Put Balance in Work and Home Life

Computerworld - Two years ago, Steve Seidner, senior manager of technology planning at Georgia-Pacific Corp., a paper manufacturer and distributor in Atlanta, became the father of twins. He and his wife already had a 3-year-old, so the new arrivals meant even more demands on them as parents. In response, Seidner's company allowed him to occasionally work from home.

"I try to schedule my meetings so they don't fall every day of the week," Seidner says. "On the days when I don't have meetings, I can often work from home. I also work from home on snow days and on days after we've had a particularly bad night."

If he couldn't telecommute, Seidner says, he might have left his job at the company's downtown offices and looked for a position closer to his suburban home.

"It would have been a tough choice to continue working downtown because of the commute time—an hour each way," Seidner says. "Being able to work at home some days makes all the difference."

That's one reason why Georgia-Pacific ranked among Computerworld's top 10 best employers for benefits and why other leading employers are able to hire and retain the industry's best staffers.

"I have three small children of my own, and I work at home occasionally," says Jim Hudak, CEO of UnitedHealth Technologies, a division of UnitedHealth Group Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn. "There's a big difference if you can be with your kids in your jammies, having a cup of coffee in the morning, instead of having to rush out the door. It's amazing how much more connected you can feel."

Credit: Luba Lukova

"One member of my staff is running an $85 million development project, but she works at home every Friday because she has small children," Hudak says.

Offer Generous Vacation Time

Another way top companies attract and retain IT staffers is by giving them plenty of time off.

At Capital One Financial Corp. in Falls Church, Va., full-time employees get three weeks of paid vacation during their first year at the company and can take an extra 40 hours of vacation without pay if they choose. The hours are prorated based on salary and are deducted from employees' paychecks in regular amounts over the entire year.

"The ability to have four weeks' vacation in a year is really extraordinary," says Laura Olle, senior vice president of IT at Capital One and the mother of a teenage daughter. "It's a big help when your children have spring breaks, winter breaks and so on."