intake.insidedge.net

Money isn’t everything-at least that’s the case for Generation X and Y, who often seem to value work-life balance more than pay increases. A recent study finds that two-thirds of employers surveyed agree that it’s important to recognize differences between generations; however, only one-third of them feel their programs are doing what they should. Does this mean companies should take away pay increases and just invest in work-life initiatives? Not necessarily.

For example, telecommuting is a hot topic among employees and employers. Flexible work schedules are music to the ears of many employees, especially the wired Gen Y employee who can be as efficient (maybe more) at home using the Internet, intranet, Twitter, texting, phone, webinars and instant messaging to stay in touch with colleagues. More and more companies are jumping on the work-life train, but here are four questions to consider if you want your program to work:

1. Does the initiative fit your culture? Let’s be realistic—some work-life initiatives simply won’t work for certain companies. Can you imagine a medical practice allowing telecommuting?  And, telecommuting might not mean as much to an office in a small community as it would to those in congested urban areas. To create meaningful programs, you need to know what your employees really value. If you don’t know, ask. Get them engaged in a taskforce. Not only will this show them see their opinion matters, but you’ll also be confident you’re offering the programs that will keep them productive and happy at your company.
2. What are you trying to achieve with your work-life initiative? These programs can serve many purposes from cost-savings to retention. Start with the end in mind; make sure you know what to accomplish before you create the program. I personally have a passion for cost-savings and retention, and I have seen first-hand that if employers don’t have the programs in place to support and motivate their younger workers, they may leave and go elsewhere—probably to a company that offers the benefits the employee is really seeking. Locating, hiring and training good people costs money, so retaining them, especially the ones with fresh ideas who can craft the future of your company, is invaluable.
3. How do you sell the initiative? Assuming that you’ve put together a program that fits your organizational culture, the challenge is to rollout the initiative in terms that resonate with stakeholders, especially managers.  Worse than not having a program is having one that your employees really are intimidated to use. Sadly, this is the reality at many companies. They encourage employees to work with their managers to come up with a flexible work schedule, but fail to ensure managers are on board. Nothing will stop an employee from participating faster than hearing their boss is roaming the halls and questioning the point of having an office when it seems empty, or commenting that certain people never seem to be in the office.
4. Is it working? Based on the objectives you set for your program, you will be able to measure your results. Has your retention improved? Are your employees rating the workplace more positively? If it’s not working, you can reevaluate and find something that does before your company loses one of its most important assets—its employees.