...Creating a family-friendly workplace is a strategy that more and more business are employing to keep their staff happy and productive. Although family-friendly workplace policies are often very expensive to implement, many employers feel that the rewards are worth the investment. Family friendly workplaces serve an employee’s needs by allowing them to better balance work and family, and fulfill the needs of the employer by increasing employee satisfaction and productivity, and reducing turnover. The movement towards creating family friendly work environments in the U.S. really began to take hold in the early 1990’s as more and more women continued to enter the workforce. The article that I have chosen to highlight was published in 1992 at the onset of this movement, and provides quite a bit of insight into its purpose. The article highlights the implementation of family-friendly workplace policies at North Island Federal Credit Union (NIFCU) in San Diego, California. A recent phrase has been coined to capture the change in orientation that companies must achieve…"family friendly." … this phrase means allowing employees to keep families as their first priority, if they choose. This philosophy is the cornerstone…of employee-focused culture. NIFCU North Island Federal Credit Union (NIFCU), San Diego, already is undertaking this process by offering work schedule alternatives, instituting new leave policies, offering child-care assistance and providing an employee assistance...
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...Changing Role 2.3 Feminist Theory – Gendered Roles 2.4 Fatherhood and its Complexities … 2.5 Fathers in other cultures 2.6 Working-Class Fathers … 2.7 Fathers and the Family Friendly Workplace 2.8 Research Question Chapter Two Literature review The literature relevant to research into fatherhood is diverse and describes some dynamically interactive elements constitutive of the social construction of fatherhood. This chapter provides a summary of those topics considered to be most relevant to the research problem. It begins with a discussion of the significance of the father to the development of children followed by a brief description of the changing role of fatherhood. This is followed by an analysis of gendered parenting roles and the contradictions that exist for men between dominant patriarchal views of fatherhood and those fathering behaviours that are resistant to dominant beliefs. A comparative analysis is provided through the examination of cross-cultural experiences followed by a discussion on oppression and resistance and the relevance of this to working-class men. Finally there is a review of the current literature on the development of Family Friendly Workplace Policy 2.1 Fathers – And a Secure Base Move 1. The importance of attachment to the child leading to the importance of attachment to the father; its impact on the child Theories about the significance...
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...3. What do family-friendly policies entail The best and highly used perspective when looking at family friendly organisation is how they value work life balance. Callan (2007) added to this issue by mentioning that the behaviour and work climate also affect the level of how the concept of family friendly policies is practised. Influence rather than enforcement is key when it comes to implementing Family friendly policies. In Callan (2007) article we read about how the family-friendly policies affect organisational cultures and employees believes. It’s easy to look at it from work-life balace in “balance’ perspective. Through this notion it is easy to deduce that this refers to finding equilibrium between your work and personal life. This...
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...and corporate culture. These barriers do not operate independently, but rather work hand-in-hand in preventing organizations from achieving a family-supportive environment. One barrier that prevents organizations from implementing family-supportive policies concerns prevailing assumptions regarding gender roles and their relation to work and to family (Thompson, Thomas, & Maier, 1992). Thompson et al. refer to this as the "masculine ethic" in organizations. Workplaces and their reward systems are still generally built around the male model of work. Guidelines for achieving success in organizations (e.g., assertiveness, competition, heroic action) are closely associated with conventional images of masculinity (Rapoport, Bailyn, Fletcher, & Pruitt 2002). The "ideal worker" is one who works full time and overtime and takes little or no time off from work for childbearing or child rearing (Williams, 2000). The persistent view regarding the career patterns of men and women is that women are more committed to family than to work, and that men are more committed to work than to family (Cook, 1994). Consequently, family supportive policies continue to be seen as policies primarily designed to "help" women (Lewis, 2001). Another barrier mentioned by Thompson et al. (1992) is the lack of leadership on national policy regarding work and family issues. Although the lack of national policy might more accurately be considered a societal barrier rather than an organizational barrier per...
