Business Leaders for Tomorrow

Best Practice; Help Staff Achieve Good Work-Life Balance
Employee Benefits (02/08/08) , P. S40; Wilson, Anouska

An Association of Graduate Recruiters survey published last July discovered that 92 percent of graduate recruiters in the United Kingdom think they should create better work-life balance at their companies in order to hire and retain good employees. IBM UK human-resource consultant Anouska Wilson says the flexible working benefits offered by her company include annualized and compressed hours, position sharing, sabbaticals, and working from home, choices that help retain important staff. She notes that every employee request is reviewed, balancing the company's needs with those of the employee. Wilson states that IBM's OnDemand Community, a corporate-volunteer program, helps employees attain a higher-quality work-life balance. The program offers several tools, including training and resources to enable employees to locate volunteer opportunities in their region, teaming their professional expertise and commitment level with appropriate projects in community groups. Wilson acknowledges that work-life balance initiatives must stay innovative. As such, IBM is testing flexible phased recruitment. Wilson cites a recent global employee survey revealing that 73 percent of IBM workers value the work-life balance that IBM provides them, versus 49 percent in 2005.