CREATING HIGH
PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS

The Bottom Line Value Of Work/Life Strategies ^©

This report is the work of CEBC's Work/Life Business Task Force as approved by the Board of Directors and published in 1997. The report urges employers to adopt work/life strategies based on substantial and growing evidence of positive returns to the bottom line, to employees and their families, and to society. The initiative launched by the Task Force is continuing the regular meetings of The Work«Life Network ^TM which brings together employers, community organizations and researchers to pursue wider and more effective implementation of work/life strategies.

Table Of Contents

Why This Report Is Needed!

What is Work/Life?

Work/Life Benefits the Bottom Line!

Guidelines for Implementing Work/Life Strategies

Conclusion - The Business Case

Relinking Life and Work: Toward a Better Future

A Ford Foundation Report

Recommendations for Regional Action

Appendix
(Note: this sections appears in a different area of CEBC's website. To go directly to that page, click here: Work/Life Resource Directory)

Executive Viewpoints

CEBC Board of Directors Statement
(Note: this section appears at the front of the printed publication.)

Acknowledgments
(Note: this section appears at the front of the printed publication.)

Preface - Next Steps
(Note: this section appears at the front of the printed publication.)

Why This Report Is Needed!

Work/Life policies and strategies are not new. For almost two decades, many leading companies have struggled to help employees balance the competing responsibilities of working life and personal or family life. "Been there, done that" is the attitude at some firms. So, why is this report needed?

Opportunities Lost:

The Center for Ethical Business Cultures' Work/Life Task Force concluded that enormous potential benefits to business - and to society - from Work/Life strategies are not being realized. The Task Force identified a variety of impediments:

• Employers see only the "cost side" of the Work/Life equation. Many treat it narrowly as a "benefits" question. Opportunities for using these tools as a business strategy to redefine work, reduce employee turnover, and boost productivity are overlooked.

• Work/Life is perceived as "soft" or "charity" rather than a business strategy that impacts employee performance and the bottom line.

• Employers, hearing the term "Work and Family," jump to the mistaken assumption that this is only about women and children and fail to see it as a powerful human capital investment strategy applicable to their entire workforce. Asking one company if they had a Work and Family program elicited this response: "we don't need that here; most of our workers are men."

• Many companies that have taken steps to develop Work/Life or Work and Family focus on

culture and the opportunities that arise from linking Work/Life to core business strategies.

• Far too often, the reality in business is a practice of accommodating a few individuals rather than engaging all workers through clear and well-communicated Work/Life strategies.

• Employees fear that taking advantage of Work/Life initiatives will damage their careers.

Work/Life strategies are driven by the dramatic changes in demographics, families, economics and organizations that have reshaped the country and reshaped business over the last twenty years. Neither business nor our culture is quite sure how to accommodate these changes. What we are experiencing, in many respects, is an argument in progress. On one hand, Business Week, Working Mother, the Conference Board and many others tout the value of Work/Life. On the other hand, organizations and the American culture in general resist change and attempt to apply old paradigms. In 1997 Fortune magazine and NBC News reported on the "dirty little secret" about Work and Family - that "employers really don't like your kids." In 1996 Business Week described "the yawning divide between family-friendliness in theory and in practice." This underscores the apprehension that Work/Life policies are more rhetoric than reality for most workers. This assessment is nothing new. In 1993, US News & World Report wrote: "Family friendliness: What workplace revolution? At most companies, families still rank low."

The Changing Workforce:

Work and the workforce has and continues to change dramatically.

Women, Dual Career Families, Single Parents

Women who historically constituted the support system to keep things running smoothly in families and homes have joined the formal workforce. In addition, the nature of families and households has changed. Almost half of all US workers are part of dual income families where both adults work. Nationwide, 46% of the working population is female, and by the year 2000 that

Aging America

The population and the workforce are aging. By 2015, one-third of the workers will be over age 50. Over the next 30 years, the number of Americans over 55 will grow by 75% while the number between the ages of 25 and 54 will increase only 4%. Sixteen percent of all workers care for an elder member of the family, and many more expect to take on that kind of responsibility over the next decade. Within 30 years, 25% of the US population will be over age 60. These changes are occurring in the face of numerous myths and cultural bias against older workers and senior citizens. Nonetheless, older workers will become increasingly important because the workforce will grow more slowly and because the number of young workers entering the ranks of job holders will shrink.

Diversity

The workforce is also increasingly diverse. Hispanic, African American, Asian and other ethnic groups make up a large and rising share of the net new entrants into the labor force each year. By the year 2000, according to the Hudson Institute, non-whites will make up 29% of new entrants. This trend brings new values into the workplace and means many workers connect to more diverse family structures and communities outside of work.

