September 28, 2010 — Washington — As worker stress and burnout reaches an all-time high and employee productivity hits a plateau, private- and public-sector organizations around the country should take stock of their workplaces and identify areas in which employees are most in need of help.
Every October for the past seven years, WorldatWork and Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP) have reminded employers of the business benefits of supporting the work-life juggling act. Under AWLP’s leadership, the month of October was first designated as National Work and Family Month by a resolution of the U.S. Senate in 2003. This year, Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Michael Crapo (R-ID) are the lead sponsors of S. Res. 618. Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Todd Platts (R-PA) are co-sponsoring the companion resolution (H. Res. 1598) in the House of Representatives.
Ways Organizations Can Support National Work and Family Month
Conduct a work-life needs assessment. National Work and Family Month is a great time to learn which work-life programs are working or not in such areas as:
• Workplace Flexibility
• Paid Time Off
• Health and Wellness
• Caring for Dependents
• Financial Support
• Community Involvement
• Culture Change Initiatives
A simple, complimentary assessment available at awlp.org will help focus an organization’s work-life communications, target program strengths and weaknesses, and give employees a range of strategies to cope with pressure both in and outside the workplace. Click here to see a copy of the work-life audit.
Launch new work-life initiatives. “We challenge workplaces to add one new initiative in often-overlooked areas of work-life such as financial support and community involvement,” said Kathie Lingle, executive director of AWLP. “For example, Pepsi Bottling Group successfully implemented HealthyMoney, a free program to help PBG’s 35,000 employees become empowered with the knowledge, tools and confidence to build life-long financial stability. Hospital Corporation of America’s Caring for the Community program engages employees by encouraging their charitable passions. An employee may take up to 24 hours of paid volunteer leave each year. When the employee adds just one more hour of personal time, HCA provides a $500 contribution to that organization. HCA also matches donations of up to $750 to a charity of the employee’s choice.”
Celebrate and communicate the organization’s commitment to helping employees balance work and life. Send a communication from the CEO to all employees about the company’s commitment to work-life effectiveness. Update your Web site and intranet to include information about National Work and Family Month. Blog about work-life programs and include links to full descriptions. Additional ideas, templates and resources are available on awlp.org.
Share best practices by applying for work-life awards. Each year, AWLP recognizes best practices through the Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award. Progressive organizations such as Accenture, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), U.S. Navy and more have all been recipients of the AWLP Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award.
At the individual level, the AWLP Work-Life Rising Star recognition is given to emerging work-life talent who demonstrate leadership and growing contributions to the work-life community.
These awards are accepting nominations through Oct. 31.
Commit to culture change — To date, 100 human resources practitioners have earned their WLCP® credential from the WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals®. “In the area of culture change initiatives, the Office of Personnel Management (the HR arm of the federal government) is leading by example,” Lingle said. “OPM is providing on-site training and education to federal work-life practitioners to ensure they have the strategic knowledge and change management skills needed to design and implement work-life effectiveness.”
About WorldatWork®:
The Total Rewards Association
WorldatWork (www.worldatwork.org) is a not-for-profit organization providing education, conferences and research focused on global human resources issues including compensation, benefits, work-life and integrated total rewards to attract, motivate and retain a talented workforce. Founded in 1955, WorldatWork has nearly 30,000 members in more than 100 countries. Its affiliate organization, WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals®, is the certifying body for the prestigious Certified Compensation Professional® (CCP®), Certified Benefits Professional® (CBP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®), Work-Life Certified Professional™ (WLCP®), Certified Sales Compensation Professional™ (CSCP™), and Certified Executive Compensation Professional™ (CECP™). WorldatWork has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.
The WorldatWork group of registered marks includes: Alliance for Work-Life Progress® or AWLP®, workspan®, WorldatWork ® Journal, and Compensation Conundrum®.
About Alliance for Work-Life Progress
Alliance for Work-Life Progress (www.awlp.org) is dedicated to advancing work-life as a business strategy integrating work, family and community. An entity of WorldatWork, AWLP defines and recognizes innovation and best practices, facilitates dialogue among various sectors and promotes work-life thought leadership.
This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.