I am very excited to be speaking on a teleseminar in May on Workplace Flexibility.  My specific topic revolves around how I do not believe that Workplace flex is a mommie issue; instead it is an important issue for all generations and both genders.  However, I get the feeling that not everyone in business feels the same way.  I also happen to be a little uncomfortable with title “expert” and I know I’m not alone on that.  So I’m asking you, the community to weigh in on the topic.

Of course I will have facts and figures to tell my story, but I also don’t think I’m always the smartest one in the room or the only one in the room with a good idea…please let me know what you think.  There will be “guest” speakers during my part of the teleseminar and I want to use real life examples and would love my community to add to the discussion.  Who knows you may even be asked to be one of my guest speakers…

Once again free coffee is on the line for answering this question here, or replying @leanneclc on twitter or posting on the Career Life Connection facebook fan page.  Thank you to all who answered last week’s question…Pam Kassner was our lucky winner.

In the News

EEOC Issues “Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities”
(Delaware Employment Law)

The issuance of the Best Practices demonstrates how the new administration is continuing to pay attention to this issue, despite the fact the current economic environment has pushed “family-friendly” policies to the back burner for many employers. In light of this environment, the EEOC wisely emphasizes in the Best Practices that employers adopting flexible workplace policies may not only experience decreased complaints of unlawful discrimination, but may also benefit their workers, their customer base, and their bottom line.

What Michelle Obama had to say to OPM (Washington Post)

They and workers across America all face the challenge of finding the balance between work and family. That’s one of the reasons why I take on this cause, because we’re all struggling to make sure that we’re not just good workers but we’re good parents and grandparents and neighbors.

Awards to Recognize Work-Life Balance Initiatives (hr.blr.com)

“Now more than ever, there is a tremendous need for companies to offer flexible work arrangements and to cultivate better work-life balance to retain top talent during this tough time,” said Neil Wasser, national chairman of Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP.

Our Hawaiian Holiday, Without, Well, Hawaii (New York Times)

“I shouldn’t even be phoning you to ask the question, because I’m supposed to be on staycation,” I said to Jim Bird, a consultant in Atlanta who advises corporate clients on the benefits of improving employees’ work-life balance.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, it won’t ruin it,” Mr. Bird said.

Will Economic Trends Change Family Dynamics? (Center for American Progress Action Fund)

For over a generation now, families have struggled to achieve the right balance between their responsibilities on the job and their responsibilities at home.

Former “Apprentice” Star Blazing New Trail As Working Mom (Miami Herald)

As her own boss, I wondered what Kepcher has learned about striking a balance. She tells me she’s refined the definition of work. “At the Trump Organization, if you were not at your desk, you were not working. The world has changed. We don’t have to be at our desks. We have BlackBerrys that fit in our pockets. It can be a negative, but it can save you a two-hour commute from home.”

Of course, just because you work for yourself doesn’t mean you don’t put in long hours. Kepcher says she still works late at night, but at least she has the flexibility during the day to go to her daughter’s ballet recital or help her son with math homework after school.

Relocation Isn’t Always An Option (Wall Street Journal)

For all of the above reasons, I realized that moving would truly impact my entire family so we made the decision a year ago not to relocate with my last job. {Above reasons include elder care, wife’s career and children in school}

We must help employees strike a better work-life balance (Guardian, UK)

The extension of the flexible working law is a welcome development for businesses up and down the country (Flexible hours for parents of under-17s, 6 April). As your article explains, “millions of parents with children up to the age of 16 will be able to request flexible working from their employers”. This is a key milestone which has the potential to give the face of the UK workforce a much-needed lift. The only thing standing in its way is our fear of change.

Talent War:  The Winners (ALB Legal News, Asia)

Management take note: lawyers stated that a firm’s reputation and value rest on whether it fosters its culture and better work/life balance, which far outweighed other factors such as partnership prospects or firm size. Teamwork, assertive colleagues and a positive work environment featured heavily on lawyers’ agendas.

Mom’s The Word: Our Practical Survival Guide for Moms (canada.com)

Balance:  Real mom tip: “I’m not sure that a perfect balance ever exists. Life changes–some things get easier and some get harder. You’ve got to be flexible and be up front with your time restrictions or boundaries. Don’t overcomplicate your life to make other people happy.”

Pioneering GP and medical boss says “have good work-life balance” (Enfield Independent, UK)

he says dinnertable conversation is rarely about medicine and emphasised the importance to the next generation of doctors of having “a good work life balance.”

