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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.
-
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.
-
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
-
Realize a broader range of
knowledge, skills, abilities, and
experience within one position than would
be possible with one full time person.
-
Experience continuity of
coverage, under certain circumstances,
even when one job share partner is sick
or on vacation.
-
Increase productivity with
the added energy and improved time
management part time and telecommuting
employees can bring to their work.
-
Retain the services of
employees who need additional time to
deal with family or other personal needs.
-
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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