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elping an employee
cope with a son who
has chickenpox or an
elderly mother need-
ing a ride to the doctor is
not, according to a leading
family advocate, just a mat-
ter of being sensitive. It's
also good business.
When company leaders
are flexible to their employ-
ees' needs, it results in
increased productivity and
reduced absenteeism on the
job. And it saves money.
Marlynn Levin, director of
program development for
Wayne State University's
Merrill-Palmer Institute,
said it takes about $15,000
to recruit and replace a sin-
gle employee — not to men-
tion the time needed to
train a new worker.
Ms. Levin was the
steps, where he gave a
speech stressing his support
of working family issues.
Speaking at the Sept. 9
program, Ms. Levin advised
working parents to
approach the issue of flexi-
ble time at the office as a
business issue. Make cer-
tain supervisors have a
solid understanding of what
it would cost to hire and
retrain another worker,
then consider seeking a con-
sultant or forming a task
force to further study the
issue, she said.
Judith Paull, of the Sinai
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Give someone another happy ending .. .
NCJW National President Susan Katz meets with
Michigan Sen. Donald Riegle, Jr.
another hug .. .
another laugh .. .
another chance.
Please give blood.
+ American Red Cross
Blood Services
Southeastern Michigan Region
keynote speaker for last
week's Day of the Working
Parent program, "Walking
the High Wire: Balancing
Work and Family
Responsibilities," sponsored
by the National Council of
Jewish Women.
The national program
was established to draw
attention to the issues fac-
ing millions of mothers and
fathers throughout the
United States.
Earlier in the week, Gov.
John Engler met with
NCJW President Ann
Zousmer and others to show
his support for the day. Sen.
Donald Riegle met with
NCJW National President
Susan Katz on the Capitol
Hospital Department of
Psychiatry, spoke of the dif-
ficulty of the "sandwich gen-
eration," those adults who
find themselves caring both
for children and elderly par-
ents.
The mother of three
teens, Ms. Paull said she
was ill-prepared for the
kinds of changes that hap-
pened in her life after she
moved her mother, who was
recuperating from an ill-
ness, into her house.
It was difficult for Ms.
Paull to deal with a depen-
dent mother who previously
had been so independent,
and it was hard for her
daughters to spend less and
less time with their own
mother.
The best preparation for
such a situation is to "real-
ize it can happen to you,"
Ms. Paull said. She advised
looking into such issues as
respite care and carefully
considering which health-
care benefits insurance will
cover a senior living with
family.
Younger parents also
need to do a lot of ground-
work when considering care
for certain members of their
family: young children.
Mirjana Milo, director of
Henry Ford Hospital's Child
Care Center, said that par-
ents looking into daycare
should ask themselves such
questions as: How warm is
the atmosphere of the cen-
ter? Is there adequate
supervision? Is this facility
age-appropriate for my
child? Are the toys and
equipment of good quality
and quantity?
Parents, she added,
should meet with the head
of the day-care center as
well as those who will be
working directly with their
children.
Wendy Shepherd-Bates, a
work and family consultant,
believes firmly in the value
of lists. Speaking on contin-
gency child-care planning,
Ms. Shepherd-Bates said
parents need to begin early
compiling names of those
who can help when a child
suddenly is home sick or
because of a snow day at
school.
First, she said, ask
"Whom do you have in your
family who owes you?" Or
perhaps a friend in the
neighborhood who also has
a child could trade-off days
with you. Maybe it would be
possible to take a son or
daughter to work. Compile
all these possibilities into
an "emergency list," Ms.
Shepherd-Bates advised.
She also recommended
approaching supervisors
before problems arise. Say
to a boss, "Everyone in his
class except my son has had
the chickenpox. How can we