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Business Impact A 2010 study o 4,000 working parents

ound that employees with dependent-care supports provided by their employerreported less stress and signi cantly betterhealth than employees without access tothese services. Nearly a third (31%) o thosewith dependent care were less likely toreport lost productivity due to stress, and25% had ewer personal health problems.These same employees were more engagedin their work and exhibited more loyalty.Source: Bright Horizons. 2010. Enhanced employee health, well-being, andengagement through dependent care supports. A report rom the consultingpractice at Bright Horizons. Watertown, MA.

A study by Bright Horizons demonstratesthe impact o employer-sponsored ull-service child care on recruitment andretention:

- 68% o parents using ull-servicecenters said that worksite child carewas important in their decision to jointheir company.

- 94% o parents using ull-service centerssay that worksite child care would a ecttheir decision to make a job change.Source: Bright Horizons. 2008. The Lasting Impact o Employer-SponsoredFull-Service Child Care. Watertown, MA.

Child care and elder care enhancerecruitment e orts in a competitivemarketplace. A 2009 study demonstratedthat availability o child-care bene tsinfuenced the job choices o 58% oparticipants and elder-care bene tsinfuenced the choices o 33%.Source: Thompson, L.F., and Aspinwall, K. R. 2009. The recruitment value owork/li e bene ts. Personnel Review 38(2): 195-210.

Employers o ering dependent care alsorealize savings on health-care and disabilitypayments because employees usingthese services are three times less likelyto be in treatment or such serious healthconditions as high blood pressure, highcholesterol and diabetes conditions

or which organizations spend billions odollars each year.Source: Bright Horizons. The Lasting Impact o Employer-Sponsored Full-Service Child Care. Watertown, MA.

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Caring or Dependents

Work-life support began in response to the in ux of women into the workforceafter World War II. The rst work-life issue that employers faced was theneed to nd or provide quality care for the children of mothers going to work.Employer-sponsored child care is the highest quality in the country today. At atime when only a third of secondary school students graduate and employersare faced with too many poorly educated workers, investment in dependentcare for employees children not only pays off in more productive, engaged

employees but creates a more solid educational foundation for the workforceof the future. According to a 2010 U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, everydollar invested today in high-quality education for children from birth to age

ve saves from $2.50 to as much as $17 in the years ahead.

Dependent care encompasses policies and services that are designed toreconcile parenthood, other unpaid care giving and employment, for menas well as women. This service has greatly expanded over the past decadeto include elder-care support for the parents and other elderly relatives ofthe growing number of dual-career families. More recently, given an increasein the incidence of children with special needs (such as autism) and elderswith Alzheimers, there is a new focus on providing support for employedcaregivers themselves.

Some examples of typical programs and services are:

Child care:

Child-care resource and referral services

Child-care discount program at national providers

Emergency backup child-care service(two options: center-based and in-home care)

Elder care:

Elder-care resource and referral services

Long-term care insurance

Emergency backup elder-care service


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Business Impact A 2009-2010 Towers Watson survey

reported that companies with the moste ective health and productivity programsachieved 11% more revenue per employee,delivered 28% higher shareholder returns,and had lower medical trends and ewerabsences per employee.

According to a 2010 meta-analysis o the

literature on costs and savings associatedwith workplace wellness programs, medicalcosts all by about $3.27 or every dollarspent on wellness programs.Source: Baicker, K., Cutler, D., & Song, Z. 2010. Workplace wellnessprograms can generate savings. Health Affairs 29(2): 304-311.

According to a 2005 study on the businessimpact o employee wellness programs,participants averaged three ewermissed workdays than those who did notparticipate in any wellness programs.The decrease in absenteeism translatedinto a cost savings o $15.60 or everydollar spent.Source: Aldana, S.G., Merrill, R.M., Price, K., Hardy, A., & Hager, R. 2005.

Financial impact o a comprehensive multisite workplace health promotionprogram. Preventive Medicine 40(2): 131-137.

A ve-year tness study showed that morethan 300,000 participants demonstrateda 16% decrease in hospital claims amongthose who increased or consistentlymaintained physical activity, according tothe Healthcare Intelligence Network.

A 2010 study revealed that respondentsusing dependent-care supports o ered bytheir employer:

- Report ewer instances o chronic ando ten preventable health issues

- Report less stress and ewer minor andmajor mental and physical health issues

- Are less likely to report lost workproductivity due to stress

- Are less likely to consider looking or anew job

- Are more engaged in their work asrevealed by 12 measures o employeeengagement.Source: Bright Horizons. 2010. Enhanced employee health, well-being,and engagement through dependent care supports. A report rom theconsulting practice at Bright Horizons. Watertown, MA.

