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WHY SHOULD YOU OFFER ALTERNATIVE WORK ARRANGEMENTS?
Even in today's economy, organizations must be very creative in order to attract
and retain quality employees. And if you have high needs for Technical staff
forget it !! A report from Northern Arizona University states that there are
only seven candidates for every 10 high-tech jobs.
And more and more, employees are telling us that balance between work and
life is what is most important. In a Work trends survey conducted by Rutgers
University's Center for Survey Research Analysis at the University of
Connecticut 88% of respondents rated the ability to balance work and family as
extremely important. More than 90% of the respondents said that they wanted
flexibility in their work schedules to take care of family needs.
If an organization can make an individual's life more balanced, it will
experience higher productivity, less burn out, higher loyalty and better morale.
There is a pool of great candidates that you probably have not tapped.
In part it consists of
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Full time parents who would love to work in their profession
on a part time or from home basis.
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Full time professionals who are content in their current organization but
who would jump at the chance to work an alternative work arrangement.
Individuals who
have taken an early retirement opportunity but would love to contribute to
your organization on a part time basis.
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Physically challenged individuals who are not able to work a traditional
full time work schedule.
Positioning yourself on the list of family friendly work place organizations
will help your recruitment. One employer named on the Working Mother's
"100 Best Companies" list had to restructure the employment department
to handle the influx of resumes and job inquiries. (see also
Family Friendly Benefits for
additional ideas and the Best Company Awards
section for application information)
And remember, while
you are NOT implementing family friendly policies, your
competition is!! Have any of your valuable employees approached you to ask for
an alternative work arrangement? Did you say No? Are they looking for another
job now, or don't you know?
Benefits of Alternative Work Arrangements - Beyond Recruitment
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Realize a broader range of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience
within one position than would be possible with one full time person.
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Experience continuity of coverage, under certain circumstances, even when one
job share partner is sick or on vacation.
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Increase productivity with the added energy and improved time management part
time and telecommuting employees can bring to their work.
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Retain the services of employees who need additional time to deal with family
or other personal needs.
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Respond to employee needs covered by laws such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
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Boost employee morale and loyalty.
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