ISF, a management consulting and information technology firm, has its roots in the belief of a proper work-life balance and making it beneficial for both its clients and employees.
“ISF fosters a culture of stability with flexibility when it comes to our employees,” says ISF CEO, Cyndy Loomis. “We have found that in order to maintain commitment, improve productivity, and retain our talent, we must accommodate employees based on their personal and family needs while still respecting ISF’s commitments to our clients.”
In many companies, personal and family lives often seem forgotten leading to distress in the workplace. ISF understands that it is up to the company to implement strategies to help increase employee well-being. When an employee communicates his or her needs, ISF works with the employee and comes up with a solution that works best with their schedule and within client contracts, whether it is to pick up children from school, tend to family and personal matters, or cope with an illness or death in the family.
Many ISF employees have benefited from this policy. Tanishia Shingles, ISF’s recruiter, works fulltime, which at times can be challenging with three young children. ISF and Tanishia worked out an agreement where she can leave early once a week to accommodate her children’s school schedule. For her, it is one less thing to worry about. “It’s a big load off my shoulders,” says Tanishia. “I can leave to take care of my children feeling secure that it’s not upsetting the office.”
Other ISF employees say they feel more valued by ISF’s effort to understand their personal situation. Mark Loy, an ISF web applications programmer, agrees and is less stressed knowing that he can better accommodate his child with autism. “I’m very thankful for ISF. There aren’t many companies that acknowledge your priorities outside of work, let alone taking that extra step to make sure you have the time to take care of your family,” says Mark.
Parent-teacher meetings, shuffling children to sports and school activities, vacations, and even personal days are a part of ISF’s understanding of the work-life balance. Maternity leave, illness, and family deaths and emergencies are also handled with great responsiveness and compassion. ISF works with the impacted employee to schedule needed time off. In serious situations, employees are often encouraged to take the time they need and others are assigned their daily tasks.
“ISF seeks to establish backup staff in all our accounts so that if someone needs extended time off, we are able to accommodate their personal life challenges with little impact to the customer. This is a balancing act that requires thoughtful preparation and a diversion of bottom line funding.” says Cyndy Loomis.
But it isn’t all business for Cyndy Loomis, who has had her own personal experience with ISF’s family and work-life policies. She explains, “Nineteen years ago when my child was born prematurely, ISF accommodated this traumatic event and is one reason I remain at ISF. This philosophy of balancing family and work is one that I carry forward to ISF today.”
At ISF, it seems that sometimes the compromise of a temporary absence is worth it if it means keeping a valuable employee.
About ISF: ISF has offices in Tallahassee, Bradenton, and headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida with a new location in Austin, Texas. ISF is a management consulting and information technology firm that has helped businesses and government operate better, smarter, and more efficiently for over 35 years. For more information, visit www.isf.com or www.facebook.com/isfincpage.