Cameron Clyne: the banker who swims with sharks (The Sunday Times, UK)

“He has a life outside work and is strongly family-orientated,” says Lynne Peacock, who runs the Clydesdale and Yorkshire and first interviewed Clyne for a job when she was in charge of group human resources in Melbourne. “It’s this acceptance that everyone needs a reasonable work-life balance that helps him get the best out of people.”

Press Releases

New Employee Engagement Study Defines How Employers Can Harness the Power of a Multi-Generational Workforce (MetLife)

“We found that different factors ‘drive’ the levels of engagement of different groups of employees. There is no single solution to low levels of engagement. Therefore, it is in employers’ interests to strengthen multiple aspects of the quality of employment. Some of these include training and development, workplace flexibility, compensation and benefits, and relationships with supervisors. It is worth the effort to invest in organizations’ most important asset – their employees.”

In the Blogs

An Evolutionary Leap Toward Rewiring Career Perspective (WorkLife Nation)

The guidelines were simple: no agenda but a commitment to keep an open mind, an open heart, and to suspend all judgement of what people were saying.

What emerged was a mishmash of stuff:  work life balance, integration, flexibility, career direction, human values, goals, family, animals, children and what brought joy into our lives inside  - and outside  of the career sphere.

Recession and Work+Life Reality: Survey Finds Flex Unchanged, Careers Changed and Willingness to Sacrifice to Keep Job (Fast Company Blog)

What does all of this mean?  In means, that regardless of economic boom or doom, work life flexibility is here to stay.  Instead of focusing on whether or not flexibility exists, our attention has to turn to figuring out how to use flexibility to help manage our businesses and our lives, both of which are forever changed by this recession.

Commuter Benefits: Helping Employees, Employer and Environment (YoungWomenMisbeahavin’)

Workplace Flexibility and Cost Savings

• Telecommuting and compressed work weeks give employees the opportunity to spend more time with their families and less time commuting, thus taking their vehicles off of the road during the peak of rush hour. Employees typically save hundreds of dollars on an annual basis by simply participating in Calvert’s commuter benefits program, and Calvert saves money on office usage by telecommuting workers.

Card Check: Sen. Webb and Other Developments (ShopFloor)

Seems like the Senator is listening to his constituents, who must overwhelmingly oppose card check’s attack on the secret ballot and workplace flexibility. The enthusiastic unveiling last week of Virginians for Workplace Fairness certainly made that opposition clear.

My Life in Oracle (EMEA Oracle Recruiter blog)

How does Oracle support its staff?

Flexible working, such as being home based. This helps with work/life balance. This is a win-win as watching the clock is not something that enters my mind…if I need to be on call or travelling out of hours its not a problem. Likewise if I need to do personal errands during “working hours”, these are accommodated.

International Employee Relations Report (Thinking Made Easy, UK)

These provisions, which apply to men and women, are likely to be used widely, particularly by returning mothers. Hospitality firms experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties are recommended to adopt a flexible approach towards all employees, as this also helps employees address work-life balance. New mothers may opt for different modes of flexibility, seeking different arrangements, such as term-time working, once the child is of school age ( 2003).

Is Gen Y that Bad? Yes (My Small Business, Australia)

How is the global financial crisis affecting our beliefs about work, money, the environment and each other?

Broadcaster Libbi Gorr gathered Australia’s top social researchers to get the lowdown on the meltdown.

Events

University of Kentucky – April 28th

Leveraging Workplace Flexibility as a Strategic Management Tool

Washington, DC – April 29th 6-8pm

Young Government Leaders holds a discussion on work/life balance with the Office of Personnel Management and the laws, rules and regulations that govern the topics. Wednesday, April 29th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the National Academy of Public Administration. RSVP to younggovernmentleader (at) gmail (dot) com.

Career Life Connection in the News

Advice Isn’t Always Good For You (MSNBC)

Leanne Chase, president of Career Life Connection, was excited about attending a SCORE meeting in Boston, but didn’t end up with much help. Despite that, she plans on attending again next week.