Work, Restructuring and Stress

Workloads and stress in the workplace place an growing burden on employees compared to 1985 workloads. Employees now do the work of 1.3 people. A survey of workers reported in Business Week in 1996 found that 42% said work has a negative impact on home life. Numerous studies have found stress to be costly in terms of lost productivity and increased health care costs.

Getting the Job Done:

Despite the outstanding progress by many leading companies, widespread acceptance of Work/Life strategies by employers remains in doubt. In many respects, the change process is just beginning.

CEBC's Task Force seeks wider, more effective, and more creative implementation of Work/Life strategies and changes in organizational culture that will tap their full potential for benefiting business - and society. To that end, this report articulates the "Business Case" for Work/Life strategies.

Implementing effective Work/Life strategies - is not only a socially responsible choice - it benefits the business bottom line!

Child Development: One Example of What Is At Stake

Research on brain development in babies is teaching us about the critical importance of a child's first weeks, months and years of life. Brain development is facilitated dramatically by a stimulating environment. Parents and caregivers need to understand this research, and they need to provide the nurturing and interaction that enriches a child's growth.

This research has serious implications for parents, careproviders, employers and policymakers. Parents need knowledge, and they need time to interact with young children. Affordable, high quality day care is critical. Community support systems, like the United Way's Success By Six, are vital. The price of ignoring sound early childhood development is a future adult who will be a poor parent, a poor citizen, and a poor worker. Employers and parents need to balance immediate business requirements against the long-term development of children, families and society.

What Is Work/Life?

Exactly what is Work/Life, and what does it mean in business terms?

By "Work/Life" strategies, we mean initiatives by employers to attract the talented workforce needed to compete, to retain them, and to make them productive in the face of growing family and personal issues. Initiatives include programs, policies, practices, training and cultural changes that enable employees to balance responsibilities at work with obligations and opportunities in their personal lives.

A word about terminology: The term "Work and Family" became widely recognized over the last decade, but today many companies prefer the terms "Work/Life" or "Lifecycle."

This shift to Work/Life or Lifecycle reflects deeper understanding of the broad range of personal issues that affect the workplace and the ways that work influences an employee's personal life. Employees are diverse, and they face a complex range of personal issues and responsibilities that is not adequately described by the term "family." Families are often the focus of attention, but even employees who have no immediate family have important issues or aspirations in their lives. The terms Work/Life or Lifecycle send the message that these strategies and choices are relevant to all

The Work/Life Toolbox

Many different Work/Life strategies enable employers to adapt to changes in workforce demographics and competitive situations. Examples cited below highlight key strategies in the Work/Life toolbox:

Alternative Work Arrangements: Flexibility is a core Work/Life strategy that is highly valued by employees and opens new avenues for strengthening the business. Flexibility can be implemented in many different ways.

• Flexible scheduling or flex-time including variable starting and ending times, core hours.

• Job sharing.

• Part-time work including regular part time, hourly part time, voluntary reduced hours or work load, phased retirement.

• Compressed work weeks (4/40 or 4/10 which means 40 hours in 4 days, 9/80 which means 80 hours in 9 days, shorter Fridays, summer hours).

• Extended work weeks (6/40 or 7/40 which is 40 hours over 6 or 7 days).

• Compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay.

• Telecommuting, mobile or virtual workplace, satellite work centers to reduce commuting distance.

Cultural: Changing the organizational culture is an extremely significant factor in actualizing Work/Life. This means aligning the values, attitudes, and behaviors of managers at all levels to support employees balancing work and personal responsibilities. It means changing the unspoken rules that govern behavior and expectations to conform with stated values about valuing employees and their families. It means altering the reward system to ensure that delivering results from Work/Life strategies is a meaningful incentive. Motorola, for example, has a Work/Life vision statement reinforced with regular training for managers and supervisors.

• Training managers and supervisors on Work/Life issues and strategies.

• Performance reviews that encompass Work/Life strategy implementation and results.

• Meaningful incentives.

Changing Work Practices: Recent research has emphasized the importance of looking at how work is organized and carried out in the business. It means asking what work practices, patterns and habits impact an employee's ability to work productively and to balance Work/Life commitments. It means asking if the day-to-day activity is directly related to achieving results, and it means asking if there are alternative ways of getting the job done that improve the end product and benefit the lives of employees. It means creating an environment that supports and empowers workers to make choices. For example, a Xerox product development team eliminated

• Building Work/Life and quality of life goals into business planning and restructuring.

Policies, Benefits and Programs: A wide variety of Work/Life related policies, benefits, and programs reflect the changing nature of issues and needs across an employee's lifecycle. Examples of what companies have implemented include:

• Personal leave related to childbirth, medical emergencies, participating in school functions, continuing education, or volunteering for community service. Some provide leave beyond what is required by FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act).

• Sabbaticals.

