Family-friendly/work-life balance policies: Employee preferences, supervisor and organizational support, and retention outcomes

The main purpose of this study was to explore three areas concerning familyfriendly/work-life balance policies: (a) employee preferences for specific components of family-friendly/work-life balance benefits, (b) supervisor and organizational support for utilization of such benefits, and (c) intent to stay (retention outcomes) within the organization. A cross-sectional quantitative survey research design was used. In addition to the 5-point Likert-type scale questions, there were 10 questions that asked participants to respond further with a qualitative write-in section. A government agency and a healthcare organization were used to create the sample for this study. The 385 total research participants were randomly selected using a computer-generated process across the various departments within each organization to complete a 42-item questionnaire. The criteria for inclusion as a participant were for employees to be full-time, salaried workers receiving full company benefits. Hourly workers or part-time employees were excluded from the study.Concerning preferences based on demographic characteristics, the results regarding gender showed that females place a higher importance on family-friendly/work-life benefits than men. As for tenure, those employees with over 20 years placed a much higher importance on retirement planning than those just beginning their careers. The benefits of onsite childcare, job sharing, flextime, and before and after school programs were important benefits for those employees with children as opposed to those without children. Eldercare assistance was a more important benefit for those with elder dependents than those without.Concerning supervisor and organizational support, the majority of employees from both research sites felt supported. The results showed that those employees who felt supported by their supervisor and/or organization at large are more likely to stay with their employer.The one demographic factor that affected intent to stay was age. In general, the younger employees aged 18 to 34 are less likely to stay with the organization, while those over age 54 are more likely to stay with their employer.The paper also presents the findings of employee satisfaction with work-schedule flexibility, job satisfaction, family-life satisfaction, and overall satisfaction of benefit packages. The implications of these results are discussed along with a direction for future research.