Useful Facts About Work Life

U.S. businesses lose $11.4 to $29 billion per year due to care giving - The MetLife Juggling Act Study, 1999

The ability to balance work and home life was ranked as the second most important retention factor by employees, and the 5th most important by HR professionals- Retaining Talent: A Benchmarking Study, DDI Inc., 2001

Nearly 50% of all parents believe it is impossible to hold down an executive-level job and still have time for a satisfying home life - Primedia Poll, 2002

46% of employees either feel overworked and overwhelmed by the quantity of their work, or lack the time to step back and reflect on their work - Families and Work Institute, 2002

40% of people caring for elders also have child care responsibilities - Labor Project for Working Families, January 2000

A recent Gallup Poll found that 90% of employees consider work/life benefits as important as health insurance - Employee Benefit News, March, 2003

70% of employees don't think there is a healthy balance between work and personal life - True Careers survey, 2002

80% of U.S. workers are reporting higher levels of stress than five years ago - Employee Benefit News, March, 2003

57% of graduating business students in 11 countries said, "attaining work/life balance" is their top career goal - PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 2000

61% of adults say they would give up some of their pay for more time with their family - Families and Work Institute, 2002

Reasons other than illness for worker absenteeism pose the biggest worry for employers - CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey, 2001

42% of workers have responsibility for children under 18 years of age - Labor Project for Working Families, January 2000

More than 22 million families provide some kind of unpaid, informal elder care and 64% of caregivers in these families are employed full or part-time - Labor Project for Working Families, January 2000

The average per-employee cost of absenteeism rose sharply from $610 per year in 2000 to $755 in 2001 - Human Resources Management Ideas & Trends,
October issue, 2001

Direct costs associated with unscheduled absences increased 24 percent - Human Resources Management Ideas & Trends, October issue, 2001

Family issues accounted for 21% of all unscheduled absences in 2001, and personal needs accounted for 11% -Human Resources Management Ideas & Trends,
October issue, 2001