To hire and retain top talent, Greater Hartford companies are creating and implementing unique strategies and policies that cater to an increasingly diversified workforce.
Management and human resource executives say they are finding the need to accommodate employees’ growing demands for work-life balance, a trademark expectation of Millennials who are entering the workforce in droves.
With a range of programs and policies including flexible schedules, telecommuting, employee resource groups and mentorship programs, Hartford corporations — The Phoenix Cos. Inc., The Hartford and KPMG, among others — are attempting to effectively address the varying demands of their employees.
Susan Johnson, vice president of diversity and inclusion at The Hartford, said the company has established a contemporary work environment that includes flexible schedules and work-at-home options.
“People want and expect flexible work options — that’s a growing trend — coupled with the ability to work remotely, or at times that work for them,” said Johnson. “Offering these things helps not only the employees but it also helps us from a business perspective; it gives us the opportunity to attract and retain talent and increase our productivity as well as boost the morale.”
Johnson said The Hartford also offers a three-year leadership development program and employee resource groups for mentorship to help employees with their career trajectory.
Anne Peabody-Brostek, president of the Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut, said her organization is working to educate its membership as well as the business community on the benefits of a flexible workplace.
HRACC recently partnered with the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to award three Connecticut firms with the 2014 “When Work Works” award for their use of effective workplace strategies to increase business and employee success.
The Hartford, KPMG and OpenSky Corp. in Tolland received the award for their ability to offer opportunities for learning, a culture of trust and work-life balance.
Rich Caporaso, managing partner of KPMG’s Hartford office, said respecting the many roles that employees take on inside and outside the office helps yield successful people.
“We appreciate that our partners and employees are moms, dads, caregivers, hobbyists, and from time to time, need to deal with events occurring during the workday, both expected and unexpected,” Caporaso said. “Accordingly, we are committed to flexibility and supporting and respecting all of our people as individuals who have passions and responsibilities both at home and at work.”
Flexibility KPMG offers employees include: compressed work weeks enabling them to work three to four days instead of the standard five-day week; flextime (alternate start and end times to the workday); and telecommuting.
Caporaso said KPMG also offers customized back-up child and elder care for employees who find themselves in an unexpected or emergency situation in which regular care giving services fall through.
In addition to the growing expectation of work-life balance, today’s workforce also demands a greater level of equality, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
Both The Hartford and Phoenix Cos. have been recognized for their policies that foster healthy work environments for same-sex couples.
Phoenix Cos. was recently named one of the 2014 Best Adoption Friendly Work Places, a list compiled by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, for its long-standing adoption policy that it recently expanded to same-sex couples.
“Phoenix has had an adoption benefit policy for more than 20 years, and we started looking at the policy about 10 years ago in the context of expanding benefits to same-sex couples,” said Suzette Louro, Phoenix’s senior vice president of corporate benefits. “Our goal was to design a benefit program and work-life policies that would assist different types of families equally. At the same time we expanded our adoption benefits, we also enhanced our medical benefits for infertility treatments.”
Phoenix Cos. offers its employees up to three weeks of paid leave within the first six months of a child’s adoption and pays 80 percent of eligible adoption-related expenses, up to $9,000 per adoption, or up to $10,000 for a special needs child. The benefits can be used for up to two adoptions. According to the SHRM, employers seeking to engage their employees might also consider offering opportunities to leave the office environment to take part in social responsibility and volunteer activities.
Phoenix Cos. allows their employees to use up to 40 hours of company time per year to volunteer for charitable organizations, including their children’s schools and sports teams, said Louro.
Similarly, The Hartford and KPMG host several corporate social responsibility events geared toward keeping their employees engaged and active in their communities.
Johnson said The Hartford’s social responsibility initiatives, which include an annual Walk for Hunger and holiday gift drive, each have a unique focus to appeal to employees’ diverse interests.
In a report published by SHRM in 2013, HR professionals said that providing flexible work arrangements and a culture of trust, open communication and fairness will continue to be the top two tactics for attracting, retaining and awarding the best employees over the next 10 years.
