Not Just For Mommies | Local firms adopt modern attitude toward scheduling, training
For many, the term âwork/life balanceâ evokes images of mothers taking time off for school plays or even two women working out a job-share to spend more time with young kids.
But while it's true that nontraditional schedules offer huge benefits to many women who have kids as well as jobs, some employers say the value of flexible hours and other workplace perqs goes beyond simple peace of mind.
Retention Game
Some major Central Massachusetts employers say work/life programs help them retain young employees and boost productivity. Not to mention making life easier for dads, too.
At Abbott Bioresearch Center in Worcester it's definitely not just moms who are taking advantage of flexible schedules.
Mary K. Goldman, Abbott's senior manager of business and human relations, said 90 percent of workers there have taken advantage of compressed work weeks, part-time schedules, working from home or other nonstandard arrangements at some point.
Goldman herself lives far from her job, in New Hampshire, and has small children, so she works from home two days a week. But her reasons don't really matter that much, she said.
âHonestly whether it's for someone to attend a sports activity that they love or take their child to a school event, regardless of the reason we try to support them,â she said.
That attitude makes sense for companies that are worried about training young employees and then losing them to other companies in a year or two.
One study cited by the Sloan Work and Family Research Network at Boston College says that 66 percent of Generation X Americans are likely to leave their jobs for more control over their work schedules.
Those kinds of numbers may lead some older executives to see young workers as lacking dedication to their employers. According to David Platt, managing partner of Westborough accounting firm Carlin, Charron & Rosen LLP, that's not exactly wrong, but it ignores the experiences of young people.
Platt noted that many of the young adults entering the workforce today saw their parents laid off by companies that didn't seem concerned for their well-being.
In the eyes of many young workers, he said, âthere's no loyalty in corporate America, so they do have this side that says I'm not going to be loyal to them if they're not going to be loyal to me.â
To fight that perception, CCR has recently begun offering some unusual benefits. On the company dime, employees can take classes on work-related skills, learn to play golf or study wine tasting. CCR also offers free financial planning services that can help employees buy a first home or set up a college savings account for a new baby.
Climbing To The Top
But does taking advantage of flex time or other benefits hurt employees' ability to climb the corporate ladder?
Betsy Landry, human resources manager at the Mirick O'Connell law firm said that in some companies it may, but Mirick works hard to have a culture where flexible schedules are accepted as long as employees are able to meet their clients' needs.
She said the best proof that the system is working is that several lawyers at their firm have made partner while on reduced schedules.
Landry, Platt and Goldman all say one key to making work/life balance plans effective is making sure they are part of the company's culture so employees don't have to worry about looking like a slacker if they take advantage of them.
Another key is spending money. Asked how expensive CCR's education, personal enrichment and flexible work programs are, Platt answers âvery.â
And others say the same. But, they say, it's also expensive to train workers only to have them leave and need to be replaced.
According to a 2006 study by the policy group Corporate Voices For Working Families, 40 percent of workers making $100,000 a year or more have flexible schedules, compared to 22 percent of those making $25,000 to $50,000 and 10 percent of those who make less than that.
The numbers aren't surprising. Most employers are less worried about retaining clerks or receptionists than lawyers or VPs. But turnover is far higher among low-wage workers than those on the high end of the scale.
Goldman, who has been at Abbott for 11 years, said that not only makes good business sense but also makes her life as a HR executive who deals with all company employees much easier.
âIt's made me want to continue my career with Abbott,â she said.
âI'm not doing it because I have to, I'm doing it because I want to, and I truly do think that this is a great place to work.â
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