New Nanny Math (Forbes)

Leanne Chase, 40, mother of a 3-year-old and owner of a business, Career Life Connection,

Twitters Work-Life Balance Tips (BusinessWeek.com)

It takes many villages – 1 at home to help with family life, 1 at work to fill in as needed, 1 full of friends to keep you sane #worklife

Career Life Connection on You Tube

There have been some articles recently about legislatures taking steps toward making workplace flexibility more of a legal right.  The first I saw involved the UK giving caregivers of young children the “right” to ask for more flexibility at work.  Now I’m not sure that parents should be the only ones to have this “right”, I’m not sure it should be mandated by the legislature and if there is no teeth to back it up, like penalties for companies who never “hear” their employees request…does it matter?

There are also some US states that are working on prolonging the time that employees can be caregivers to family members.  As someone who has looked into the Family Medical Leave Act twice (once when having my own child, and once to help care for a terminally ill parent) and used it, I think it is incredibly important to be able to care for family memebers without losing your job.  But I also think some of the regulations handcuff business and need to be refined to avoid abuse in the system.

Finally, an article today about the discrimination that actually goes on when someone takes time to care for family members disturbs me.  Again if the legislation to be able to take time off, doesn’t actually prevent workers from being discriminated against for doing so…does it matter that there is legislation at all?

I’m interested in your thoughts…

Congratulations to last week’s coffe clatch winner Joanne Sardini.  As always you could win free coffee for answering this question here, or replying @leanneclc on twitter or posting on the Career Life Connection facebook fan page.

My Entrepreneur block is spilling over into many aspects of my life…I didn’t write a content blog article last week, I haven’t unpacked a suitcase from a weekend trip, there are no dish towels left in the kitchen drawer and I’m currently typing while sitting in bed in my PJs…uh, oh this could be bad.

So what is entrepreneur block?  And how did this happen?  Well my business is up and running and while my web dev guys are still tweaking the homepage to be all that it can be, it’s functional and I think, pretty good.

Also, I know where I want to take this business.  I know what my next milestone is.  I’m just blocked with exactly how to get there.  You see there are multiple roads I can take but I want to take the smart, informed, well thought through road.  And this is where my block comes in.  I’m just not sure where to go first.  And my self-imposed deadline is late summer to get there so I have some time.  Thus block…or procrastination…or incubation, whichever term suits my mood at the time.

The other portion of my block, is that I was trying to be proactive about this…I saw it coming on, I wanted to stave it off.  I think I need a mentor, someone who has been there, done that, taken the leaps, had the falls, picked themselves up, dusted themself off and tried again.  But where can I find this mentor?

First I turned to online.  The Downtown Women’s club is a great organization and it has an online mentoring social network.   So I asked the question if anyone had tried SCORE.org for mentoring…and time went by…and I made an appt. with SCORE and then finally someone answered my question…then I had the appt. and then someone else answered my question.  The answers were helpful but not timely enough.  And I really would like to see my mentor face-to-face sometimes.

I’ve always been intrigued by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).  What a great idea, retired executives that want to help fledgling business owners.  They get to keep their minds sharp and their experience and wisdom helps others. So I signed up and made an appointment.  I was very excited to meet the former business leaders who can help me out.  Now I think SCORE is great.  It’s just that I have an online business and after my initial meeting, I’m not sure they’re the right organization for me.  I also have to say, it felt very institutional to sit in an office above the social security office and next to the passport office.  The space did not feel like a hotbed of startup incubation – which of course it is not.

I’m having lunch tomorrow with a very good friend who is smart and a great critical thinker.  She is and will continue to be one of my mentors.  And she tells it to me straight (even when I don’t want to hear it straight).  Hopefully she will unblock me, at least for the moment or maybe point me in the right direction to find a mentor.  She’ll definitely have no use for my whining about this subject…and just that alone may be the kick I need to become unblocked.

In the News:

College Tells Women Healthy Balance Is Key (NPR)

A business class at George Washington University aims to teach young women how to balance their careers with their personal lives. Adjunct Professor Kathy Korman Frey and Alicia Buford, a senior business major at the university, is joined by regular parenting contributor Leslie Morgan Steiner, to discuss women and work-life balance.

For Japan’s Young Families, a Little Good News (Washington Post)

For decades, senior officials have been saying that Japan must find a “work-life balance” that produces more children. Several emergency programs have been launched to increase the birthrate. Government spending, though, has not matched baby-friendly rhetoric.

Top Places to Work in Columbus Announced (Inside Indiana Business)

Columbus Young Professionals has unveiled the top places to work in Bartholomew County. The organization sent out a survey to more than 700 young professionals who determined the most important aspects when looking at employers are competitive pay, flexible hours, opportunities for advancement and a positive work environment. Recognition, employee participation, work-life balance and overall company mission are also important factors.

