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The MIT Workplace Center collects baseline date from these sectors such as demographics and work-family policies and practices. The second prong to their approach is to work collaboratively with the organization at all levels to create alternative structures, work redesign, and other appropriate initiatives. The intended audience is scholars and decision makers who recognize an all encompassing approach to dealing with work-family balance. Although the site is accessible and easily read by the layman. There is a variety of evidence that supports the credibility of this site and its information. Not only does this project consider that policies need to be amended, but it goes so far as to intervene and suggest, in addition to policy changes, that organizational structure may need to change and that work processes be updated. I was quite impressed with the information provided, interviews, impacts on employees, down to the approach of specific work restructure. Ann Bookman, with whom we are familiar from readings in our class, is Executive Director of this program and give it credibility with her positions in the Clinton Administration, publications, and involvement in family and medical leave issues. This organization originates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It gathers information from a number of sources such as post secondary institutions and its own studies. What I find interesting is that the focus in not on the statistics, but on the hands on approach that the organization takes. It doesn't hide behind theory development or ideology, they are part of the organizations that they study. They gather information, advise on implementation, and track results. At last, a website worthy of adding to a favorite list as a valuable resource. It seems apparent to me know that jumping into the workplace and actually experiencing the difficulties in a systematic approach is the best way and if we can create benchmarks for each industry, at least we

Your review seems to capture the essence of the MIT Workplace quite well. I like the fact that this organization seeks out opportunities to show action rather than rest on research and studied information. I am a factual person and can relate to approaches based on demographics and other work-family based statistics that can show a more complete picture. From your review I gather that MIT Workplace Center has a well thought out strategy with appropriate goals that help provide beneficial change to company structures and workplace initiatives.

The Project on Global Working Families (PGWF) is a research unit at Harvard School of Public Health. It was founded by Dr. Jody Heymann & co-directed by Dr. Alison Earle. They have developed a Work, Family, & Equity Index of government performance, around the world, to systematically define & measure the success of public policies on working families relative to that index. Research on demographic changes & policy initiatives is currently being performed throughout 150 countries. The information provided on this site requires a certain level of prior knowledge. The reading itself was fairly simple, but the graphs required more attention to comprehend. This leads me to believe that the site is designed for an audience that is familiar with the intricacies of the issue such as educators, public health students & professionals, & policy makers. The site's credibility relies on the reputation of Harvard University & a successful author & scholar (Jody Heymann is the author of The Widening Gap). The information is the same that we have been studying in this class, but with a global perspective. Statistics, analysis, interviews, case studies, & the public policy index are all available on the website for review. The purpose to understand & change the things that offer work-life balance to support family health gives additional credibility to the site; and since it is not a business trying to sell a service, it makes it slightly more trustworthy. The boundaries between work, family, & community are becoming more & more blurred. These areas of our life are so interconnected that any decision or incident, in one area, impacts all three. This website gives us a glance at the global condition surrounding the topic(s). It was interesting to recognize that the US is not the only country to suffer from the stresses of the work/family imbalance; it also gives a humbling image of the daunting task that confronts us. It is not a simple issue of fighting only for policy changes; it

The mission of The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the percentage of children being raised by "involved, responsible, and committed fathers." It is a well-known fact that children who lack the involvement of responsible, committed fathers are more susceptible to life difficulties. NFI brings together those in need & those who can help & offers a forum for anyone interested (from future parents, to educators, to policy makers) to study & collect reliable information as well as a community of similar interests & concerns. The home page of the website was easy to use & understand. It is accessible to the general public, does not require any knowledge, and it provides valuable information and resources (including mailing lists) for free. Among the many items that speak to this organization's credibility is its executive office. Roland Warren, a Princeton alumnus, husband of a doctor, father of a Harvard alumnus and a UNC alumnus who has recently completed his master's degree. Christopher Brown, the organizations Executive VP trains individuals and organizations on creating father-friendly organizations; he teaches how to develop, market, and evaluate fatherhood programs. He is the author and co-author of NFI curricula and has appeared as a fatherhood expert in media outlets including the L.A. Times, New York Times, Nick Jr. Magazine, and CNN. I was impressed that the site focused more on resources to improve involvement as well as ideas not only on the website, but also in the form of email newsletters that offer suggestions & solutions. Our studies have focused on the business aspect of creating family-friendly work policies and while crucially important, I like that this website recognizes accountability on both sides of the fence. It is important for organizations to recognize that parents need to be there for their children, but parents need to ensure that they are making good use of the time they

I really liked your review and your site. It is so important for companies to realize the importance of a child's need for their father in their lives, but also for parents to understand this importance as well. I think this is a great site for fathers to refer to in scheduling time for their work, self, and family.

