Idea of the Month from Barbara Glanz
ORGANIZATIONAL IDEAS TO BLEND WORK AND FAMILY
This idea is excerpted from Barbara's book Balancing Acts –
More Than 250 Guiltfree, Creative Ideas to Blend your Work and your Life”
(Dearborn 2003). To order this book, go to the PRODUCT
section of Barbara’s website.
Start special recognition for spouses and families.
John Farrell, senior director for Carlson Marketing Group (CMG), a Minneapolis-based
relationship marketing company, says, “Awards must inspire increased
performance, must engage the family, and must change behavior.”
Any time an organization recognizes the sacrifice and contributions of
the employees’ family, they are helping create a feeling of teamwork,
both within the family and with the organization itself. When family members
feel included, appreciated, and a part of the mission of the company,
they are much more willing to support the employee in his/her work. This
not only helps build loyalty to the company, but it also increases productivity
by reducing strife at home.
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• After a big project is completed, send something to employees’
homes to say “thank you” for the extra time the employee had
to spend at work. This could include gift certificates, flowers, candy,
cards. This will also help them to feel involved in the business and the
mission of the organization.
• The Four Seasons Hotel near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, honors
two families each month by providing a special lunch in the employee
dining room and a tour of the facility. When the family is included
and acknowledged, a sense of pride and mutual respect usually follows.
• Send a gift to employees’ families for Thanksgiving
or Christmas. A number of my clients have sent my book CARE
Packages for the Home—Dozens of Ways to Regenerate Spirit Where
You Live to all their employees’ homes as a Christmas or
Thanksgiving gift, along with a letter of appreciation from the CEO
or other senior person. This supports the Baxter Labs global study in
which the one thing employees most wanted was “to be respected
as whole human beings with a life outside of work.” The book contains
ideas for single people, single parents, blended families, extended
families, grandparents, and retirees as well as traditional families.
• Honor employees’ spouses and partners. Travis White,
the CEO of Centillium Technology, decided to build loyalty and avert
high turnover by involving the family. So he invited employees’
spouses and partners, the ones who suffer most from the overtime work
of their significant other, especially in a start-up company, to a Saturday
party. He told the employees themselves to stay home and take care of
the kids! After a short talk about the business, he surprised each of
the partners by giving them 250 shares each of Centillium stock. This
delightful strategy gave the spouses a definite stake in the work their
partners are doing as well as honoring their support and commitment
to their significant others.
Recognize children and spouse accomplishments. Start
an “I’m Proud” bulleting\ board for employees to post
accomplishments of their families.
Use employees’ families and children in your ads.
Instead of hiring models, use your own employees and their families to
advertise your products or services. This not only promotes authenticity,
but it also builds employee buy-in and loyalty.
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