Coddled Millennials can be HR nightmares (Business Lexington)

Family is also important for Millennials, Crane said. However, for the younger generation, that translates into a desire for more time to spend with family and friends rather than more money.

Intelligent Design (Government Executive.com)

One problem the family groups identified involved the lack of information from the agency on work-life balance programs. So Sanders and his team started to give employees DVDs and CDs that explained those programs and could easily be transported home.

Sending the Wrong Message (Human Resources Executive)

Employees with company-supplied PDAs too often think they must be on call 24/7 although most prefer clear boundaries between work and personal time. In addition to fueling resentment, such a situation may lead to litigation.

The Case for Work/Life Programs (Harvard Business Publishing)

The results were clear. In the early 1980s, the stock market would hardly react at all to such fluffy initiatives; if anything the effect of the fluffy announcement on a firm’s share price was slightly negative (-0.35%). However, that changed quite a bit in the 1990s when the announcement of a work-family initiative resulted in a positive swing of the stock- on average 0.48%. Now that may seem peanuts to you, but if you’re a $5 billion company, it means that even one such initiative could increase the value of your firm by 24 million. That’s a lot of peanuts. And a lot of share-holder value.

Panel: women hit hard by recession (Columbia Spectator)

A packed room of SIPA students heard grim prognoses on the current job market, work-life balance, and the gendered nature of professional stress as Sylvia Hewlett, director of SIPA’s Gender Policy Program and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, outlined the effects of the recession on women.

Boost the Troops’ Morale After a Round of Layoffs (Wall Street Journal)

When times are tough, employees don’t always feel there’s room to focus on anything beyond problems at work, says Mr. Schrohe. “You don’t want to create a crisis at home,” he says. While it isn’t a formal policy at Citigroup, he tells his employees: “When you can find the time, take the time.” During some rough periods, a healthy balance may not be possible, says Mr. Schrohe, but you still want your employees to know you’re aware of all they are doing and that the imbalance won’t last indefinitely.

Learning to Balance Work and Family (Washington Post)

Adjunct professor Kathy Korman Frey was online Monday, April 13, at 12 noon ET to discuss the course and strategies for achieving work-life balance. (chat transcript follow)

Millennials may see work and life differently, but they’re every bit as dedicated (Dallas News)

Don’t call them lazy. They work hard, just with a different definition of success. To them work/life balance is more life first, then work.

Flexible options for the rest of us (Fortune)

Look at all the high-powered women who recently left high-powered jobs: Suhkinder Singh Cassidy, who was president of Asia-Pacific & Latin American operations at Google (GOOG); Dawn Hudson, former chief of Pepsi-Cola (PEP) North America; and Susan Arnold, who quit the presidency at Procter & Gamble (PG). Singh Cassidy and Hudson are opting for more flexible positions.

Health before wealth for Asia’s top-earners – survey (Reuters – India)

Rich Asians believe staying healthy is more important than being wealthy, with a regional survey showing the majority are also keen to spend more time with family and friends than at the office.

MEPs back EU maternity leave increase (The Parliment.com – UK)

Plans to increase maternity leave and introduce paternity leave provisions will help women achieve a better work-life balance and “indirectly” increase female participation in higher positions…

Time to get your act together (Pharma Focus – UK)

I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when I’m on a training course, I think I might be better off at circus school. I have to juggle my career, family and other commitments, balance work and life, and occasionally jump through flaming hoops into the unknown. And then there is the occasional lion, hopefully metaphorical, to deal with. But this is all part and parcel of being in a two-career family with small children and ageing parents, something that many of us have to deal with in our working and daily lives.

A Woman’s Work Is Never Done (The Times – South Africa)

Working mothers also do not have to hide their family commitments anymore. “People are talking about it more. Corporate values have changed and people understand the demands of a working mom’s life. Bosses have become more aware of the work- life balance,” said Czakan.

Press Releases:

CEOs Plan More Layoffs While Most Employees Willing to Save Jobs with Schedule Change or Pay Cut

…a new survey finds 94 percent of full-time employees willing to save jobs by changing or reducing their schedule, or taking a pay cut. The finding is from the 2009 Annual Work+Life Fit(TM) Reality Check, a telephone survey of a national probability sample of 757 full-time employed adults, sponsored by Work+Life Fit, Inc. and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation March 26 – 30.

