SIX FAMILY GET FRIENDLY

Ponder this: Do your employees have to choose between work and family?

People disengage or quit when rigid workplace rules cause unbearable family stress. Would they leave your organization over work/family conflicts? Yes. Business magazines have spent plenty of ink in recent years on the importance of developing a “family-friendly culture.” But what does it really mean?

Employees are asking for a workplace that helps them balance the demands of their work and family lives, rather than forcing them to choose one over the other. Today and from now on, organizations that are not family-friendly will definitely have a harder time finding and keeping good people.

Talented employees do not have to look far to find family-friendly employers who offer features like these:

• Childcare facilities or subsidies

• Flexible work schedules

• Job sharing

• Telecommuting

• Eldercare assistance (such as referral programs)

• Extended and creative maternity or paternity leave programs

Savvy employers give talented employees flexibility in how they work, when they work, and often where they work. They allow employees to meet personal responsibilities while still being productive at work.

If your organization does have these policies and perks in place, that’s great. But if not, you have two options. One is to benchmark. Get smart about what other organizations are offering, and then go to your manager (or the human resources department) with information and suggestions. See if you can get some of these ideas adopted in your organization.

Whether or not you take the first option, you can take the more urgent one: become a more family-friendly manager. Start by modeling the behaviors you hope to see. One CEO told his staff that he wouldn’t start meetings before 9 a.m. because he takes a daily walk with his wife. He sent a loud message to his management team that it is acceptable, even desirable, to balance family with business goals.

There are many things that you can do to support your employees’ lives outside work. The result will be more productive workers who are less likely to stray.