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Resources to Help Balance Work, Life and Family: Employee Assistance

Is balancing work, life, and family a priority for you? These resources will assist the HR professional to balance work, life, and family issues, needs, and concerns. They will help you help others in your organization and serve as referral resources.
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance supports the efforts of employees to split their time and energy between work and the other important aspects of life. Work-life balance is a daily effort to make time for family, friends, community participation, spirituality, personal growth, self care, and other activities, in addition to the demands of the workplace. Work-life balance is assisted by employers who institute policies, procedures, actions, and expectations that enable employees to easily pursue balanced lives.
Flexible Schedule
A flexible schedule allows an employee to work hours that differ from the normal company start and stop time. Particularly in an environment for exempt employees, those hours are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A flexible schedule involves either a compressed work week or flexible starting and stopping times. A flexible schedule is one of the benefits most appreciated by employees.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Flexible Work Schedules
Advantages for employers and employees exist when the employer allows employees to work flexible schedules. Whether the flexible work schedules involve compressing work days, flexible daily hours, or telecommuting, challenges exist for the employer and the employee. Find out more about flexible work schedules.
Flexible Work Schedule - Do You Have a Flexible Work Schedule
Organizations increasingly support a flexible work schedule for employees. Not like the former 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. required office hours, a flexible schedule allows you to come early or stay late, work fewer days or telecommute. Have you negotiated a flexible work schedule for your own work-life balance? Or, does your company offer all employees a flexible work schedule? What sort of flexible work s…
Life and Family Challenges With Flexible Work Schedules?
Employers agree on the life and family advantages of flexible work schedules for employees. The flexibility allows employees latitude when children are sick, for doctor’s appointments, teacher conferences, and the myriad of life and family responsibilities with which work competes. Working out the details is moe challenging.
Negotiate a Flexible Schedule
The advantages of a flexible work schedule for employees are clear and well-documented. So, plan your negotiation for a flexible work schedule with your employer in mind. The negotiation is not about you. It’s not about what works best for you and your family. The negotiation is about the advantages to the employer for allowing you to work a flex schedule. With thoughtfulness and a little creativity, you can turn every advantage to you and your family into an advantage for your employer.
Work-Life Strategies for Optimal Performance and Life Balance
You've experienced the challenges of balancing the needs of your work and life. Both work and life are becoming more complex so creating optimal work performance in combination with a balanced life is increasingly difficult. Employers are taking steps to assist employees to obtain balance in their work and life. But, balancing work and life is never easy even with employer sanctioned flexible wo…
Lactation Accommodation Policy
To assist the transition of women from maternity leave back to work following the birth of a child, lactation accommodation is provided. Lactation accommodation allows a nursing mother to express milk periodically during the work day. The American Academy of Pediatrics, long time advocates of breast feeding, updated their research and findings about the beneficial impact of breast feeding on the health of both the mother and the child.
Top 6 Work-Life Balance Books: Your Family-Friendly Future
Spring is the season for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Family Support Month. Concurrently, work-life balance is a hot issue in the HR field. Organizations search for ideas and examples of innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining employees who are interested in more flexible, family-friendly employment. These books will help you recruit your next generation of employees.
How Real Women Get Ahead: The Woman’s Advantage at Work
Forget what you’ve heard about “being one of the boys,” “having it all,” and “going for the jugular.” Here is how real working women get ahead. Working women favor smarts and skills over sexy, communicate superbly, and earn and learn from line management positions. Learn more about how real working women get ahead: the woman’s advantage at work.
Understanding Stress and Workplace Stress
Stress is normal. Everyone feels stress related to work, family, decisions, your future, and more. Stress is both physical and mental. It is caused by major life events such as illness, the death of a loved one, a change in responsibilities or expectations at work, and job promotions, loss, or changes. Read on to understand the impact of stress and stress in the workplace.
