Real Men Flex

Workplace flexibility is not a women’s issue.  There I’ve said it.  This is not new information.  The fact that men want more flexibility at work has been discussed for years in this article, and this article, and more recently in this research report.  But I don’t need to read articles and research reports to figure this one out.  All I need to do is look around at people I know personally and professionally.  Here are examples of some of the men I know who work flexibly and why they would prefer to keep it that way.

The Corporate Types:

When I worked last with Lee Byrne he was at the gym at 5:30a at his desk usually by 7:00a, worked until at least 5:30pm and then commuted 45 minutes home.  Not exactly a very flexible schedule.  All that changed when he became the Director of Ad Operations for Bizo.  Bizo is located in San Francisco and Lee lives in New Hampshire.  So he works from his home.  He needs to put in at least 40 hours a week, and knowing him, he’s probably putting in many more.  He also starts and ends work a bit later than most east coasters but he can also break for dinner with his family.  What does he do with his flexible time?  “I go to the gym later than I used to which is nice. In the summer I can play 18 holes of golf before most of the people I work with are even awake. I’m able to coach football in the fall which any commute would make impossible. I can help around the house more than I used to since I am almost always home. I can take my son to the bus stop in the morning.”

Jason Sadler is the marketing guy and the network guy at Thought and Theory…the guys who designed this blog and are working very hard on my website.  He is also the only guy at iwearyourshirt.com.  Why does he work flexibly?  And why does it work for his company?  “We, at Thought & Theory, have all had experience working in standard 9-5 jobs, ad agencies and other large corporate gigs. We know that strict hours, limited vacation time and all that other nonsense stifles creativity. When creativity goes, so does productivity. A lot of times our best work is done late at night or really early in the morning. As long as the work gets done and everyone is honest and up front, we will continue to be successful.”  This flexibility has also allowed him to try the hair brained marketing website iwearyourshirt.com.  Which may not be so hair brained after all – it was written about in many media outlets including the New York Times and I’m on deck for him to wear a Career Life Connection t-shirt on Thursday, Feb. 19th.

Doug Cornelius is the Chief Compliance Officer for a real estate private equity firm.
“Being involved with my two kids is an important part of my life. I did not want to only spend a few minutes in the morning with them. I love dinnertime, bath time and story time with them.  My flexibility is also key to my wife’s job. She is a partner at a big law firm and often needs to work late.  I obviously agree that work-life balance is not just a women’s issue. If you have two people working, it is both of you. My wife’s career is just as important as mine. If we want to spend time with each other and our kids we both need to find the balance.”  Doug works in the office from about 7a-4pm each day so he can leave in time to pick up the kids.  As his firm is global with offices in many cities including London and LA, the line between work and personal life is often blurred.  But with the aid of technology he is able to work in the office, spend time with his family and work as needed when the other offices need him.

Kevin Plantan is the VP of Sales for ERE Media.  They are based in New York, but also have employees working in CA, FL, UT, WA and VA where Kevin lives.  In fact the majority of ERE’s employees work from their homes, not from the NY office.   Kevin told us first hand why workplace flexibility is so important to him.  “When I first joined ere, in the late summer of 2000, I was living in Connecticut and we had an office in Brooklyn, NY.  From the day I joined, we had about seven months to plan and produce the first ERExpo (March 2001) so it was important for everyone to be in the office a lot.   It was four hours – door to door – to get from home to the office.  So I spent 8 hours a day either in a car, on metro north (commuter train from CT to NYC), a subway, or walking – and 8 hours in an office. There wasn’t any wi-fi back then either. By Friday I was sleepwalking and seeing things. After a few months of that, well, pretty soon I was working from home one day a week, then two, then three, then four…. Working from home makes this a completely better job, to say the least.”  And what does Kevin do during all that time he spent commuting?  Well he works during some of it, but he also likes to head to the gym.

Finally for the suits there’s my husband, Larry Sax.  He works in turnaround consulting – which is code for consulting for financially troubled companies…maybe the only industry that is currently booming.  And with the work that’s coming their way, his NY firm could certainly have their people working 24/7.  But that’s not their culture.  Don’t get me wrong.  If my husband’s client is in dire straits, it is all hands on deck during the workweek and he is usually in a state other than the one in which we live.  But once that client has stabilized my husband is on the road M-Th and working from home Fridays.  Also, when he’s between clients his time is his own as long as he is easily accessible.  Last week he was between clients and he enjoyed taking our daughter to pre-school, having a mid-day date of lunch and a movie with me, catching up with friends and even going skiing with the boys.  I know soon he’ll be back out on the road working very hard, but then I also know he’ll have time at home again to take the time we need to recharge family and our relationship, not just on weekends but weekdays, too.  But you don’t have to take my word for it.  Read what he thinks about the flexibility he has at work.

The Independent Spirits:

Joel Cheesman is the Head Cheese over at Cheezhead.com and works on HR SEO, a search engine optimization firm.  He and I met because he is really smart about the HR industry and I want to be really smart about the HR industry.    When his creativity was frowned upon at former employers and he couldn’t spend the kind of time he wanted visiting family he struck out on his own.  Being his own boss gives him total flexibility.   He says that, “as long as clients are served and employees are managed, it’s all good.”   And while he admits to being a workaholic he likes the upside of working flexibly.  “A major benefit, however, is seeing family during the holidays. Before my business, I typically had to rush back home from visiting loved ones in other states. Not anymore. I can work from wherever and make it back whenever. It’s very gratifying to connect with those who matter most without “back to work” hanging over your head.”

Jon Steinberg did not always have a flexible job, I should know, he was the Operations Manager for a retail company my family owned.  That job caused him stress headaches and left him working all hours day and night 7 days a week.  So perhaps that explains his current choice to work for himself without any employees as a Certified Real Estate Appraiser.   He likes this flexibility much more, “This works well for me as it allows me more time with my family.  I am able to take my daughter to pre-school once a week, attend her gymnastics class and have dinner with the family nightly.  I frequently will work from 8a to 5pish but am able to take time when necessary.  I then spend time with the family until the kids go to sleep…around 8p and work until 10 or 11p.  While I’m still working well over 50 hours per week, I am able to spend time with my family and not miss putting my daughters to bed, helping my wife where needed and enjoying the little things daily.  Once these years pass and the girls grow up I’ll never get this time back.”

My first job out of college was at a video post-production company where I met Carl MacNeal.  He has worked for companies that were too big, too small, went bust and even owned his own video editing company with the coolest lunchroom furniture.  Now he is freelancing and working on really cool projects.  Like last month when he edited a commercial with Kevin Costner and Kyle Petty in it.   He admits this economy is challenging for freelancers and some of his flexibility has diminished as his clients are in the drivers’ seat for when and how he works. But he likes being flexible…”a flexible schedule allows me to keep up with technology, software and trends that I can’t do at a job. I also get to take care of my family when they are sick, I spend more quality time with my son during the day, instead of getting home at night to read him a book and kiss him goodnight. It also allows me to go to art shows, vendor exhibits, get the car fixed and just put those hours in on another day. I also can work 4, 12-hour days and take a long weekend. It is my choice.”

Okay I guess I’ve made my point..flexibility in the workplace is not just a women’s issue.   There are plenty of men out there who flex.  Are you a real man who flexes?  Do you know any?  Or are you skeptical that real men can flex?  Let’s talk about it.   Comment here or post your story in our newly launched community and forums.