Page 275 - Introduction to Business

CHAPTER 7 Motivating and Leading Employees 249

area and work well with each other and the organization as a whole; these lead
to accomplishing corporate goals. Hollywood is a good example of compatible
work groups of various professions that come up with creative ideas.
Job redesign through the establishment of customer relationships provides
employees direct access to the client, along with all the feedback that customers
may provide on the company and its employees. Most companies redesign
employee jobs relatively frequently as a means of giving workers greater control
over their jobs and how goals are achieved. Greater control over how they carry out
tasks allows employees to exploit their competitive advantage.

reality How do professors try to enrich the courses they teach?
CH ECK

Work-Life Programs

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 8
Define the objective of work-life programs, and summarize the pros and cons of
the various approaches.

Companies all over the world are trying to address the personal and family needs
of their employees. Companies in the United States have moved from purely
performance-based objectives and policies to a more strategic approach, which is
particularly aimed at meeting the needs of employees with young children. Many
such initiatives are based on giving autonomy to employees about where, when,
and how they work.
Companies give several reasons for supporting workers in their family or per-
sonal roles. First is, in the increasing competition for talent, there is a desire to
recruit and retain the best employees. The sense that they are being helped to inte-
grate their work and personal life increases the workers’ willingness to go the extra
mile for the company. As employees have become more diverse with a variety of
lifestyles and family structures, companies have set up task forces and committees
to help resolve work-life issues using a range of programs. Second is globalization.
Offshoring has made it easy and cost-effective for firms to get certain jobs done
overseas, enabling domestic employees to retain the jobs that add more value to the
product or service at home. Third is technology. Internet and information technol-
ogy have made alternative work styles possible. Finally, the success of work-life pro-
grams depends on ethics, how honest employees are with the more relaxed work
rules. Training is often needed to ensure that employees are aware of their respon-
sibilities and that supervisors support program implementation.
Multinational companies like Merrill Lynch and Glaxo offer programs such as
childcare centers, summer camps, and flexible work arrangements. Applying a
comprehensive approach to work-life initiatives is not limited to large companies.
Even relatively small start-ups with limited resources realize the importance of a
comprehensive work-life program. For example, ECS, an environmental risk man- work-life program Employment
agement specialist in the United States, offers flexible hours, reimbursement of programs and policies aimed at meeting
the needs of employees, especially
tuition fees, resource and referral services, extended parental leave, health pro-
those with young children
grams, adoption leave, and on-site child care. Federal agencies are also adopting a
comprehensive approach. Similar initiatives are also evident in academia. Imple-
menting such flexibility is never easy. Companies continue to educate managers on
the value of workplace flexibility and its compatibility with superior corporate per-
formance. At the heart of these approaches is a respect for employee choices. 10

Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.