workers that led to a unique partnership between their union - SEIU/Local 1199 - and New York City’s hospitals. Frustrated with the lack of affordable, available childcare in an industry where the rank and file work odd hours at night or on weekends and often cannot leave at the end of their shift because of medical emergencies, the union requested money for an employee child care fund. Now management as well as labor touts the childcare fund as a great innovation. Today the fund receives $10 million annually in employer contributions, which support about 7,000 children a year. Union members receive subsidies for infant day care, after school and Saturday programs for school age kids, summer camp, and college prep classes for teens at New York University. UAW and Ford Motor Company In the auto industry, UAW and Ford have led the way in providing vital services to working families, including childcare, after-school programs, continuing education and access to volunteer networks. UAW members who take family and/or medical leave continue to receive their health benefits while they are on leave. The 1999 contract negotiations between the union and Ford management resulted in the creation of thirteen new, 24-hour childcare facilities for UAW members. Before and after school programs for children and teens as well as education classes for adults are another benefit of the UAW-Ford partnership. In addition the groups have created a program to link their members with selected childcare providers. The union also gives those providers professional training and assistance in upgrading their childcare services, which benefits their members and the entire community. UAW and General Motors Corporation In another example of one of the big three automakers partnering with the UAW, these two groups have formed a joint task force of union and management representatives and developed the Elder Care Response Line, a resource and referral program for workers with elder care concerns. The hotline provides members with access to qualified case managers 24 hours a day. A “Homework Hotline” is also available for young people who have homework questions when their parents are at work. |