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...Challenges faced by Australian organisations and employees due to the pervasiveness of family friendly work policies. An explanation, using real organisations to illustrate the implications, of family friendly work policies for Strategic Human Resource Management and Recruitment Practices. Australian organisations and employees are faced by many different challenges in today’s modern society. Australian organisations have set out family friendly work policies in order to adapt and cope with these challenges. The external environment of an organisation has led to the increased need for the implementation of family friendly policies within the workplace, issues such as an ageing population and skills shortages need to be addressed by specific policies. The growth and demand placed on employees to increase their working hours, means that there is an increased conflict with their family, work and life choices, this has resulted in the work/life balance being dramatically one-sided. The need to implement family friendly policies into the work environment has significant implications for the strategic human resource management teams. There are many internal and external factors which affect the organisations strategy when making decisions in relation to its policies. ANZ, Telstra and Westpac are just three of the major organisations within Australia who have implemented family friendly work policies. These policies have significant implications for recruitment practices within...
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...willing to contribute to the cost of employer-sponsored daycare whether or not they used the benefit. "There are several kinds of employers who typically have on-site childcare, such as high-tech and healthcare industries, and others who need 24-hour workers, such as airline reservation companies," notes Connelly. "The few studies that have been done on on-site childcare focused on those companies with highly educated workforces. We were particularly interested in another group of companies - those who weren't offering daycare as part of a whole package of family-friendly benefits or because of a corporate philosophy, but rather because they had done an economic analysis of their particular set of workers and had decided that on-site childcare would be economically beneficial to their company." The second way is pet-friendly offices. Not all companies are created equal when it comes to the acceptance of dogs in the workplace. Some readily welcome your best friend while others have not yet realized the benefits of allowing dogs. The majority of companies that allow dogs are small start-up companies who realize the need for a flexible work environment or large high tech firms that allow dogs in order to capture the interest of a prospective employee or to retain their current employees. One Call Now joins a growing force of companies across the United States to...
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...Differences That Work: Organizational Excellence through Diversity Edited with an Introduction by Mary C. Gentile Forward by R. Roosevelt Thomas Differences That Work: Organizational Excellence through Diversity is a collection of 16 articles from the Harvard Business Review. Many of the articles were written over 15 years ago, but their content is still relevant today. The book does not directly tell the reader how to manage diversity in the workplace, but presents situations that compel the reader to question their own reaction if confronted with similar situations. Part I of the book offered an explanation of why diversity is becoming an increasingly important topic in the workplace. William B. Johnston, in “Global Workforce 2000: The New World Labor Market” explains that workplace diversity is not just a challenge in the United States. It is a challenge faced around the globe. Developing nations are producing educated workers faster than their economies are able to employ them. Therefore, these workers are immigrating to countries where they have the greatest opportunity. (p. 5) In order to attract the most talented workers, and stay competitive in the global marketplace, employers will have to learn to value the diverse talents that their changing workforce brings to the table. They will have to use these diverse talents to their competitive advantage instead of trying to fit all workers into the same mold. If the world (not just the United States) does not...
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...Effective Strategies for Managing Stress in the Workplace In today’s uncertain economic times, stress in the workplace is taking its toll on managers and employees from Wall Street to Main Street. Dealing with stress regarding budget cuts, possible layoffs, diversity issues, personality conflicts, and a wide range of other concerns can cause serious implications in the workplace. Identifying potential stressors early on is crucial to the well-being of employees. This review provides strategies that management can utilize in order to obtain balance in the office. Taking steps to avert or ease tension in the workplace is key to the overall success of an organization. According to Webster’s Dictionary (2005), stress is defined as mental or physical tension (p.638). This definition encompasses a wide range of possibilities. The reality is that stress is a part of everyday life. All of us experience some form of stress on a daily basis. Unhealthy levels of stress can have serious implications in the office if issues are unresolved. Fortunately, there are warning signs: loss of confidence, irritability, decrease in productivity, and an increase in sick/personal days. Personality differences among employees can lead to a tense and less productive work environment. Differences in race, gender, religious conviction, sexual orientation, and age can cause fear and uneasiness among employees. These feelings are often associated with confusion or powerlessness. Diversity and sensitivity...