• Health care and mental health benefits and access to those benefits for dependents, family members, or extended households (parent living with an adult child, ex-spouse, sibling or domestic partner).

• DCAP or Dependent Care Assistance Plan (spending accounts through which employees sets aside pre-tax dollars from their pay checks to spend on day care or health care).

• Dependent care support for children and elders which may take the form of on-site child care, back-up or sick child care services, dependent care subsidies or vouchers.

• Long-term care insurance.

• After-school services, summer camps.

• Resource and Referral services providing information on a wide range of issues and services (Hotlines, 800 numbers, etc).

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).

Other Creative Examples

Companies have found many creative ways, often low, no-cost, or fee-based convenience services. In a word, these services make life a little easier, a little more manageable. A few examples are:

• The St. Paul Companies mail room will package and ship boxes through UPS for employees.

• Cray Research developed an Emergency Personal Time Donation Program enabling employees to donate leave time to other employees facing a personal or family crisis.

• On-site cash machines and postal machines.

• Over 100 Twin Cities businesses, many of them small employers, provide employees with information and brochures on family issues supplied by the United Way's Steps To Success program.

• Reell Precision Manufacturing (RPM) permits any employee to request a "policy exception" to any policy in the company policy and benefit manual, and 90-95% of requests have been approved.

• Arthur Andersen's "concierge service" helps arrange transit tokens, car repair pick-up, or having someone at the employee's home when furniture is delivered, or arrange for an outside vendor to do routine errands.

• Wilton Connor Packaging offers on-site laundry drop-off and has a handyman to do home repairs at a nominal fee for employees.

• Northern States Power (NSP) runs a Pager Loan program to help employees stay in touch with family during emergency or illness situations.

• Hewlett Packard sponsors an on-site public school at its Santa Rosa facility. First Bank System has created a similar public school partnership locating a school close to employees in St. Paul.

• Medtronic and Land O'Lakes each organize Family Resource Fairs to put employees in touch with service providers.

• TSI Incorporated arranges bag-lunch education programs on family issues for employees using nonprofit providers in the community, issues like The Sandwich Generation, Self-Reliant Teens, and Developing Capable People.

• Some companies sell pre-bagged Halloween candy.

• American Express Financial Advisers' Work and Family program bulk purchased a

• The food service vendor for Eddie Bauer runs a late afternoon deli featuring food to go so that busy employees can take dinner home to the family.

• Autodesk in San Rafael invites employees to bring their pets to work because it relieves stress.

• Medtronic runs a lactation program for nursing mothers.

• Harley Davidson blended community redevelopment with employee home ownership by creating a partnership that offers workers small loans to aid in the purchasing homes in the company's neighborhood. Loans are forgiven if the employee stays in the home three years.

Conclusion

Recently, leading employers and researchers have focused on the critical importance of changing work practices, cultural change, and the flexibility afforded by alternative work arrangements. However, strategies can be implemented gradually. It is possible to do it one-step-at-a-time as issues and opportunities arise - provided the process is sustained.

Work/Life Benefits The Bottom Line!

The employee is a high leverage variable in business. Only by helping employees achieve a constructive balance between work and personal life can businesses compete successfully. Only by achieving a constructive balance can society provide the foundation for future business growth and achievement, a foundation that sustains effective parenting, education, and workforce development. A comprehensive Work/Life process strengthens business, families and society.

Strictly from a business perspective, the messages from more than a decade of practice are clear:

Businesses that embrace Work/Life strategies
improve their chances for success.

Work/Life strategies improve performance,
reduce costs, and enhance profitability.

More and more companies - especially those that analyze and track performance - have found that Work/Life strategies pay off in multiple ways for the business.

Because Work/Life benefits the bottom line, employers can:

1. Reduce the Cost Of Doing Business: Work/Life programs can reduce net costs related to hiring, training and development, legal services, and health insurance premiums (by reducing stress related medical and mental health care usage).
   
   
2. Attract And Hold Talent: Work/Life strategies help companies become "the employer-of-choice" for talented workers, which provides a competitive advantage for businesses in sectors facing a shortage of skilled workers and managers. They reduce turnover and the high cost of replacing lost workers.
   
   
3. Increase Productivity: Work/Life strategies increase productivity. They reduce absenteeism, stress, and distractions that impair productivity. Giving people flexibility, choices, and the opportunity to balance the competing demands enables them to be more productive.
   
   
4. Strengthen Employee Commitment: Work/Life increases employee loyalty and commitment to the organization, what some have called "passionate commitment" to helping the organization succeed. Flexibility and choices give workers greater control over their lives, and they respond with greater personal ownership in their work.
   
   
5. Build a Positive Image in the Marketplace: Work/Life efforts enhance a company's reputation and image in the market with its customers, suppliers, investors, and communities.
   