Social Networking Goes Corporate

For many office workers finding a work-life balance isn’t easy. People are becoming increasingly unfit and stressed due to being overworked and lacking motivation. More than 7 out of 10 people struggle to find the recommended 30 minutes exercise a day.

In the blogs:

Toward A New Definition of Work-Life Balance (National Post – Canada)

We’ve gained a much greater understanding in recent years of how work spills over into the home and vice versa. Interest in work-life balance has expanded as both work and family pressures increase.

How to Move Your Stock Price Up (Young Women Misbehavin’)

Flexible work schedules need to be viewed as a positive and productive approach to 21st century workplaces, not simply an accommodation for a few.

Trends in State Legislatures: Guns, Immigration, Time Off (Your HR Resource)

Laws requiring workplace flexibility are “moving fast,” Coleman said, with at least 16 states “grappling with some form of expansion of paid or unpaid leave.”

Amazing Practices in Recruiting — ERE Award Winners 2009 (Part 1 of 2) (ERE.Net)

They have four key brand pillars including Learning and development, Workplace flexibility, Inclusive community, and Opportunity.

Deep in the Trenches of Phase 2 (The Young Texas Lawyer)

I expected the competition I experienced in law school to extend into the profession. And maybe it does, but I haven’t encountered it yet. Established attorneys are more than happy to offer you any advice whether it be with the actual practice of law, business management, or with work-life balance. All you have to do is ask.

Are You Happy With Your Work/Life Balance? (My Global Career)

Most people tend to connect work/life balance with time or hours spent at work.  While that can be part of it, I would like to challenge your thinking on a deeper level.  I believe it’s about the quality of how you spend your time, not just time itself.  I ask myself: “How rewarded do I feel by what I did today?”

The importance of giving yourself time off from your Business (Small Business Examiner)

Cultivating an effective work-life balance may not always be easy, but it is important, for avoiding business burnout, and also making time for what you genuinely enjoy.

Work Life Balance Tips For Home Based Business Owners (Betternetworker.com)

Work life balance is commonly talked about today, studied at universities world wide and increasingly offered to employees, knowing just how to achieve the best balance is difficult especially if you are the owner operator of a home based business. These 3 simple steps will ensure you make the most of your work life balance.

Events:

Step-by-Step Best Practices For Engaging, Developing & Managing Generation Y (4/20/2009 – audio conference)

Are you noticing more talk about work/life in media, around the watercooler, at home?  Or is it just me?

After all, it could be just me.  I am pretty focused on this topic right now.  And you know how it is when you are focused on something…suddenly you see it everywhere.

But I do feel like I’m reading more research reports and hearing more news stories about this subject these days.  It makes sense…in this economy workplace flexibility is something than can save companies money by being able to cut costs without eliminating jobs.  It can also be a great way to reward great employees when there is no money left for bonuses.

So is it just me?  Or is this topic a hot one?

You could win free coffee for answering this question here, or reply @leanneclc on twitter or post on the Career Life Connection facebook fan page.  Stephanie Radner won twice…how about you?

This week I am starting a new feature…a digest of news on workplace flexibility and work/life balance for both employees and employers.  It is my hope that you comment on and share this news and move the conversation about more flexibility in the workplace forward.  It is also my hope to show the work world how robust and important a topic this is and illustrate why it is important for corporations to include workplace flexibility issues in their talent management strategies and workforce planning.

In the news…

Everyone Is Working for the Weekend (The Progressive)

…He met with Obama three years ago as part of a group of people to talk about work/life balance. He came away with the impression that Obama really understands the issue.

“His wife especially is very concerned about the work/life balance issue. But Obama is facing huge pushback from the other side,” says de Graaf.

CEO of Me (Washington Post)

A business class at George Washington University encourages students to take an entrepreneurial approach to balancing work with a personal life

Jill Smart (Accenture) on Work-Life Balance (Businessweek.com video interview)

Listening to its diverse, far-flung workforce has helped management devise programs that work for both employees and the company

Aging Your Workforce (The Wall Street Journal)

An employer that offers flexible work options to both older and younger employees may find a distinct competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining employees. As the talent shortage grows, the balance of power in the employer-employee relationship continues to shift toward employees.

Get a Life!: Work life balance has no gender (Federal Computer Week)

The study found that younger men are increasing the time they spend with their young children. They are feeling the stress of balancing their often long hours at work with their desire to spend time with their children.

