Personal Life Is No Longer Taboo in the Office
25 November 2008
Read by 1436 persons
Better balancing professional careers and employees' family lives is becoming a real concern for HR departments.
On November 20, under the patronage of Xavier Bertrand, the Minister of Labor, Social Relations, Family and Solidarity, the corporate parenthood observatory was officially launched. This structure will support the companies that signed the charter of the same name last April in their commitments. About thirty companies have already signed this text, which aims to create a favorable environment for employees who are parents. Ten more should join them on this occasion.
Whether it's a desire to communicate on a topical theme or a deeper reflection on the organization of work, it's not surprising that companies have taken up the broader issue of balancing professional and personal life, which was previously taboo or at least considered a non-issue.
The tight job market for executives until recent months, and the increasingly strong demands for a better balance, particularly from younger generations, are contributing factors.
“Promoting a better balance between personal and professional life is clearly an argument for loyalty and recruitment, because we want to attract the best talents. It is also a way to promote professional performance. In time-consuming and demanding professions like ours, it is an effort that employees appreciate: in our barometer, it is the third element of satisfaction after the work environment and remuneration,” acknowledges Véronique Staat, audit partner in charge of human resources at Deloitte. These challenges are all the more crucial because they have a cost.
The end of the dynamic executive!
“Companies are now making many demands about the hidden HR costs of a poor articulation between personal and professional time. For example, in a large consulting firm or a large company, a high-potential employee who cracks and leaves for a more “family-friendly” competitor represents 12 to 18 months of lost salary to replace them. We can also calculate the impact of absenteeism or a bad employer image on the recruitment pool as a percentage of the salary mass,” explains Claire Beffa, co-founder of the Équilibres firm, specialized in balancing professional and personal lives.
While it largely focuses on women and parenthood, work-life balance is not limited to the issue of children. Younger people want to keep time for their sports or hobbies. At the other end of the age pyramid, an increasing number of employees are faced with parents who are losing their autonomy. And couples appreciate flexible mobility to follow their spouse in France or abroad, for example.
While employees are looking for flexible work solutions, they also need reassurance before breaking with the sacred image of the dynamic executive who invests without counting the cost. “We offer our employees a range of tools to adapt their work pace, and their reflex is often to wonder if it will not harm their career. That is why we communicate a lot about success stories, such as those of part-time partners, which concerns 10 women and 3 men,” says Véronique Staat.
Posted online on November 20, 2008
lefigaro.fr
On November 20, under the patronage of Xavier Bertrand, the Minister of Labor, Social Relations, Family and Solidarity, the corporate parenthood observatory was officially launched. This structure will support the companies that signed the charter of the same name last April in their commitments. About thirty companies have already signed this text, which aims to create a favorable environment for employees who are parents. Ten more should join them on this occasion.
Whether it's a desire to communicate on a topical theme or a deeper reflection on the organization of work, it's not surprising that companies have taken up the broader issue of balancing professional and personal life, which was previously taboo or at least considered a non-issue.
The tight job market for executives until recent months, and the increasingly strong demands for a better balance, particularly from younger generations, are contributing factors.
“Promoting a better balance between personal and professional life is clearly an argument for loyalty and recruitment, because we want to attract the best talents. It is also a way to promote professional performance. In time-consuming and demanding professions like ours, it is an effort that employees appreciate: in our barometer, it is the third element of satisfaction after the work environment and remuneration,” acknowledges Véronique Staat, audit partner in charge of human resources at Deloitte. These challenges are all the more crucial because they have a cost.
The end of the dynamic executive!
“Companies are now making many demands about the hidden HR costs of a poor articulation between personal and professional time. For example, in a large consulting firm or a large company, a high-potential employee who cracks and leaves for a more “family-friendly” competitor represents 12 to 18 months of lost salary to replace them. We can also calculate the impact of absenteeism or a bad employer image on the recruitment pool as a percentage of the salary mass,” explains Claire Beffa, co-founder of the Équilibres firm, specialized in balancing professional and personal lives.
While it largely focuses on women and parenthood, work-life balance is not limited to the issue of children. Younger people want to keep time for their sports or hobbies. At the other end of the age pyramid, an increasing number of employees are faced with parents who are losing their autonomy. And couples appreciate flexible mobility to follow their spouse in France or abroad, for example.
While employees are looking for flexible work solutions, they also need reassurance before breaking with the sacred image of the dynamic executive who invests without counting the cost. “We offer our employees a range of tools to adapt their work pace, and their reflex is often to wonder if it will not harm their career. That is why we communicate a lot about success stories, such as those of part-time partners, which concerns 10 women and 3 men,” says Véronique Staat.
Posted online on November 20, 2008
lefigaro.fr
