Linking the worlds of work and family: beyond the productivity trap
Article Abstract:
The issue of the effectiveness of family-oriented employee benefits is examined in order to account for weak corporate initiatives in this regard. Despite awareness over the years of corporate responsibilities for the provision of child-care assistance to employees, few firms offer such services because of the lack of empirical proof that these programs substantially increase productivity. Examination of existing literature reveals that clarifying the role of employer family-oriented initiatives in the work place will require a shift from a purely productivity-based focus to an expanded view of organizational effectiveness and culture. Research in this field suffers from the fact that quality of work life issues are still peripheral to the corporate agenda.
Publication Name: Human Resource Management
Subject: Human resources and labor relations
ISSN: 0090-4848
Year: 1992
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The flexible workplace: what have we learned?
Article Abstract:
Employee demand for and managerial resistance to more flexibility in the workplace is examined via data from 20 major firms on white-collar and service sector employees and their jobs. For such workers, present corporate policies, schedules and philosophies regarding flexible work organization inadequately reflect the time management difficulties they experience due to family responsibilities, resulting in declining labor productivity. The barriers to and promoters and benefits of flexibility in the workplace are analyzed. The results suggest that movement towards more flexibility will entail shifting emphasis from accommodations for a limited number or type of employee and need, to a more effective work system that considers employee welfare.
Publication Name: Human Resource Management
Subject: Human resources and labor relations
ISSN: 0090-4848
Year: 1992
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Lessons from the workplace: how corporate policies and attitudes lag behind workers' changing needs
Article Abstract:
Corporate attitudes and policies are lagging behind employee's family needs. Despite publicity to the contrary, antifamily discrimination at the workplace still exists and most managers still regard the conflict between family and work as a women's issue. However, more Americans are increasingly experiencing the pressures of the concurrent needs for work and better family life. Employers have responded with a variety of programs, such as dependent-care spending accounts, child-care referral services and flextime, but direct child care support, family and pregnancy leaves and other concessions to familial responsibilities are still lacking. As a result, declining productivity and quality of life are likely to lead to loss of workers and jobs.
Publication Name: Human Resource Management
Subject: Human resources and labor relations
ISSN: 0090-4848
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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