One reason for the change is the related finding that young women want to advance to jobs with more responsibility just as much as young men. Being a mother does not change a young woman’s career ambitions.  And women are contributing an increasing share of the family’s income.

Coalition Praises Ohio for it’s Work-Family Balance (The Columbus Dispatch)

“Success” means a balanced life, not something that can be measured in dollars and cents, according to a study commissioned by Northwestern Mutual.

Do We Work Too Much? (LaDepeche, France)

In many businesses, going the extra mile is now taken for granted; it is almost expected that employees work longer hours. However, on the other hand, it is agreed upon by businesses and employees that work-life balance leads to a healthier and happier workforce. In recent years, the British government has tried to highlight the benefits of having a happier workforce in order to encourage employers to pay greater attention to worker needs.

Case Study: Health and WellBeing at First Scottrail (HR Zone, UK)

“We set out to address striking a good work-life balance by bringing as much help and support regarding positive wellbeing to the workforce” Nicola Macpherson, First ScotRail

Flexible Working Rights Extended (IT Pro, UK)

The right to request flexible working has been extended to any parent with children under the age of 16.

In the blogs…

Woman, Help Thyself… (To MBA or not ot MBA)

I want “work-life” balance to no longer be considered a “women’s issue”. I want to see pay parity by gender. I think all of these things are interrelated.

4 Approaches to Work-Life Balance (Change Meme)

The first thing I read this morning was an SMS from a friend who’d just finished work, at 5am. No she’s not a shift worker, she and a colleague had worked through the night. I could feel the words “she’s insane” scrolling through my head, but really I’m not much better having worked a couple of 12+ hour days this week.

So what happened to the work-life balance?

Whether You’re Ready or Not We’re Millennial-Bound: Recruiting and Motivating Today’s Millennial Generation (The AGA Weblog)

(KPMG has) created a culture of flexibility, so people can fulfill their job responsibilities and address personal obligations in ways that achieve work/life balance

The Fact in the Fiction (Random Walks in Low Country)

I know that the downturn has stimulated talk among friends about proper work-life balance. Some have voluntarily cut their hours at work in response to management programs for payroll reduction, allowing them to put more emphasis on the lasting and fulfilling parts of their life.

Job Shadowing Experience (CTCH 792 Leadership in Higher Education)

she is dedicated to her family and does not allow work to get in the way of her family responsibilities and time with her children. She expects her directors (those reporting to her) to follow the same outlook… work should not take away from personal and family time. She believes and supports work-life balance, and she certainly lives it.

My Work-Vacation to Paris (momspa.net)

During a trip to Paris last week for an international conference, I ran into two colleagues in the women’s room, both French, discussing the favorite topic of working moms everywhere – the difficulty of achieving work- life balance – l’équilibre entre le travail et la vie personnelle.  They complained about being tired.  Very tired.

Women Lawyers Still Barred From Parity (Sloan Work & Family Research Network)

As a lawyer -mom, who knows first hand how challenging it can be to balance law and family, I was not surprised by the new Catalyst Quick Takes Report, “ Women in Law in the U.S.” This report reveals that female lawyers have yet to achieve parity in position and salary to male lawyers. Highlights of the report include:

Stay/Work-at-Home Dad Adjusts to new reality (Miami Herald Blog – The Work/Life Balance Blog)

I think we’re going to see many more men and women working from home. What it means for all of us is an adjustment to new rules in our quest for work/life balance.

Upcoming Events

Workshop to Focus on Multi-generation Workforce (May 7, Hungtingon, West Virginia)

Workplace Flexibility Workshops Offered to KY Businesses by Univ. of Kentucky (April 23, Louisville, KY, April 28, Lexington, KY)

BSC hosts Bob Upgren program on work-life balance (April 14, Bismark, ND)

Career Life Connection News

New Nanny Math (Forbes)

Leanne Chase, 40, mother of a 3-year-old and owner of a business, Career Life Connection,

Twitters Work-Life Balance Tips (BusinessWeek.com)

It takes many villages – 1 at home to help with family life, 1 at work to fill in as needed, 1 full of friends to keep you sane #worklife

Career Life Connection on You Tube

This week’s question of the week is courtesy of Ashley Acker who twittered yesterday, “Study on changing workforce found that 49% would prefer to change their work schedule if they could. What changes would you make?”

