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June 22, 2006
Should companies offer couples counseling at work?
As companies slowly add back in benefits and perks that went away after the 2001 job market collapse, one that we're seeing more of these days is couples or marriage counseling. The premise, of course, is that employees who are having a difficult time at home can't be as productive as work. While I can't dispute that hyphothesis, I do take issue with companies getting involved in aspects of employees' lives outside of work.
I'm suspicious of the latest focus on heterosexual marriage that we're seeing at notoriously Christian Chick-fil-A, for example. The effort, which provides seminars, marriage retreats, lunchtime sessions and counseling, is being applauded by groups like Alliance for Marriage and other right-wing organizations. While it's certainly within their right to promote whatever policies they want (and consumers' right to patronize or not patronize the establishment because of those policies), where does this kind of intervention end?
One could rather easily see it extended to financial planning for employees (if they're worrying about money, they can't be as productive) or even car maintenance (if their car is unreliable, they won't make it to work as reliably). While perhaps extreme examples, I hope they illustrate why companies should stay out of the private realm and instead focus on creating as engaging and healthy an environment at the workplace as possible -- which in turn can have positive effects on life at home.
Posted by Christopher at June 22, 2006 6:22 AM
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Comments
I agree with your views. The issue in modern business is the blurring of the life/work balance. My question is doesn't this blur it even more? Also the concentration needs to be on creating time for the person to be at home, and mentally not worrying about e-mails, work etc Most relationships suffer because people cannot shut off when they get home, the money would be better spent understanding for each individual why that is occurring and how the company can help in achieving the life/work goal.
Posted by: Anna Farmery at June 27, 2006 6:03 AM