Publications

• International Executive Briefing Series: Work-Life in Emerging Markets - explores the historical and cultural contexts and demographic, legal, and economic trends that impact the nature of work and the employer-employee relationship.
  • Work-Life in Brazil
  • Work-Life in Russia
  • Work-Life in India
  • Work-Life in China
  • Work-Life in Japan
  • Work-Life in Sweden
• Flexible Work Arrangements in Asia - a benchmarking study conducted on behalf of the members of the Global Workforce Roundtable to identify types of flexibility offered, to understand the extent that flexibility is used, and to summarize benefits and obstacles to implementation. (Executive Summary)
• Work and Life in China - a report examining the economic, employment, demographic, and cultural contexts that influence work and life for Chinese employees. The report also discusses work-life implications for multinationals operating in China. (Full Report)

Global Summits

• Global Summit 2011- San Francisco
• Global Summit 2010 - London
• Global Summit 2009 - Washington, D.C.
• Global Summit 2008 - Shanghai
• Global Summit 2006 - London
  

Global Web-Conferences

• September 2011: Engagement Without Borders: How Global Organizations Build Employee Engagement
• August 2011: Leading From a Distance: A Practical Guide for High-Impact Virtual Leadership
• April 2011: The Battle for Female Talent in Emerging Markets
• January 2011: Member Services Review
• December 2010: Work-Life in Japan
• November 2010: Developing and Fostering a Global Mindset
• September 2010: Positive Profits: Investing in Work-Life for Organizational Success
• April 2010: Consequences of Thought Diversity for Teams and Organizations
• February 2010: Work-Life in Russia
• December 2009: Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
• December 2009: Global Year in Review
• October 2009: The Dilemma of Coaching Employees with Work-Life Challenges
• September 2009: Work-Life in Brazil
• June 2009: Religion in the Workplace
• April 2009: Global Open Form: EMEA - Communication Tools and Resources
• February 2009: Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life
• January 2009: Global Open Forum: Asia-Pacific
• December 2008: 2008 Year in Review
• November 2008: Effective Social Networking in a Virtual Environment: Leading in a Connected World
• October 2008: Global Open Forum: Americas
• September 2008: Global Open Forum: Europe, the Middle East and Africa
• September 2008: Women's Advancement
• June 2008: Why Work-Life Won't Work Everywhere: The Case of France Compared to the US and the UK 
• April 2008: Cross Cultural Management: Managing a Multi-Cultural Workforce
• September 2007: Promoting Women Leaders Around the Globe: Overcoming Barriers and Crafting Programs that Work
• June 2007: Global Workforce Trends, Implications for Human Resources Professionals
• April 2007: Struggling for Balance: Work, Family and International Assignments
• January 2007: Cultural Values in the Middle East - Implications for Global HR Strategies
• August 2006: Cross-cultural Differences in Stress and Resilience - China vs. the Western World
• April 2006: An Aging Workforce - Implications for Global Workforce Strategies

Global Summit 2010 - London

June 29-30, 2010

Emerging with Energy: The power of work-life to revitalize, re-engage, and re-ignite

Summit Focus

• Implementation of the Work-Life Enrichment Model
• Work & Family Roles in Europe
• Diversity & Work-Life Manager Interventions
• Work-Life and Gender Roles in Sweden

Summit speakers included:

Dr. Steven Poelmans, Associate Professor, IESE Business School, Barcelona; Suzan Lewis, Professor of Organizational Psychology, Middlesex University Business School; Michalle Mor Barak, Professor and Director, International Center for the Inclusive Workplace, University of Southern California; Linda Hass, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University; and K. Andrew Crighton, Chief Medical Officer, Prudential Financial.

Meeting Materials and Presentations (members-only)

Global Summit 2009 - Washington, D.C.

