The 2005 outlook for employees to get the support they need from their bosses in order to balance their personal and professional lives is upbeat, according to the experts.

“I’m optimistic that work/life programs are going to grow,” said Mary Ellen Gornick, senior vice president of work/life consulting for Workplace Options, Inc., a work/life resource and referral organization headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. It has four regional offices.

“But the programs are going to look a little bit different,” said Gornick, who is based in Chicago. The consultant has a master’s degree in social work and has been a work/life professional since 1984. She’s been in her present post since 2003.

“The new message from employers will be, here are tools to help you become more effective because I need you to be a productive employee – compared to last year when the message was, what can we do to help,” said Gornick, who is recognized as a national authority on work/life issues.

Beyond flex hours

“Many of the leading-edge companies now are beginning to address issues beyond flexible work arrangements and child and elder care. They also will focus on the physical and emotional health of their employees – because companies now really understand the importance of keeping a resilient work force and eliminating stress. Businesses will have a more holistic view of their employees and employees will have broader access to more programs and services.”

And why will employers take these positive steps? “Research shows that employees who use work/life programs have higher job satisfaction and are more productive,” Gornick said. “Work/life programs are a good business strategy.”

More wellness

Specifically, the work/life expert sees 2005 as the year that employers will introduce, under the umbrella of work/life, more wellness programs for older workers, expansion of elder care services, homework help lines, counseling on how to get children into college, more discount programs with major commercial retail chains and increased backup and sick child care.

Kathie M. Lingle, director of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress, the professional association for work/life practitioners, also is optimistic.

“Work/life is not going to disappear,” said Lingle, who is based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Her organization is an affiliate of WorldatWork, a nonprofit professional association for compensation, benefits and rewards.

In agreement with Gornick, Lingle sees major strides this year in health care and the reduction of stress.

She also predicts that “managers will be more accepting and understanding of work/life programs and flexibility – after a decade of watching productivity increase when you actually give workers control over their lives. Managers will really get it and practice it.”

Lingle, who has a master’s degree in child development and family systems, also sees “the issue of motivation, what excites workers, what turns them on, as a growing factor in management.” As a result, she predicts that 2005 will be the year employers “customize their employment packages” on an individual basis.

But not everything will be smooth in the struggle for balance for both employers and employees. “We may have some rough times before things get better – this is not a piece of cake,” said Lingle. “But I think the employer focus on work/life this year will be on not only what employees do on the job but what they are and what their needs are – and that’s the new revelation among managers.”

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(Carol Kleiman is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want” (Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to ckleimantribune.com.)

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(c) 2005, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-01-25-05 0617EST