HRI’s Work/Life Program as an Employee Benefit:
Frequently Asked Questions

How do employees benefit from the Work/Life Program?
What services are covered by the Work/Life Program?
Who are HRI’s Work/Life Specialists and what are their credentials?
How do employees access the HRI Work/Life Program?
How often can my employees use the Work/Life Program?
How does the Work/Life Program work?
If an employee has a problem over the weekend, will they still receive help?
How does HRI assess employee satisfaction of the program?

Q: How do employees benefit from the Work/Life Program?

A:  Balancing work, life and family responsibilities is no easy task. Employees and their family members must constantly juggle competing demands, from making deadlines to running errands to finding quality child care and caring for aging relatives. The Work/Life Program can provide extensive assistance, information, and support to your employees, helping them to achieve a better balance between home and work, and ensure greater productivity.

In addition, Harris, Rothenberg International’s (HRI’s) Work/Life Program is integrated with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help employees address issues which may be affecting their ability to manage everyday life challenges.

top

Q: What services are covered by the Work/Life Program?

A: The HRI Work/Life Program covers a variety of needs and services for any circumstance. The scope of the Work/Life Program includes (but is not limited to):

• Prenatal and lactation
• Adoption
• Parenting and child development
• Child care
• Emergency dependent care
• Education
• Children and adults with special needs
• Convenience services
• Moving and relocation
• Pet care
• Health and wellness
• Older adult care
• Aging
• Retirement
• End-of-life issues
• Balancing work and family

top

A: HRI’s Work/Life Specialists are experts in their fields, hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and have a minimum of three years of experience. They help employees define needs and solve problems through expert consultation, programs and services, so they can turn their focus back on living productive lives both at home and at work.

Our Work/Life Specialists must complete 165 hours of in-house training prior to providing support to clients. Specialists are cross-trained with EAP staff to help bring a truly integrated approach to problem solving. Specialists are also encouraged to attend educational workshops and seminars.

top

Q: How do employees access the HRI Work/Life Program?

A: Employees or their family members call their HRI toll-free number and are referred to a Work/Life Specialist.

Additional resources are available on our award-winning Web site, www.harrisrothenberg.com:

• Access to counselors and requests for referrals
• Self-search function for resources and referrals, including CareSolutions: Information. Options. Answers. for child care and adult care.
• Online access to educational materials and multimedia resources
• Comprehensive article library
• Quizzes and self-assessments
• Online international section, Think GlobalSM, providing information on resources in countries around the world
• SpendLess employee discount center
• Expert health and wellness information and screening tools

top

Q: How often can my employees use the Work/Life Program?

A: Participants have unlimited online and telephonic access.

top

Q: How does the Work/Life Program work?

A: When an employee or family member contacts the Work/Life Program they will receive:

Assessment of Need: Work/Life Specialists thoroughly assess the needs of the employee/household family member, taking into account all details of the conversation.

Personal Consultations: Consultations take a conversational form and are customized for each employee/household family member using the service.

Enhanced, Customized Referrals and Education: During the consultation, Work/Life Specialists will educate the employee/household family member about various options so that the caller can make informed decisions about providers. Referrals are always customized for the client based on their needs, such as location, gender, cost, type, space availability, etc.

Customized Referral Packets: The Work/Life Specialist will send out a customized referral packet to help continue the educational process after the initial consultation. In addition to three to five provider profiles, referral packets include one of three proprietary guidebooks, articles, pamphlets, checklists, tip sheets, and other relevant materials.

top

Q: If an employee has a problem over the weekend, will they still receive help?

A: Most calls are handled during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST. However, resource and referral services are available for urgent work/life needs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including holidays.

top
 

Q: How does HRI assess employee satisfaction of the program?

A: Work/Life Specialists follow-up with all participants of the Work/Life Program at least three times. The first follow-up occurs 72 hours after the referrals and educational materials are sent to inform the employee that the research has been completed and that the customized packet has been mailed or emailed to them. The second follow-up occurs approximately two weeks after the employee/household family member has been sent the materials to ensure receipt of the information and determine if additional services are needed. HRI then uses an independent third party to follow up approximately one month after the service has been used to assess overall satisfaction with the Work/Life Program.

Activity reports provide quality assurance outcomes, cross-referral usage, response to monthly awareness communications, extended analysis and recommendations, and comparison to national norms and usage history.

top