May 5-6, 2009

Managing Work-Life with a World View 

Summit Focus

• How are Diversity and Work-Life Perceived Globally
• Changing the Work-Life Paradigm
• Work-Life in a Changing Economy
• Work-Life in India
• Leveraging Employee Resource Groups Globally

Summit speakers included:

Brian Glade, VP International Programs, Society for Human Resource Management; Dr. Steven Poelmans, Academic Director, International Center of Work and Family, Assistant Professor, IESE Business School, University of Navarra; Banashri Bose Harrison, Minister of Commerce, Embassy of India; Ujvala Rajadhyaksha, Associate Professor, St. Mary's College; Dr. Peter Cappelli, Professor and Director, Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School

Meeting Materials and Presentations (members-only)

Global Summit 2008 - Shanghai

February 26-28, 2008
  Hosted by The Dow Chemical Company

Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Role of Work-Life in Recruitment, Retention, and

Development of Top Talent 
 

Summit Focus

• Work-Life Policies in a Global Context
• Crafting Global Strategies and Mobilizing Strategy into Action
• Talent Management and Work-Life Integration in Asia Pacific

Summit speakers included:

Dr. Anne Bardoel, Associate Professor, Department of Management Monash University; Ted Childs, Founder/Principal, Ted Childs, LLC; Dr. Sangmi Cho, Assistant Professor, Ewha Womans University Graduate School of Social Welfare; Dr. Michalle Mor Barak, Professor and Director, International Center for the Inclusive Workplace, University of Southern California; Dr. Siriyupa Roongrerngsuke, Associate Professor, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University; and Dr. Graeme Russell, Partner, Aequus Partners

Meeting Materials and Presentations (members-only)

Global Summit 2006 - London

Co-Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and IBM

Embracing the Challenge of Globalization:
A Closer Look at Global Workforce Strategies

Summit Focus

• Recruitment and Retention of a Multicultural Workforce
• Women's Advancement
• Age as a Component of Global Talent Management
  

Summit speakers included: Colleen Arnold, General Manager, IBM Northeast Europe; Dr. Linda Brimm, INSEAD; Dr. Sue Lewis, Middlesex University Business School; Dr. Fang Lee Cooke, Manchester Business School; and Dr. Debi Saini, Professor & Chairperson, HR Management, Management Development Institute, India

Inaugural Summit Online Tool Kit (members-only)

Global Webconference October 2009

The Dilemma of Coaching Employees with Work-Life Challenges

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Coaching helps to individualize solutions, build on employees strenths, and create and follow up on action plans for employee development.
• The dilemma of managers coaching their employees is a question of trust
•  Human resources policies are moving towards individualization and customization

Speaker: Dr. Steven Poelmans, Associate Professor IESE Business School, University of Navarra; Academic Director, International Center of Work and Family.

Global Webconference September 2009

Work-Life in Brazil

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Complement to our Executive Briefing Series publication: Work-Life in Brazil
• This conference provided information on the demographics of Brazil, as well as the economic, political, and social climate of the country in relation to work-life issues.
• Issues specific to Brazil include:
  •  Uneven distribution of wealth
  • Traditional gender roles regarding childcare and housework
  • Highly influential unions
  • Generous maternal leave policies

Speaker: Sharon Lobel, Professor of Management at Seattle University, and Center for Work & Family Fellow.

Global Webconference June 2009

Religion in the Workplace

(link to audio and web presentation - members only)

• The goal of religion in the workplace is to integrate religious beliefs and practices in the workplace.
• Religion needs to be addressed because of recent immigration and aging trends.
• Be aware of employee needs around religious attire, devotion, diet, holidays, icons, networks, prayer, ridicule, scheduling, and socializing.
• Create an inclusive environment
  • Offer floating holidays for those whose holidays do not get recognition
  • Create religious or interfaith groups

Speaker: Dr. Georgette Bennett, President and Founder, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding.

Global Open Forum: EMEA April 2009

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• This session provided an overview, examples, and recommendations of work-life communications tools and strategies, highlighting the difficult economic environment.
• Successful communications are based on:
  • What's in it for me?
  • Multiple touchpoints
  • Streamlined messaging
  • Frequency of contact

Speaker: Randee R. Rubin, President of Collega Communications.    

Global Webconference February 2009

Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Goals for the session - improving performance in all aspects of life:
  • Understand the background and theory of Total Leadership - how to achieve four-way wins - and apply to your situation
  • Assess your satisfaction and performance in all four domains
  • Assess the alignment of your actions with your values
  • Generate ideas for creating sustainable change
• The four-way view assesses importance, focus, satisfaction and performance in each of four domains -- Work/Career, Home/Family, Community/Society, and Self: Mind, Body, Spirit

Speaker: Dr. Stew Friedman is the founding director of the Wharton School's Leadership Program and of Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project.