   
6. Improve Access to a Broader Resource Pool: Work/Life strategies can augment diversity efforts to open the workplace door to people who might otherwise not be able to work. Flexible scheduling might be extremely important to a single parent or facilitate opportunities for employment and promotion for people with disabilities.
   
   
7. Strengthen Families, Society And Education: Work/Life efforts build stronger families and a healthier society. They contribute to a better educated workforce, diminished societal problems, reduced demand for government, and lower taxes. For example, strong parent involvement in the education of children is known to improve a child's future educational achievement. Business can facilitate that involvement with release time, leave, and paid or unpaid time-off to participate in school activities and teacher meetings.

Linking Quality To Work/Life

Work/Life programs, today, are in much the same position as the quality movement before introduction of the Malcolm Baldrige process.

In the early years of the industrial age, quality was added to products through a process of added costs called inspections and quality control. Quality was recognized as a requirement, but never seen as a major contributor to the bottom line of the business.

The teachings of Deming and Juran created a new understanding of quality as a value, but this was never converted into bottom line dollars until the Malcolm Baldrige process was established. Baldrige introduced rigorous benchmarking, milestones, measurements, and training in a process that demonstrated the linkage between quality and results. Most important, the Baldrige process led to the recognition by top management that quality indeed was a source of growth and profit. This began in product-producing companies and moved rapidly into service organizations with

Research by MIT at Xerox concluded that simultaneously addressing business objectives and the interest of workers in achieving better balance and greater control over their lives improved the performance of work teams.

A business will grow stronger if it develops a similarly rigorous understanding of Work/Life strategies and how they can enhance quality.

Guidelines for Implementing Work/Life Strategies

Successful change agents pay careful attention to the barriers that stand in the way of new ideas. They customize implementation strategies to overcome these obstacles and build support among all stakeholders. What follows are suggestions drawn from the experience of many individuals and organizations actively involved in making Work/Life an effective business strategy.

• First, each company - small or large; union or non-union; manufacturer or service; retailer or law firm - must tailor Work/Life strategies to the real demands of its business. There is no single model.

• Second, implementation does not require immediate, massive change. Strategies can be developed, tested, and implemented on a gradual, one-step-at-a-time basis as issues and opportunities arise. However, getting the most out of Work/Life depends on making the strategic connections with core business issues and strategies. This kind of integration is important. Over the long run, a disjointed, piecemeal approach will not achieve the same results.

• Third, communicate the vision for Work/Life. It must be made clear that change is expected and will be rewarded. Successful implementation hinges on challenging assumptions, questioning the ways things have always been done, and shaping a supportive organizational culture.

How can you make progress in your business or organization? The approaches outlined below address some of the key barriers to change, but each business must conduct its own analysis and design its own, unique strategy.

1. Find Out How Work/Life Issues Impact The Workplace

Tap multiple sources for information; don't rely on one source of data or perspective. Talk to managers and supervisors about how work is done and how the issues in peoples' lives affect that work. Look for clues in a variety of data sources. Exit interview data can show why employees are leaving. Longer than planned maternity leaves might indicate that an employee cannot find child support services in the community. Frequent absences might be caused by caring for an elder or ill family member. Survey your workforce to identify the personal and family related issues that affect work and productivity and the ways work impacts personal life. Measure the scope of issues and quantify their cost in lost productivity. Anecdotes, while useful, can be misleading and are no substitute for careful analysis.

2. Link Work/Life To Core Business Issues

Effective Work/Life strategies solve real business problems. Is the business as productive as it can be? If not, ask if the problem relates to difficulties in balancing work and life responsibilities. Demonstrate how resolving those difficulties can make people more efficient and effective. Work/Life is not charity; it is not just another "benefit" for employees. Strategies should be designed to solve definable issues in ways that strengthen the business. For any initiative, define success in business terms. Clearly articulate to managers and employees the results you expect for the business.

3. Change The Culture

Policies and programs are not enough. Employees confront many subtle but powerful barriers in deciding to use Work/Life options. For example, a Xerox Corporation unit in Texas was proud of its comprehensive Work and Family policies and programs - until it learned that most employees were afraid to use of them for fear of damaging their careers. Such fears are often justified and

Real change requires re-aligning organizational culture. It calls for top leadership commitment, clear statements of values, modifications to incentives, training for supervisors, real evidence of day-to-day commitment, and practical evaluation and feedback. Consider linking the Work/Life message to key business drivers. In some companies, values may be a key driver; in others it may be customer service, innovation, or quality.

4. Secure Firm and Visible Top Leadership Commitment

Conflicting messages from senior management will undercut Work/Life strategies and potential bottom line benefits. Senior management must signal its firm commitment to Work/Life practices and reinforce that commitment in daily contacts with managers and supervisors.

Visible and consistent leadership was critical to implementation of quality improvement strategies, and similar leadership is required to get the most from Work/Life initiatives.

