...Best Practices in Implementing Work-Life Balance Programs Srirang Jha Apeejay School of Management, New Delhi E-mail: sjha.asm@gmail.com Swarn Kant Mishra Footwear Design & Development Institute, Noida E-mail: mishra.swarnkant@gmail.com Abstract Work-life balance programs are important for contemporary organizations not only for ensuring long-term wellbeing and good health of the employees but also to attain long-term competitiveness. There have been a number of researches establishing relationship between work-life balance and organizational effectiveness. However, not many researchers have attempted to capture or review best practices in implementing work-life balance programs. This paper is a humble essay to explore if there are indeed any best practices in implementing work-life balance –a catchphrase which most of the companies love to swear by –and whether a holistic model for efficient work-life balance program can evolve from what the companies at the top are following on the ground. The authors have also tried to present a critique of gaps in current work-life balance programs. The paper raises more questions than it answers and thus provides enough fodder for the intellectual investigation on the theme. Keywords: Work-life balance, Best Practices, Organizational Excellence Introduction Work-life balance programs have attracted the attention of corporate leaders in recent times thanks to significance of such initiatives in augmenting organizational...
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...educators who are teaching English. The program provides a contract that provides specifics on salary, working hours, and benefits, to include sick days and personal holidays. Cathy travels to Japan after being accepted and discovers that she will be working with Mark, also from Canada, Andrea, and American, and Suzanne, from Great Britain. However, she is made aware of cultural differences very quickly because the Japanese people voluntarily work long hours without pay, to include working on weekends. Moreover, Mr. Higashi, the head coordinator of the program frequently insists that Kelly and her co-workers take part of Japanese cultural events and they are resentful because they feel that Mr. Higashi is trying to make them conform. In addition to the cultural conflicts, Kelly and her peers are also disliked by the Japanese workers because they believe that everyone should show dedication to their jobs by working long hours without pay. Needless to say, the foreigners do not agree and are committed to honoring what’s contained in their contracts only. Things begin to go awry when Kelly calls out sick while experiencing flu-like symptoms. Mr. Higashi responds and tells her that she must bring in a doctor’s note that attests to her sickness upon return and this irritates her but she complies. Ironically, Mark and Suzanne also call out sick on this day and Mr. Higashi becomes very suspicious and believes that there may be a conspiracy to miss work. Upon return, Kelly presents...
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...Introduction – Rushell Baderman Island Resort ensures all guests enjoy a relaxed and care free stay. In doing so the interior of company must be structured to function at its highest level of performance. This essay will outline the general functions of the Food and Bar Management and Front Office Supervisor. It will focus on the performance management systems, discuss the advantage and disadvantage of two different job evaluations, compare and contrast compensation plans, and explain the importance of providing employee benefits plans. Each area is unique to this company and its success. Describe the general function of performance management systems. If your assigned company does not use a performance management system, would you recommend it use one? LISA Overall the success of our company in general is due to our commitment and dedication given to our employees. The company strives to ensure that every employee is given an equal opportunity, and it is our duty to embrace each employee to the fullness of their potential. The company accomplishes this task by the use of performance management systems. Performance management systems are used to sustaining and measuring an employee’s performance. These methods are the key to an organization success because an organization can assess individuals' performance and reward them appropriately. To do this successfully an organization needs to have a system that manages performance: not just for reward purposes but also to help...
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...Compensation is a routine approach to granting monetary value to employees in exchange for work completed and can accomplish numerous purposes helping in areas of recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. The competitive and global marketplaces as well as employee benefit programs today has become known as necessary tools used by companies to draw creative and useful employees. Meeting the requests and needs of employees can be rather complicated during difficult financial times in which businesses must find its balance between compensation methods and keeping overhead costs low. This paper will analyze the impact of various compensation methods and benefit programs on employees and organization. The paper will also relate salary and benefit administration strategies to organizational culture and performance. Compensation Methods Compensation and benefit strategies are ways that organizations can use pay and benefits to recognize and reward employees’ contributions to the organization’s success (OPPapers, 2008). In a retail or customer service organization, workers are usually compensated by one of the following methods: 1. A direct salary or hourly rate, 2. Salary in addition to commission, 3. Quota bonus, 4. Commission without advances or 5. Commission with advances. Although commission payments are tied to sales, the requirements of the exemption are that more than half the employer’s compensation characterizes commissions on services; which can include all sorts...
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...advantage of every chance they get to try to beat the system. So, for them, they will quickly realize that if they continue the excessive absences, they will lose their time, with no one else to blame. This would probably make them more cautious of taking unnecessary time off and maybe understand the effect it has on the company and other employees. How much absenteeism is really under the employee’s control? Based on a Google definition, absenteeism is regularly staying away from work or school without good reason. There are two different types of absenteeism, innocent absenteeism and culpable absenteeism (Benefit’s Interface, 1989-2003). Innocent absenteeism is when employees are absent for reasons beyond their control, like being sick or some type of injury. Innocent absenteeism is “blameless”, meaning it cannot be treated by disciplinary actions. Culpable absenteeism is when employees are absent without consent for...
