WORK-LIFE BALANCE
US firms turn family-friendly to retain staff
A desire to keep hold of their top talent is the main reason why US employers are increasingly investing in work-life policies, according to a new survey by Bright Horizons Family Solutions and William M Mercer, the HR consultancy.
Seven in ten survey respondents cited staff retention as the number one motivation for introducing work-life programmes. Employee morale was ranked second, with recruitment in its wake.
Most prevalent work-life benefits . . .
|
| 2000 | 1998 |
| Casual dress | 90% | 84% |
| Tuition reimbursement | 90% | 85% |
| Unpaid leave | 86% | 85% |
| Healthcare spending accounts | 85% | 74% |
| Employee assistance programmes | 84% | 77% |
| Dependent care spending accounts | 82% | 82% |
Source: Survey of work-life initiatives 2000, by Bright Horizons Family Solutions and William M Mercer.
Strategic focus
The 456-company survey reveals that the key to effective work-life initiatives is aligning them with the organisation’ s business needs and strategies. Employers most commonly use the following approaches:
55% consider work-life programmes as part of an overall employer-of-choice strategy
38% incorporate them into relocation efforts
35% include them in organisational climate assessments .
A final word
Leading companies recognise that work-life initiatives can contribute to their cutting-edge competitiveness in a tight labour market. Not only do they offer the most generous and innovative initiatives, but they focus on creating a supportive work environment as a way to become the employer of choice in their respective industries. — Dana Friedman of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, co-author of the study.
Want to know more?
Title: Survey of work-life initiatives 2000, by Bright Horizons Family Solutions and William M Mercer.
Methodology: A questionnaire was sent to 5,000 US companies on the Dun & Bradstreet roster.
Sample size: A total of 456 organisations responded to the survey.
Availability: Contact your local William M Mercer office or email: stephanie.poe@us.wmmercer.com.
A summary of the survey, published 27 March 2001, is available free of charge on Mercer’ s news web site . . . www.wmmercer.com/us-news.
William M Mercer is a leading human resource consultancy with more than 13,000 employees. It serves clients in 132 cities spread across 37 countries . . . www.wmmercer.com
Bright Horizons Family Solutions is the world’ s leading provider of employer-sponsored childcare, back-up care, early education and work-life solutions . It operates family centres and provides work-life solutions for more than 275 clients in north America, Europe and the Pacific Rim . . . www.brighthorizons.com