The future of work and family: Critical trends for policy,practice, and research

Work/life “thought leaders” from 28 large corporations carried out an environmental scanning process with the objective of linking work/life policies and practices to critical business and environmental trends. Globalization, technological change, and organizational flexibility are trends that have been commonly identified in other environmental scanning efforts, but their relationship to work/life issues has often been ignored. Similarly, the relationship of changing family structures to business goals has not received the attention it deserves. Through this linking process, work/life advocates can demonstrate the value of their efforts to other corporate decision makers. Innovative corporate work/life initiatives that are responsive to these important trends are described. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.