Proactive Approaches to Health and Wellness

Reduction of performance-inhibiting and morale-draining stressors in theworkplace is the central premise of work-life effectiveness.

Because the negative impact of stress-related illness has been shown toeclipse the combined annual pro ts of the FORTUNE 500 companies, focusingon this category of work-life support holds the most promise of contributingto the reduction of escalating health-care costs. Some examples of these

programs and services are: Employee assistance programs (EAP)

Health promotion initiatives

Concierge service

Workplace convenience services

Fitness center af liations

On-site work-life seminars (e.g., stress reduction, nancial planning,parenting, etc.)

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Business Impact Employees with access to high levels

o fexibility are more likely to beengaged in their jobs, have higher

job satis action, want to remain withtheir employer and are in better healththan employees who have access tomoderate or low levels o fexibility.Source: National Study o the Changing Work orce, 2008.

According to a 2009 survey oemployers and employees by Spherion,90% o organizations say their work/ li e balance programs have improvedworker satis action, and nearly three-

ourths (74%) say they have improvedretention o workers.

JPMorgan Chase ound that 95% oemployees working in an environmentwhere the manager is sensitive to workand personal li e including in ormalfexibility elt motivated to exceedexpectations, compared to 80% oemployees in environments where themanager is not sensitive to such needs.Source: Corporate Voices or Working Families. 2011. Business Impactso Flexibility: An Imperative or Expansion. Washington, D.C.

Internal research at Procter & Gamblevalidates that on a global basis,fexibility, energy and simpli cationo work demands drive work-li ee ectiveness and personal well-being, which in turn drive businessper ormance and the companys abilityto remain an employer o choice.Source: Corporate Voices or Working Families. 2011. BusinessImpacts o Flexibility: An Imperative or Expansion. Washington, D.C.

Creating a More Flexible Workplace

Workplace exibility refers to management practices that optimize controlover when, where and how work gets done by individuals and teams.Flexibility (broadly de ned) is empirically shown to increase engagement,retention, productivity and even wellness, and is thus an essential pillar ofthe work-life portfolio. It is grounded in a business strategy that connects

exible management practices with the need to increase the levels ofspeed, agility, innovation and creativity in an increasingly complex and ever-

changing global economic, social and political context. There are many toolsand approaches employed to enhance workplace exibility, including exiblecareer strategies, exible bene t options, management training and workredesign that streamlines processes and eliminates low-value work. One ofthe most common tools employed to increase workplace exibility involvesthe provision of exible scheduling.

Some examples of these options for customizing how work is done are:

Full-Time Options:

Flextime

Telework or Telecommuting

Compressed workweek

Part-Time Options:

Part-time schedule

Job sharing

Phased return from leave

More recent and transformational approaches to work redesign includeThe Results Only Work Environment (R.O.W.E.) approach developed at thecorporate headquarters of Best Buy and Mass Career Customization, createdby Deloitte LLP.


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Financial Support or Economic Security

Providing nancially for ones self and loved ones is fundamental to achievingwork-life effectiveness. On this front, bene ts, compensation and work-lifeprofessionals collaborate and communicate the value of nancial strategiesand programs. Some examples of these programs and services are:

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401(k) plan

Personal nancial planning service

Pension plan

Adoption reimbursement

Tuition reimbursement (studentaid/loan programs)

Dependent care exible spendingaccounts

Health care exible spendingaccount

Voluntary bene ts (e.g. , auto,home, pet insurance)

Mortgage assistance

Pre-negotiated discounts on avariety of products and services

Personal days/vacation

Paid holidays

Paid family leave for new parents(fathers as well as mothers)

Sabbaticals

Responsive shift-work policies

Paid leave bank andbuy-back programs

Extreme travel comp-time policies

After-hours email andcalling policies

Creative Use o Paid and Unpaid Time OTime to spend with loved ones and in ones community is the most fundamentalelement of work-life support. Some newer policies in this category includepaid family leave for new fathers as well as mothers, and paid or release timefor community service. Some examples of these programs and services are:

Business Impact 67% o employees indicate that the

availability o retirement bene ts such aspension programs and retirement savingsaccounts contributes to their loyalty to theiremployer.Source: MetLi e. 2010. Study o employee bene ts trends: Findings rom the 8thannual national survey o employers and employees. New York.

