Examines quality of life issues for families and the policies and options available to employers to create a family- and worker-friendly organization. Discusses ways in which employers have improved productivity by providing dependent care and flexible working conditions. (Contains 28 references.) (JOW)

A survey of 55 land-grant institutions gathered information on policies and practices concerning preemployment testing, particularly for positions in the clerical, secretarial, accounting, and similar areas. Results suggest these institutions lag behind the private sector in selecting employees. Continuing revision and updating of testing is…

A survey of 44 institutions of higher education with full-time faculty and staff between 800 and 5,500 were surveyed for information about personnel office staffing patterns, workload, benefits program participation, record-keeping, coverage by union contracts, and provision of personnel services. Results are summarized, and institutions are…

Reported are the results of a survey of the economic status of members of the American Chemical Society. Included are employment, salaries, satisfaction, and the status of women in chemical occupations. (CW)

Budget pressures, tightening labor markets, and increasing public interest should prompt colleges and universities to review their wage and salary programs. Many administrators have never been exposed to practices other than those common to higher education, and trustees with corporate experience may provide some insight. (Author/MSE)

A recent Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit concerning sex discrimination in corporate promotion decisions had circumstances similar to those in academic discrimination litigation, and may make it easier for college faculty to bring discrimination cases against colleges and universities. (MSE)

Cites court rulings that the plaintiff must identify the causal relationship between a statistical imbalance and specific employment practices. Indicates that university promotion, tenure, and salary decisions will be upheld if the judgments are based on a merit system with the criteria of teaching, research, and service. (MLF)

Considers racial impact of using ability tests for employment decisions. Notes agreement that large differences exist in performance on general ability among races and that there is probable relation between general ability and job performance for most jobs; disagreement about whether racial differences in general ability are fixed and about size…

Sound management of human resources requires policies and procedures that are developed carefully and applied consistently. Monitoring personnel decisions and developing databases that document their outcomes will help ensure that such decisions are not only made fairly but are perceived so by faculty. (Author/MSE)

The author describes Japan's phased retirement system, consisting of the "step down" from a management or supervisory position (commonly in the mid-50s) and the mandatory transfer to a subsidiary company later. The system allows companies to promote younger workers. However, in a depressed industry, the system generally results in…

Reports on a study of the use of employment application blanks as prescreening devices in public school employee selection. Findings suggest two major areas for further research. The first relates to legal compliance with Equal Opportunity Employment guidelines. The second concerns information relevancy to personnel selection. (JAM)

Utilized theoretical framework of intergenerational relations to examine parent care performed by 958 employees in Portland, Oregon. Analyses identify contribution of workplace factors to intergenerational functional solidarity, and associations between functional solidarity and interactions between workplace factors and employee's gender.…

College and university personnel managers are urged to pay more attention to employees who operate behind the scenes by: finding a champion among them; linking work with institutional mission; hiring the best; encouraging customer service; soliciting ideas; fostering trust; enlarging responsibility; not upstaging; providing the best equipment; and…

A generation after women regularly began combining motherhood with careers, female academics find that balancing the demands of the tenure system and the timing of motherhood is difficult. Some are delaying childbearing, some are asking for delay of tenure decisions, and others are job-sharing to accommodate family and career. (MSE)

The purpose of this research is to determine what family-oriented benefits and policies are being offered by businesses in one state, and the conditions under which those benefits are offered. Generally, companies offered few benefits, but the number of benefits offered was found to be related significantly to company size and the percentage of…