An employer and I have been noticing that many of our employees are missing work and having to take time off to go to court because of marriage problems. I don't want to interfere in people's personal lives but at the same time it is costing the company money when these family problems occur. Do you think I should try to do anything about my employees' marriages?
D.C. Evansville
There are some things you can do as an employer to reach out to employees that need extra help in marriage and family situations. You could begin by displaying literature and brochures in the employee lounge. You could provide an array of information about healthy living, relationships and marriages. There are many nonprofit organizations in the community that would be willing to supply you with information.
Your Human Resources department might be another good point of contact for employees. One benefit you could offer to your employees would be to pay for all or part of the cost to attend a seminar or class pertaining to their situation. This business approach is not a new concept. Many businesses today implement Wellness Programs for employees. A marriage or relationship class could be included in that package.
A divorce hurts the couple and the community financially. The couple will have about a $19,000 loss and the community another $30,000 per divorce. According to Dr. John Curtis, author of "Happily Un-Married," an average employee making $20 per hour would cost the company more than $8,000. One survey, "The effect of marital dissolution on the labor supply of males and females," for the Journal of Socio-Economics (Mueller, 2005) found that employees lost an average of more than 168 hours of work time, equivalent to being fully absent for four weeks in one calendar year. Divorce does cost the company and the employee.
Businesses that work with employees to help strengthen marriages and families can reduce that. Your approach will be the key to the success of this venture. You would not want to single out employees, but offer a new program for all. A healthy marriage for employees will probably translate into a healthier employee for your business.
Research for "The Case for Marriage," by Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite indicates that healthy marriages contribute to job satisfaction and productivity. An employee in a healthy marriage can concentrate on the job and not be distracted by problems at home.
Community Marriage Builders can help you and your company with workshops to help struggling couples and also be there for marriage preparation and marriage enrichment workshops as well.
John Phillips is executive director of Community Marriage Builders. He can be reached at john@makeitlast.org or (812) 477-2260.
via courierpress.com