Work and family. Competing demands affecting worker well being

1. As employed women juggle the responsibilities of employment and family caregiving, many experience stress and fatigue from the competing demands on their time and energy. 2. Evidence suggests that perceptions are changing about the institutional relationships between families, government, and the economy, and the value society places on caregiving activities. 3. The pending Family and Medical Leave Act represents one of the broadest social remedies proposed to address the problems of the work-family interface. But, in the absence of federal and state policies, employers can fill the void with private policies and programs that meet employees' needs. 4. A variety of options exist to create a more "family friendly" work environment. Occupational health nurses can play an important role in supporting and implementing family friendly initiatives at the workplace.