Why We Do It

"Circle of Business"
Invest In Your Future

Companies face challenges unheard of a generation ago, so do families.  Workplace productivity, recruitment, retention and employee commitment are influenced by how employees manage their work and their personal lives.  Combine these factors with the well-acknowledged, universally accepted corporate challenge – the war for talent - and work life issues move to the center of business strategy, affecting the design of work, as well as the bottom line.

Action for Children has worked with the corporate community to help plan work/life balance benefits and provide child-care resource and referral.  In light of current economic trends and changing workforce demographics, and the concern we have seen expressed by many businesses about helping their employees balance work and family, Action for Children launched – “Circle of Business”, a forum to explore issues about balancing work and family.

“Work/family is...a business issue, it’s a bottom-line concern,” according to Bernie Milano, partner in charge of diversity and work/life at KPMG, co-sponsor of 1997 National Study of Changing Workforce.   Through the Circle of Business, you can influence your bottom line as well as help position Columbus as the national leader in work/life balance.

Why Now?

-Families have changed.  In most two-parent families both parents are in the workforce.  More than 10 million workers are single parents.  Over the next ten years, it is projected that 85 percent of the workforce will be working parents
-Attracting new employees is always very competitive.
-Companies have to function in a 24-hour global economy as more and more jobs require non-traditional work schedules. 
-57 percent of the class of 1999 graduating business students in 11 countries said that attaining work/life balance is their top career goal.  (Pricewaterhouse Coopers Survey, 2000)

Companies Report These Bottom-Line Benefits

-Boost employee recruitment
-Reduce employee turnover
-Lower absenteeism
-Increase productivity
-Strengthen your business image
-Strengthen employee commitment

We invite you to become a member of the  “Circle of Business”
Annual Membership Fee $1,000