Is your personal motto "Money isn't everything, it's the only thing?" If so, you might want to think again. In the past few years, companies have adopted what's known as "work/life benefits." These go beyond ordinary medical and sick-leave benefits, and include perks such as flexible work hours, casual dress, tuition reimbursement, and in some places even lactation facilities for nursing mothers.

What work/life benefits a company offers varies widely. Here is a list of typical work/life benefits:

• flexible work-hour arrangements, such as compressed work-weeks, job-sharing, telecommuting, and reduced work loads;
• casual dress;
• tuition reimbursement;
• unpaid leaves of absence;
• health-care spending accounts;
• employee assistance programs;
• dependent-care spending accounts;
• long-term care insurance;
• legal insurance;
• onsite child care;
• lactation facilities for nursing mothers.

Whether or not you should make work/life benefits a top priority in considering a job depends on a variety of factors. To find out how important these benefits are - or should be - to you, take our quiz.

1. Are you:
a.) a seasoned professional;
b.) Fresh out of college.

Explanation: Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. But in general, if you clicked a, you are more likely to have personal pressures, such as children and aging relatives, which would make work/life benefits of particular appeal. On the other hand, those just out of college may feel more pressured to devote most of their energy to getting ahead on the job.

2. Which of the following statements applies more to you?
a.) I wish I could spend more time with my community of family and friends.
b.) Community? I don't even know what my neighbors look like.

Explanation: Obviously, those with a burning desire to coach little league or join the community choir would be ideal candidates for work/life benefits. Alternatively, if you haven't looked up from your palm pilot long enough to wave to your neighbors, flexible work arrangements probably aren't at the top of your list of priorities.

3. Which of the following statements do you agree with?
a.) A company's culture is very important to me.
b.) Just give me a desk, a phone, and fat paycheck.

Explanation: If you clicked a, you should know that great work/life benefits usually go hand in hand with a great working environment. That's because many company executives are beginning to recognize that employees who lead balanced lives are typically happier, and therefore better workers. However, if you clicked b, chances are you've never even heard of work/life benefits, let alone taken the time to discover whether or not your company offers them.

4. What better describes your financial situation?
a.) I have enough to pay my bills, and have tucked away some money for rainy days.
b.) If I bounce one more rent check, my landlady's going to kick me out.

Explanation: If you're lucky enough to have clicked a, then it will be easier for you make work/life benefits a strong, even a deciding factor, in choosing a job. But let's face it, sometimes money really is more important. So if you clicked b, and you've just gotten two job offers, one with great pay and the other with great work/life benefits, it might be best to bite the bullet and take the money.

5. Do the tools of your trade:
a.) allow you to work from anywhere;
b.) require you to work onsite.

Explanation: If you clicked a, telecommuting - an increasingly popular work/life benefit-might be just the ticket for you. Some industries, though, for instance manufacturing, do not lend themselves well to flexible working arrangements. (Of course, if you answered a to any of the previous questions, other work/life benefits may still be appealing to you.)

If you picked a three or more times, work/life benefits should be high on your list of priorities when you next consider a job offer. Below is a list of ways a company pays more than lip service to these benefits.

Sometimes, a company's work/life benefits look great on paper, but take a closer look before you sign on the dotted line. "Sometimes a company may have a comprehensive list of initiatives," says Anne Reustle, a consultant with William M. Mercer, Inc. "But is senior management taking advantage of them?" Here are a few ways to be sure:

• Ask questions during the interview. For instance, How are these policies supported by senior management? What are your views related to flexibility in the workplace?
• Talk to other employees in the company who have taken advantage of these programs.
• Do your homework. Several organizations compile "top 100" lists of the best companies to work for. If you're interviewing at a large company, and it hasn't made any of these lists, there might be some cause for concern.
• Follow your intuition. If your hair stands up at the back of your neck when you step off the elevator, chances are this isn't a company that values employees very highly.

If you picked b three or more times, work/life benefits might be a tough sell for you. Even so, before you rule them out as a priority, read below and see what our experts have to say about slowing down.

Back in the early 1970s Fred Brown traded in his job on Wall Street for a quiet life in an old Maine farmhouse, where he continued to invest funds for a few of his clients. Over the next few years he evolved into what he calls a "personal financial consultant/therapist." Based now in Portland, Oregon, Brown helps his clients balance their financial concerns with the need to pursue outside interests, such as child-rearing and creative pursuits. A too-high premium on materialism, Brown says, makes people a "slave to their debt," and takes away a good deal of their independence. He believes that people should ask themselves, not how much they can make, but how much they can live on. As his clients begin to live within a tighter budget, he says they're able to devote fewer hours to work and more to outside pursuits such as family, travel, and creative projects. It is at this point that his previously salary-driven clients begin to look more closely at the work/life benefits available to them.

And according to Zachary Green, Senior Scholar at the University of Maryland's Burns Academy of Leadership, work/life benefits aren't just for seasoned professionals. He says that even those fresh out of school ought to take a close look at how flexible a company's policies are. "If people only look at salary or sick leave when they begin working, they establish a pattern they're going to use later on. If people simply focus on the consumer aspect of themselves, or the financial aspect of themselves, their full development gets lost."