From this month's T&D Extra, the journal of the American Society for Training & Development:

Work-life balance

To help balance the work-life see-saw, T&Doffers these tips for reducing unscheduled absenteeism:

* Examine your sick leave policy. Paid-leave banks let employees store up sick days for personal responsibilities.

* Train managers to be sensitive to lifestyle issues and signs of stress.

* Give employees the tools they need to deal with personal issues, such as employee assistance programs and seminars on finances, career management, and family relationships.

* Look at work flows and culture to increase flexibility. Flextime, compressed work weeks, job sharing, and telecommuting can be effective in helping employees balance demands and be more productive.

* Get families involved in the workplace. Include them in information sessions, invite them to dinner in the company cafeteria when employees must work late, and send spouses with employees on long business trips.

For more detail, go to http://www.astd.org/virtual_community/td_magazineand click on "The Latest"