Global Webconference December 2008

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

- Diversity & Inclusion Champions: An Introduction (Novartis AG)Novartis discussed their network of Diversity Champions, a volunteer group of over 100 business and HR stakeholders who create awareness, gather information, and communication best practices locally and globally.

- Energy for Performance: Supporting a Healthy High Performance Culture (GlaxoSmithKline)In 2008, GSK launched the next stage of its award-winning health-high performance global initiative, Energy for Performance (E4P), a 2.5 day experiential program aimed to help employees enhance their energy, performance and achievements, personally and professionally.

- Global Flexible Work Arrangements (Merck & Co.)In early December, Merck implemented a global FWA policy and launched tools to increase access to such arrangements worldwide. This presentation discusses steps that were taken, who was involved, what tools were created, and how they addressed local needs in this global strategy.

Speakers: Itee Satpathy and Nicole Lintott, Global Diversity & Inclusion Programs, Novartis AG; Kay Campbell, Global Health and Productivity, GlaxoSmith Kline; and Cindy Martinangelo and Uxio Malvido, Employee Relations Strategy, Merck & Co.

Global Webconference November 2008

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Why are social networks integral to work-life?
  • Connects employees in a flexible, virtual environment
  • Leverages the strength and connectivity of affinity groups
  • Serves as an additional vehicle for mentoring employees
  • Exposes employees to multiple career opportunities
  • Increases connectivity effectiveness in a global workplace

Speaker: Rob Cross is a professor of management at the University of Virginia and Research Director of The Network Roundtable.

Global Open Forums

January 13, 2009 - Asia- (link to audio presentation - Members only)

October 7, 2008 - Americas- (link to audio presentation - Members only)
September 17, 2008 - Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)  - (link to audio presentation - Members only)

Representatives from the Global Workforce Roundtable member companies convene virtuatlly in these open forums to network with their peer group of a particular region and to share best practices and lessons learned. These calls offer opportunities to raise issues that are important to our member companies to improve work-life integration, increase productivity, and retain top talent. Key topics covered include: addressing country level concerns for a global strategy, creating a culture that supports flexibility, working with senior leaders to demonstrate the effectiveness of FWAs, communications work-life success stories, and highlighting the utilization rates of work-life programs for men and women in the region.

“I learned a ton of great information about the work life efforts within the EMEA region. Let's keep these sessions going!”

“The diversity of different companies participating brought a "true" perspective as to what's happening in this region. Also, we had the "right" mix and level of participants that added to the value of the discussion.”

"Great opportunity to hear different perspectives, share best practices, get to know people that have the same responsibilities as us, and create our network"

"It is very innovative to have a global HR community discussing issues of the same interest; but with different flavor to local requirements. I encourage this roundtable to continue with great success for global sharing."

Global Webconference September 2008

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Two corporate presenters highlighted the strides their organizations have made in the area of women's advancement around the work. Topics included:  
  • Initiatives they have implemented which acknowledge and address gender equity in their organizations
  • Challenges they still face to overcome the issues of impeding women's advancement through the corporate ranks

Speakers: Jolanda Verbeek, Senior D&I Consultant, Royal Dutch Shell and Amy Munichiello, Associate Director, Gender Equity Strategy Team, Ernst & Young

Global Webconference June 2008

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Major Gap Between France and the US/UK - Why?

  • Factors at the macro level (the national context)

    • Employers' lack of legitimacy in the nonwork sphere of life
    • Uncollaborative industrial relations
    • A complex legal framework

  • Factors at the meso level (the company)

    • Weak awareness of work-life practices within HR departments
    • Framing of work-life as a social issue, rather than economic (business case)

Speaker: Dr. Ariane Ollier-Malaterre has 10 years of professional experience as a management consultant with Accenture, a project leader for the registrar's office at Sciences Po Paris, and as an entrepreneur. She holds a Ph.D. in Management and Organizational Behaviour from ESSEC Business School and CNAM University, Paris. She received 'high distinction' for her dissertation entitled Managing employees' lives outside work? Relevance and Effectiveness of Work-Life Organizational Practices in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Besides her projects at the Center on Aging and Work, she pursues a post-doctoral research project with GlaxoSmithKline, studying the relationship between Employee Well-Being, Employee Engagement and Employee Performance, as well as a number of other collaborations with scholars in Europe and the U.S. She uses both qualitative and quantitative methods, with a special interest for international comparisons.

