Innovative benefits pay off in morale

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Do you work all week only to find you spend your entire Saturday running around doing errands? Do you sometimes feel frazzled and stressed just trying to balance your home and work life? Well help is one the way with several new employer-sponsored benefits that are gaining popularity.

Companies are realizing that the more they do to make their employee's lives easier, the more relaxed and productive their workforce will be. That's why they are developing programs like these:

The Employee Store--a one-stop service right at work that does many of your errands for you. You can drop off your dry-cleaning and film for developing...select floral arrangements...get your shoes repaired...buy stamps, cards, movie tickets and even get your gifts wrapped. Some of these stores even have take-home meals so the family won't resent it when you have to work late. But it doesn't stop there, some of these employee stores offer videos to rent, will set up travel arrangements and even get your car's oil changed.

Sound too good to be true? It could be just around the corner for your company. Employers say it's worth it. Morale is up. It keeps employees from darting around on their lunch hours, and offers relief to employees who are being asked to do more, work longer hours and be more productive. Employees love it. Wouldn't you?

Flexible Scheduling
How would you like to work 4 days a week every week? Wouldn't it be great to put in extra time on those four days and take an extra day off? Some companies have begun to offer "summer hours." Workers can take Friday off if they make up the time during the rest of the week. Employees love it because it lets them take advantage of the short summer in cold climates. As you might expect, these companies actually notice an uptick in productivity. Aren't you always more productive when you have a short workweek because of a long weekend? And when you work a longer day, you can get a lot done after the phones stop ringing.

Some companies have taken this idea to a new level. They are offering this schedule all year long. In fact, they allow their employees to choose the day off they prefer instead of forcing them to take Friday off.

Other companies (up to 70 percent by some reports) now have flex- time. Flex-time comes in many forms. Some companies keep it loose; allowing employees to come in when they want as long as they get their required time in and get their jobs done. Others ask employees to pick the time they will be coming in, so they can plan phone coverage and meeting schedules.

On site day care.
The benefits of this benefit cannot be overstated. Companies that have childcare on the premises report lower turn over, less absenteeism and higher morale.

The latest twist in this benefit is the addition of sick rooms for kids. Employees with sick kids generally have two choices: attend work and worry all day about their child or skip work and worry all day about their job. Some employers don't like either approach so they're opening on-site "sick rooms" right at work. Parents are less likely to skip out of work if their children are well cared for right next door.

The sense of security the sick rooms provide has a positive effect on employee morale. Employees can concentrate on their work knowing they can look in on their children during their breaks.
But there is a bottom-line effect too--absenteeism drops. Companies are reporting that it's typical for the program to pay for itself within the first year.

Telecommuting and the "virtual office."
Technology is making it possible for employees to work from their home, their cottage, or anywhere they can fax, modem and plug into the home office computer. Employees love the flexibility and quality of life it provides. Employers love the money it saves and the productivity boost they see from their employees.

Does the thought of working for one of these companies give you thoughts of finding out who they are submitting your resume? Exactly. They have their pick of the best talent in town. Get in line.

Good managers know that employee satisfaction is essential to healthy teamwork, initiative and productivity.  Based on an in-depth study of the most innovative ideas in creating a culture where employees thrive, our recruiting & retention tools have all the secrets you will need to find and keep the best employees.

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