5. Secure Commitment From Supervisors And Managers

Middle managers and first line supervisors are often identified as major barriers to implementing Work/Life strategies. Often their resistance is caused by conflicting messages from top management. At other times, they fail to see a benefit for themselves or their unit.

Getting their support requires several steps:

• Help managers understand how personal life and family issues impact performance.

• Demonstrate how Work/Life strategies can solve their business problems.

• Keep managers apprised of progress, and give them useful methods for monitoring performance, help in diagnosing and solving problems, and alternative approaches.

6. Align Incentives to Reward Performance

7. Provide Training

Optimizing the benefits of Work/Life efforts requires training for managers and supervisors as well as for employees. Everyone needs to know how to redefine jobs, relationships, and work processes to improve performance. Give managers practical guidelines and tools that will help them make sound decisions, monitor progress and measure results.

8. Pilot Programs

Judicious use of well-crafted pilot programs coupled with rigorous analysis of results enables senior management and first line supervisors to enter the Work/Life arena gradually. This gives management a greater sense of control, provides opportunities to test and tailor strategies to the business, and builds ownership and buy-in.

9. Track Progress and Measure Results

Very early in the process, develop methods to track, monitor and report on utilization of Work/Life strategies. Monitor and report progress often. But, avoid relying solely on utilization data. Measure costs and benefits is very important. Report bottom line business results. Link measurement to a regular process for reviewing and improving these business strategies with the same rigorous analysis characteristic of the quality movement. Demonstrating bottom line results to the operating managers of the business builds support and keeps programs sharply focused on solving core business problems.

10. Coordinate And Link Strategies

Work/Life policies and programs can strengthen, and be strengthened by, other corporate initiatives. Consider the value of linking or integrating Work/Life with initiatives in quality, diversity or customer service to tap constructive synergies.

11. Network and Collaborate

No business, not even the largest, is likely to field a comprehensive Work/Life strategy on its own. Companies can make creative use of outside resources and enter into partnerships to solve specific problems. Some use independent service providers; some partner with community nonprofits. Around the country, companies have developed associations and resource centers to exchange information and provide service. This is especially important for smaller companies and smaller communities where collaboration can make things happen that are beyond the reach of any single organization.

12. Benefit "All" Employees

Design and position Work/Life strategies in ways that benefit all employees. The perception that Work/Life is only for a few select employees can create backlash and become a barrier to effective implementation. All employees at one time or another have commitments or responsibilities in their personal lives that affect or are affected by work. For example, one vehicle or providing all employees with access, choices and flexibility is a cafeteria benefit program. Flexible scheduling or leave can aid a worker who needs time to settle a mortgage, care for an

Conclusion - The Business Case

Competition compels business to develop high performance organizations that make the best use of their human resources, both near term and long term.

Successful performance depends as much on people assets as on financing, equipment or technology. But getting the best from our human resources requires more than good wages and benefits, direct job-related training, and leadership. It is essential to recognize that what happens in an employee's personal life and at home influences productivity at work, and what happens at work affects an employee's personal life. Most important, we can do something positive about the nature and quality of this interaction.

High performance companies recognize that there is no invisible wall between work life and home life. These employers see work and life as integrated and reciprocal. Success depends on strategies that enable employees to succeed in both dimensions.

Work/Life strategies, if done well, offer practical solutions to real business (and personal) problems. Business can expect improved employee loyalty and commitment, increased productivity, reduced turnover and absenteeism, and an overall lower cost of doing business. Employees can expect greater control over their lives and an improved capacity to balance commitments at work and at home. Society, as a whole, can expect stronger businesses and stronger, healthier families.

Work/Life adds up to a winning strategy that benefits shareholders, employees, employers, customers and communities.

Employers who seek to gain theses advantages should:

• Commit leadership time and energy to changing organizational attitudes and practices.

• Get managers and employees involved in creating effective strategies.

• Build partnerships both inside the company and within communities that sustain positive results.

• Keep the value of personal and family well-being front and center right along side other bottom line concerns and core strategies.

Relinking Life and Work: Toward a Better Future

A Ford Foundation Report

If You Read Only One Research Study - Read This One!

Summary

This groundbreaking study merits close consideration by any employer hoping to improve the bottom line of their business. The study was funded by the Ford Foundation; the research team was led by Lotte Bailyn, the T. Wilson Professor of Management at M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management, and Rhona Rapoport, co-director of the Institute of Family and Environmental Research in London.

This research grew from the insight that even companies with laudable Work/Life strategies were achieving only a fraction of the desired results. Indeed, the existence of traditional Work/Life programs and the tendency by employers to use Work/Life programs to make relatively few exceptions to the norm may have the negative result of discouraging the organization from making fundamental, systemic changes that would have greater impact.

