Family Friendly Workplace - Essay Example

? of the submitted: Question1 Discuss the key stages in the evolution of family-friendliness in the workplace. As business organizations take into consideration, acknowledge and react to employees’ family concerns, their approaches and schemes evolve in anticipated ways. Research done on this shows that, there are three distinct stages in the development of family-friendliness in any given organization workplace (Crompton, 2006). Step one implicates an attention on child-care and execution of one or more programs as well as numerous resistance in the entire organization. On the other hand in stage two, this is where there is a more supportive culture, widened perception of work and family, and a well-planned or coordinated set of reactions. Finally, in the last stage, is where companies or workplace organizations start to encounter the status quo and putting their attention towards forming a real family-friendly culture and neighboring community (Poelmans, & Caligiuri, 2008). Once an organization has put into practice one program or policy, the initial anxieties is unnecessary but instead, the firm has the prospective of widen its programs and carry on with the same for over a long period of time. The following figure illustrates the evolution and advancement work/family programs based on the research conducted by Family and Work Institute. The prospect of many business organizations or varied work places based on the quality of life for the employees’ families may rely entirely on how work and family engagements are solved. According to Crouter, & Booth (2009) adequate focus to these issues will be significant for promoting growth and development of the businesses or any organization. STAGE ONE Coming up with a programmatic approach or response STEP TWO Constructing an integrated attitude STEP THREE Transforming the culture COMMITMENT Emerging though uncertain issue Family friendly work place as a human resource issue Work life a competitive Overcoming presumptions: Forming a family friendly workplace is not a business issue. Parity implies the same policy for all workers Family friendly work place is a woman’s affair Child care assistance implies forming on or near-site amenities. Attention on child care is widened to entail other work/ family aspects such as relocation and elder care. Programs and policies widened The aspects of family friendly workplace in the entire company are incorporated in such subjects as gender parity and diversity. There is a drive towards a life-cycle attitude, hence widening the idea of work-family to work/life Company concerns extends to world issues and concerns Constructing work-family policies is recognized as a continuous, vibrant and problem-solving procedure PROCESS Recognizing the problem Integrating the duties for work/family programs and policies Mainstreaming the matters Devoted individuals takes on the responsibility of making a business case for a firm to react to work-family matters Part or full time duty is assigned to an individual at higher rank usually manager, director or vice president Executing flexible leave and time policies and programs become central. Champion (s) persuades and convinces the firm’s management that ignoring the work/life programs comes with consequences such as workers may miss time and become less productive to the firm especially if the issues are related to family life such as child care are not met The place of work-family coordinator may be established, high rank commitment starts to show up Work-family policies and programs are recognized as a key to engaging and maintaining competent workers Varying the workplace to be more comfortable and flexible to the worker calls for organizational culture assumptions to be put into considerations. Work-family administration training is carried out or such training is incorporated into central management training programs Champion(s) illustrate variety of possible solutions if a task force is established to evaluate and determine the worker’s needs and normally it emphasizes on child care. Training to assist supervisors accomplish work-life matters may be established and in case a task force is formed, its concern in basically on work-family matters. In case a task force is formed, its concern in basically on work-family matters. Source: Families and Work Institute, New York Question2 Explain the factors driving the growth of work-family and work-life programs and benefits. Companies and business organizations often inculcate work/family policies in their business operations through adoption of family-friendly programs given that these initiatives come with numerous business benefits. The three major reasons driving the development and implementation of these work/life and work-life programs are productivity, recruitment and retention or workers and employees, and workers commitment. The concept of retention is very significant to any employer, and its importance is often realized when baby boomers retire and their place taken up smaller generations. Furthermore, employee retention is progressively appreciated as corporations and business organizations realize that the cost of engaging and training new workers is costly than offering work-life benefits (Mack, 2002). Varieties of research studies have been carried out to examine the impacts of work-life balance benefits. For instance, Paul Osterman in his comprehensive study proposed three major reasons that can drive employers to implement work/family and work-life programs. These reasons are but not limited to; to lessen absenteeism rates, to encourage recruitment and maintenance of employees, and to bolster commitment to the business organization. In another research study conducted by Steven L. Grover and Karen Crooker, the two scholars found the correlation that exist between employee or workers commitment and benefits such as parental leave, child-care assistance, flexible programming of work, and child-care information. The striking feature about this study was that the concept of employee’s commitment improved irrespective of whether the worker or employee was a beneficiary or a nonuser of the benefits of these programs. These observations were also echoed by a recent research study done by Aeon Consulting firm in 1998. They similarly established a relationship between family-friendly work place benefits and employee commitment. Moreover, a study carried out by Caser Wendy and Buffardi Louis revealed that supple scheduling and reliable care assistance offered by employers are correlated to applicants’ intents to work with these companies. Generally, quality of employees’ jobs and supportiveness of the work place based on family friendly environment have direct influence on productivity, commitment, retention and job satisfaction (Paludi & Neidermeyer 2007). Question 4 How do the needs of new and single workers differ from workers with young children? Discuss the role of the workplace in treating workers equitably regardless of whether workers are married or single or have kids or not. Paludi & Neidermeye (2007) explains that one of the major concerns with the implementation of family-friendly programs in any given workplace is criticism from single employees. Single or unmarried workers often feel that they are not subjected to the same scale of treatments and benefits as their married counterparts or their coworkers with children, as they cannot enjoy some of the benefits offered by some of the family-friendly programs invested on by the company organizations. For example, according to many programs and policies in most of the companies, married and workers with young children often receive more overall compensation because of the extra benefits than their socially single coworkers or childless employees (Lewis Brannen, & Nilsen 2009). To solve this impasse, and in effort to treat workers and employees equitably, organizations often come with flexible benefits plan whereby, single employees or childless workers can choose other kinds and forms of benefits, leaving the family- friendly benefits to their married counterparts. In addition to, experts purports that employers should develop a kind of work-life programs and policies that permits employees or workers flexibility regardless of their marital status, for any activity done outside the workplace, other than just concentrating on “family- friendly benefits enjoyed by only employees or workers with children. Hence, if every worker can appreciate and recognize the flexible working hours and telecommuting or other forms of work organizations that allow proper management of employee’ life, then there are high chances that these programs or policies will be accepted by all employees ( Galinsky, Friedman, Hernandez, 1991). References Crompton, R. (2006). Employment and the family: the reconfiguration of work and family life in contemporary societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Crouter, A. C., & Booth, A. (2009). Work-life policies. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press. Galinsky, E., Friedman, D., Hernandez, C. (1991). Corporate Reference Guide to Work-Family Programs. New York: Families & Work Institute. Hewlett, S. (1992). When the Bough Breaks: The Cost of Neglecting Our Children. New York: Harper Perennial. Lewis, S., Brannen, J., & Nilsen, A. (2009). Work, families and organisations in transition European perspectives. Bristol, UK: Policy Press. Mack, D. R. (2002). Balancing work and family. Retrieved November 5, 2002, from http://www.shrm.org /cnsultants/linoks/balancing.htm Paludi, M. A., & Neidermeyer, P. E. (2007). Work, life, and family imbalance: how to level the playing field. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. Payne, E., & Bloomfield, J. (2000). The new workplace: innovative work/life strategies from small businesses. San Francisco: Business for Social Responsibility :. Poelmans, S. A., & Caligiuri, P. (2008). Harmonizing work, family, and personal life: from policy to practice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Read More