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Contact: Erin Brownfield Elizabeth Miller FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2005 NATIONAL STUDY OF EMPLOYERS REVEALS CHANGES IN Small Employers Offer More Flexibility; Large Employers Offer More Benefits NEW YORK , NY – October 13, 2005 – Today’s employees may have access to very different workplace supports depending on whether they work for small or large organizations, according to a new study from Families and Work Institute. The 2005 National Study of Employers, released today, reveals that small businesses are helping to drive changes in the structure of work, offering employees more opportunities for workplace flexibility, while large organizations are providing more benefits that have direct costs. The 2005 study also finds that small, mid-sized and large employers have mostly maintained or increased the overall work life assistance they provide to employees, with cutbacks primarily requiring employees to pay a larger share of disability, health care or retirement benefit costs. “We are seeing a workplace in transition, shifting from models that served the needs of the 20 th century to those that serve the needs of the 21 st century—and most of these changes that make work ‘work’ for employers and employees appear to be here to stay,” said Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of Families and Work Institute. According to the study, small employers, defined as organizations with 50 to 99 employees, tend to offer their employees greater flexibility, such as flextime, returning to work gradually after childbirth or adoption, taking time off for education or training to improve skills or phasing into retirement. “As a company, we work very hard to help employees succeed at work and at home,” said Maria Marcotte, administrative partner and chief operating officer of Brogan & Associates, a Detroit marketing firm. “The key to this is flexibility. It keeps our employees happy and gives us a very low turnover rate.” Conversely, the study also found that large companies employing more than 1,000 workers tend to offer more direct-cost benefits, including 401(k) retirement plans, on- or near-site or backup child care and Employment Assistance Programs. “Change has been an important catalyst for our focus on work life,” said Joy Bunson, senior vice president of global human resources development at JPMorgan Chase. “In a world where everything changes all the time—inside and outside the company—our work life programs have been a visible sign that we recognize how important it is for people to work in a place that allows them to have family as a priority. And that's been a stabilizing factor that makes us all that much more attractive as an employer." In addition to its other initiatives, including working to create a culture of flexibility, JP Morgan Chase has established 15 backup child care centers around the country. Other key findings of the 2005 National Study of Employers are as follows: 1. Supporting employees and their families is NOT the main reason why employers offer initiatives to address the needs of the changing workforce and workplace.
2. Most work life initiatives offered by employers are being maintained and some expanded, though a few benefits that have direct costs have been cut back.
3. Small companies lead the way in providing one of the most valued benefits: working flexibly.
4. Cost is seen as the obstacle to providing more work life assistance. 5. A no- or low-cost initiative that is used in organizations of all sizes is flexibility.
The 2005 National Study of Employers was conducted by Families and Work Institute as a part of the When Work Works project, and is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Data for this survey were collected by Harris Interactive between September 23, 2004 and April 5, 2005. An executive summary and full report of the study are available at www.whenworkworks.org. For more information about the 2005 National Study of Employers, please contact Erin Brownfield at 212.465.8421 or ebrownfield@familiesandwork.org or Elizabeth Miller at 212.465.2044 or emiller@familiesandwork.org. # # # ABOUT FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit center for research that provides rigorous study findings to inform decision-making on the changing workforce, changing family and changing community. Founded in 1989, FWI's research typically takes on emerging issues before they crest. The Institute offers some of the most comprehensive research on the U.S. workforce available. For more information, visit FWI’s Web site at www.familiesandwork.org . |
