Linking the worlds of work and family: Beyond the productivity trap

Corporate America began to explore employees' child‐care responsibilities approximately fifteen years ago, yet today less than 1 % of US companies offer some form of childcare assistance. One of the primary reasons cited for companies' general reluctance to embrace family‐oriented benefits for employees is the lack of data demonstrating that these initiatives result in productivity gains. This article examines the work‐family and productivity research undertaken to date and suggests that to understand how corporate family‐responsive initiatives affect the work place it is necessary (a) to expand the inquiry from a narrow focus on corporate productivity or efficiency gains to a broader assessment of organizational effectiveness and (b) to frame the question within a corporate or organizational culture context.