Leveraging Work-Life During An Uncertain Economic Recovery

There have been many predictions of imminent economic recovery, ranging from Warren Buffett in 2009 to Matt O'Brien of The New Republic in 2012, who said, "This finally might be an economic recovery worthy of the name." But here’s what they are not telling us: Not only are we not on the road to recovery, it’s as if we are living in a totally new economy and there may be no going back. Here is what the workforce looks like today: The average American works 80% more than they did 30 years ago for only 7% more pay. Of Americans who were given 14 vacation days in 2011, 57% had unused vacation time by the end of the year and 39% of this same population had reservations about asking their boss for a vacation. A recent study revealed that 72% of employees are stressed, 67% are considering switching careers, 85% say their job intruded on their personal life, and 42% lose sleep over work. The outcome of this new economy is a disconnected, disillusioned, and an unevenly productive workforce. At the same time HR leaders reported that they are actively trying to fill vacant positions, and nearly half reported that their companies have had trouble doing so in the last year. This session will examine the ways in which organizations can respond to this new world by leveraging work-life strategies and workplace flexibility to help attract and retain top talent and support increased productivity. Research proves that many younger workers identify flexible work arrangements as more important than wages. Work-life fit has also been listed as a critical tool for retaining older workers, who will soon make up 20 percent of the workforce and who have valuable skills and institutional knowledge. Kathy Kacher, creator of popular work-life tools, will lead an in-depth discussion of the how to fortify, build and brand existing and new work-life programs to hire, engage, retain and enhance worker performance.