From the WICT Catalyst newsletter.  Enjoy!

Experts: Few Firms Help Employees Balance Work, Life
Bradenton Herald (FL) (01/15/06) P. 4 ; Augstums, Ieva M.

The need to balance personal priorities--family, community and leisure activities--with daily workplace demands is stronger today than ever before, particularly among younger workers, experts say. "Generation X and Y want it all, and companies are starting to realize they need to listen," said Jim Bird, president and founder of WorkLifeBalance.com, a training and workplace development firm. "Companies need to realize that work-life balance is not a problem to be solved; it's an ongoing issue that needs to be managed." But many employers are not taking the steps to manage the work-life balance issue and are missing an opportunity to retain existing employees or attract top talent, according to a survey from staffing and recruiting firm Spherion. According to the study, one-third of workers ages 25 to 39 feel burned out by their jobs, and 28 percent of all workers say their employers expect them to stay connected to the office outside normal office hours. Meanwhile, average paid holiday/personal time--standard holidays, floating holidays, personal days and holiday shutdown days--among U.S. companies has not changed over the last five years. However, experts say that it may as more companies strive to help their employees with work-life balance. Experts warn that if companies do not meet the needs of these younger workers, they could leave their jobs to go to another company or even start their own business. "There's huge competition for the best talent out there," says Lisa Ong, PricewaterhouseCoopers' diversity leader in Dallas. "If you are not a company with flexibility, you risk losing your best people, your best talent."

Comments

[Mike Artherton]

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