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WORK/LIFE BALANCE AT BAXTER

Case Study No. 1

Human Resource Management

Presented to

LTC Rachelle G. Franco, AFP(Res)PD-SML, Ph.D.BM,MBA,LPT,FRIBA

Faculty of Graduate School of Business Management
PHILIPPINE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
MANILA

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirement for the Degree

MBA

MARCH 31, 2023

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I. The Case

Baxter International may not be a household name,

but if you have ever been in a hospital, you have probably

seen their products. The company produces medical products

that are used in IV (intravenous solutions), anesthesia,

dialysis, and many blood disorders along with medical

devices, biotechnology products and specialty

pharmaceuticals. Employees at Baxter are justifiably proud

of the lifesaving products they produce, but also take

pride in the emphasis that Baxter takes in their ability

to balance their careers and family responsibilities.

Work/life balance is part of the culture at

Baxter Managers and employees share responsibility in

managing the daily demands of a career and family and are

provided with a guidebook that encourages discussion and

problem-solving strategies for work/life conflicts. They

recognize that alternate work arrangements can be a way to

meet employees’ needs for balance and flexibility, and

that the employee should examine his/her own personal

characteristics when considering a change in schedule. The

company website includes a guide for determining if

alternative work arrangements would be a good fit for the

employee’s personality and career. Options like part-time

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work, job-hiring, compressed work week and telecommuting

are analyzed. If the employee feels that an alternative

work arrangement is appropriate. Baxter provides an online

proposal kit for the employee to request a more flexible

schedule.

Baxter has acquired several companies from

other countries in recent years and is in the process of

spreading family-friendly benefits such as alternative

work arrangements, dependent care, counseling resources,

adoption assistance, back-up/emergency childcare and

lactation rooms to their non-US subsidiaries.

The commitment to balance seems to permeate

the culture all the way to the top. Harry Jansen Kraemer,

a former CEO, attempted to balance his career and family

by not accepting work-related calls after 6:00 pm. He once

refused to cancel a family camping trip after being

informed that a Baxter product was implicated in several

recent patient deaths. He admonished his staff to “do the

right thing” in his absence.

Is this work/life balance at Baxter

beneficial? That answer depends on how one defines

beneficial. In spite of several major product failures

since 2001, they have grown steadily to 48,000 employees

in 200facilities worldwide. Revenues, profits, and stock

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prices have all shown steady growth. Based on these

performance measures, you could say that the emphasis on

balance has been successful. In addition, by allowing

employees to request alternative and flexible work

arrangements like job-sharing compressed workweeks and

telecommuting. Baxter has been able to attract and retain

top-notch employees who in turn have generated greater

productivity for the company.

II. Questions

1. What role, if any, does work/life balance play in the

success of an organization? Explain.

The role of work/life balance in the success of Baxter

is that they were able to attract, hire and retain top-

notch employees who have generate greater productivity.

2. How does diversity in an organization affect the

organization’s work/life balance? What ethical

considerations exist that may drive the organization to be

more work/life balanced?

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Diversity affects the work/life balance by making it

fairer. With the increase in diversity, most workplaces have

to pay more attention to the needs of their employees.

Therefore, a focus is created on common issues for various

individuals, of which work/life balance is an important part.

Therefore, diversity contributes to a fairer view and

attitudes towards a more balanced work/life mix which can

accommodate the inherent differences between employees.

3. How can organizations develop a culture that supports

work/life balance?

Organizations have multiple ethical considerations that

affect how they view work/life balance, which are directly

linked to diversity. Through increased diversity,

organizations need to make changes so that different

lifestyles, needs and work ethics can function well together.

Therefore, they need to consider and respect the welfare,

motivation and personal needs of diverse employees.

Considerations such as the values and principles of each

diverse group are also important.

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Organizations develop a culture that supports work/life

balance through continuous improvement employee engagement.

Organization should set a clear expectations and goals not

only in the operation but also that supports work/life

balance.

4. What role does human resources play in making sure

work/life practices are effective?

Human Resource plays a crucial role in whether

employees feel empowered to create a healthy work-life

balance. By encouraging your employees to adopt a healthy

work-life balance, organization sets the stage for healthy,

highly engaged employees.

5. Take a look at the Baxter website “Careers” section

(www.baxter.com). What does Baxter do that seems to support

the goal of work/life balance?

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Baxter has successfully adopted a system that promotes

work / life balance of their employees as they believe that a

perfect blend of work and personal life will result to more

efficient and effective outputs from their employees. Baxter

respects the personal time of their employees by providing

them workplace flexibility which lets employees modify their

time and / or location of work, telework , flexitime , or

less than full - time . Employees can adjust start / stop

times of work , and the company allows compressed schedule ,

shift swapping , and summer hours . The company also offers

an educational assistance program wherein Baxter invests in

employee growth and professional development.