Reference no: EM132223075

Work-Family Balance: Penn State

Summary

During 2008–09, Penn State’s Commission for Women (CFW) sponsored a study of faculty and staff parents at Penn State to better understand how they balance the dual responsibilities of work and family in the year following the birth or adoption of a child. The goal of the work was to provide CFW with information on new parents’ issues and challenges, allow insight into how Penn State policies affect new parents, and enable the commission to make appropriate recommendations to improve work-life balance for University employees. The data for this study were gathered via focus groups of Penn State employees. Participants included: (1) Penn State faculty – fixed-term multi-year, standing, tenure-track, or tenured – whose appointments were based at University Park, and (2) Penn State staff based at University Park or a Commonwealth campus (excluding Hershey). Eligibility criteria for participation included having had or adopted a child in the past four years while holding one of the positions described above. Both women and men were eligible.

Findings in Brief

The level of support from supervisors and colleagues for work-family balance varies considerably depending on where an employee works within the University. Discrepancies in levels of support appear to be widespread and well-noted by both faculty and staff. Penn State is perceived as a place where supportive work environments do exist, but not as an institution that promotes a family-friendly culture overall.

Scheduling insensitivities within some departments were noted by faculty, who reported facing conflicts with early morning or evening departmental commitments. For staff, the situation is more severe, with many respondents noting the challenges of juggling daycare drop-off with an inflexible job-start time. Many expressed the desire for such accommodations as compressed work weeks, alternate start or end work times, the ability to leave work in the middle of the day and make up that time in the evening, or to work part-time at home.

Most of the faculty interviewed reported being satisfied with the amount of leave time granted them to care for the new child, though they noted that leaves were determined locally by department/college rather than universally across the University. Faculty questioned why there was no paternity leave available at Penn State, perceiving that time off for male faculty members depended on the will of the department head. They voiced concerns that the leave policy does not stop the clock for a second child. Faculty reported that finding the policies on maternity leave was extremely difficult and frustrating.

Faculty who reported positive experiences in obtaining leaves were grateful for having the time to care for a new child. They appreciated the importance of having a supportive department chair/head in achieving work-family balance. They felt loyal to Penn State if their leave experience was positive. Nonetheless, most noted the lack of centralized information about leave Commission for Women Page 2 Work-Family Balance at Penn State options and preferred the onus not be on individual faculty to negotiate leaves given the varying levels of knowledge and support for leaves from department heads.

Staff emphatically and uniformly articulated disappointment in being offered nothing beyond the FMLA-mandated leave provisions. Staff indicated that taking leave at Penn State means using accumulated sick and vacation time, and almost all reported thinking this to be unfair given the demands of having and caring for a newborn. Women who had not worked at the University long enough to accrue much time often were particularly anguished by the situation, as were those who had medical issues during the pregnancy, which depleted their reserves of sick time available following the baby’s birth.

Staff also reported that one of the biggest issues and concerns with taking leave is the level of flexibility and support offered by a supervisor, which varies depending on where the employee works. Some staff were offered the chance to work at home or flexible hours while others were not. Such information is shared between employees and appears to be widely known, so staff tend to compare their situations to those of other staff members and even to those of faculty. Staff also reported confusion as to what FMLA really is and what it means to them.

Breastfeeding was not an issue of concern for the faculty interviewed for this study. Staff, on the other hand, found breast pumping (necessary for successful breastfeeding) to be difficult while working, particularly so for those without their own offices. Some women chose not to breastfeed or stopped sooner after the baby’s birth than they wished because their supervisor was not accommodating. Most did not have the time during their work day to use campus lactation stations because of the time required to walk to a station in another building. They reported being directed by supervisors to pump in open cubicles or bathrooms. In addition, staff are unclear about how to account for time spent pumping.

For faculty, the most problematic issue regarding childcare was the long waitlist for on-campus daycare. Staff members consistently reported that the cost of childcare on campus is too expensive, and consequently none of the staff members participating in focus groups use the facilities on campus or have their child on a waitlist for campus childcare. Using off-campus childcare, while more affordable, created scheduling issues for staff because drop-off and pickup times make commuting, parking, and being at work on time challenging.

How does the organization accommodate work-family balance for its employees?

a. Describe relevant policies and programs. What do you think are the most important issues raised by employees?

b. How do policies and needs differ between different TYPES of employees (e.g., men and women, faculty and staff)?

c. What might be causing differences in needs for different types of employees?

d. Focus on gaps in the organization’s policies and programs and make recommendations for addressing employee concerns.