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...International Journal of Hospitality Management 29 (2010) 720–728 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Hospitality Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman Does workplace fun matter? Developing a useable typology of workplace fun in a qualitative study Simon C.H. Chan ∗ Department of Management and Marketing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong a r t i c l e Keywords: Workplace fun Useable typology Qualitative study Hospitality industry i n f o a b s t r a c t A fun work environment is a positive atmosphere for organizations to attract and retain employees. This study identifies the significant factors of workplace fun and develops a useable typology of workplace fun activities in the hospitality industry. A qualitative case study with grounded theory approach was used by conducting interviews with ten hotel human resource (HR) practitioners in the People’s Republic of China. The results identified four “S”s of workplace fun factors, namely: (1) Staff-oriented workplace fun, (2) Supervisor-oriented workplace fun, (3) Social-oriented workplace fun, and (4) Strategy-oriented workplace fun. This study provides a roadmap to guide future hospitality management research in workplace fun domain. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction As the jargon goes, “Happy Employees Produce Happy Customers.” (Wong and Ko, 2009, p. 196) There is a great challenge for organizations to attract...
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...Pontius MGT 3335-70 Li, Hongcai Paper 1 The article titled”Are You Too Family Friendly?” is about how non-married employees feel that they are shorted benefits that married employees receive. The number of non-married worker in the US is continuing to increase and businesses need to be aware of these employees and the benefits that they allow in their ‘family friendly’ policies. These non-married employees feel slighted that they don’t get ‘flex time’ to take the afternoon off just because they don’t have a kid or spouse to take to the doctor or whatever. It states that they feel like they have to pick up the slack for the family employee and do more work because the family employee is not there. The article also goes into the struggles of domestic partners when it comes to benefits and how this type of relationship is also becoming more popular. There are graphs and research to support the point that a new majority of employees are not families in the traditional sense. Some companies are already making adjustments to this trend with new policies and benefits definitions. The article suggests that companies need to start adjustments or face problems with these employees in the future. This article goes with the sections of chapter one that is titled ‘Helping employees balance work – life conflicts’, ‘creating a positive work environment’, and the paragraphs about ‘deviant workplace behavior.’(pp. 24-25, 29 of textbook) It can also be an influence on an Organizational...
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...publication may be copied and quoted with acknowledgement. ISBN No: 0-9582233-4-3 Equal Employment Opportunities Trust PO Box 12929 Penrose Auckland New Zealand Phone: 64 9 525 3023 Fax: 64 9 525 7076 Table of Contents Preface 3 Executive summary 4 1.0 Introduction 6 2.0 Definitions and evidence of relationships 6 2.1 Work-life balance 6 2.1.1 Productivity 7 2.1.2 Relationship between work-life balance and productivity 8 2.2 Workplace/work-life culture 11 2.2.1 Relationship between work-life balance and workplace culture 12 2.3 Discretionary effort and employee engagement: going the extra mile 16 2.3.1 Relationship between discretionary effort/employee engagement and productivity/profitability 20 2.3.2 Relationship between work-life balance and discretionary effort 21 2.3.3 Relationship between workplace culture and discretionary effort 23 2.4 Summary of inter-relationships of key factors 24 3.0 Changing a workplace culture 26 3.1 Case studies of culture change 27 4.0 Conclusion 29 5.0 References 30 Preface Employee engagement has been identified as critical to competitive advantage in a labour market where skilled, committed people are increasingly hard to find and keep. Many of the factors that impact on employee engagement have been identified, or at least speculated on. In this exploratory research, the EEO Trust investigates whether supporting work-life balance results...
