Section OnePractices Providing Work Life Balance
In addition to job-related factors and the work environment,
the opportunity to obtain a balance between work and home
life also has a positive impact on retention. Alternative work
schedules, child care services, and provisions for family leave
also facilitate retention. (The Family and Medical Leave Act sets
minimum standards for family leave.) Conversely, unreasonable
workloads are associated with turnover. It is no surprise that
many companies in Fortune’s list of the best 100 companies to
work for provide such benefits. Flextime is offered at 59 of
these companies, while 18 provide opportunities for
telecommuting. These top employers include a wide range of
practices for balancing work and family life. For example,
Deloitte and Touche has adopted flextime and telecommuting
practices. Janus Investments has generous time-off practices.
Unum provides subsidized child care for employees earning less
than $40,000. The accounting firm Plante and Moran provides
child care on Saturdays during tax season. The SAS Institute,
the statistical software developer, has a 35-hour week and
provides employees child care at a rate of $250 per month. It
also provides 12 holidays per year and free medical care on
site. At First Tennessee Bank, 91 per-cent of employees are on
flextime.^59