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Work / Life Issues

To boost productivity, teach money management

09/01/2006

At least 15 percent of Americans are so stressed out about money that it affects their work, and about half say they spend more than 20 hours a week dealing with financial matters, says a Virginia Tech study. One solution: Ease employees’ financial pains—and bolster your organization’s retirement plan participation rates—by teaching employees how to better manage their money …

Housing grants help employees reduce their commutes

09/01/2006

While some Baltimore residents suffer through a one- or two-hour commute every morning, employees at Johns Hopkins University are sleeping a little later. Since the university began participating in Baltimore’s "Live Near Your Work" program in 1998, about 220 employees have received $2,000 grants to buy homes close to the university’s three campuses …

‘Cool’ music company creates transition plan for new moms

09/01/2006

Detroit-based music company, Handleman Co., hosts impromptu concerts in the lobby and gives free CDs to employees. Such perks landed the firm on a list of 60 "Cool Places to Work" in Michigan. But cool wasn’t cutting it for the company’s working moms, who wanted more flexibility after having babies …

Arkansas ‘Race Across State’ Contest Promotes Exercise

09/01/2006

Employees from about three dozen public and private organizations in Arkansas are participating in a virtual race across the state as part of the Arkansas Fitness Challenge created by the state Department of Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield …

Help parents navigate the college application process

09/01/2006

Fred C. Church Insurance in Lowell, Mass., offers child care assistance for its young parents and retirement-planning advice for older employers. But it lacked benefits for workers with teenage children … Solution: The 130-employee company added a benefit that gives employees access to counselors who specialize in the college-application process …

Court ruling may discourage jobs for the financially troubled

09/01/2006

A new ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (which includes Texas) may encourage people who file Chapter 7 bankruptcy to remain unemployed until the court finalizes their bankruptcy …

Employees going to college? Help with tuition, career path

09/01/2006

It’s back-to-school time, and not just for children. Many of your employees—and would-be employees—will enroll in college classes this fall. And while those courses will make employees more competent and promotion-worthy, they’ll also wreak havoc on their schedules, both at work and at home …

Low-Cost Summer Camp Help

06/01/2006

The HR department at AstraZeneca’s U.S. headquarters helps employees who are parents line up summer camps for their kids by hosting a “camp fair” every spring …

Keeping employees green

06/01/2006

Officials at Timberland Co. are helping to meet the outdoor-apparel maker’s commitment to environmental awareness—and helping employees reduce commuting costs—by offering their workers a $3,000 incentive to buy fuel-efficient hybrid cars …

Solving Day-Care Dilemmas

06/01/2006

When they heard rumblings from staff that finding reliable and affordable in-home infant and child care was becoming more difficult all the time, the benefits and work/life pros at the University of Washington in Seattle started working on a solution …