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Life A Juggling Act?
NOAA's Introducing A New Approach
Forward-thinking companies are offering life and work services
to help employees be healthier, more content and more productive.
NOAA is no exception.
On June 21, the NOAA Diversity Council will open the NOAA
Employee Worklife Center for a year-long pilot period. While
the new center will be physically based in Silver Spring,
Maryland, the doors will be open to every NOAA employee
eager to more effectively juggle perhaps longer work hours,
longer commute time, child care, adult care, and a seemingly
endless list of other such never-ending responsibilities.
NOAA's aim is to personalize an approach that can help all
interested NOAA employees achieve healthier home/work balance.
By phone, online, or in person, the new Worklife Center
will offer top-notch, comprehensive one-stop service in
response to the needs of NOAA staff, whether at headquarters,
across the country, or across the globe.
Through its diversity strategy, NOAA is working to help
every employee build a healthier balance by enhancing the
quality of work life in a more inclusive, supportive environment.
The Worklife Center will focus on such priorities as child
and elder care, financial planning, parenting, shift work,
retirement, wellness, work at sea, and a broad range of
other issues which affect the balance between work and personal
lives.
Employees will be welcome to browse through the new center's
resources, check out books and videos, read up-to-date topic-specific
newspaper and magazine articles, pick up free brochures
on community services and obtain information on local and
national organizations that can help with particular needs.
Worklife discussion groups will be formed to provide frequent
opportunities for employees to share information and network
around specific issues. Worklife resource fairs will help
bring community-dependent care providers to work sites to
share resources directly with employees.
Field employees will be able to request services and information
via e-mail or by dialing a toll-free number. Lunch-time
seminars on worklife topics will be video streamed to employees
and archived on the Diversity web site for convenient viewing.
Seminar tapes will be available on loan. Worklife newsletters
will provide content key to more successfully integrating
work and home life.
The Worklife Center will include a reading and relaxation
room with video, audio and written materials on stress management
and a lactation room for nursing mothers. The center will
be staffed five days a week by experienced professionals
from Caliber Fried and Sher, Inc., an acknowledged leader
in the child care and worklife field. These experienced
consultants will provide employees with resources needed
to make more informed worklife decisions. They will also
be available to respond to questions and requests and will
ensure that resources are shipped to field employees when
needed.
The NOAA Employee Worklife Center will offer a personalized
approach to help employees locate the resources and support
needed to better manage work and life responsibilities.
Be on the lookout for more details! The countdown to the
June 21 opening has begun.
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