When Sheilagh Saenz learned she was pregnant and needed help understanding the guidelines on maternity leave, she turned to the U-M Work/Life Resource Center for assistance.
“I was anxious about becoming both a mother and a professional. I was faced with a dilemma of quitting a job that I loved because I wasn’t sure if it would provide the flexibility I needed while I began my family,” says Saenz, a career services coordinator at the School of Public Health.
U-M Work/Life Resource Center, a unit of Human Resources, provides assistance to faculty members and staff in balancing their work commitments with personal and family needs. It also helps them make informed decisions regarding eldercare, childcare, flexible scheduling, leaves of absence, as well as effectively integrating a career and personal needs.
Every year Work/Life serves approximately 2000 faculty members, staff and their families through various programs.
“Concerns often revolve around care of family members, either children or aging adults,” says Work/Life Program Manager Valerie Palazzolo. “Other concerns surround planning for life events, such as retirement or the birth or adoption of a child.”
This assistance proved exceptionally helpful for Saenz.
“As a young female professional starting a family, the Work/Life Resource Center has been there every step of the way,” Saenz says.
Work/Life has extensive resources available to assist faculty and staff with childcare. The Towsley Children’s House, which opened earlier this year, along with the Children’s Center serve 250 children and their families. Work/Life has child care referral specialists as well as an online referral system available to assist faculty and staff with selecting a program that accommodates a specific family’s needs.
The department offers consultation about coordinating care for elderly family members, even if they do not live locally. Specialists in Work/Life refer faculty and staff to assisted living options, Medicare and Medicaid assistance programs, as well as medical information and resources.
Work/Life also can help inform clients about options regarding flexible work schedules and help coordinating leaves of absence.
“Most recently, the Work/Life Resource Center provided assistance in helping me successfully craft a summer reduction in hours proposal,” Saenz says. “This proposal allowed me to reduce my hours in the office and spend more time with my kids during the quieter summer months.”
Work/Life also promotes education through programs such as informal brown bag lunch presentations, available free of charge at the request of any faculty or staff unit. The annual Work/Life conference Connecting the Dots is another initiative to educate faculty and staff about techniques to successfully manage the workplace and home.
