Released on March 13, 2007
Dr. Suzan Lewis, a leading international authority on work-family issues, will discuss how helping employees better balance work and family responsibilities can help employers manage labour shortage challenges.
Dr. Lewis, a professor at Middlesex University Business School in London, England, will deliver the keynote address at a Work-Family Balance & Labour Force Shortages conference in Saskatoon March 14-15. Dr. Lewis recently completed an eight-country study for the European Union on work, family and well being in European workplaces.
“There is no longer any doubt that workplaces that are able to accommodate family needs will attract better workers, have less turnover and enjoy a healthier bottom line,” Labour Minister David Forbes said. “Work-family conflict is very costly for all concerned. Employers pay the price of work-family conflict in terms of absenteeism, lower productivity and a greater difficulty recruiting and retaining employees. Workers pay the price of work-family conflict in stress-related illnesses, low morale and decreased ability to focus on their jobs.”
Other conference highlights include a series of workshops and presentations from Canadian university researchers from the universities of McGill, Guelph, Quebec and Saskatchewan who will present recent work-family balance findings.
The event is co-sponsored by the Balancing Work and Family Alliance and Saskatchewan Labour’s Work and Family Unit.
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For more information, contact:
Nadine Sisk
Labour
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4156
Email: nsisk@lab.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-535-1930