Creative work life balance ideas from award winning employers

Balance:  Uline Systems

Families and Work Institute published the 2009 Guide to Making Work Work:  New Ideas from the 2008 Winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.  This guide is filled with creative ideas for the small organization to organizations with 1000+ employees.

One small organization allows employees who work a minimum of 30 hours to get paid 1.5 hours per week to focus on self-care.  Suggested activities are to use the time to work out, take a class, see a counselor, contribute to the community, explore spiritual questions or acquire new skills.

Such a gesture from an employer can go a long way.  The company AAA Fair Credit, Salt Lake City, Utah, operates the program on the honor system.  AAA says the program has contributed toward lowering medical costs among personnel.

Categories for the awards include culture of flexibility, flex careers, choices in managing time, care giving time, time off, reduced time, flex time and place, health care and economic security. 
When Work Works is intended for both employees and employers as a tool to highlight the importance of workplace effectiveness and flexibility as a strategy to build businesses’ competitive advantage in the global economy.