largely based on research showing that
professionals increasingly value their
personal time.
The National Study of Employers is “the
most comprehensive and far-reaching
study of the practices, policies, programs
and benefits provided by U.S. employers
to address the changing needs of today’s
workforce and workplace,” according to
co-sponsors at the Families and Work
Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. The 2012 study of
more than 1,100 employers noted key
shifts even compared with results of
seven years earlier on what organizations
allow at least some employees to do: 77
percent, up from 66 percent, let them
“use flex time and periodically change
starting and quitting times within some
range of hours;” 87 percent, up from 77
percent, let them “take time off during the
workday to attend to important family or
personal needs without loss of pay;” and
63 percent, up from 34 percent, let them
“work some of their regular paid hours at
home on an occasional basis.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
According to the FWI-SHRM study’s
authors, “the American workforce has
had a number of major transitions
throughout history, when societal, economic and technological trends trans-
Buyers: Is attracting and
retaining talented
employees a consideration
when it comes to creating
travel policies?
No
6 2%
formed work, workers and workplaces.
We are currently experiencing such a
shift as increased workplace opportuni-
ties for women, investment in home life
by men, growing global economic pres-
sures and continually improving com-
munications technology alter the ways
in which women and men manage their
work, personal and family lives.”
SHRM president and CEO Henry Jack-
son added, “As we look ahead, it is clear
that in order to remain competitive, em-
Buyers: Which Of The Following Is
Most Important To You When Choosing
A Travel Supplier?
Air
Hotel
Car
The lowest negotiable rate
53 59 63%
The highest level of service
26 30 23%
17%
A global footprint
7%
8%
Perks such as elite status
3 4%
6%
ployers must find ways to offer flexible
work options if they want to attract and
retain top talent.”
Once again assuming stereotypes are
permitted as factors to consider in shap-
ing policy, FWI and SHRM found that
professional Gen-Xers were “less likely
to want jobs with more responsibility
( 37 percent) than non-professional Gen-
X employees (47 percent). This finding
should concern employers as Gen-X em-
ployees are the next generation in line
to assume many leadership roles as the
Boomers retire. Employers looking to
maintain a talent pipeline will need to
consider how to keep all employees en-
gaged, not only with their jobs, but also
with their career tracks.” Similar assess-
ments applied to Millennials, according
to the study. These characteristics were
attributed to a desire among younger
employees for more personal and family
time. “Therefore, improved flexibility op-
tions for professionals, especially younger
professionals, may be an effective way to
motivate employees to seek positions
with greater responsibility,” the research-
ers concluded.
In 2004, Deloitte, Exxon Mobil, Gen-
eral Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson
and other corporations released with the
Families and Work Institute a study that
uncovered this shift. Gen-X workers,
they found, were “more likely to be ‘fam-
ily-centric’ or ‘dual-centric’ (with equal
priorities on both career and family) and
less ‘work-centric’ (putting higher prior-
ity on their jobs than family) compared
to members of the Boomer generation.”
More appealing places to work, appar-
ently, also are more successful. A 2003
study by a University of New Mexico
professor of 130 announcements of fami-
ly-friendly policies published in the Wall
Street Journal showed the new thinking
resulted in significantly improved share
prices. The Academy of Management
Journal in 2000 announced a study of
527 U.S. companies that found that
those with “more extensive work-family
policies” enjoyed higher perceived per-
formance within their industries.
