Balancing Work and Family: Working with Your Employer
FS-514, Reviewed July 2006
How Do I Approach My Employer?
You are the best judge of who in your workplace is responsive to work
and family needs. Look for a supervisor who is also balancing work and
family. Get ideas from co-workers who have had experience with juggling
the many roles and responsibilities that you are feeling pressured about
and need to address. Each person will have specific situations to work
through; however, there are several common needs that most every worker
will have to address at some time. Work-family issues came to the forefront
in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
A survey of work/family professionals regarding flexibility found:
- Employee requests are driving the increase in a variety of flexible working
arrangements.
- Attitudes, not procedures, are the most formidable barriers to flexibility.
- A cluster of strategies has proven effective for implementing flexible schedules.
- Companies must empower front-line survivors to be flexible.
The Conference Board
December 1991
Time Off for Children's Events at School/Child-care Site
Visiting your child's school or child-care site is an important task for parents.
However, your work demands/schedule may often stand in the way. Sick leave and vacation
time are reserved for illnesses and checkups or trips.
Children need parents to help bridge the worlds of home and school. Parents need
release time from work, usually in small increments, to attend to their children's needs.
More and more employers are recognizing the importance of parent involvement. They know
it's critical to get children off to a good start and to support them along the way. They
recognize that parents need flexibility.
Some employers are generating release time to allow parents to be more involved in
their children's programs, parent-teacher conferences, special educational concern
meetings, volunteering to assist in the classroom and chaperoning field trips. Others work
out comp time so parents can be involved. As an individual employee or as a group,
consider the following four steps when you approach employers.
Step One:
Explain Why Release Time is Important.
Help employers understand that parent involvement sends an important message to
children. It says adults care about what they do each day and are interested in their
friends and in their lives as individuals.
Parents need to visit classrooms to:
- help children make the transition from home to school
- better understand the types of activities children are doing so they can be reinforced
at home
- build partnerships with and provide support, input and assistance to the children's
teachers and care providers.
Step Two:
Explain How You Will Use This Release Time.
For employers to support these activities, help them understand what you will be doing
in the schools. Explain that you want release time to:
- spend a few extra hours at the school during the first few weeks
- attend a parent-teacher conference
- attend a special school function such as a play or school trip
- volunteer in the classroom.
Step Three:
Be Specific in Your Request.
It may be helpful to have a specific understanding with your employer at the beginning
of the year regarding policies for parent participation. For example, you may ask for:
- two "school readiness" days a year that could be used to participate in your
child's education or child-care program
- a certain number of hours a year to increase your involvement in the schools
- more flexibility in your schedule to visit the school/child-care site in the early
morning hours or during lunch.
Step Four:
Once You Secure Release Time, Keep Your Employer and Others Informed About the Importance
of Such a Benefit.
- If your employer agrees to release time, express your appreciation at an employee
function or in the local media.
- After a visit to the school, send a short note to your employer about how much it means
to you, your children and the school.
- Share the idea of such a benefit with neighbors and friends who work with other
companies.
Support for children and families is a sound investment in the future since caring for
children is everybody's business. Release time to encourage parent participation creates
an important partnership among parents, employers, schools and child-care providers that
can make a difference in the lives of children and in our country.
Remember to go to your employer with solutions, not just a list of your problems.
To resolve work/family conflicts, develop a plan that both employee and employer can
live with.
Work/Family as a Business Issue
When managers look at changing demographics, they see that responding to the family
needs of their employees directly affects the bottom line through:
- Reduced stress levels of employees
- Increased loyalty and morale
- Increased commitment to the job and the company
- Better recruiting and retention of skilled workers
- Enhanced image in the community as a caring organization
- Tax breaks for employers and employees.
What is needed is a thorough reform of the institutions and policies that govern the
workplace to ensure that men and women have the time and resources needed to invest in
their children.
William B. Johnston
Executive Summary Workforce 2000
Yes, but . . .
What if your employer isn't committed to addressing work/family issues?
Talk about your concerns and keep letting management know about successful
ideas from other workplaces. If you have a serious concern, talk to
your human resources respresentative.
Do these programs benefit employers as much as employees?
Many businesses are looking at what they can do to support work/family needs in their
work force. How can family-friendly programs be justified when a company needs to be
leaner?
- The Ford Foundation report from Boston University's Center on Work and Family
summarized 10 years of research. The report said that family-friendly policies and
programs reduced absenteeism and stress and improved morale.
- Aetna found its family programs increased retention of its highest performers
from 77 percent to 91 percent.
- A survey by the Commerce Clearing House listed the hidden costs of unscheduled
absences, saying the costs of those absences ranged from an average $45,000 for small
firms to more than $1.5 million for companies with up to 5,000 employees.
- Waste Management reported its Family Life Education program reduced some
unscheduled absences as well as decreased benefit claims and improved productivity. The
company documented a savings of $1,600 per participant to offset the $200 per person cost.
- A GMAC Mortgage evaluation showed work and family programs had improved
profitability by decreasing turnover, lateness and unplanned absenteeism and enhancing the
company's image.
- The Putnam Companies, Boston, and several other firms reported providing
emergency or back-up care cut absences and increased productivity.
- A Chicago University study for Fel-Pro, Inc., Skokie, Ill., found family-friendly
benefits were instrumental in reducing turnover.
A Final Note
Work and family issues are really everybody's business. Society is just beginning to
recognize how everyone -- from businesses to agencies to individual families -- can work
together to strengthen both the workplace and the family. In the end, everyone stands to
benefit. But remember that changes occur one step at a time. The most progressive
companies were once unaware of the links between family and the business place. Be patient
and avoid making demands. Approach your supervisor with ideas that are reasonable, and
watch the partnership grow.
Time Saving Ideas
- Take time to plan and organize your day.
- Incorporate tasks like planning the day while commuting, cooking while talking on the
phone, exercising while watching TV, etc.
- Make a "to do" list.
- Encourage the help of other family members.
- Solve problems one at a time.
- Assign age-appropriate tasks to others.
- Vary your routine.
- Involve all family members with household tasks.
- Notice when you are at your peak and use this time wisely.
- Give plenty of positive attention to your family.
- Create a family calendar to help plan time efficiently.
- Do not expect perfection. It may be necessary to adjust standards to have time to spend
elsewhere.
- Enlist outside supports such as family, friends and modern conveniences.
- Accomplish parts of a large task rather than trying to finish it all at once.
- Start now to manage your time effectively.
References
American Society for Training and Development, Family-Supportive Workplace
Environments, December 1990, Issue 012, Alexandria, VA.
Iowa State University Extension Service, Balancing Work & Family Series,
October 1990, Ames, Iowa.
Minnesota Technical College System, Vocational Education Work & Family Institute, Take
Away Tips Series, 1990.
Work & Family Connection, Minneapolis. Work and Family Newsbrief, January 1993.
Pre-K Today, Securing Release Time to Participate in Your Child's Program,
August/September 1992.
Contributors
Helen Danielson, Child Development Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Kim Bushaw, Parent Line Program Specialist, NDSU
FS-514, Reviewed July 2006
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