Global Webconference April 2008

(link to audio and web presentation - Members only)

• Selection is a very important step in  assuring success of international  assignment. How can   you identify who is  best fit for success in each environment?
• How can you be effective when working cross-culturally?
• What are some recommendations about how to improve cross-cultural team work?

Speaker: Dr. Gary Weaver is a Professor of International Communication in the School of International Service at American Univerisity (AU).                                         

Global Webconference September 2007

Global Webconference June 2007

• Amplified Individual

• metrics: employees are developing new skills and characteristics because of new technologies. 
  • How can companies harness those skills to increase productivity?
  • How can companies encourage those skills to maintain employee engagement?
• changing work styles: individuals communicate, manage data, and collaborate differently
• environments:  there are a range of new media, tools, and technology for work and home environments

• Diversity redefined—capitalizing on collective strengths

• The greater the diversity in the team (gender, age, ethnicity, background, experience, profession, etc.) the higher the creativity and ability to deal with uncertainties and unprecedented situations
• In order for this greater knowledge to be understood and practiced, individuals must develop a shared language through which everyone can participate (i.e. a language that transcends disciplines)

Speaker: Marina Gorbis, a native of Odessa, Ukraine is particularly suited to see things from a global perspective. She has directed international programs and led international development projects for SRI (formerly Stanford Research Institute) in China, Japan, Vietnam, India, and Eastern Europe. Marina has also authored publications on international business and economics, with an emphasis on regional innovation and competitiveness. Marina leads the Technology and Horizons Program, focusing on the innovation at the intersection of new technologies and social organization. She holds an M.P.P. from the University of California, Berkeley, a certificate in international business from the University of London, and a B.A. in industrial psychology, also from the University of Californa, Berkeley.

Global Teleconference April 2007

• What are the challenges to International Assignments from a work/life perspective
• Expatriate spouses play a critical role in the success or failure of the international assignment
• Companies need to actively help employee and employee’s family to adjust to assignment and prepare for return as well.

Speaker: Dr Margaret Shaffer is a Richard C. Notebaert Distinguished Chair of International Business and Global Studies at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Her research focuses on understanding cross-cultural expediencies, especially in the areas of expatriate adjustment and performance and life balance. Before joining the faculty at UWM, Dr. Shaffer lived and worked in Hong Kong for 11 years. She was a professor of management at Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she was the course director of their Doctor of Business Administration program.

Global Teleconference January 2007

(link to web presentation - Members only)

•  Cultural integration and sensitivity to Islamic and religious values
•  Understanding link between HR, organization development and societal development is crucial
•  How diversity can be seen as advantage for multinational companies
•  Legislation to reduce number of expatriates – what are the consequences?
•  Gender roles and the future

Speaker: Dr Beverly Metcalfe, Graduate Research Director, Hull University Business School, Research Associate, Centre for Diversity and Work Psychology, Manchester Business School

Global Teleconference August 2006

• An introduction to the emerging challenges of stress and employee well-being in China.
• The Chinese context is not adequately captured by Western conceptualizations of cultural values.
• Compared to the West, the job itself is rarely the most important stressor.  Rapid social change contributes more to stress and reduced well-being.
•  In North America, there are large gender differences in terms of stressors, stress and coping mechanisms. Such differences are less pronounced in China, where men and women share many coping mechanisms.   

Speaker: Dr Jia Lin Xie, Professor in Organizational Behavior, Magna Professor of Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Global Teleconference April 2006

 
Teleconference content:

• Growth in working age population on decline –  some exceptions – India!
• Is your company ready? Tools for handling the demographic crisis
• What will the “new” workforce look like?
• Unique company perspective: Does a global strategy make sense?
• Views from AsiaPacific: the Australian example

Speakers:
Tamara Ericksson, President of The Concours Institute, Mc-Kinsey award winning author of the HBR article It's Time to Retire Retirement and co-author of Workforce Crisis, How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talents
Dr. Louise Rolland, Professor and CEO of Business, Work and Ageing at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Dr. Ute Drewniak, Vice President and Diversity Consultant, Deutsche Bank, Germany