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...Introduction: When an organization is recruiting and wanting to keep that employee for a long time in that company, then the benefits it is offering such as employee leave and for how many days it is willing to pay for personal leave is very important. Employers offer employees leave in many forms such as vacation, sick time, personal time, paid time as a part of benefit package. These policies really make a difference. They develop a positive working relationship between employee and employer and also increase the commitment of the employee towards the organization which leads to more profits, promotes good working habits and help human resource manager to easily keep track of the employee attendance. This research paper is about paid and unpaid personal leaves for employees. These leaves are not under leave of absence laws. They are not required by the federal law to be granted to the employees and they are purely given by the company as a benefits package or bonus. In the body of the paper, I will discuss about the definition of these days, main goal of these leaves, number of days, rules and regulations on how to use these days, a new policy being introduced in many organizations known as PTO (Paid Time Off Policy) to benefit employees and managers in the place of paid personal leave, benefits and disadvantages. Paid Personal Days Definition: These are the days paid by the employer to the employee as a part of comprehensive benefits package or given at the request...
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...Productive and Counterproductive Behaviors Christopher Prue PSY428 March 28, 2011 Catherine Jennings, MA Productive and Counterproductive Behaviors Some people seem to do better at their jobs compared to others. People behavior at work can lead to success or failure. There are many studies to understand why some people do better than others. Some Studies have concentrated on productive and counterproductive behaviors. Define productive and counterproductive behavior. Productive behavior is behavior that contributes to the goals or objectives of the organization. When a new employees starts they are more a liability than an asset to the origination. People coming in to the organization need to be trained and socialized. (Jex & Britt, 2008). Organization socialization it he process of a new employee is becoming a fully fledge member of a company. Until socialization is complete the employee may not be fully productive. An example at FedEx Express is a new courier coming to the job. On average there is a month to two months of training before the courier is on the road by themselves. There is much training that goes into a new courier. The first is having the new driver to become DOT Certified. After that there is learning how to do the job. FedEx has a two-week class for couriers to learn the basics of the job. Then there...
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...the national living wage might create a better staff force and attract more talent. Another external factor could be trade unions this could put a strain on the employer/employee relationship if they are not managed properly. STEEPLE is a strategic planning tool that takes into account external factors. Steeple is an acronym for Social, Technological, Environmental, Economical, Political, Legal and Ethical. All these elements can effect a business and its needs. See point 1 Appendix. There are three types of employment status, an employee, a worker or a business/Self-Employed, it is important for each party to understand under which employment status they are employed. Employees have a contract of employment and have a right to Statuary Sick Pay, company...
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...University of Redlands Makebra Bridges – Human Resources Management Because of limited resources, many small businesses have difficulty recruiting & retaining top talent. In this paper, I will discuss how companies use indirect-financial incentives to gain a competitive advantage. How Small Businesses Provide Competitive Compensation Packages in a Global Environment. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2 Salary vs. Compensation ..………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Indirect Financial Payments ……………………………………………………………………………….. 5 1. Employer Match Incentives 2. Cash Rewards 3. Flexible Hours 4. Tuition Reimbursement 5. Paid Time Off Employee Rewards …………………………………………………………………………….……………… 12 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………….……………… 13 INTRODUCTION In today’s workforce, small businesses—companies with 100 or less employees—are making a BIG impact. * There are more than 23 million small businesses in America--accounting for 54% of all U.S. sales. * Since the 1970s, small businesses have provided 55% of all jobs and 66% of all new jobs. * The 600,000 plus franchised small businesses in the U.S. account for 40% of all retail sales and provide jobs for some 8 million people. * The number of small businesses in the United States has increased 49% since 1982. * Since 1990, as big business eliminated 4 million jobs, small businesses added 8 million...
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...Determine how innovations in employee benefits can improve the overall competitive compensation strategy of the organization. Business leaders charged to remain competitive within their industries are discovering a corresponding need to develop and implement programs to develop the competitiveness of their employees within their fields. They are discovering that in order to attract and keep the best employees, they will have to offer these employees opportunities for educational and vocational development that address the need to remain relevant and aggressive in pursuing their career goals. The main objective of compensation strategy is to provide or create an optimal and significant rewards package in anticipation of enticing and rewarding certain employee behaviors. When developing or making improvements to employee benefit programs, companies should compare the benefit packages to competitors. The best benefits are the ones desired by the workforce and are competitive in the marketplace. Compensation strategy can reinforce the organizational culture that the company desires to promote. In the public sector, many aspects of employee compensation is governed by legislation. In most cases, there is not much room for innovative ideas in formulating compensation strategy. When making improvements to your employee benefits it gives you the upper hand in attracting talented employees. Whereas many companies develop a plan and sticks to it, it causes employees to begin to feel...