What makes this study unique is that it focuses on "work practices, work structure, and work culture." It challenges assumptions about work, the "ideal" worker, and the idea that work and private life are separate and unconnected. The researchers engaged employees at three companies - Corning, Xerox and Tandem Computers - in asking why do we work the way we do, challenging gender assumptions, and seeking alternative work patterns that benefited both business and the employee.

The researchers concluded that "it is possible to pursue a dual agenda in the workplace - one that considers both the employer's and the employee's needs - which not only eases employees' lives but also leads to enhanced productivity and other tangible business benefits." Other findings:

• Insistence on treating work and family as separate and unrelated impairs work efficiency and family life. It leads to unproductive work practices and undermines business goals and personal goals.

• The process of challenging old assumptions and work habits stimulates tremendous creativity among employees and represents a strategic opportunity to create a more productive, innovative and equitable workplace.

• Restructuring the way work gets done by seeking explicitly to improve both worklife and personal life leads to positive, "win-win" results. An environment and work practices that takes employees' needs into account yields significant bottom-line results.

• The most important conclusion is that success cannot be achieved by tacking Work/Life programs and policies onto an organizational culture that denies the value of employees' personal and family lives. Success - for business and the employee - hinges on recognizing the interconnection between work and personal life and seeking aggressively to improve both spheres.

When the study ended, Xerox CEO Paul Allaire wrote:

"At a time when corporate America is being assailed for putting profits above all else, it is gratifying that this study has established that the best business strategy recognizes that greater employee satisfaction means greater productivity and, in turn, better business results."

SOURCE: For a copy of this 1996 Ford Foundation report, call (212) 573-5000.

Recommendations For Regional Action

CEBC's Task Force on Work/Life recommends the following plan of action to promote wider and more effective implementation of Work/Life strategies by businesses and other employers in the Twin Cities region and the Upper Midwest.

A. Leadership: Champion Work/Life Strategies

Without strong leadership from CEOs and senior executives, progress on Work/Life will be sporadic and benefits limited.

1. Mobilize Corporate Leaders

The Board of Directors of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures will exercise its leadership by encouraging employers to implement effective Work/Life policies, programs and strategies. Directors will invite other corporate leaders on a one-to-one basis to pursue an active, leadership role.

2. Mobilize Community Leaders

CEBC, as part of its continuing Work/Life efforts, will approach community leaders - in labor, education, churches, and public organizations - and invite them to speak out on the value of Work/Life strategies for individuals, families, and communities.

B. Exchanging Information To Promote Action

Wider implementation of Work/Life strategies hinges on an integrated and sustained set of actions that communicate practical information about strategies and results.

1. Organize Regional Work/Life Conferences

CEBC, its Work/Life Task Force, member companies and other organizations working in this field should organize regular business conferences on Work/Life strategies to facilitate networking and exchange of information among employers. Creating High Performance Organizations: A Work and Family Perspective convened in June 1996. Subsequent networking conferences should convene annually with special attention given to making them useful to small and medium-sized businesses.

2. Conduct Regional Benchmarking Survey

CEBC, with business support, should conduct a benchmarking survey of companies in the Twin Cities metropolitan region to determine the current state of the art, critical implementation issues, trends and opportunities in Work/Life.

3. Organize Regional Work/Life Center Or Network

Based on the value to business of organizations like One Small Step in the San Francisco Bay Area and the New England Business Roundtable, CEBC should create a regional Work/Life network, in collaboration with appropriate organizations, as a catalyst to promote wider implementation of effective Work/Life strategies.

Such a Work/Life Center could organize networking among professionals in the field, coach companies on setting up or improving programs, promote research, develop tools for measuring results, keep professionals up-to-date on developments in the filed, collect best practices, organize a speakers

4. Stimulate Original Work/Life Research

Work/Life as a business strategy would be strengthened by rigorous analysis and research and a systematic focus on practical implementation issues. The Task Force recommends creating partnerships with college and university faculty to promote original research in the field. The action research carried out by MIT professor Lotte Bailyn and her Ford Foundation funded team at Xerox Corporation is one excellent example of what can be accomplished.

Beginning in March of 1997, CEBC initiated efforts to connect academic researchers with cooperating partners in business.

C. Communicating Results And Benefits

1. Recognize Achievement: "Regional Work/Life Award"

The Task Force recommends creating a public recognition ceremony and award to honor achievements and best practices in Work/Life by business and other employers. Properly structured, awards of this type can encourage companies to take constructive action. The Task Force has initiated discussions with several potential collaborating organizations.

2. Develop and Sustain Media Coverage of Work/Life

Wide understanding and acceptance of Work/Life as a legitimate and productive role for business is a prerequisite to making progress. The Task Force recommends a long-term, systematic communications campaign to reach a variety of target populations with information on the benefits to business and other employers and to society of effective Work/Life strategies.

