Happy Employees Make Productive Employees
Employees who like where they work will help the company make more money. Sears conducted an 800-store survey that showed the impact of employee attitudes on the bottom line. When employee attitudes improved by 5%, customer satisfaction jumped 1.3%, consequently increasing revenue by one-half a percentage point. Seeking ways to motivate and build worker morale pays dividends to any business or organization. The motivated worker is more committed to the job and to the customer.
In order to attract and keep good workers, many businesses are providing more family-friendly benefits. The Families and Work Institute released the "Business Work Life" study. (http://www.familiesandwork.org) It provides a benchmark to corporate work life policies and practice. The study focused on companies that employee 100 or more workers.
Ninety percent of the 1,000 companies surveyed allow workers to take time off to attend school events. Half-let workers stay home with mildly ill children without using vacation or sick days. Two thirds permit flex time defined as allowing employees to adjust work hours on a daily basis. Nine percent offer child care at or near the workplace. Thirty-three percent offer maternity leaves more than 13 weeks. Twenty-three percent offer elder care resources and referral services and half provide dependent care assistance plans. Forty-four percent hold supervisors accountable for sensitivity to their employees work/family needs.
The Los Angeles Department of Power and Water (LADPW) offers its 11,000 employees such benefits as a free seven-week lunch time series on nutrition, prenatal care, use of health benefits; an ob-gyn/pediatric nurse comes two days a week to answer medical questions; electric nursing pumps for mothers to provide milk to babies at child care (and dads can take the devices home to their partners); certified social workers to help employees use programs and resources; parenting classes at lunch time; support groups for parents.
In order to attract and keep good workers, many businesses are providing more family-friendly benefits. The Families and Work Institute released the "Business Work Life" study. (http://www.familiesandwork.org) It provides a benchmark to corporate work life policies and practice. The study focused on companies that employee 100 or more workers.
Ninety percent of the 1,000 companies surveyed allow workers to take time off to attend school events. Half-let workers stay home with mildly ill children without using vacation or sick days. Two thirds permit flex time defined as allowing employees to adjust work hours on a daily basis. Nine percent offer child care at or near the workplace. Thirty-three percent offer maternity leaves more than 13 weeks. Twenty-three percent offer elder care resources and referral services and half provide dependent care assistance plans. Forty-four percent hold supervisors accountable for sensitivity to their employees work/family needs.
The Los Angeles Department of Power and Water (LADPW) offers its 11,000 employees such benefits as a free seven-week lunch time series on nutrition, prenatal care, use of health benefits; an ob-gyn/pediatric nurse comes two days a week to answer medical questions; electric nursing pumps for mothers to provide milk to babies at child care (and dads can take the devices home to their partners); certified social workers to help employees use programs and resources; parenting classes at lunch time; support groups for parents.