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...Case 9.5: Swedish Daddies Heslin Cyrus Strayer University Dr. Jean-Francois Orsini February 28, 2015 The balance that I currently seek between career and family life is very little these days. There was a time in my life when there was a struggle between the two, but now my children are young adults, one is on his own and the other now in her second year of college. This does not mean that they are not as important as they were when they were younger, but only that they are more self-sufficient and I am not needed as much. We all have to turn let the “apron string” go at some point in their lives so that they may experience life on their own. Looking back over the years, there were times when I desperately wanted to attend several football games that my son participated in, but was unable to because of my pursuit of a higher level position in the company. Then there were all the cheerleader competitions across the state that I missed because of career status. As work would have it, choices had to be made when it came to sitting in the stands cheering on my kids, or climbing the corporate ladder to success so that I could have the time needed to spend with them. Well, time rolled by and I continued to climb at the expense of the needs of my children. We survived. In my current position I am faced with making those pivotal decisions for those under me and I must admit, the task is somewhat difficult, however I must consider the “needs of the business” and not the personal...
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...Employee Benefits Offering benefits to an employee is always beneficial to both the organization and the employee. The benefits offered are essential to the livelihood of the employee in a way that they feel comfortable both at home with their families as well as at work. Therefore, benefits offered by an organization become a deciding factor in whether the employees are satisfied or whether they will stay in the organization. The law has clearly outlined some benefits that the employee must receive, and there are others that are at the discretion of the employer (Samuel Estreicher, 2010). Compensation of workers and their social security is a mandatory benefit whereas medical covers and retirement benefits are optional. It is worth noting that failure to adhere to those outlined by law has severe implications to the organization which can lead to heavy penalties. Below the paper has outlined several examples of benefits. Social Security Fund It is the obligation of every employer to register their employees under the social security fund. In this scheme, the employee is required to contribute money for their later benefits from the government. Subsequently, the employer is also required to pay a portion of the amount in form of taxes. The employee can later receive retirement benefits from this fund (Mamorsky, 2014). Compensation of workers Employers should comply with the employment and labor laws that guard the employees. These laws prevent the employees from discrimination...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMERY This report provides an overview of different types of work-life balance initiatives that have been developed by in the financial institutions of Bangladesh. Governments are increasingly committed to reducing the social, health and business costs of work-life conflict. Several countries have adopted individual pieces of legislation or policies that address some aspect of work-life balance. These initiatives are not necessarily part of a comprehensive program or policy approach to achieve work-life balance, but these measures could be seen as one way to improve an employee's balance between work and other responsibilities. This report shows that there is not likely to be any "one size fits all" answer to work-life balance issues. A variety of approaches are available to support work-life balance, ranging from promotional programs that emphasize the importance of balance and provide support to employers to reduce the business costs associated with work-life conflict, to legislation that supports parents with care giving responsibilities. It is clear that improving work-life balance is an important component of the policy agenda for many industrial countries, and the issue is likely to become even more important in the future. BACKGROUND The first Work-Life Balance Survey (WLB1) was conducted by the Department for Education and Employment in 2000 to assess the extent to which employers operated work life balance practices; to see whether employees felt...
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...GOOD PRACTICE IN MANAGING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS GUIDANCE LEAFLET. Understand the impact of employment law at the start of the employment relationship Internal and external factors that impact on the employment relationship Internal: • Performance, pay and reward: employers should set clear and transparent targets in order to make it easier for employees to know what is expected of them. If these targets are followed employees can be rewarded and this should improve the relationship between employer and employee. • Management style: there are two types of manager: autocratic and democratic. Autocratic managers make decisions without involving the staff. This can be a good idea in some circumstances (for example the need to make a quick decision to avoid catastrophe or missing a deadline or target) but if this style is used all of the time it can be detrimental to staff motivation, commitment and well-being. Democratic managers involve staff with decision making as much as possible which means everything is agreed on by the majority of staff. This can lead to increased levels of motivation, commitment and well-being which subsequently could increase the profitability of the business. External: • Economic factors: slow economic growth or a downturn can make employees just thankful they have a job. This can put pressure on them because employers may decide to increase workload by making individuals do more work in the same time. With the fear of redundancy looming and...
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...factories, offices and many others. The company strives to come up with lucrative employee compensation programs to attract the best professionals in the industry. The company’s benefit plan outlay takes shape as follows: Benefit | Cost outlay (per annum) | Life insurance; for employees | $15000 | Accidental health cover | $7500 | Dependent life insurance: * For spouse * For up to 3children (below 21years) | $5000 $2500 each | Medical insurance (for employee and dependants) | $25000 | Unemployment insurance | $6000 | Child care subsidy | $5000 | Retail discount program | $4000 | Tuition reimbursement | $10000 | Bonus plans | Up to 5% of net profit | Emergency cover | $5000 | Paid leaves: * Sick leave * Annual leave * Maternity leave * Paternity leave | On request30days3months1month | Retirement benefits program | $2000 lifetime perpetuity | Legal insurance | $3500 | Long-term disability plan | $5000 | The above benefit plan consists of a variety of features. As per the current industry trends, the plan consists of standard benefits such...
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