Executive Viewpoints

"Everything we believe about the importance of work-family policies is based on analysis, not emotion. Everything we do is done to increase our competitiveness and productivity."

Roger Meade
CEO of Patagonia

"You can't hire part of a person. You get the sore back along with the talent... We have a long way to go in creating truly flexible environments and then behaving like we really mean it."

Randall Tobias
CEO of Eli Lilly

"Whenever the topic of employee-friendly practices arises, the question "Why?" seems to follow closely. Why even care? The answer is amazingly simple: Positive employee practices lead to success."

James P. Secord
President and CEO of Lakewood Publications

"It is time for companies to acknowledge the primacy of family in the value systems of both men and women. Too many women still have to choose between career and family. And too often men sacrifice participation in the lives of their families to meet the demands of their jobs. The cost to both people and the companies they work for are too high."

Lawrence Perlman
President, Chairman, and CEO of Ceridian Corporation

"Committed executives can develop many equitable and effective ways to boost competitiveness by enabling employees to balance commitments in work and personal life Ñ just as executives have in the past found ways to increase shareholder value"

Clinton O. Larson
Corporate Vice President of Honeywell Inc., Retired
Chair of CEBC Work/Life Task Force

Note: the following sections appear at the beginning of the printed report.

Center for Ethical Business Cultures

Mission -- Structure -- Programs

The Center for Ethical Business Cultures operates on the premise that long-term profitability for any business depends on the strength and well-being of the communities and society in which it operates. CEBC assists business leaders in developing practical, productive and responsible relationships with key stakeholders. CEBC strives to be the recognized leader locally, nationally, and worldwide on issues pertaining to corporate responsibility, values and business ethics. The Center is committed to sustaining the Minnesota Tradition of exemplary corporate citizenship that has contributed immensely to the vitality of this region.

CEBC is an independent not-for-profit business association supported by financial contributions from over 115 member companies

The Center is affiliated with the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business.

Focus of CEBC Programs

• Global Business Ethics - The Principles for Business

• Work/Life Strategies for Employers

• Aligning Values and Actions in Organizations

• Leadership and Values

• Corporate Citizenship

For further information:

Call CEBC at 612-962-4120

Visit CEBC's WEB Page at http://www.cebcglobal.org

CEBC Board of Directors Statement

This report is published with the full support of the Board of Directors of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures.

• The Board of Directors believes that, while specific approaches must be tailored to the requirements of different industries, effective Work/Life policies, programs, and practices are of critical importance in making business more competitive and more profitable.

• Second, the Board is convinced that implementation of these strategies by employers will improve the lives of employees, their families and their communities.

• Third, the Board agrees that the full potential benefit of Work/Life strategies has not been realized, even in companies that have well-developed programs.

For these reasons, the Board encourages all employers - in business, government, and the not-for-profit sectors - to give Work/Life strategies their serious attention.

Acknowledgments

The Center for Ethical Business Cultures and its Work/Life Task Force appreciate the invaluable contributions from businesses, researchers, consultants, Work/Life organizations, and the many individuals who are committed to balancing work and life.

Without the generous support from all the Member Companies of CEBC, this report would not have been possible. Thank you Members!!!

This report embodies the commitment, energy, and business experience of all members of CEBC's Work/Life Task Force. It is their firm conclusion that Work/Life strategies build stronger businesses - and stronger families and communities at the same time. We thank them for their extraordinary efforts, for this report, and for the work we know they will continue to pursue in the future.

A special note of thanks goes to Clinton O. Larson, Corporate Vice President Operations, Retired, Honeywell Inc. for his dedicated leadership as Task Force Chair.

Several Task Force members made special contributions. Susan Seitel helped locate relevant research and sources all over the country. Seitel is president of Work & Family Connection, a consulting business and publisher of Work & Family Newsbrief, an outstanding national digest of the most important work and family news. Others who gave generously of their time and experience include: Sharon Klun of American Express Financial Advisors, Diane Cushman of The St. Paul Companies, Marcie Brooke of The Working Parent Resource Center, Mike Chapin of NSP, Ed Fitzpatrick of Allianz Life Insurance, Diana Ensign and Kathy Fahnhorst at Ceridian. Several helped lead Task Force working groups: Jim Grubs at Reell Precision Manufacturing, Haakon Oksnevad from TSI Incorporated, Joyce Willman of Cowles Media, Elizabeth Sponsel and Lynn Myhran at Arthur Andersen, Lou Nelson of US West, Cindy Fremont of Tele-Commuter Resources, Dee Austin and Kim Regenhard at AT&T Wireless Services, Lisa Locken at Bemis Company, Barbara Peterson at Cargill, Carol Wasik formerly with Cray Research, Connie Magnuson formerly with Deloitte & Touche, Lynn Pinoniemi at Delta Environmental Consultants, Bruce Engler at Faegre & Benson, Wayne Weig formerly with Gray, Plan, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett and now principal of Transitions Management Associates, Christy Arnoldy of Lakewood Publications, Tonia Shupien at Medtronic, Lois Stevenson with Micron Electronics, Brenda Bjorklund at Minnegasco, Carol Blood of Norwest Corporation, Skip Bolton at Our Own Hardware Corporation, and Jennifer Payne from Piper Jaffray Companies.

