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RSM
McGladrey Inc. and McGladrey & Pullen LLP "walk the talk"
on WorkLife
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Aug. 9, 2005) – “So
tell me, did you accomplish your WorkLife goal?” That’s
the question RSM McGladrey and McGladrey & Pullen managers will
likely ask their employees a year from now. Employees and their
managers are currently developing their 2006 performance goals,
including the creation of a first-ever WorkLife goal for each employee.
RSM McGladrey and McGladrey &
Pullen performance managers will continue to assess employees’
success using traditional measures such as client service, quality
of work and business growth. But to stress the organizations’
commitment to WorkLife and build a culture where people are valued
both personally and professionally, RSM McGladrey and McGladrey
& Pullen also will measure WorkLife outcomes. By doing this
the two companies become among the first employers nationwide to
introduce this concept.
“Saying we are committed to
WorkLife is one thing” said Steve Tait, president RSM McGladrey
Business Services, “but showing it by building in personal
and managerial accountability is what we believe is the missing
piece to most WorkLife strategies.
“Over the years, we have offered
flexible work options, but like many employers found ourselves struggling
with how to truly make them an accepted part of our culture rather
than just another program,” Tait continued. “By formalizing
a written WorkLife goal and discussing it during the performance
management process, we can start changing behaviors and ultimately
our culture.”
RSM McGladrey’s Central Midwest
region (five offices in Illinois and Missouri) took the lead in
setting and assessing WorkLife goals last year.
“Our employees set goals such
as adjusting several months of one’s work schedule to coach
children’s sports, significantly rearranging a year’s
body of work so an employee could take the summer off, or something
as ‘simple’ as making the commitment to get home for
dinner on weeknights during the busy season,” said Teresa
Hopke, RSM McGladrey WorkLife strategy director.
“As we enter the second year, we expect to see a broader diversity
of goals,” said Hopke. “We have an accountant in the
Pacific Northwest who plans to take the summer off to continue a
longtime passion of fighting forest fires and a Midwest employee
who has decided to trade some income for two months of summertime
sailing.”
First year WorkLife goal setting participants
report they have greater balance in their lives, work harder, met
and often surpassed their business goals and were more apt to stay
with the organization rather than look for employment elsewhere.
“This added flexibility means so much to my family and me,”
said Scott Potenberg, an auditor in McGladrey & Pullen’s
Champaign, Ill., office.
Delinda Hawkins, a tax supervisor
in RSM McGladrey’s Galesburg, Ill.,
office added, “Clients are intrigued with my work arrangement
because many of them are parents themselves and they think it’s
admirable of RSM McGladrey to help its people enjoy a meaningful
WorkLife.”
“That feedback is entirely consistent with several recent
national studies on the importance of flexibility in employees’
lives,” added Hopke.
The introduction of WorkLife goals
is one part of RSM McGladrey’s overall strategy to become
the leading “employer of choice” in the accounting and
business consulting industry. In recent months, RSM McGladrey has
also rolled out new WorkLife benefits and a comprehensive flexibility
training initiative to support employees at home and in the workplace.
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