Discussion Assignment
This week’s readings outlined the benefits and challenges to organizations implementing work-life policies. An organization can create policies, but cultural change requires more than just a change in policy. As your reading points out:
- Policies are sometimes under-utilized by career-oriented professionals.
- Users may face stigma; career backlash; glass ceiling effect.
- Policy use is sometimes not supported by management.
Absenteeism, supervision, equity, performance, customer service and the overall creation of more work for managers who have to coordinate the implications of more complex policies are among the most prevalent concerns of among management when considering the implementation of these types of policies.
- Given the valid concerns, what are the benefits—both tangible and to the culture of an organization that undertakes the adoption of policies designed to help employees with work-life balance?
- What does an organization stand to gain if it can work through the growing pains of implementation?
- Have you worked as an employee—have you worked for an employer who offered work-life policies? How were they implemented? Were you able to use them?
- Discuss your experiences as they relate to what you’ve read.