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...1. Identify: • the purpose of The Herb Farm’ • how Lynne & Sarah have worked to effectively achieve this purpose. (For example, through planning, organisation, leadership and control inside a family business). 2. What do you think is the most important management challenge they will face in the near future and how should they respond to this challenge? In answering these two questions, you are expected to provide: • The purpose behind the development of The Herb Farm • Introduction to the concepts of management, planning, organising, leading and controlling; o This might include consideration of management concepts like commercialisation, sustainability, succession planning in a family business, entrepreneurship, ecopreneurship, exporting, manufacturing, quality and competitors. • An analysis of the Herb Farm organisation, using the documents and web resources available. o Note: See the Assignments/Assignment 1: Group Presentation folder on blackboard for resources on The Herb Farm. Please make use of any additional resources you find but do not contact the owners or employees of The Herb Farm for assistance with this assignment!! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. The purpose of the Herb Farm: - 'Green', natural products, using natural resources - An effective product; a product that will benefit your health - A trusted product “Organisations come into being to achieve a purpose” ...
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...This chapter was excerpted from Dayle M. Smith (2000). Women At Work: Leadership for the Next Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Cynthia A. Thompson and Laura L. Beauvais I love my life! My husband and I have arranged our work lives so that we can spend as much time as possible with our kids, and still feel like we’re making a difference at work. —JESSICA DEGROOT, FOUNDER. THE THIRD PATH INSTITUTE It just got to be too much. Monday through Friday I caught the 6:30 train for the city, and didn’t return until 6 P.M. . I loved my job, the money was good, but there was no flexibility, no possibility for part-time work. And I really missed my kids. My husband was making more than I did and we finally decided we could live on his salary. So I quit. —LISA CELONA. FORMER NASDAQ EQUITY TRADER. CURRENT AT-HOME MOM I spent four years working for an insurance company as director of media services. Because my wife was a performer in New York City and had to work evenings; I was the primary caregiver for our two children. That meant I had to leave work earlier than any of the other managers, and that caused a lot of friction and resentment... The tension it created for me at work was instrumental in my eventually having to leave the company. —MICHAEL KERLEY, PRESIDENT, CREATIVE DIALOGUES Chapter Overview This chapter focuses on how women (and, increasingly, men) attempt to balance the multiple competing...
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...with non-mothers and fathers were penalized, moreover fathers were not penalized for the same, but received benefits for having children. The researchers used a qualitative method to evaluate most employers, secondly a laboratory experiment was taken on some evaluators to see how they rated the applicants in terms of competence, workplace commitment, hire ability, promotion and salary. The audit study was measured on the number of callbacks from employers, and it was observed that there was no difference in productivity and skills between mothers and non-mothers. The status based (African-American or white) of the mothers were also manipulated in the laboratory experiment to see if race had an effect of getting jobs for mothers when compared to non -mothers, the theory predicted that both African -American and white will experience biases in workplace settings, though the white race mothers are more likely to get promoted than African-Americans. In the results of the experiments taken at the laboratory, it was clearly suggested that real employers did discriminate against mothers, culturally some stated and believed that mothers should not be in workplace but instead be at home with their children. Motherhood penalty also explains “According to this ideal worker’s belief, the best worker is the ‘committed’ worker who demonstrates intensive effort on the job through actions that appear to sacrifice all other concerns for work…examples include a willingness to drop everything at a...
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...Most studies of interactions in culturally diverse workplaces focus on communication, obstacles, such as miscommunication, conflict and discrimination. However, another relevant aspect of a culturally diverse context are the positive results of successful intercultural communication, along with the means or techniques to which actors resort to in order to overcome the barriers set by diversity. In other words, how it is possible to work effectively and cooperate in a multicultural environment leading to positive outcomes. As a matter of fact, the lack of studies focusing on such aspect is brought to attention in Ryoo’s study (2005) on service encounters between Korean shop owners and African American customers, where the focus is put on the friendly interactions and successful communication among members of two very different ethnic groups. More specifically, some of the devices customers and shopkeepers employed were joking, complimenting or sharing attitudes, giving support, initiating rather elaborate small talk and often recurring to group identity markers, using terms as “baby” or “my man” to set a positive and relaxed atmosphere (Ryoo, 2005). However, although all these techniques led to beneficial intercultural cooperation, it should be remembered that, due to context where they took place, the relation between the two actors was of the merchant-customer kind, rather...
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