Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 3, 1993 TAG: 9309030119
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
The study, released Thursday by the Families and Work Institute, was commissioned by 15 companies and foundations that said they needed to find out worker feelings so they can begin to address their problems.
"We think we can use it to help us identify the needs of our employees, especially in the areas of benefits and job satisfaction," said Judd Everhart, a spokesman for Xerox Corp., one of the sponsors.
The study "validates what we have known in our hearts for a long time," said Burke Stinson, a spokesman for American Telephone & Telegraph Co.
It shows that when workers are given more freedom to take care of family concerns, productivity does not suffer, he said. To the contrary, "employees feel like they are being treated fairly and want to give back at least what they have received," Stinson said.
The study, based on hour-long interviews with a national sample of 3,381 workers, paints a portrait of a hard worker who feels burned out from balancing work and family life yet cares intensely about performing well on the job.
Employees care more about the quality of the work environment than money or professional advancement. Workers want control over their work and their schedules, and given that freedom are more productive and satisfied.
Employees want to change the balance between work and personal life, shifting time and energy to themselves and their families.
Young workers, especially those with children, would rather make sacrifices in their education, careers and jobs than in their personal and family lives.
Despite the larger numbers of women in the labor force, women's responsibilities within the home have not changed much. They still take the most responsibility for household duties and the children.
Overall, employees with children believe they are not coping as well as workers without children. Sixty-six percent say they don't spend enough time with their children. And of all the workers surveyed, 42 percent feel "used up" by the end of the day.
On the job, there's uncertainty. Twenty percent of those surveyed fear losing their jobs, another 42 percent have survived downsizing in their companies and 28 percent have seen cutbacks in managers over the past year.
The survey, conceived in 1988 and conducted last year, grew out of a period of significant business turmoil and change.
Labor Department research shows that in 75 percent of American families both the husband and wife work; and of all mothers with children under 1 year of age, more than 50 percent now work.
By the end of the century, about two-thirds of new workers are expected to be women, 30 percent will be minorities and the average age of the work force will have increased from 36 to 39.
Thus, such issues as child care, health care, elder care, flexible scheduling and cultural diversity are increasingly important for workers and employees, said Chip U'Ren, associate general manager of Salt River Project.
And employers must recognize that balancing work and family is not just the concern of a few professional women, rather it is the concern of all workers, said Faith Wohl, director of human resource initiatives at DuPont Co., one of several corporations that sponsored the study.
"Especially for workers with children, the picture is of individuals in gridlock," said Dada Friedman, co-president of the institute. "People feel strongly about doing a good job at work. They also yearn to spend more time with their families but arrive home exhausted."
by CNB