Eileen Applebaum is a well-known economist and research director at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit, Washington-based think tank that specializes in research about working people.
And the veteran workplace analyst, who has a doctorate in economics, understands the correlation between the state of the economy and the commitment of employers to work/life programs–particularly right now.
Applebaum says the “rapid deterioration of the labor market” and the slowing of the economy after Sept. 11 were “quite shocking.” And the reverberations were felt directly by proponents of work/life programs, she says.
“The set of work/life integration practices that are viewed by companies as `perks’–such as on-site child care, concierge services, sick-child care, elder-care and referral services–these are the programs we see some companies beginning to pull back on,” said Applebaum, who gave a talk on the subject at a recent conference of the Alliance of Work/Life Professionals.
Some firms are merging their work/life benefits staffs into their human resources departments, holding off on adding new programs and no longer giving them the special attention they once did, Applebaum said.
“Employers now are asking if they can afford the expense, even though these benefits help employees focus better on their jobs,” she observed. “Previously they said they couldn’t afford not to have them.”
But there’s another important area of work/life initiatives that is very much alive and well.
“Flexible scheduling–such as telecommuting, compressed workweek, self-scheduling, job sharing and time to attend to family and personal matters–doesn’t have the same dollar cost attached to it,” Applebaum said.
“There is nothing about flexible scheduling that makes it less affordable in a recession. There is no reason for employers to cut back on it–and they’re not.”
In fact, Applebaum adds, “some downsized companies find they have a workforce more stressed than before Sept. 11. Giving employees more control over their schedules is a good way to relieve stress–and it’s not costly.”
Applebaum says employers should be aware that the value of work/life programs has been proven.
“I’ve done a lot of research myself that shows when companies help employees balance work and family, it adds value to the bottom line,” said the co-author of “Manufacturing Advantage: Why High Performance Work Systems Pay Off.” (Cornell University Press, $19.95)
Her outlook for the future of work/life benefits: “I think we’ll be happy to hang onto the programs that we have that are substitutes for the services that women used to provide. And the programs that have to do with flexible schedules will continue to be seen by employers as a great way to provide workers with something they need.”
Jill Wine-Banks, president and chief executive of Winning Workplaces, a non-profit organization in Evanston, emphasizes the importance of work/life programs.
“Everyone is cutting back on staff but not on benefits because employers realize the remaining staff has to be more productive–and one of the ways to help them do that is through work/life benefits,” said Wine-Banks, a well-known lawyer who has worked in government, industry and non-profit organizations.
The fact that Winning Workplaces was started last year, when jobs were beginning to dwindle, to “help organizations become great places to work” shows Wine-Banks’ optimism about the future of work/life benefits.
Her agency targets small and midsize businesses but provides all employers with data on improving the workplace, training, consulting and tools to implement affordable programs.
“The CEOs we’ve met with understand the connection between better business results and happy workers,” Wine-Banks said. “There are many services that don’t cost employers anything.”
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Carol Kleiman’s column also appears in Wednesday’s Working section and Sunday’s Business section. Watch her Career Coach segments Sunday and Tuesday mornings on CLTV. Send e-mail to ckleiman@tribune.com.
