NIOSH Total Worker Health Program Explores Employer Support for Work and Family Balance

Contact: Nura Sadeghpour, (202) 245-0673

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Total Worker Health™ (TWH™) Program this week published an article emphasizing the link between employer support for work and family balance and the reduction of safety health risks, recognizing employees’ need for quality and flexible childcare, particularly during the summer months. The article is published within TWH™ in Action!, an electronic newsletter dedicated to bringing the latest news from the TWH™ Program and partners.

Recent surveys have found that decreased work-family stress is related to reduced injury risk, and increased safety compliance and safety participation among workers. The article, contributed by the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (ORHWC), a NIOSH Center of Excellence, describes several tips employers can employ to help their teams achieve better work-family balance including training managers and supervisors, increased employee control of work hours, and support of flexible schedules. It can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/TWH/newsletter/TWHnewsV1N2.html

"The protection and improvement of the well-being of all people who work are goals shared by workers, their families, and employers," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "There is increasing evidence that the work environment and the overall well-being of the workers within it are strongly connected, and many employers are offering family-friendly benefits and programs for their employees.”

The Total Worker Health Program is a strategy integrating health protection with health promotion to prevent worker injury and illness and to enhance well-being. Diminished health and injury, whether caused by work or resulting from non-work activities, reduces quality of life, opportunity, and income for workers and those dependent upon them. Conversely, workplaces with low risk of injury and enhanced opportunities for the total health of workers can lead to a vibrant, engaged and highly performing workforce. For more information on TWH™: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/TWH/totalhealth.html