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Case Analysis: Dealing with Dual-Career Couples The one of the main characteristics of potential workforce in twenty first century is the dramatically increased number of so called dual career couples, which becomes an influential factor in designing an employment policy by any progressive organization. Dual career couples is a term, applied to the families, where both husband and wife actively pursue a professional careers, which inevitably results in lowering the standards of family time but can also lead to the easier promotions, on the part of both spouses, especially is they share the same professional interests. It is very important for the Human Resources Manager to recognize the fact that the efficiency of organizations personnel can be increased by the mean of adjusting its employment strategy, so that it considers providing a certain privileges to dual career couples, as something that is supposed to have a positive impact on improving organizations performance in the long run. In order to do this, the manager must be aware that the positive effect of hiring dual career couples can be only achieved if he fully understands the fact that along with potential advantages, hiring a career preoccupied couples can also be a challenge for the employer. As such manager I would propose that our employment policy, in regards of dual career couples, is to be designed according to the following guidelines: 1. The availability of split positions and the employment opportunity for dual career couples should be advertised separately.
Both partners will be required to attend an interview. 2. If two professional individuals, who seek an employment with our organization, fit the description of dual career couple they must be given a preference. That is if they agree to the following: a) signing an unconditional employment contract for 2 years minimum; b) agreeing to be paid half time, if their duties require only one person to perform; c) withholding from participation in union activities for 1 year, since the beginning of their employment. 2. Each partner performance is evaluated with a progressive scale.
Their promotion rate depends exclusively on the quality of individual performance and will not affect the promotion rate of others. 3. The full-time benefits should be provided to dual career couples, even if they work half-time, provided that they will be willing to assume the duties of full-time position, if such becomes available. 4. Dual career couple will be provided with a separate office space for working together, if such is required. Nevertheless, the couples comfort requests can only be satisfied if they are reasonable and do not affect the performance of other employees. 5. The employment preference, given to dual career couples will not affect a lay off procedures towards such couple, should circumstances arise. Also, professional couple agrees that the lowering of performance quality, on the part of one partner, will likely have an impact on the salary and promotion rate of the other. 6.
The professional couple is going to be provided with a relocating assistance, after being hired by our organization. Such assistance usually includes paying the cost of moving companys services. The dual career couple can only apply for the relocating assistance if it can prove that it would be impossible for them to handle the cost of moving on their own and can be granted it after signing a contract only. 7. After the minimum of 2 years of successful performance within our organization, the professional couple will be eligible to apply for additional benefits, such as paying for their children to attend kindergarten or for the services of the babysitter. 8. Our organization will encourage the professional couples continuous employments by offering a competitive salary and social benefits packages. Nevertheless, it will never be done at the expense of impacting companys overall well-being.
The heads of the departments must keep in mind that the only reason for our organization to employ the dual career couple program is to increase profits. Should this policy prove to be faulty, it will be eliminated without prior notice to the concerned parties. As the Human Recourses Manager, I would also attach a note to the mentioned above guidelines, so that the heads of different departments in our organization could get a better understanding of how dual career couple policy might benefit us. The following note is meant for internal use only: The dual career couple is nothing else but a result of womens increased emancipation, which began to gain a momentum since the sexual revolution in sixties. So far, it is quite impossible to say whether the employment of career couples can really benefit our organization in any real way, besides giving it the image of an innovative company. Therefore, I suggest that the heads of departments take a very careful approach, when it comes to hiring professional couples.
As practice shows, almost all of them suffer emotionally from being unable to spend as much time with their families as they should. This inevitably leads to the psychological instability of such couples, which, in its turn, negatively affects the quality of their professional performance. We are not a public institution, but organization, which main focus is making a profit. Therefore, the dual couples preference policy can only be employed if: 1) The dual career couple posses a truly extraordinary professionalism and can benefit our organization, even if only one partner becomes fully devoted to his / her professional duties; 2) It is absolutely necessary to maintain organizations innovative image. In order to come up with accurate evaluation of dual career partners performance, their professional efficiency should be appraised without regard to their employment status. I think that the best way to accomplish this would be using a monthly appraisal system equally to all the employees.
The dual career couples, employed by our organization, cannot expect that their employment status will prevent them from being evaluated like everybody else. Nevertheless, our careful approach towards implementing a new social experiment at workplace should not be thought of as retrograde. Only practice will show whether the employment of professional couples can be quite as effective as it is anticipated. Should it prove to be so, the new guidelines for the dual career couples employment policy would have to be designed.
Bibliography: 1. Carter, J. He Works, She Works: Successful Strategies for Working Couples. American Management Association.
New York. 1995. 2. Hopkins, G. Two Careers, One Marriage: Making It Work in the Workplace. Catalyst New York: 1998. 3.
Wilson, Robin When Office mates are Also Roommates The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 17, 1998. July 7, 2005. web
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Research essay sample on Case Analysis Dealing With Dual Career Couples
