Susan's Blog
(Occasional comments by Susan Seitel)
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January 28th, 2010
Unlimited paid
leave crazy or good for business?
If you work at Seattle-based Social Strata, you can
take as much vacation as you want. Totally up to you. The social media company
announced on Monday that each of its 14 employees is being granted access to
unlimited paid leave, whenever they want it.
It is a radical move, they acknowledged, but "we Seattle
tech companies like to lead the way, right?" said Social Strata president and
CEO Rosemary O'Neill. They decided, she said, that if they have the right people
on the bus, people who are passionate about what they're doing, they don't need
to set artificial limits on the amount of time they can take off, or say why
they can. Disciplined people will ensure that their responsibilities are handled
and still be able to charge their batteries. (Now here's the kicker.)
"Undisciplined people who take advantage of the system will reveal themselves
and be naturally sorted out."
Bloggers had a field day. Here are some of their thoughts:
"Actually this is pretty smart, assuming everyone's doing a
good job. Marginal performers who take too much time off will just get
themselves fired."
"Old news in the film and video industry. It's called
"freelancing". And does this enterprising and far sighted company still pay
their employee's health care premiums and other related costs while their
minions are off on their "free" vacations?"
"This will come to an end when they need to terminate
someone who isn't really working."
"Even with "at will" employees, this kind of open standard is an invitation for
an employment lawsuit."
"3 day work weeks? Why would it matter so long as they
accomplish the goals their boss set for them. Why would it matter if they did it
in 5 days vice 3? So they work quicker, and so long as their superiors are
satisfied with the quality then seems to me they earned that 3 day work week."
"Unlimited vacation is nice - but with only 14- employees,
all they've done is ensure those 14 work their b*tts off or risk being replaced
by someone else."
"With only 14 employees, you look each other in the eye
every day. And the success of the company, and the continuation of the jobs,
rests on each of those 14 people busting butt all the time... slacking just
won't work. OTOH, after working really hard, a three-day weekend once in a
while, or a day off when there are no pressing deliverables and the weather
turns perfect, or permission and support to take a three-week European tour are
the kind of treats that make employees fiercely loyal."
"It's called trust, respect, and acknowledgement of interdependency. I don't
think it would work well in a big anonymous workplace, but in a small company
like this, I think it's a brilliant move."
"I trust you to do a great job and to manage your time effectively" is a very
smart thing to say to intelligent, dedicated mature workers. Micromanagement
kills passion."
Click here to add your comment!
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What to
do with the news, post Newsbrief
When I was writing the Work-Life Newsbrief every
month I devoured the news every day from three newspapers, Google searches and
periodicals, sorted it, filed it, saved it for the 10th of each month when it
was time to start writing the next month's issue.
I can't say I miss all that work since we ended the
publication after 25 years. And we'll still produce the Manager's Quarterly
every three months – the quarter's news that will make a difference for
managers and help them be more flexible and effective. So I'm still a news
hound. But now I have a box full of articles I feel are important but I'm not
quite sure what to do with.
For instance - the average salary increase for 2010 has
dropped to 2.5%, says a new WorldatWork survey, down even from the
depressing forecast of 2.8% a few months ago.
Fraser Health, a huge health consortium in British
Columbia, says its been allowing medical transcriptionists to work from home for
the past year and found workers are "much happier" and are 20% to 30% more
productive. Their total experience with telecommuting has been extremely
positive.
A national program to reduce dietary salt could prevent
tens of thousands of heart attacks, strokes and deaths, and trim as much as $24
billion from the U.S. healthcare tab, says a study by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo,
associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San
Francisco.
Two new reports are shedding light on the changing role of
women in the workforce. One, by Pew Research Center, finds women today
earn more college degrees than men, and although they still earn less than men,
their earnings grew 44% from 1970 to 2007. And they're moving toward a new
milestone: women will soon constitute half of all the unemployed. Many men, says
the report, now benefit economically from marriage because most wives are
educated and work.
And last but certainly not least, a study by
Northeastern University research scientist Alison Earle and McGill
researcher Jody Heymann has found that workplace benefits such as paid leave and
a weekly day of rest boost the competitiveness of companies and don't negatively
affect job creation. Their study has debunked the popular misconception among
business leaders that providing family-friendly benefits will only raise the
cost of labor and diminish a company's impact in the global marketplace.
I guess this is what we'll do with all that saved news in
the box.
Click here to comment!
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January 13th, 2010
What small employers
can do
I'm always surprised when an owner of a small company says "but
we're so small. What can we do to help employees balance their work and their
life?" Of course what I want to say (and have said in the past) is "Why don't
you just ask them?" But in case you'd rather surprise your staff, here are some
suggestions for helping them be more effective in every area of their lives.