According to a 2010 Towers Watsonretirement attitudes survey, one- ourth oemployees cite their companys retirementprogram as an important actor in theirdecision to work or their current employer;even more cite it as an important actor intheir decision to stay with their employer.

99% o employees who participated inthe HealthyMoney Program o ered byPepsi Bottling Group* (in partnership withPricewaterhouseCoopers) indicated that theprogram met or exceeded expectations. Theprogram minimizes the stress and uncertaintyemployees ace related to personal issues likestruggling to get out o debt, guring out howto send a child to college, acing oreclosure,or ensuring that loved ones are provided or inthe event o a disability or death.*A 2009 recipient o Alliance or Work-Li e Progresss Work-Li e InnovativeExcellence Award

Business Impact Five months a ter mandating a ull day o

each week at the 24/7 on-call culture atBoston Consulting Group, the quality owork delivered to clients improved; worke ciency increased; team communicationelevated; silos eroded, while job satis actionand intent to stay signi cantly increased.Perlow, L., and Porter, J. 2009. Making Time O Predictable and Required.Harvard Business Review.

Accentures Future Leave program*, a sel -unded sabbatical, is designed to provide

fexibility to all employees as they address li eevents. Employees determine a percentage otheir pay to bank to prepare or their utureleave. Accenture is currently tracking FutureLeaves impact on decreased health-care

costs, improved engagement and retention.*A 2008 recipient o Alliance or Work-Li e Progresss Work-Li e InnovativeExcellence Award

Employers who coordinated their own wagereplacement bene ts (such as paid sickdays or vacation) with the state Paid FamilyLeave program realized cost savings due toreduction in turnover.Source: Appelbaum, E., and Milkman, R. 2011. Leaves That Pay: Employer andWorker Experiences With Paid Family Leave in Cali ornia.


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10 11

Business Impact A 2011 Harris Interactive survey

revealed that a majority o workersbelieve that an employers dedicationto the environment is as importantas the pro t they generate. 63% o

ull-time workers take a companysimpact on the environment intoaccount when evaluating a newworkplace. 71% value a commitmentto sustainability. 61% say the sameabout pro tability.

Employer-sponsored volunteerism isstrongly associated with a positiveorganizational identity, accordingto a study conducted with workingpro essionals who had participatedin volunteer programs.Source: Houghton, S., Gabel, J., & Williams, D. 2009. Connecting thetwo aces o CSR: Does employee volunteerism improve compliance?Springer Science & Business Media 87.

According to a survey conducted byUnited Healthcare and VolunteerMatchin April 2010, employees whoparticipated in corporate-sponsoredvolunteer programs reported astrengthened bond with co-workersand colleagues.

Hospital Corporation o America(HCA)* actualizes its mission ocaring by providing volunteer leavehours, a policy that has doubledemployee volunteerism and greatlyincreased the level o both companyand employee philanthropic giving.Measurable impacts include higherenergy and engagement, a sterlingreputation in the community, and therecruitment o top talent as a bona-

de employer o choice.*A 2010 recipient o Alliance or Work-Li e Progresss Work-Li eInnovative Excellence Award

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Community Involvement

Employers and employees interests are in close alignment when it comesto community, because both the workforce and customers come from thecommunity in which the organization operates. Community focus is expandingto include not only new types of external community outreach, but also arenewed internal focus on building a strong internal sense of community.Some examples of these programs and services are:

External outreach:

Community volunteer program

Matching gift program

Internal sharing:

Shared leave program (donating personal/vacation time to others facingemergency situations, such as a child with terminal illness or otherfamily catastrophe)

Disaster relief fund

Good Corporate Citizenship

Corporate Social Responsibility

Green initiatives


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Business Impact Ryan LLCs myRyan initiative* shi ts

the work culture rom measuringhours worked to results achieved.

Voluntary t urnover has decreasedrom 18.53 in 2008 to 6.45 in 2010.

Clients and employees are happierand revenue is solid.*A 2011 recipient o Alliance or Work-Li e Progresss Work-Li eInnovative Excellence Award

A 2011 study ound that employeeturnover is lower or employeesparticipating in the ROWE initiative,which o ers employees greater work-time control and fexibility, regardlesso employees gender, age or amilyli e stage.Moen, P., Kelly, E., & Hill, R. 2011. Does enhancing work-time controland fexibility reduce turnover? A naturally occurring experiment.Social Problems 58(1): 69-98.

