1. Implementing Policies, Practices and Culture to Support Organizational Effectiveness and Work-Family Relationships Module 3, Class 2 A Teaching Module Developed by Ellen Ernst Kossek (Michigan State University), Mary Secret (Virginia Commonwealth University), Stephen Sweet (Ithaca College) and the Curriculum Task Force of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network

2. What Happens in the Home Matters at Work
Child Care Disruption
Marital/Family
Stress
Adult Care giving Needs
Family Illness
Absenteeism, Tardiness
Intent to Resign
Decreased Job Performance
H O M E
W O R K

3. Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality
Many firms have cultures where using work/life policies is seen as benefiting the individual far more than the firm. Meeting employee’s personal needs are not yet seen as meeting customers’ needs.
Work/life policies are still largely programmatic
minimal link to other HR policies
nominal focus on informal cultural issues
glass ceiling effect

4. How might these vary among employers for different types of workers?
Managerial Concerns
Labor costs
Turnover
Quality and customer service
Absenteeism
How might these vary among employers for different types of workers?
How might employers in different industries have different views?

5. Factors affecting use of work-life policies/practices
Corporate culture
Organizational approach to managing change
Supervisor support
Individual characteristics
Job content factors
Work-group factors

6. Bureau of Labor Statistics distribution of work-life policies and programs

7. Families and Work Institute Family-Friendly Index
Flexible Work Arrangements
Flextime 25
Part-time work
Job sharing
Flex-place 15
Other flexible arrangements
Subtotal
105
Leaves
Child care or family leave
Other leaves 40
Financial Assistance
Flexible benefits/flexible spending accounts
25 
Long-term care insurance 10
Adoption assistance
Child care discounts 5
Vouchers 20
Other financial assistance 80
Corporate Giving/Community Service
Corporate giving to community/national work-family initiatives 25
Funds to benefit employees
Other corporate giving/community service programs 10
Subtotal 60
Dependent Care Services
Child care resource and referral 20
Elder care consultation and referral
On- or near-site child care centers
Consortium child care centers
Sick/emergency child care programs 15
After-school programs
Summer camps
Caregiver fairs 5
Other dependent care services
160
Management Change
Work-family manager training 25
Work-family coordinators 15
Work-family handbooks 10
Other management change 40
Subtotal 90
Work-Family Stress Management
Employee assistance program
Wellness/health promotion
Relocation services
Work-family seminars
Work-family support groups
Work-family newsletters
Other work-family stress management programs 80
Total
615

8. Stages in Organizational Development on Work and Family
Stage 1: Employer adopts a few work family policies on paper, but they are not integrated into the culture
Stage 2: Many policies and practices exist for different work–life needs, work-family professionals hired
Stage 3: Work family issues have strong cultural acceptance, managerial support, and work is designed with consideration for family life

9. Making the Business Case: Strategies of Selling
Management philosophies over support of work-life can vary
Strategic HRM /productivity
Employer of choice/ diversity views
Reciprocity
Trade-off
Dual agenda

10. Strategic HRM Views of Business Case
What is economic performance of firms that provide work-life balance?
Do the firms that provide the best work-life balance do better in the marketplace?
Are they more profitable?
Are employees of those firms more productive?
Do these policies have a return on investment?

11. Employer of Choice Cascio & Young 2003 study:
Stock performance of Working Mother 100 Best companies consistently higher
Why? 35 % of analyst’s “investment decision” is determined by non-financial information:
“ability to attract & retain people”
workforce is increasingly diverse; want talent of all backgrounds to want to work for you

12. Employer of Choice View
“Best employers” typically receive twice as many job applications per position as other firms.
Example: Job applications received by Edward Jones & Company (named by Fortune as the #1 best employer to work for in 2002, 2003) increased from 40,000 to 400,000 after on list.
Best practice: Marketing work life as best employer competency,

13. Tradeoff View Productivity pitted against leisure
Outdated traditional paradigms: Worker time for money; Work vs. family
Best practice: How to redesign jobs for mutual benefits for managing work- life

14. Reciprocity Managerial View
Workers will give more discretionary performance when the employer is supportive.
Example: Employees who rated work life benefits as useful were significantly more likely to make voluntary workplace improvement suggestions (Lambert, 2000).
Best practice: Implementing work-family benefits that workers value.

15. Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR)
Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR)*:Three Pronged Approach Dual Agenda
Engagement at the workplace level
Employers, employees
Engagement at the associational level-
Unions, Professional organizations, trade associations, community groups
Engagement at the state level
Government officials
*Bailyn, L., Bookman, A., Harrington, M. & Kochan, T. (2006). Work-family interventions and experiments: Workplaces, communities, and society. In M. Pitt-Catsouphes, E. E. Kossek, & S. Sweet (Eds.), The work and family handbook: Multi-disciplinary perspectives, methods and approaches (pp ). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers

16. Guiding assumption of CIAR: Life difficulties negatively affect work performance: Redesign for Dual Agenda
Strategy
Challenge assumptions that impede gender equity and work-life integration (micro-interventions)
Redesign work practices to integrate work with family lives and enhance work effectiveness
Couple research with workplace redesign
Approach
Collaborate - engage workers and managers in the research process
Fluid expertise
Honoring resistance
Feminist methodology
Focus individuals on the dual agenda
Develop institutionalized mechanisms for dissemination

17. Supplemental Exercises for Additional Classes
Work Life Policy Business Case Exercise
Goal: Students Learn to make business case for adopting policies at their college and learn the challenges of doing so
Work-Life Strategy Game
Goal: Students work in teams to develop a work life strategy that fits their industry and workforce, and answer questions in a game to gain familiarity with policies, and managing work-life issues, and can buy policies that fit with their strategy

18. Business Case Assignment
Identify a work-family policy that could have an impact on business practices at your college/university
Identify two articles on this policy as it was implemented at other workplaces.
Make a business case for its implementation
Outline the shape of the policy
Who could be eligible (and who can’t be)
Costs and implications (returns on investments)
Outline how you would go about creating the organizational change….or if a business case can not be made your thoughts on how this issue should be addressed.

19. ROI: Returns on Investments
Cost estimates – what should be considered?
Outcomes benefits – what should be considered?
Does the company need loyal workers (all workers or just some? Does that influence how the policy is constructed)
How is productivity measured? Hours vs quantity and quality of production

20. Work Groups
Members in each group pose the policy he/she wants to advance and then all collectively consider
The types of information needed to make a business case
Which of these items are “knowable” in advance?
The best avenue for making a business case and selling the policy to the organization
The feasibility of making this available to all workers or contingents of workers at the college.

21. Paid Family Leaves for New Parents: Comparison between US and Europe