Work/Life at Baxter

Work/Life

Programs and Resources

Alternate Work Arrangement Proposal Kit

Work/Life in the Workplace Guidebook

The commitment to managing work and life runs deep at Baxter. From our senior leaders to production specialists on the manufacturing floor, work and life represents the mix of what we do for a living and how we live our lives.

 

Baxter is committed to fostering an environment that helps employees manage their work and personal needs. More than 15 years ago Baxter dedicated resources to develop and lead work/life at the company. Since then, Baxter has been widely recognized for its efforts in this area.

 

Baxter believes that managers and employees share responsibility in achieving and managing a healthy blend of work and personal life. Baxter provides managers and employees a guidebook for understanding work/life issues, and recognizes and encourages open discussion about work/life conflicts when they occur.

 

More than 10 years ago Baxter dedicated resources to develop and lead work/life at the company.  Since then, the company has been widely recognized for its efforts in this area.

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Work/life is a critical aspect of overall employee engagement throughout Baxter. Due to local circumstances and business needs, Baxter's programs and resources vary throughout the world, but reflect the company's philosophy of creating a healthy blend among work, personal and family life.

 

While Baxter's U.S. operations have been able to offer more work/life resources than other locations, its global operations continue to work with external organizations as appropriate to help progress and facilitate work/life programs for non-U.S. operations. Many of the work/life programs and resources listed below are available globally, while all are available in the U.S.:

 

• Adoption assistance and reimbursement;
• Alternative work arrangements, including part-time, compressed week, job sharing, telecommuting and flexible time;
• Back-up/emergency child and elder care;
• Dependent care reimbursement account;
• Educational assistance;
• Employee assistance and counseling program;
• Enhanced elder care management services;
• Lactation rooms;
• Resource and community referrals for family, financial and work issues; and
• Various national childcare support options.

 

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Baxter recognizes that alternate work arrangements are a way to meet employees' needs for balance and flexibility while continuing to meet the company's business goals. The company's Alternate Work Arrangement Proposal Kit assists employees and managers around the world in reviewing the steps required for proposing and reviewing requests for flexibility within the scope of an existing position.

 

Alternate work arrangement options include, but are not limited to:

• Part-Time - the employee generally works less than 40 hours per week and receives a prorated salary.
• Compressed Work Week - this schedule consists of a standard work period compressed into fewer than five or 10 days. A common schedule is four 10-hour days with the fifth day off.
• Job Share - two employees each work a reduced work schedule and together perform one job.
• Telecommuting - the employee works some or all of the time from home or a satellite office.
• Flex Time - the beginning and end of the work days vary, generally within a two-hour range, while a required number of work hours is allocated to each day.

 

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Baxter's "Work/Life in the Workplace" Guidebook is a global resource that encourages dialogue and equal involvement by employees and managers in achieving a healthy blend between work and personal needs. It describes some of the root causes of work/life conflicts and offers suggestions for collaborative solutions, working on the premise that work/life is a shared responsibility between employees and managers.

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