Ted Childs explains that company culture is the most important thing in retention of employees.
Archive
March 2011
Work-life Interference: Expanding our Measurement Conceptualization and Improving our Measurement
This project was funded by a SHRM Foundation research grant.
Funded: June 2008 Completed: June 2010
Ann Marie Ryan, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Jessica Fandre, Doctoral Student, Michigan State University
Elizabeth Oberlander, Doctoral Student, Michigan State University
Ruchi Sinha, Doctoral Student, Michigan State University
Alyssa Friede, Ph.D., DePaul University
Work/life balance is a problem in the United States, say 89 percent of 1,043 Americans in survey findings released September 1, 2010.
And while more than two-thirds of 613 full- and part-time workers say they have adequate balance in their lives, the recession has upended that balance for 31 percent of workers. When that happens, time with family is the first thing affected, followed by personal down time.
In an American Psychological Association survey conducted last summer, nearly 75 percent of respondents said they were stressed to unhealthy levels. More than 3,000 adults and young people were polled by Harris Interactive for the association’s 2010 Stress in America survey. Respondents’ top concerns were money, work and the economy.
In another survey of workplaces, conducted in November 2009, researchers reported that stressed-out workers call in sick more often and use more health insurance benefits.
Employers are asking more questions about how to handle stressed-out workers, according to Peter Petesch, an attorney with Littler Mendelson in Washington, D.C.
Employee communication is not a product, such as a newsletter or intranet, or a static event, like a staff meeting or annual survey, according to Linda Dulye, president and founder of Dulye & Co., a New York-based change management consultancy specializing in communications. It’s a continuing process that requires two-way feedback.
Yet for whatever reason, many organizations limit employee communication by scripting top-down communications tightly and sanitizing the findings of employee attitude surveys. That’s a mistake, according to Dulye.
Cristobal Conde shares his insight on how workplace flexibility allows businesses to recruit and retain the most talented employees.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the proportion of people younger than age 24 in the U.S. labor market is lower than at any other time since participation rates were first tracked more than 60 years ago. At the same time, the data show that workers age 50 and older are being employed longer—many working well into their 70s—than at any other time during those 60 years.
"Every clued-in business leader in America is now aware that workplace flexibility is a business imperative."
Kathleen E. Christensen is the Program Director for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This article was published on her blog on Huffington Post on February 1, 2011. Click here to see the entire post.
In addition to having traditional employees, many companies rely on temporary workers, independent contractors and consultants.
These workers may:
G. Brint Ryan discusses how workplace flexibility is a key business strategy at Ryan Inc., leading to reduced turnover, increased revenue, profits and client service scores.
Early in his HR career, Jose A. Berrios discovered he had a knack for identifying talent and leadership potential.
Berrios starts his two-year term this month as chair of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Board of Directors. Berrios first joined SHRM in 1989 and has been an active leader in the HR profession with SHRM and groups such as The Conference Board, Catalyst and the National Hispanic Corporate Council.
As the new year dawns, most economists predict better times on the way. This is great news for employers eager to get back on the road to prosperity. But for HR professionals, the turnaround will be tempered with daunting challenges.