Lessons from the workplace: how corporate policies and attitudes lag behind workers' changing needs

Corporate attitudes and policies are lagging behind employee's family needs. Despite publicity to the contrary, antifamily discrimination at the workplace still exists and most managers still regard the conflict between family and work as a women's issue. However, more Americans are increasingly experiencing the pressures of the concurrent needs for work and better family life. Employers have responded with a variety of programs, such as dependent-care spending accounts, child-care referral services and flextime, but direct child care support, family and pregnancy leaves and other concessions to familial responsibilities are still lacking. As a result, declining productivity and quality of life are likely to lead to loss of workers and jobs.