Links You Can Use: October 15-19

In this week's "Links You Can Use," we discover some companies are allowing employees to bring their children to work every day (without a daycare facility on the premises). BusinessWeek interviews some workers about their reactions to this innovative arrangement. In other news, research shows that having six or fewer hours of sleep could lead to weight gain and the development of diseases like diabetes. And CNN features the financial situations and strategies of individuals and couples who plan to retire within 10 years.

An emerging trend that attempts to resolve the work-life balance issues parents face... bring your child to work—every day. (BusinessWeek)

We all know that exercise and a balanced, nutritious diet are key to avoiding chronic conditions and excess weight. But a new study highlights the important relationship between poor sleep and body fat storage. (NPR)

CNN features eight profiles across the U.S.—individuals and couples who vary in age, occupation, and retirement goal date—on how they plan to retire. (CNN)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

Links You Can Use: October 1-5

Is "a few weeks" too short a time for maternity leave? Does the convenience of mobile devices outweigh their possible security risks? When it comes to violent workplace incidents, are there always warning signs or do people "just snap?" All these questions—plus more—get addressed in this week's Links You Can Use.

Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer announced she would take only a few weeks of maternity leave, and one blogger weighs in on whether this level of commitment would set unrealistic expectations for working mothers. (Slate Blog)

Employees bringing their own mobile devices to work may be convenient, but the practice comes with certain security risks. This article outlines the pros and cons. (BusinessWeek)

The average number of doctor visits per year has gone down in the past decade, which can be attributed to population trends and access to health insurance. (New York Times)

Workplace violence has become a growing concern due to a recent flurry of incidents involving disgruntled employees. Check out this interview with a psychiatrist on the subject, as well as our own expert opinion about identifying early warning signs for disturbing or inappropriate behavior at work. (CBS News)

Interested in improving your communication skills? Here are three great tips for "managing transactions, developing relationships, and handling crises." (Sustainable Business Forum)

* The opinions expressed at these linked websites do not reflect the opinions of Harris, Rothenberg International, Inc. (HRI). HRI is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information reflected on these sites.

How to Make Your Work-Life Balance Program Successful

The New York Times recently ran an article about how some work-life balance programs, like flextime, become a “zero-sum game.” Many organizations have strived to improve the work-life balance of their workers, mainly by allowing parents to have more flexible schedules to attend to the needs of their children.

Unfortunately, this kind of flexibility has often resulted in more work for others. Even though it’s easier than ever to get things done outside of the office, workers still have to cover for their colleagues in meeting deadlines and making valuable face time with clients or customers. One flextime expert cites “colleague resentment” as a “reason that some work-life balance programs fail.” In these instances, the workload at least appears to go in only one direction—to workers without children.

Despite the best intentions, these programs might not be as successful as they can be, because those organizations fail to acknowledge the following realities:

Links You Can Use: August 27-31

In this week’s Links You Can Use, experts talk about how general population trends are impacting the workplace. For example, do caregivers of older adults have sufficient legal protection against employee discrimination? How will Generation Y affect the way we work in the year 2020? In other news, is PowerPoint becoming PowerPointless? And a leaked company document reveals that Apple’s sales team may indeed be a group of geniuses—in psychology! Finally, a 30-year study makes a startling discovery about the health of full-time working mothers.

Is there a workplace discrimination problem against employees who are caregivers of older adults? According to a study done by AARP, there are few laws that protect against this type of employee discrimination, despite the fact that care for older adults is increasing in the U.S. (AARP)

In just eight years, Generation Y workers will comprise 40% of the U.S. workforce. How will this affect the way business is done? (Wall Street Journal)

Links You Can Use: July 23-27

This week's Links You Can Use features resources and news about employee health and wellness, preparing for retirement, saving money on taxes, emotional well-being, and how offices are changing their space to improve collaboration and efficiency.

The City of Phoenix rolled out an incentive-based weight loss program for its employees as part of a comprehensive workplace wellness strategy. (Phoenix Business Journal)

A must-read for anyone wondering about retirement savings: retirement policy insider Teresa Ghilarducci doesn't mince words when it comes to the challenges of saving up for the golden years. (New York Times)

Why Employers Should Care About Employees Who Are Caregivers (Part 2)

In our previous blog post, we talked about why some workers caring for children with special needs may require more health care and lose time and focus at work. But demanding caregiving needs are not just limited to parents of children with special needs.

An increasing number of employees are now also caring for older adults. In fact, nearly 55 million Americans care for an older adult, and 42% of workers reported caring for an older loved one within the last five years. (1)

Research from the MetLife Mature Market Institute and National Alliance for Caregiving (2) revealed the following:

• Each year, employers lose up to $33.6 billion in lost productivity as a result of full-time workers having to provide care to older adults.
• Employers lose an average of $2,110 annually per each full-time employed caregiver.
• The costs are due to employee replacement, absenteeism, partial absenteeism (coming in late, leaving work early), workday interruptions, eldercare crises, supervisor time (supervisors spending more time at work), unpaid leave*, and workers going from full-time to part-time.

*The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees to job-protected, unpaid leave for a certain number of days per year. However, employers still have to pay for temporary employees and reassignments.

General population trends show that the aging Baby Boomer generation will continue to require care from loved ones, including those who work full-time or part-time. And many workers experience a knowledge gap when it comes to managing and paying for care.

Why Employers Should Care About Employees Who Are Caregivers (Part 1)

What could be causing millions of people to be called away from work, decrease their work hours, or force them to leave the workforce altogether? Research shows that it’s caregiving for children with special needs or older adults.

Today, caregiving needs have become more demanding, and the costs to businesses come in the form of higher healthcare claims and lost productivity.

In this special two-part post about caregiving, we’ll talk about employees’ caregiving challenges, costs to employers, and what employers can do about it. Part 1 will focus on the challenges unique to caring for children with special needs.

Caregiving for Children With Special Needs

Almost 14% of all children under age 18 in the United States have a special healthcare need (a chronic or severe health or mental health problem that requires more intensive or specialized care than children normally require), according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1)