Executive Summary

Work Just Isn't What It Used To Be

Douglas W. Leatherdale
Chairman, President & CEO of The Saint Paul Companies

November 1994

Work just isn't what it used to be. Changes in technology and the demands of life are challenging companies and employees to re-evaluate how, where, and when they do what they do. Computers have changed the meaning of "work" forever, and electronic information has become the substance of work itself.

As this information revolution explodes, workers are about to explode, too. Stretched between old and new ways of doing their jobs, they carry more responsibilities because of downsizing and empowerment. And they often are torn between work and home obligations in ways previous generations were not. In fact, a recent University of Maryland study showed 65 percent of working Americans are willing to earn less in exchange for more time off.

At The Saint Paul, as in companies everywhere, we feel the impact of stress and life issues. A few facts:

• The National Council on Compensation Insurance, which tracks activity in 32 states, reports that stress claims have increased five-fold in the past five years. The American Medical Association estimates that 80 percent or more of medical problems are stress-related. The estimated cost is $150 billion annually.

• Ten to 34 percent of any given employee group has some responsibility for an aging relative. According to the National Council on Aging, we will see a 36 percent increase in the number of dependent elders by the end of the decade. As with child care, the problems associated with elder care are issues for corporate America.

• According to government statistics, 37 percent of the work force are working parents. This number will increase in the next decade as three-fourths of working women will be in their childbearing years. Along with a critical child care shortage, absenteeism and sick children are major issues.

While our work force has changed, we have not changed the way we manage our businesses as much as we like to think. Our institutional 8-to-5 schedules were established for the early 1900s and the industrial revolution. It's time to rethink the "office." Technology has opened a world of flexible opportunities, and The Saint Paul has committed to exploring those that attract and retain our best employees and flexibly meet customer needs.

We're committed to a range of programs that lessen daily burdens and support productivity. For example, we are:

• Offering flexible hours, compressed work weeks, part-time, job-sharing, and off-site situations;

• Providing resource and referral systems so that employees don't have to reinvent the wheel when faced with family or personal issues, such as elder care and post-secondary education planning;

• Providing space and services for on-site child care and fitness centers. Both centers--funded primarily by users--save valuable employee time, contribute directly to health and well-being, and promote company effectiveness.

Naturally, when we work outside traditional comfort zones, we face other issues. To help everyone win, The Saint Paul offers a course entitled "Managing Work/ Life Flexibly." Manager and employee participants learn a problem-solving process that enables them to work together to balance business and personal needs.

These activities are only a beginning. Our challenge is to do our part to find new ways to work with each other and to encourage others to do the same.

Center for Ethical Business Cultures

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