At the recent White House Forum for Workplace Flexibility, John Berry, Office of Personnel Management director, said:
“Flexibility is the new email—there are employers that have it, and those that will.”
And then there’s Rod Blagojevich. If you’ve been watching the Apprentice (admittedly a guilty pleasure at my house), you know that the former governor of Illinois cannot send an email. He doesn’t know how, and it’s laughable and frustrating to his teammates.
Employers that haven’t yet implemented flexible work arrangements—whether they just don’t like the idea, or don’t know how—remind me a lot of Rod Blagojevich. It’s such a win-win for both employer and employee, that it just seems silly not to embrace it.
The White House Council of Economic Advisors found that companies with flexible work arrangements have lower turnover and absenteeism, higher productivity, and healthier workers.
Employees who take advantage of their companies’ flexible arrangements aren’t only healthier, but tend to be happier, too. They can craft their own Shared Care arrangements for their families, adjusting their work schedules so that both parents/caregivers can be home with the kids. Even employees who don’t have little ones at home will reap benefits from flexible work arrangements, finding that they have more control over their work and their time, leading to greater productivity and more loyalty to their companies.
I can speak from experience. Just four months ago, I gave birth to our first child (whew!). I thought returning to work full-time would be a no-brainer, but quickly found myself exhausted, waking up at least 1-2 times a night to nurse, while my husband took on diaper duty. It was time to renegotiate our work arrangements.
Now I work two days a week at the office, and at home on Tuesday and Thursday. He shifted to a 36-hour, 4-day work week, and stays home Wednesdays with our daughter. My parents, who live an hour away, help out with childcare while we’re working.
It’s an ideal Shared Care arrangement right now, and we’re tremendously lucky.
But I don’t think we should think of this as “luck.” Our arrangement should not be extraordinary. Nor should we think of flexibility as a “special perk” for women, or even parents, as Obama noted in his closing remarks.
Our research shows that employees under 40—regardless of gender or parent status—rank Life-Work balance first when considering the Six Dimensions of Employee Engagement (Trust, Management, Connection, Development, Rewards, and Life-Work Balance). Employees over 40 place it at a close second behind Trust.
Workplace flexibility suits everyone. After all, everyone has a life outside of work, and everyone has family, whether you’re a parent or a child, a sister or a brother, an aunt or uncle.
If the federal government, with all its red tape and bureaucracy, can implement flexible work arrangements, then anyone can.
Need some tips on how to rekindle your life-work balance? Check out Rebecca’s video, Get a Life: How to Renegotiate Your Work So You Can Have a Life.
What kind of flexible arrangements does your workplace offer? What kind of arrangements do you WISH were available?