WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Take-up of work-life benefits remains strong in US
One might have imagined that the startling array of work-life benefits that major US businesses were prepared to offer to seduce workers and their families would not survive the economic downturn. But new research by Hewitt Associates, a management consulting and outsourcing firm, suggests that many of these perks continued to proliferate in 2000, despite the adverse trading conditions.
The 1,020-company survey found that the more traditional benefits — most notably child care, elder care and flexitime — continued to grow. But there was a particularly rapid increase in the use of onsite personal services, education reimbursement programmes and group purchase discounts .
Work-life policies in US organisations
|
| Per cent of respondents |
| Child care assistance | 91% |
| Education reimbursement | 78% |
| Flexible work options | 73% |
| Flexitime | 58% |
| Onsite personal services (most frequently — ATMs, banking services, travel services, dry cleaners) | 57% |
| Elder care | 49% |
| Part-time working | 48% |
| Full-time casual dress | 43% |
| Work at home | 29% |
| Job sharing | 28% |
| Compressed work week | 21% |
| Sick/emergency child care | 16% |
| Summer hours | 12% |
Source: Hewitt Associates
A final word
Th expansion of work-life benefits demonstrates that most companies are not viewing this ‘ dip’ in the economy as a chance to cut back on perks they offer their employees, but rather an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in this continuing tight labour market. Employers must provide these benefits in order to attract and retain the best people. — Carol Sladek, work-life consultant, Hewitt Associates.
Want to know more?
To find out more about Hewitt Associates, jump to . . . www.hewitt.com
Take a look at a summary of the survey — see what you think . . . http://was.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/newsroom/pressrel/2001/04-23-01.htm