Nine CEBC member companies provided financial support for the Task Force's June 1996 Conference Creating High Performance Organizations: A Work and Family Perspective. We thank Ceridian Corporation, Honeywell Inc., Minnegasco, Allianz Life Insurance Company, Piper Jaffray Companies, Medtronic Inc., Employee Advisory Resources (EAR - a Ceridian Company), American Express Financial Advisors, and Bemis Company Inc.

CEBC values its affiliation with the University of St. Thomas and the Graduate School of Business. Faculty who provided advice include: Kenneth E. Goodpaster, Thomas E. Holloran, Patricia Hedberg, and Mick Sheppeck.

The Task Force also appreciates the opportunities it has had to work with Dr. Marti Erickson, Michael Brott, and Judith Kahn of the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth and Family Consortium. Dr. Erickson has been a key planner for Vice President GoreÕs national Family Reunion Conferences including the 1996 Work and Family Conference.

CEBC and the Task Force also wishes to thank individuals who shared their knowledge and insights on Work/Life: David Andreas, CEO of National City Bancorporation, Charles M. Denny, Jr., retired Chairman of ADC Telecommunications, Sue Osten at 3M, Judy David, at One Small Step in San Francisco, Dr. Brad Googins, at the Center on Work and Family at Boston College, Ethel McConaghy, at Work/Family Directions, Jim Porter at Honeywell, Audry Lang and Pam Carlson with Steps to Success at the United Way of Greater Minneapolis, Lotti Bailyn at MIT, and Cynthia Myntti at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Laura Kieger helped identify resources that can assist employers in developing Work/Life services.

The Task Force thanks David Rodbourne, Director of Programs for CEBC, for his leadership and skill as staff for the Task Force, for organizing the June 1996 conference Creating High Performance Organizations: A Work and Family Perspective, for writing this report, and for facilitating The Work«Life Network. Other CEBC staff who have been very helpful: CEBC president Robert MacGregor, who is strongly committed to CEBC's Work/Life programming; Marlys Fletcher, office administrator; Terri Hastings, program coordinator; and the Center's work study students at the University of St. Thomas - Christy Botts, Stephanie Erickson, Michelle Goryl, Melissa Hamerlik, Joe Lyons, and Jennifer Stump.

Preface - Next Steps

This report represents another step forward in CEBC's multi-year programming on Work and Family or Work/Life issues facing employers and employees. In 1993 CEBC Work and Family Task Force published The Work and Family Dilemma outlining the responsibilities of business.

Most important is what is now in-progress and what comes next:

• The Center facilitates a bimonthly network of professionals, The Work«Life Network, who meet to exchange information and ideas about strategy and best practices.

• CEBC operates Families That Work! providing brief educational workshops on family-related issues which employers can arrange for their employees, often during the lunch periods.

• The Center participates in the United Way's Steps to Success program which provides small employers with Work/Life information and materials.

• The Center seeks ways to stimulate useful academic research on the implementation and impact of Work/Life policies. At present, CEBC is cooperating with Purdue University researchers who are conducting a national study of managers working a reduced load.

• The Center's World Wide Web (http://www.cebcglobal.org) site will carry information and regular updates on Work/Life practices and resources. The Resource Directory in the Appendix of this report will appear on-line where it will be accessible to any interested employer and kept current with regular updates. In the coming year, CEBC expects to include a best practice database on its WEB site.

• The Center cooperates with the Children, Youth and Family Consortium of the University of Minnesota which maintains a comprehensive electronic clearinghouse of information that includes Work/Life practices.

Future activity will include working with CEBC member companies to develop best practice guides, organize speaking and conference opportunities, and secure senior executive commitment to these important initiatives. Please refer to Recommendations for Regional Action at the end of this report.

Report Publication Date: July 1997

Center for Ethical Business Cultures

1000 LaSalle Avenue, TMH 331 ▪ Minneapolis, MN 55403-2005 ▪ USA

Phone: 651 962 4120 or 800 328 6819 Ext. 2-4120 ▪ Facsimile: 651 962 4042

Email: mail@cebcglobal.org

© 1978-2008 Center for Ethical Business Cultures. All Rights Reserved.

Business Partnering with the University of St. Thomas - Minnesota