By Jonathan J. Higuera
    April 30, 2002
    © Arizona Daily Star

The University of Arizona's approach to work and life balance for its employees has been cited as one of the nation's "cutting-edge" programs by the National Institute of Business Management.

UA Life & Work Connections, which offers a wide range of services for workers needing help, was featured along with 19 other programs in a special report from Work/Life Today, a monthly newsletter published by the McLean, Va.-based institute.

The report, written by Sharon O'Malley, editor of the newsletter, cited the program's integrative, holistic approach to offering services, ranging from child and elder care to wellness to employee counseling and community referrals.

"By integrating the programs, the university has been able to respond more quickly to employee needs - even before the need becomes a problem," O'Malley wrote in the special report.

The university was the only public institution cited in the report. The others were large private sector businesses such as American Express' employee networks and John Hancock Life Insurance Co.'s domestic abuse program.

"Integrating programs is something on the radar screen, especially for large firms, but there are not that many that have done it in a methodical way like the University of Arizona," O'Malley said. "They are on the leading edge of the trend."

She also pointed out that the programs and firms profiled were not competitively ranked against each other or other firms. They were simply a reflection of programs she knew about with innovative work/life programs.

"The purpose is to highlight best practices," she said. "These 20 programs have come to our attention."

Programs in work/life issues have become increasingly common among businesses seeking to recruit and retain talented employees, she said. In the past, work/life commonly referred to as child-care programs offered by the employer. But it has evolved to encompass many types of employer services such as flexible scheduling, elder care, wellness, counseling and even tuition assistance, home-buying help and telecommuting.

"It's looking at the whole person rather than expecting a person to check their personal responsibilities at the door when they report at 8 a.m. and picking them back up when they leave at 5 p.m.," O'Malley said. "It doesn't happen that way."

Darci Thompson, director of UA's Life & Work Connections, said more than 5,000 UA workers used one or more of its services last year.

"If you are distressed personally, it will distract you from being an engaged, productive employee," she said. "A faculty member with an aging family member may not have a clue on how to get help."

The UA's model started in 1995, when the school's wellness program merged with employee counseling services. Since then, nutrition, childcare, elder care and other services have been added.

"We are truly a hybrid," said Caryn Jung, program coordinator for child and elder care and family resources. "That's the next generation for work/life programs."

O'Malley was impressed both by UA's outreach efforts to employees and its willingness to share information about its program with other employers.

"You can have the best possible programs on the books, but if nobody uses them, is it really a good program?" she said. "At the UA, they had nearly 6,000 people participate in its wellness program. That's huge."

Because the university wants more employers to offer integrated services, Thompson enjoys sharing information about its program. "We'd like to see what we're offering become a standard for business and the community," she said.

The various services cost about $400,000 annually but it's well worth it, said Allison Vaillancourt, director of UA human resources. Life & Work Connections is a unit of human resources.

"This is more than a feel-good program," she said. "It increases productivity. When people can get their health and family issues resolved, they can put more attention to getting their work done."