Meeting Employee Needs

          The needs of employees have changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Fueled by a rapid increase in the number of women entering the workforce, more and more employees are expecting - and demanding - a balance between the expectations of work and the demands of personal life. No longer can managers tell employees to "leave their personal lives at home." Today´s managers recognize that what happens at home has a dramatic impact on performance at work - and vice versa.

          Record low unemployment is fueling a business trend to help employees balance home and work responsibilities, says Purdue University work-life expert David Thompson.  

          An online survey conducted by The Washington Post´s web site (www.washingtonpost.com) asked respondents what special privileges would be most appealing to them. Of the 3400 respondents, the results broke down as follows:

 

          Recognizing the diverse needs of employees, more companies are offering creative services from on-site dry cleaning to cafeteria take-home meals to help boost employee job satisfaction and overall wellness. Thompson says business has learned that a people-friendly and family-friendly workplace can reduce turnover costs, reduce employee stress and be a strategic weapon in recruiting and retention.    

          Popular wisdom used to be that employees should leave their home lives at home. No more. Today there is a widespread understanding that personal issues do impact performance in the workplace and that managers should assist employees in balancing their work and life needs.  

          Today´s tight labor market and increased desire for work/life balance is leading to employees demanding - and receiving - more unusual recruitment perks such as portable vacation time, outsourcing laundry services and providing child and elderly care, says Drake Beam Morin (DBM) a global workplace consulting firm.      

          Joan Stewart, author of the booklets 113 Tips for Recruiting Valuable Employees and 107 Tips for Keeping Valuable Employees (www.publicityhound.com/tips.html) says companies are responding to employee needs in a variety of ways:

§                 Flexible work schedules so people can take care of kids and elderly parents.

§                 Mandatory paid sabbaticals that must be taken aside from regular vacations.

§                 Some companies are advertising themselves as "gay-friendly" workplaces to attract gay job applicants during this difficult labor shortage

§                 Offering more and better training that contributes to the employees´ career goals.

§                 Offering closer contact with executives at the top through things such as "Breakfast with the Boss" programs

§                 Doing quarterly performance reviews instead of annual reviews.

"Work/life programs today can range from concierge services to discount portals to gift management services and more," says Jerry Epstein, PeopleTrends Network President, CEO and founder. "Employers must cater to employee needs today to help manage their work/life balance issues - companies need to realize that they need to put in as much, if not more, effort into retaining employees as they do in the recruiting process."

But attention to work/life issues doesn´t necessarily mean coming up with unusual or expensive "perks," points out Sharon Jordan-Evans, co-author of of Love ´Em or Leave ´Em: Getting Good People to Stay. "Often managers say, ´my hands are tied, this is not a family friendly company - we don´t have all those fancy perks.´ What I say is ´there´s plenty you can do.´" She points to two key areas where an impact can be made: family and reconsidering the rules.

Family - Get Friendly

          In terms of family, Jordan-Evans points out; leaders need to redefine what family means and to think about family in a much broader way. "We often think of family as a mom and a dad and little kids," she says, "but what we know is that the shape of the family has really shifted over time. A family now could easily be a Gen X´er and his dog, or a boomer and her parents."

          Recognizing the unique needs of employees and understanding that each employee´s "family" is very different is a key first step in meeting the needs of the "whole" employee.

          "Caring," she says, "is one simple way to address the whole issue of family and the balance between work and life. "More than ever I believe employees are expecting - and, in some cases, even demanding - that they have some kind of balance."

Reconsider the Rules

          An employee asks to switch to a more flexible schedule to accommodate childcare needs. Another employee would like to work from home. A group of employees suggest a new management style that offers more of a team approach and shared responsibility within the workgroup.

          The most common responses these employees hear? "That´s against the rules," or "We don´t do that here."

          "One question we ask managers quite often," Jordan-Evans says, "is, ´which will you keep - the rules or your people?´ Managers, I believe, really can and should take a look at the rules to see where they can be bent or flexed - or flat out broken - in order to help an employee."

          According to a poll of senior executives at DBM, there are many myths associated with what works - and what doesn´t - when it comes to employee retention. Among these: "we can´t hold onto good people." Today´s reality is that companies need to adopt a more flexible and understanding approach to meeting individual needs by creating an environment in which employees want to stay and grow. Employees need to be viewed as free agents, not fixed assets, suggests DBM. Effective retention, they say, involves cementing employee commitment to company goals and integrating them within the structure, strategy and culture of the new organization. And, of course, recognizing that employees´ lives extend beyond the brick and mortar of the workplace.

          "People haven´t lost their ability to be loyal to a boss, to a project or to a team," says Jordan-Evans. "But they don´t do it automatically. They do it in response to caring, open, supportive and flexible acts on the part of managers."

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Sharon Jordan-Evans is a co-author of Love ´Em or Leave ´Em: Getting Good People to Stay. In the chapter on "Family," a number of strategies and solutions are offered for helping organizations address the work/life needs of employees:

§                 If employees must travel on weekends, offer something in exchange, such as comp time during the week or allowing family members to travel with the employee.

§                 When your employees travel to areas where they have family or friends, allow them to spend extra time with those people at the beginning or end of the trip.

§                 If company policy absolutely prohibits bringing pets to work, consider a picnic in a park where those furry family members are welcome.

§                 Give your employees a "floating" day off per year to be used for a special occasion. Or suggest they go home early on their birthday or anniversary.

§                 Have a party for your team and their families. Invite the kids (or hire sitters for small ones) and go for pizza together.

§                 When an employee asks about working from home, really explore that possibility. What are the upsides? Downsides? Get creative about how that might work to benefit both the employee and your team.