Website Overview: This is a company website for an organization that offers consultation to employers who wish to provide a "healthier, flexible, effective, and supportive workplace." The site offers organizations insights into assessing staff and how to improve engagement and motivation. WFC utilizes online and Telework training e-courses to implement best practices and to share information and research related to transforming company cultures. Relationship to work, family, community class: Recognizing the need for change is important for any decision maker in any organization. Acting on that recognition may, perhaps, be just as important. This website sells that action in the form of changes to work practices, leave policy, time-saving assistance, in addition to better management of existing services already offered by the organization. The website briefly describes work-life as the "interaction between employers and employees, because everything that happens at work has an impact on workers' lives." It's not that I don't believe they are a credible resource in turning around a drowning corporate culture, it's that I generally don't believe anyone or thing that can't give me some example to support their cause. The site promotes its cause with scientific and academic research, but cost $29.99. So, I moved on. Next stop, case studies. I clicked on the "Business Case for Work-Life." In one of a handful of actual statistics, WFC cites a SHRM report that "work-life balance and flexibility were winners when recruiting skills, compensation came second." An agreeable statistic no doubt, unfortunately, this is the entire scope of this business case. No particular reference to a success of the company on implementing such a balance in any organization. However, respectable organizations such as Xcel Energy, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and decision makers of a few other companies offer words of appreciation The President of StressStop.com

I agree with you in that paying for this information is probably not our best option. It seems to be a good site with credible information. The company I work for does a lot of in-house training for managers and executives in order to provide better working environments to our employees so I think it would be interesting to read into some of their strategies.

The Council on Contemporary Families is a non-profit organization that provides the most recent research and studies about American families. They cover why families are changing, how these families are changing, and the different challenges they are facing everyday. The audience that can be members of this site seems to be strictly professionals, such as family therapists, doctors, or historians. However most of the articles are available to the public to view. The site states that there are forums that are open to the public, and also a weekly newsletter for the public. The site seems to be very credible. I am not familiar with this site or it's creators, but the .org lets me rest easier about its credibility. The directors are also professionals with degrees from prestigious schools such as University of Illinois and Berkeley. Because the members are strictly professionals, the articles are written and critiqued by these professionals that know their subjects, rather than the public hashing out their feeling about topics without knowing the facts. There does not seem to be any item or product that this group is advertising besides their work. There is an option to donate to the organization for the funding for their conferences. The site does not seem to have any certain bias. From this site I learned that professionals will sometimes use words and phrases that the public does not understand which makes sites like these somewhat trying to read. However, these professionals are full of knowledge of these subjects and are giving us facts learned from hours of study, work, and research, and we must respect that. It is sometimes easier to understand different ideas and points of view then they are coming from a professional, rather than an upset parent because you aren't feeling that bias.

Hi Brooke, very interesting read. I was particularly interested in Coontz' article on "Benefits of marriage elude needy." I was disappointed at her recommendation that lower income individuals should consider marrying more on the grounds of economic cooperation rather than on finding a "soul mate." It seems to be putting the cart before the horse. I cant remember which reading it came from this semester, but, I believe that finding an individual that can help someone make their best decisions resulting in situations such as financial stability is, in fact, part of what defines a soul mate.

Corporate voices for working families a business membership that is dedicated to helping public and corporate organizations discusss working family issue. It is clearly lead by private and publicly traded companies. I believe that the intended audience for this site is both corporate managers and working families that have hourly and non exempt worker. The corporate voices for working families work on 5 key issues and they are workforce readiness, workplace flexibility, family economic stability, work and family issues and legislative issues. Overall I think the website offered some great information as to how managers can implement more family friendly policies. I also thought the website is non partisan because it has section dedicated to Congress men and women that have helped to advance the work/family issue. In reading some of the information the site provide one of the things that I really enjoyed reading was the idea of helping make hourly employees just as successful as non hourly employees. One of the things comapnies forget that their hourly employees are just as important as non hourly employees. The website does provide documentation as to who are the corporate partners are and in my opinion does not have a hidden agenda. It seems to care about issues that working families face and how to improve work/life issues for hourly employees. There are several issues that I learned about in reading the website. First is that companies need to be concerned about work family issues not just for managers and exempt employees but also hourly workers. Many companies only look at work life from an exempt employee point of view and not hourly workers that are just as critical. I also learned about lactation programs for working mothers. I also learned about work place development. That at a time when there is so many having economic hardship that now is not the time to eliminate work for development programs. One of the best things that I learned in readin

Ernest - I really like this site. What impressed me is the annual report that is on the site which lists 64 corporate sponsors and included the full board member list and their corporate affiliation. The site is going on my favorites list. I especially like the area they call workforce readiness where they offer information about our education system and the changes needed to get our young person's ready to join the workforce. The brochures are a nice touch that highlights the corporate sponsors that helped to evaluate or study the area covered in each handout. This really showcases the corporate involvement in the community.