First, you can publicly acknowledge the dual role they play and
make clear your intention to help them wherever possible. How about sending out
a statement from top management? Request that managers communicate the same
statement to their employees. Speak to each employee personally and tell them
you'd like to know what your organization can do to be more flexible and
supportive.
Provide incentives for managers to improve and reward them for
being flexible and supportive. Offer flextime, job sharing, telework, compressed
workweek and part-time. Train managers to be
more supportive when personal issues and emergencies arise.
Address workload issues, redesign work to
avoid duplication and plan ahead to allow for remote work for personal or family
emergencies.
Help parents be better parents. Offer seminars to help them
improve their parenting skills. Provide books and pamphlets about how to improve
parenting skills. Provide information about where to locate resources on
improving parenting skills. Encourage peer support groups for fathers, mothers,
single parents, etc. Partner with schools, encourage employee involvement. Allow
conferences at work or on work time. Provide paid parental leave for those with
new babies (adoption as well as childbirth).
Help employees make ends meet. Offer a Dependent Care Assistance
Plan (tax-free money for childcare). Offer financial counseling, help with
childcare fees for low-wage workers and help with college tuition for employees
or their college-age children.
The idea is to create a more effective workplace, with workers
who are more effective. Ignoring the demands they face outside of work won't
help you get there.
Click here to comment!
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January 5, 2010
The Future of the
Work-Life Field
A guest blog by Brad Harrington,
Executive Director of the
Boston
College Center for Work & Family
Since our founding in 1990, the Boston College Center for Work &
Family has been a leader in helping organizations meet the needs of
working people and their families. By bridging academic research
with corporate practice, we have strived to help organizations
create healthy workplaces that support the “whole person.” The work
we have done with our corporate partners over this nearly 20-year
period is a source of tremendous pride. We are looking forward to
celebrating this milestone with our members and other thought
leaders in the field at our 20th Anniversary Gala on September 30,
2010.
That said, I feel that the time is approaching for the field to
make a significant step forward. While organizations have developed
and delivered initiatives that have helped their employees cope with
the conflict that arises in trying to manage work and family, we
know that many of our initiatives still receive less than full
support. The culture of many organizations signals that work-life is
a marginal issue, only germane to women with young children or
employees in times of dire need. It is seen as an exception for the
few, not a strategy that ensures high levels of morale and
productivity for all.
Perhaps more importantly, the focus of the field continues to be
aimed at helping people cope. I believe that this is a necessary but
not sufficient view of what we need to offer if work and life
integration is truly our aim. All organizations seek to have high
levels of employee engagement. It is, after all, the key to
possessing a workforce that cares deeply about the organization and
its aims. Engagement engenders organizational citizenship behaviors
(i.e. employees’ willingness to go the extra mile for their employer
or their fellow employees.) A workforce that demonstrates these
behaviors is what truly great organizations possess - it is, in
fact, the key to their greatness.
I am skeptical that high levels of employee engagement will be
achieved by simply looking to minimize conflict in employees’ lives
and help people cope with their existing difficulties. Engagement is
far more likely the outcome of employees who view their lives, both
inside and outside of the workplace, as meaningful. Helping
individuals find meaning in their work, know they are respected as
whole persons, and perceive alignment between their values and goals
and those of the organization - these are the critical ingredients
of employee engagement.
Securing this higher level of commitment requires that
organizations have a work-life strategy that not only alleviates
conflict but also helps its people find connections with their
employer and their work. Reducing conflict is important. But
reduction of conflict does not equate to fulfillment (any more than
absence of disease equates to excellent health or the absence of
depression equates to happiness.) What we should seek is a more
comprehensive approach to work-life. This approach needs to address
the necessary “hygienic” factors in order to eliminate de-motivators
and the deeper issues that lie at the root of motivation. One of my
own personal goals for this 20th year of the Center is to explore
and articulate a vision of work-life that goes well beyond the
elimination of conflict and moves us toward defining what it means
to live a life of meaning.
I invite you to join me in this conversation and would welcome
hearing your thoughts.
Besides directing the B.C. Center, Brad Harrington is a
Research Professor in the Carroll School of Management and co-author
of Career Management and Work-Life Integration: Using
Self-Assessment to Navigate Contemporary Careers (Sage Publications,
2007). He can be contacted by e-mail at harrinb@bc.edu. The Center
for Work & Family’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is sponsored by
Kraft Foods, Marriott International, Chevron Corporation,
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Baxter Healthcare Corporation,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, United Parcel Service and other CWF
Corporate Partners.
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