Dominion's work/life programs have been designed to help employees manage the often competing demands and responsibilities of work and personal life. We want our people to live and work up to their full potential, find professional fulfillment and also maintain balance in their life away from work.

Dominion’s Value Package offers employees and potential employees a wide range of competitive benefits, including comprehensive health care and retirement plans.

We recently compared our retirement benefits to a peer group of 14 companies in the energy sector. We learned that our combined retirement plans (medical/life insurance, savings and pension) ranked us second within the peer group in terms of overall value. To better reflect the interests of today's competitive work force, we introduced new retirement plans for employees hired after January 1, 2008. The plans for existing employees will not change.

In a recent survey that measured employee engagement, 77 percent of the respondents said they would "gladly refer a good friend or family member to Dominion for employment." Seventy-four percent said they were "proud to work for Dominion." Among the most-often cited reasons is Dominion's policy of encouraging flexible work schedules whenever possible.

We view workplace flexibility as one way of showing employees we recognize the many duties they have to juggle as part of daily life. Experience has shown this to be an effective and efficient workplace practice.

Flexible work schedules are pre-approved work arrangements designed to meet both the company’s and the employee’s specific needs. They are typically based on a union contract, business needs or manager discretion.

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Many Dominion employees work flexible schedules that allow for more family time and the pursuit of outside interests.

Bob Tillack, a nuclear engineer with the company’s Nuclear Fuels and Analysis Group, devotes his free time to finding homes for dogs he rescues from shelters.

Dominion also has enlisted a specialized benefits management company to help our employees negotiate work and personal obligations.

This is a company-paid employee benefit that offers research, education and personalized referral services. The firm acts as an information clearinghouse for family support services. Our employees have found it to be a convenient and useful tool for saving time and reducing their stress level.

They have the option of contacting the service provider by phone or visiting the Web for assistance with any of the following issues:

• Pregnancy & Adoption
• Child Care & Parenting
• Adult Care & Aging
• Military deployment
• Health & Wellness (diet/nutrition, fitness programs, health concerns, etc.)
• Education (preschools, elementary/secondary schools, special education, colleges, financial aid, etc.)
• Financial/Legal (credit/debt, insurance, retirement/estate planning, wills, etc.)
• Daily Life (automotive services, home improvement, moving, pet care, special events, travel, etc.)
  

When employees need more than just a helping hand, they and their families can turn to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

EAP provides free, round-the-clock, confidential counseling services to assist with issues such as:

• Alcohol and substance abuse
• Family dynamics
• Stress management
• Parenting
• Life adjustments
• Relationships
• Financial planning

EAP also provides referrals to community resources offering additional support, counseling or specialized treatment as required.

Left: Dominion East Ohio Gas employees Jeff Smith, left, and Dave Mackey value the "One Dominion" focus on teamwork that drives productivity and job satisfaction.

Above: Theresa Davis, foreground, and Cheryl Rhodes enjoy the outdoors as they clear debris at Appomattox River Park in Virginia.