Chrysula's website is a blog where she writes about work life balance strategies. She also has a section to where you can contact her for coaching and advisement. Many of her posts focus on ways to lead an integrated life to include raising a family, working, and living by your values. She seems to usually write from either personal experience or the experiences of acquaintances. She also includes categories from work life balance to mothering, fathering, and reforming and has links for work life reformers such as Sloan Foundation Work and Family and Alliance for Work Life Progress. Chrysula's experience and qualifications include a Masters degree focusing on work life issues and training and development. She blogs regularly with MomsRising.org and the Huffington Post and she will also have work published in two books this year: Dare to Dream and The 12 Powers of Motherhood. She is the Social Media Marketing Director for Foundation/Mashable Digital Media Lounge for UN Week on Changing the World One Mother at a Time. Chrysula's information was both subjective and objective. She listed links in her blog posts to different research that was done on the topic she was discussing to back up her opinion or information. She also provided links to changes in government policy that dealt with work life balance. Her blogs and information were all current as well and the website was easy to navigate. It was also well maintained and every link to outside sites worked. Chrysula's attended audience seemed to be geared toward working mothers and women in general although she has a whole category on fathering and much of her advice can used by both men and women searching for balance in their lives. One thing that Chrysula mentions in many of her blog posts is the importance of actually talking to your boss about you work/life balance issues. You can complain all you want, but if you never ask for flexibility then you are never going to get it. I think that

The Center for Work and Family originated in 1990 with a purpose of guiding employers in balancing personal/professional with success in the work place. There "vision is that companies and communities will work together to ensure their mutual prosperity and the well being of employees and their families." The website discusses informative news and studies conducted. Also they provide membership information. The site reveals the faculty involved and corporate partners sharing a common interest. The intended audience is big business organizations to become members. The website gives contact and membership information as well as a survey to help a business with work/life culture. Boston College is in the top 35 business schools where the CWF was founded. The credibility of information on this educational website is very high. The individuals involved including professors, deans, marketing, human resource directors are the legitimate "brains behind the operation". This organization is filled with hundreds of members affiliated with the college and member who are not. The website also provides a survey including specific elements to helping an organization with work/life success. Since the college offers this organization, you can argue that this site is an advertisement. The CWF has a social agenda regarding the bridge of academics, efficiency, and professionalism. This website was very interesting regarding the time and effort into helping big named companies work more efficiently with employees. The fact that Boston College backs this organization helps the success rate.

I liked your review Nikki. I have much admiration for Center for Work tryin to join together companies and communities. Often times businesses may be located in a community and not connected sharing the mutual prosperity that you speak of in your review. From you review I like the fact that Center for Work and Family discuss informative information that lets the viewer know a little more about the company and then update them with current studies that have been conducted and other additional news. This website relates to my own life and the company I work for. Caterpillar may be one of the top companies in the world, but still is involved in the Peoria area community and keeps the area up-to-date with current events and business operations that could have somekind of impact on our community.

I think having the backing of Boston College does them well. Given the institutional support of knowledge and research to feed into your organization how can you go wrong. I think a website that offers the convience of such life balancing solutions is way of the future giving immediate response to issues that your employees or organization may require.

This EAP (Employee Assistance Program) is provided by Partners HealthCare which is a non-profit integrated healthcare delivery system in Eastern Massachusetts. They serve the employees of Partners HealthCare and some other healthcare providers in Eastern MA. They provide support for any work/life issue such as: Balancing work and family, childcare, eldercare resources, and family and marital concerns. Partners EAP is made up of volunteers who provide free services to include: short-term counseling, workplace based consultation, and information and referral programs for employees and their household members. All of the counselors are licensed professionals and the Partners Healthcare EAP was awarded accreditation by the Council of Accreditation, a hallmark of excellence for EAP providers that has been earned by less than 5% of EAPs internationally and the 2009 EAP Digest/Employee Assistance Professional Association Quality Award. In 2007 They were awarded the Corporate Award for EAP Excellence by the Employee Assistance Society of North America. All of the counselors and licenses held is also listed. The website for Partners EAP listed several resources for their employees. Some of the resources listed were for elder care, child care, and healthy living. Each resource had a link to the respective service website with address and phone numbers. Some of the resources contact information hadn't been updated for a few years but all the links that I tried worked. There is also a schedule for events that Partners EAP is hosting to include seminars on eldercare, nutrition, and childcare. Overall the website provided good information to their employees. I liked how the site guided you through steps on how to assess your situation and then provided a link to different providers that could help you. What I learned from this site is that resources are out there you just have to look for them. Partners EAP services are ALL free for their employees. They are also a

