As chancellor, I am proud that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga elected to answer Mayor Andy Berke's request to join the Family Friendly Workplace Challenge. As an educational institution, we understand the importance and value of family relationships. UTC has a long history of family-friendly employment practices and benefits. From generous sick and annual leave policies to educational benefits to health care initiatives, our entire benefits package supports employees as they work to be successful in their careers and to provide for their families. We support the total person, not just the employee at his or her workstation.
Employees who are happy in their personal lives are going to be more productive and satisfied in their professional lives. How can we expect an employee who is struggling with caring for an elderly parent or worrying about the health of a child to be focused on work?
By offering the policies and benefits that allow our faculty and staff to strike the best possible balance in their personal and professional lives, we can reduce stress on employees and help them focus on what is most important to them. In turn, they feel a greater commitment and loyalty to the campus, allowing them to best serve our students and community.
I also believe that a family-friendly workplace promotes the diversity of ideas and experiences that we value on our campus and in our community. Certainly, an employee who has to juggle getting an aging parent to a doctor's appointment with chauffeuring a child to a ballgame has a different perspective on life than a single, new-to-the-workforce college graduate. Both perspectives are important. We are stronger when we support diversity, and that includes workers with families.
Work is always going to be there, but there are moments with our families that can't be recaptured. A birthday party. Scoring the winning goal. A first dance recital. I try my best not to miss these milestones with my family, and I want every UTC employee to have the opportunity to be there for theirs.
Steve Angle is chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.