The tremendous growth in the number of women in the labor force has dramatically changed the world of work. Traditional human resources policies were not designed for this new workforce. Federal regulations prohibit federal workers from using any of their sick leave to care for a child or a parent. To learn about nonfederal work/family efforts, the General Accounting Office interviewed human resources officials in 16 nonfederal organizations with a number of "family-friendly" programs in place. It investigated federal experiences in the work/family area and identified barriers that deter adoption or expansion of federal work/family programs. The leading nonfederal organizations offered their employees a variety of work/family programs: flexible work arrangements, leave policies, child care and elder care programs, and other programs (work/family counseling and financial support for adoptions). Different factors, such as employee input or recruitment and retention goals, led the nonfederal organizations to adopt work/family programs. They strongly recommended assessing employee needs and community resources before adopting these programs and offered advice on doing the assessments. Implementation strategies included effectively communicating the programs within and outside the organization and recognizing concerns about equal treatment of employees. The federal government offered many of the same work/family programs but generally did not use them as extensively as it could have. Statutory and cost barriers were identified. The study recommended that work/family-related programs be approached strategically. (Appendixes include the objectives and methodology, a 71-item bibliography, a list of 16 related products, and an index.) (YLB)