The traditional workplace has vanished. Flexible work arrangements, telecommuting, changing attitudes toward the employer/employee relationship, and increased competition for an educated and trained workforce has prompted companies to take a closer look at the impact of work/life initiatives and with good reason; improved employee retention. Studies show that work/life initiatives are a powerful tool to motivate people and encourage commitment to achieving business objectives.

u      Work/life programs positively affect employee retention 

u      Conflicts between work and personal life impede productivity 

u      Work/life conflict contributes to lower employee retention and related costs 

u    Workplace supports for personal life are associated with good work performance

Updated Cost of Turnover Statistics

u      Watson Wyatt reports that total turnover costs including hard dollars and lost productivity are approximately 48% – 61% of salary

u      For an organization with 20,000 employees, 15% turnover rate and an average salary of $50,000, this cost would mean an annual turnover costs between $72M – $92M

Building the Business Case for WorkLife

u      Use current trends and research to support proposed programs.

u      Integrate company mission/values into the work/life proposal.

u      Use employee profiles and demographics to build your case. Focus groups and surveys are good tools (Where is the current pain that is causing reduced employee retention).

u      Know your competitors and what they are offering, this can motivate upper management buy in.

u      Involve mid level managers early in the process to give input.

Communicate Programs and Success Stories

u      Increases the organizations awareness to the needs and values of today's workforce.

u      Ties employee retention and morale to profitability.

u      Educates key personnel to the changing demographics in the workforce.

u      Introduces new concepts and strategies for organizational effectiveness.

Barriers to Success

u      Lack of support from management team.

u      Inability to provide hard numbers.

u      Company culture does not support change.

u      Back lash from single workers.

u      Failure of other programs due to low utilization.

u      Managers do not view work/life initiatives as business tools that impact employee retention.