Chapter 6 Analysis and design of work 183 decision-making responsibility for managing coordination between themselves and others. Jobs in divisional structures need to be more holistic, with people working in teams that have greater decision-making authority. In our next section, we cover specific approaches for analysing and designing jobs. Whereas all of these approaches are viable, each focuses on a single, isolated job. These approaches do not necessarily consider how that single job fits into the overall workflow or structure of the organisation. Thus, to effectively use these techniques, we have to have a good understanding of the organisation as a whole. Without this 'big-picture appreciation, we might redesign a job in a way that might be good for that one job, but this may be out of line with the workflow, structure or strategy of the organisation. MANAGING FOR INNOVATION Making work family friendly More and more leading companies are setting up in-house childcare facilities to attract, retain and motivate their employees with children, particularly women with children. Recent statistics show that the number of women actively engaged in the labour market who are having children is more than 300 000 per annum. Women's participation in paid employment has risen dramatically from the 1970s to over 50 per cent. Women are also delaying having children until their 30s. These trends are manifesting in greater need for working mothers to utilise childcare facilities. Nearly 50 per cent of children aged between 0 and 12 years received some type of regular childcare. Over 50 per cent of children between the ages of 1 and 3 years were in childcare. The trends are putting greater pressure on employers to offer onsite childcare facilities to their employees. Leading companies, big and small, are rising to the challenge and investing in childcare facilities. Impact Communications is one such company. It is a small business employing 10 staff and has set up an onsite childcare facility employing two nannies for their employees as part of a salary packaging initiative. Director Alison Lee remarks that the childcare facility has really changed the culture of the company and enabled senior women to get back into the workforce much earlier than ever before, not to mention increasing their productivity and commitment to the company. She remarks that her company has been successful in its ability to attract high-calibre and experienced women with children. This case study is an excellent illustration that any company can effectively support those in their workforce who have children. Commitment is a two-way street. There is plenty of research to document that mothers with young children and professional careers often have a tough time balancing work and life. Some of these women even struggle with guilt at having to leave their children in a childcare facility, not to mention the challenges of having to leave work early and battling with traffic to pick up the kids on time. Companies such as Impact Communications are really leading the way in designing a work environment that is family friendly. This is also smart business because happy and committed workers are usually more productive workers. The rewards are huge for both the business and its workforce. Lee strongly argues that if companies think they are too small and that employees with families don't think it is important, they are wrong! Impact Communications stresses, however, that it does take a serious commitment to overcome legal and regulatory challenges, and to find space and professional childcare workers. Many companies such as the Commonwealth Bank are also opting for more flexible work design including flexitime, part-time work, job sharing, 49-52 work arrangements that allow for 8 weeks' leave, remote access and working from home as just some of the initiatives to attract, retain and motivate working parents, particularly women with young children. Many of these initiatives have been warmly received by their workforce and are critical to maintaining employee engagement and productivity. So, when it comes to designing jobs and the workplace environment, leading employers are really looking outside the square to create a win-win situation for both the business and its workforce. Sources: Adapted from S. O'Carroll, 2008, "Making work family friendly, Human Resources Leader, February, HC Online, R. Burchielli, T. Bartram & RP Thanacoody, 2008, 'Work-life balance or greedy organisations?", Relations Industrielles, 63(1), pp. 10833. CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS 1 What strategies are companies using to create family-friendly work environments? 2 What effects do family-friendly working practices have on employee attitude and behaviours