Work-life balance and health care benefits - Essential forms of modern life-cycle benefits E-Book

Anne Tucholka

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Beschreibung

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Leadership and Human Resources - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,0, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, course: Human Resource Management, language: English, abstract: In modern companies terms like “life- cycle benefits”, “work- life balance” or “family policy” are often to be heard. Before getting into detail about the topic “Work- life balance and Health Care Benefits – essential form of modern life- cycle benefits” the definition and the importance of those benefits should be pointed out. Life cycle benefits are defined as a part of the compensation package offered to the employees according to their part of life cycle; which means for instance to their age or their social situation. The benefits can be financial or non- financial. Today’s working situation is under real pressure. There are a lot of different influences and requirements to the employer as well as to the employees due to socio- demographic, socio- cultural and economic changes. The economic power often is achieved at the expense of social and healthy work environments. Nowadays overtime work, organizational stress and lower payments are no exception. In order not to loose qualified staff firms introduce new kinds of programmes and services related to the needs of their employees. In the next two chapters family policies, health care benefits and their impact on the companies shall be pointed out. These two forms of life-cycle benefits are getting more and more importance for the Human Resource Management as it is announced in several magazines such as “Personalwirtschaft”. On the following pages the reader should get a review over the possibilities of internal family policies and health care, the different parts of these beneficial systems, their outcome and advantages. Having handled the single parts, it should be clear that the coverage of family affairs and health care is essential for modern life-cycle benefits and for the success of a company.

Leseprobe

Table of Content

Chapter

Table of figures.

1 Introduction.

2 Work-life-balance.

2.1 Definition and Importance

2.2 Kinds of work-life-balance benefits

2.3 Different kinds of flexibility

2.4 Benefits of work-life-balance.

2.5 Practical examples.

3 Health Care Benefits

3.1 Traditional Coverage of health topics at work.

3.2 Modern health care strategies

3.3 Workplace environment

3.4 Health Management.

3.5 Modern Methods of health care benefits.

3.5.1 Health and safety training

3.5.2 Ergonomics.

3.5.3 Wellness programmes

3.6 Health Promotion

3.7 Practical Example

4 Conclusion.

5 Bibliography.

Page 1

Page 2

Table of figures

Illustration 1: family policy

Illustration 2: chances for women

Illustration 3: reasons against children

Illustration 4: benefits employees consider most important

Illustration 5: modules of health coaching

Page 3

1 Introduction

In modern companies terms like “life- cycle benefits”, “work- life balance” or “family policy” are often to be heard. Before getting into detail about the topic “Work- life balance and Health Care Benefits - essential form of modern life- cycle benefits” the definition and the importance of those benefits should be pointed out.

Life cycle benefits are defined as a part of the compensation package offered to the employees according to their part of life cycle; which means for instance to their age or their social situation.1More generally spoken they are “designed to meet the needs of employees throughout the stages of life”.2Normally these are additional payments and services to the salary or wage. It is part of the motivation programme of a company. Therefore it also belongs to the organisational strategy. A company has to think about how to get new qualified employees and how to maintain and encourage the working staff. The benefits can be financial or non- financial. Sometimes they are also defined as in- kind payments for the employee’s membership and participation in the organisation. Their purpose is to provide protection against health and accident related problems, to ensure income at retirement and to offer discounts, educational assistance and child and elder care.3Today’s working situation is under real pressure. There are a lot of different influences and requirements to the employer as well as to the employees due to socio- demographic, socio- cultural and economic changes.4Nowadays there are more single- parent families, two- earn families and aging parents to be found. Furthermore, the aging workforce is a case in point with significant effects on the working situation. Several firms, such as “Stahl und Technologie Konzern Salzgitter AG” pronounce that the average age in their company will rise from 42 to 47 till the year 2015. It would follow that ¾ of the employees will be older than 40 and about 40% will be older than 50.5

1cp. Mathis/ Jackson, 2002, p.127

2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/ query fcgi?cmd =Retrieve&db =PubMed & lis t _ uids= 10124131

&dopt=Abstract, 17.04.07

3cp. Jackson/ Schuler, 2000, p. 544

4cp. Jackson/ Schuler, 2000, p. 557

5cp. Streb/ Lome, Personalwirtschaft 02/07, p. 36 ff.