Women and Work: Then, Now, and Predicting the Future for Women in the Workplace
Tired of reading about Carly Fiorina, the former Chairman and CEO of merged Hewlett-Packard - Compaq?. Fiorina and other successful business women are the poster faces for the 'You've come a long way, baby' spin doctors. I applaud and laud the work success of these business women. However, what is happening for the rest of the women in the workforce - now? In the future?
Work Climate, Trust, and Work Relationships Article Index
Want to find information about work environment, climate, organizational culture, trust and relationships fast? Check out this one-stop directory of all the related articles on this site.
Promote Your Personal Growth and Motivation
Are you feeling blah about your life? Does boredom make you unmotivated and unexcited? Are you having a mid-life crisis? You can promote your personal growth and motivation to overcome this inertia. Here are ideas and tools that will help you explore personal growth, set new goals, choose motivation and get your life and work back on a course that excites, motivates and fills your life with joy.
I Just Lost My Job: How Am I Going To Tell My Kids?
One of the responsibilities of a human resources professional is to let employees know that their job has been eliminated. Job loss and the following job search are painful and upsetting for most people. Additionally, parents must tell family members about the job loss and mitigate their fears about the family, the income and the job search. Here are ten tips.
What Brings You Joy?
What brings you great joy in the workplace? I know what brings me joy. Perhaps we share meaning about joyful events and circumstances? I trust that in sharing mine, I remind you of yours. It's easy to get so bogged down in the day-to-day busy that we forget to cherish the best moments. What motivates the motivators? Here are some of mine.
Fear During War
The enemies of America and the free world depend upon our fear for their success. Fear is normal during war. You can, however, mitigate the impact of fear on both the individual and the workplace if you implement these actions and ideas.
The Time of Your Life
Take a look at these top ten time management and productivity enhancement tools. From my Palm and its keyboard to my favorite, current, stress-free productivity boosting book, you'll get ideas that will help you best use the time of your life, too.
Work-Life Balance: Your Family-Friendly Future
Work-life balance is a hot issue in business these days with a whole new generation of workers who value it above all else. Searching for ideas and examples of innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining employees? Start here.
Community - Gone? Or Just Harder to Find?
Community is breaking down in America with serious implications for volunteerism, charity-giving, religious practices, neighborhoods, friendships, family, democracy, and society. There are implications for work, family, and self. Find out more.
Interview With Time and Productivity Guru
With About's Entrepreneur's Guide, Scott Allen, "Meet David Allen, the man Fast Company Magazine called 'one of the world's most influential thinkers on productivity'. He has coached top executives at Microsoft, New York Life, the World Bank, U.S. Navy, and more." He's written my favorite time and productivity mangement book, too. Check it out.
The Alliance of Work/Life Professionals
The Alliance of Work/Life Professionals is the professional organization for those working in the field of life balance, whether academics or practitioners. The Alliance also offers a certification program for members, and periodic professional development opportunities.
Family Friendly Workplace
Take a look at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Web site. It features stories about family friendly policies and programs in organizations. It also offers new ideas about work life family issues. Good site; excellent resource.
Give Me the Time, Not the Money
When asked, fifty-five percent of one audience would take a one-month sabbatical over more money or five free hours a week. Work life balance and the precious commodity called time are what counts today. Learn more.
Legal Landmines of Flexible Work Arrangements
Linda Byars Swindling recommends a written agreement to protect the employer from legal claims and discrimination issues when allowing flexible work arrangements.
4therapy.com Network
This site offers much useful information about work, life, and family issues and concerns including substance abuse, anxiety, stress, grief,loss, and sadness and depression. It also offers a therapist locator search tool. Very useful resource!
Work and Family Connection
The Work and Family Connection highlights issues of importance relating to work and families and the professionals who work with these issues. Visit the site for monthly columns and frequently updated news.
Create a Very, Merry Holiday Season: Tips
You can have a stress-free holiday season if you do four things right. Keep your expectations rational, take care of yourself, take control of your time and limit your commitments, and embrace your family and friends. Want to know more?
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