Hi Heather, Excellent resource. I've only used EAP once before and it was valuable. I know that most organizations offer EAP as part of their benefits package, but find that like FMLA it is not used very often by employees. Unlike FMLA, however, there isnt any downside to using the support, it doesnt really require much time and the service is free. I wonder what the correlation is between its use versus other options that employees have difficulty using due to limitations such as not receiving pay during FMLA?

I agree, this is a very handy site. Tons of information, well formatted, and a wide variety of issues. I have worked for the company I with currently with for a total of about 4 years and only recently utilized the program they offer that is similar to this one. Once I finally took the time to poke around and see what they offered, I was amazed at some of the information I found. It really opened my eyes and helped me realize that I should be appreciating and taking advantage of these benefits more.Although indirectly related, I really liked the "Financial Resources" section and found some good tips and information. Good review!

Twiga, which is Swahili for giraffe, is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 "promoting family consciousness in the home, workplace, and community." The website discusses involvement and support for work and family related projects around the nation. Also its success is measured by the partnerships from different organizations. The site offers many links to other websites dealing with similar ideas like Twiga. They also offer consulting services in health and wellness, workplace flexibility, and other helpful tips. The intended audience for this website includes families, employers, employees, and any individual who wants to learn a healthy life balance. The website offers proof of their dedication with projects and articles written. Twiga makes sure you can contact them for consulting services regarding anything from family to work and overall health. Twiga's website seems to be informing as well as educating it's intended audience. The URL (.org) also indicates the legitimacy of the organization. The website gives the audience all the contact information needed to reach the staff. Twiga is an authentic organization with a legitimate website. The website is an advertisement for their company improvement services but it's informative to say the least. The founder and President/CEO, Patricia Kempthorne, has a degree in business management and has a lot of experience in her field as well as her staff. This website was very well organized and easy to follow. It's amazing the time and effort people put into an organization that helps the balance of work and family. I think this is a great company to be involved in regarding not-for-profit companies.

I am impressed with the drive that Patricia Kempthorne and fellow founders had to start up such an organization that has thrived. The overall appeal catches the viewer's eye and the organizational structure of the website is user friendly and logically organized. This website seems similar to the AWLP website I reviewed in the fact that both organizations in nature are created around the premise of helping those in the workforce to handle issues that conflict between family and work. I appreciate the links to consulting services that the organization lists that help provide a good opportunity for those looking to gain help with their issues. Go Twiga!

The name caught my attention, but the site kept it. I was really impressed with this site and think that the giraffe metaphor fits their purpose nicely. Although, they have a small staff, they seem to be very involved. I particularly like that their focus is on trying to mesh everything together to make it work rather than taking the approach of changing one thing and assuming that will solve the issues. I noticed on a couple of the site reviewed that there is big spotlight on health and nutrition. I find that interesting and this site was no exception. The "Health and Wellness" section had a lot of really good information/reminders. So often, this aspect of life is overlooked, but balancing your health is an important component to help balance the rest of work and life.

The National Organization for Women better known as NOW was organized in 1966 and supports women in general across many different fronts including reproductive rights, economics, sexual discrimination, lesbian rights, diversity and ending violence against women. The website is geared towards those who believe direct action is the best course on many different issues concerning women's rights although it is not specifically geared toward families. Everything shown on the site would indicate that it is intended for the general public with direct action available at almost every click. It would appear to have a certain political appeal at first glance but further inspection reveals that it is true to character and every item is truly a women's issue and by extension a family issue. The credibility of this particular web site is unquestionably solid and in fact is renowned for its parent organization's ability to achieve progress on women's issues. There are of course detractors of the type of equality that this site promotes but even the detractors don't question the site or parent organization's credibility though they might question their politics. It is well know that this group has been at the forefront of legislation to protect the rights of women and has a long string of impressive victories to its credit including EEOC, ERA, Row V Wade, women's studies courses, Title IX, FMLA, VAWA and a whole slew of more minor but equally important successes in both passing legislation and protecting that legislation when it invariably came under attack. Predominantly what I learned from this site was that change comes slowly but inexorably and sometimes we even slip backwards and have to regain lost ground. In particular check out the history of NOW under the "about" tab and read through their remarkable history, it's truly overwhelming for anyone who believes in activism. But it should also fill one with a spirit of hope and a recognition that with persev

NOW is a great organization that supports many rights that we sometimes take for granted. Any organization that supports an individuals human right as opposed to the religious or political views of a group is needed. The right of each person to choose their own lifestyle, which includes sexuality, religion, and reproduction, needs to be protected and cherished by every human. The credibility of the site is well documented and I am encouraged when a group like this is posted. Nice Choice!

