Canadian companies getting more flexible: survey

TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - Canadian companies are recognizing that juggling work and family timetables can be awkward for many parents and are increasingly taking steps to help out employees by introducing policies that allow telecommuting or flextime, a new survey shows.

According to the survey, released Thursday by OfficeTeam, a staffing service, almost two-thirds (65 percent) of Canadian companies have made policy changes to better accommodate working parents' schedules.

"I think that, in today's marketplace, there's a growing number of people that are in that 'sandwich generation', meaning between the ages of 45 to 65, that are still working ... that are still responsible for their kids as well as their elderly parents," said Lisa Fried, division director for OfficeTeam.

"Those people have the experience and the expertise, so they're quite valuable to their employer," said Fried. "In order to retain them and keep them happy -- staff morale, that kind of thing -- it's important to offer benefits like that."

Perks, such as extended family leave, elder-care and child-care services, benefit more than just the employees, the survey found. Companies that advertise these programs when recruiting tend to be successful in attracting the type of employees they want.

"In today's marketplace it is getting tighter on the recruitment and retention side of things, and employees are realizing that they do need that work-life balance," said Fried.

Barbara Byers, executive vice-president for the Canadian Labor Congress agrees that the work-life balance is becoming more important for employees, and says that unionized companies usually have an edge in developing that kind of flexibility.

Often, in non-unionized firms, accommodating working parents is only made for individuals or particular departments. In a unionized environment, Byers says, there is an organized voice to take these issues forward, and managing work-life balance is usually dealt with on a systemic level.

In many cases, it can be just a matter of scheduling company meetings at times that are more convenient for parents. Only after nine in the morning and not after three in the afternoon for example, allowing parents to get their kids off to school or welcome them back home again.

"It's important from an economic standpoint for the company to ensure that they're retaining staff, and staff morale and satisfaction is there, and employee productivity is there," said Fried.

"It's getting to be a competitive market for employers, so they want to keep their staff happy."

(Editing by Rob Wilson)