Mass Career Customization(MCC)* has had a positive e ecton retention, engagement, morale,client satis action, revenue andproductivity. In a single year there wasa 12% increase in satis action.*A 2011 recipient o Alliance or Work-Li e Progresss Work-Li eInnovative Excellence Award (Deloitte LLP)

A 2007 study suggests thatorganizational-culture variables suchas airness, inclusion, stress andsocial support are related to employeeoutcomes o well-being, job satis actionand organizational commitment.Source: Findler, L., Wind, L. H., & Mor Barak, M. E. 2007. Thechallenge o work orce management in a global society: Modeling therelationship between diversity, inclusion, organizational culture, andemployee well-being, job satis action and organizational commitment.

Administration in Social Work 31(3): 63-94.

A 2010 study suggests that airness,opportunities or personal growth,enthusiasm or the job and goodreputation enhance job satis action.Source: Bellou, V. 2010. Organizational culture as a predictor o job satis action: The role o gender and age. Career DevelopmentInternational 15(1): 4-19.

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Eliciting Management Buy-Inand Trans orming Organizational Culture

Achieving culturally embedded work-life effectiveness at all organizationallevels requires strong leadership in culture change management, changecommunication, new approaches to management education, training androle modeling to create collegial, agile, productive and more pro table workenvironment.

New research generated by the NIH-funded Work, Family & Health Networkprovides data on how speci c behaviors by managers toward employees canpredict employee cardiovascular risk, sleep duration and even elevated stresshormone production in children of employees. These insights are clarifying howimperative it is that everyone with managerial responsibility understand theirrole in creating and sustaining the most supportive, healthy and productivework environment possible. Culture is the organizational oxygen thateveryone breathes, so employees need to understand their accountability aswell. Great workplaces arent accidental. They are engineered and sustainedby a workforce committed from top to bottom to a higher quality of life for thegood of the business, workers, their families and communities.

In order to eliminate any residual barriers to the full engagement andproductivity of every contributor, it is sometimes necessary to launch

specific interventions to eliminate existing cultural barriers to the fullproductivity of every individual contributor. Thus, there is synergy betweenwork-life effectiveness, diversity initiatives, womens advancement,mentoring, networking and other change management endeavors.

Some examples of these programs and services are:

Diversity/inclusion initiatives

Womens advancement initiatives

Work redesign (efforts to reduce work overload and burnout bytransforming the work itself and not the people who do it)

Team effectiveness approaches

Generational diversity management

Work environment initiatives

Af nity or employee interest groups


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About WorldatWork

The Total Rewards AssociationWorldatWork ( www.worldatwork.org ) is a not-for-pro t organization providing education ,conferences and research focused on global human resources issues including compensation,

bene ts, work-life and integrated total rewards to attract, motivate and retain a talentedworkforce. Founded in 1955, WorldatWork has nearly 30,000 members in more than 100 countries.Its af liate organization, WorldatWork Society of Certi ed Professionals , is the certifying bodyfor the prestigious Certi ed Compensation Professional (CCP ), Certi ed Bene ts Professional

(CBP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP ), Work-Life Certi ed Professional (WLCP ),Certi ed Sales Compensation Professional (CSCP), and Certi ed Executive CompensationProfessional (CECP). WorldatWork has of ces in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.

The WorldatWork group of registered marks includes: Alliance for Work-Life Progress or AWLP ,workspan , WorldatWork Journal, and Compensation Conundrum .

About WorldatWorks Alliance or Work-Li e Progress WorldatWorks Alliance for Work-Life Progress advances work-life effectiveness as part ofan integrated total rewards strategy. The Alliance de nes and acknowledges best practicesand innovation, facilitates dialogue, and elevates work-life thought leadership. Each year, the Alliance leads a national awareness initiative celebrating October as National Work and FamilyMonth. Recognizing that work-life encompasses a wide array of programs, the WorldatWorkSociety of Certi ed Professionals established the Work-Life Certi ed Professional (WLCP )designation in 2007.

WorldatWork and Alliance or Work-Li e ProgressGlobal Headquarters

14040 N. Northsight Blvd.Scottsdale, AZ 85260-3601480-951-9191Toll ree: 877-951-9191Fax: 480-483-8352

Washington, D.C. O fce andCon erence Center

1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800Washington, D.C. 20005202-315-5500Fax: 202-315-5550

A579630065 8/2011

AWLP is an affiliate of WorldatWork

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