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University researches military families for military families. Founded in 2000 by the Office of military Community and the Family Policy in the Dept of Defense. In 2007 MFRI received funding from a Lilliy Endowment grant, the organizations has grown to include the "development and delivery of outreach activities for the military" they also work with civilian organizations that support military families. The MFRI is guided by the belief that researchers and practitioners should work in together to improve outcomes. The web site is primarily directed towards military leadership and civilian professionals who work with military personnel and of course to the military personnel themselves. There are resources available on the site but the raw research data is not presented. A great deal of resource is spent on how families cope with extended and or repeated deployments that separate families for extended time periods. Credibility is aided by the easily recognizable and highly respected partners and grant providers such as the Lilly Endowment, the Dept. of Defense, Zero To Three and the Sesame Workshop. There seems to be no built in bias other than that of being military centric which is plainly stated and there are no advertisements found on the site other than those that support their mission statement. I learned that whatever problems civilians have with work-family, military personnel have those same issues and added to that they must find ways to cope with being away from their children for extended time periods. Worse yet is the idea that being a single parent is not an justification for not being deployed so in the worst case you may have your children looked after by strangers for up to six months at a time, at which time you may have only two weeks leave to spend with your children before being shipped out again. One can only imagine the types of recurrent support that would be required over a career.

Terry - It is definately a priority in my family to support the military and their families. I really enjoyed your review and this site. This site provides a huge number of resources for military service persons and their family and that is the focus of the site. There is a tiny fund raising spot, way down at the bottom of the main page, where you can donate funds. This says alot about the site, they are interested in helping those in need and provide lots of resource links. Supported by Purdue University gives it a lot of presence and hopefully funding for the programs.

I think that's a great asset for many military families as they struggle with the challenge of deployments. It's difficult enough to pay bills and raise a family but with one spouse having to serve remotely for an extended period of time they take on many more issues than the average family. I hope that our government continues to support families with this need to ensure those that do deploy are comfortable that their family is being assisted.

The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) is a website devoted to providing childcare information to parents for the development of their children and information to those in the childcare field. NCCIC provides information for childcare companies and parents that are the target audience for NCCIC material. The information that I reviewed from the website was very relevant to childcare and offered information that I found to be very useful. The NCCIC provided a searchable library that can help a user find articles and information on work and family issues. It also provided information for professional development in the child care field. I found the NCCIC site to be very credible because it is sponsored only by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One of the more interesting observations about the website is the information for the licensing for child care providers. The website did not have any advertisement and sponsors and is fully owned by the U S Health department. This leads me to believe that the site does not have a bias and is strictly there to provide information. There we not any links to take users to websites to join to further a political agenda. This in my opinion is always a great sign. The only issue that I have with the site is that it is too much information. This can be overwhelming to typical users and such. The library to pull research and articles is a bit difficult to use. However if I was interested in child care and wanted to develop a further understanding of finding out about the procedure to become a licensed child care facility, this would be a place I would recommend.

I agree there is a lot of information on this site. It is designed primarily for educators and they really like their information all in one place. Wow, there is a lot of links and references, so many that for the average reader, it is overwhelming. But Wow, there is some great information on this site, like early learning guidelines and school readiness information. I can see how this would be a very useful place to get regulations and information for any child development education setting. As a parent, I could use this site to make sure they are meeting the expectations of the minimum governmental standards. This would have been nice 15 years ago and I am glad to see it now for all the future parents.

This is truly a great website. I have saved to my favorite and know that I will be referencing this many times throughout my life, both as a parent (one day) and (hopefully) as a childcare center owner. I am actually surprised that I have not already come across this site throughout my searching, but am definitely glad to know about it now. I agree with all of your critiques about the site. I do think that the target audience is aimed mainly at educators and providers, but is a great resource for anyone interested in the abundant topics they address. It is well organized and easy to use, so finding a specific topic shouldn't be a problem.