If you are not familiar with Ashley or her business Work Style Design, she, too understands that the way we work today is not working for many people.  She, as I am, is a fan of being treated like and adult at work and basing your schedule and your rewards on results, not filling a chair in an cube/office.  And she helps companies use workplace flexibility as a competitive advantage, especially in the area of attracting and retaining quality hires.

To read more about the study click the link above or here.  I have been extremely lucky to have workplace flexibility much of my career and I am not interested in changing my current work schedule.   After all, I own my own business and have ultimate flexibility.  I get to decide what to spend my time on and when.  However, ultimately flexibility doesn’t mean I always get to do what I want, when I want.  I was recently asked to do an interview in NYC.   Unfortunately I cannot come to NYC on that day because it doesn’t work for my daughter’s school schedule.  I would really like to do the interview.  It could be great for my business and this blog.  I would really like to meet the woman who wants to interview me (she is a kindred spirit in the workplace flexibility world).  But it just won’t work out…this time.

Finally since I mentioned Twitter at the top of this blog and as it’s where many of my ideas for this blog now come from, I am going to digress.  I know people think it’s 6 million+ users talking about what kind of sandwich they’re making for lunch…but it’s not…Twitter is my CNN feed on my computer.  The differences between it and the CNN feed on your TV are:  1) I get to choose who I want to contribute to my CNN feed, 2) It is actually a faster way to find out breaking news – it was the first source to report the Hudson river plane crash, 3) It is not “dumbed down” there are many extremely smart people on twitter sharing information and learning from each other.  And I happen to feel the need to continually grow and learn as a person, Twitter helps me do that.  4) You get access to people you have admired and respected and would not have had access to otherwise.

Case in point Edward Boches is the Chief Creative Officer at  Mullen Advertising…a forward-thinking ad agency that was extremely successful as I was starting my career.  For an advertising agency to not be based in NYC, to be small and to still be very cutting edge, and well respected was quite a feat in the 80′s and 90′s.  Mullen was all those things and more.  Yesterday, I had a nice interaction with Edward on twitter after reading his article in AdWeek on why he twitters and weighing in with my own thoughts.  I would have loved to have had access to him when I was up and coming in the media world.  Now I can, and so can any 20-something who is up and coming in the advertising world.

So that is my diatribe on Twitter.

Yeah, I know this post was convoluted…but hey, “free coffee” ain’t always really free.  Once again this week if you answer the question of the week either here, or reply @leanneclc on twitter or post on the Career Life Connection facebook fan page you can win your choice of a coffee gift card…I’m looking forward to learning more from you and the conversation!

That was the question I was asked repeatedly at last week’s ERE Expo.  Attendees and vendors would look at my badge and ask what my company did.  When I explained it, they would smirk (literally, not smile but smirk) and ask how I defined “more flexibility in the workplace.”

When I explained that workplace flexibility can take many different forms, but most importantly it must be an arrangement that works both for the employer and the employee, they stopped smirking and started listening.  Part of the reason for the smirk is that flexibility in the workplace has been seen as a perk – something extra that a good employee gets above and beyond what other workers get.  It simply is not.  It is a necessary tool for HR to use to retain and attract high quality workers even in a recession.

And what form that flexibility takes is very dependent on what the employer needs of the worker and what the worker can reasonably expect from an employer.  In my career the sort of workplace flexibility I have had has varied with the kind of work I was doing and the kind of company I was working for:

ROWE (Results Oriented Work Environment) Not long after college I worked for a Boston TV station that acquired the rights to produce and broadcast Red Sox games.  I was charged with putting together a 30-minute pre-game show for 87 broadcasts from April through Sept.  I did not have a set schedule.  Once management understood I could put together a quality product (with a great team of people that worked for me), they left me alone.    Other than game days and scheduled meetings, my supervisors did not mandate a schedule for me.  There were days I needed to be at the ballpark doing interviews.  There were nights I needed to use the edit suite to finish a video package.  There were lunches I needed to go to to cover Red Sox news.  I knew what was expected and I got the job done.  Of course my manager would step in when he felt the need but for the most part as long as the show was a good one, I was in charge of my own time.

Project/Contract Work – About 10 years later I found myself out of the television business and working in non-profit.  My father had just had a heart transplant and was in the critical first year of recovery.  There were lots of Doctor’s appointments to attend to and there was a lot of stress on both my parents.  As I had just finished a contract assignment in TV – I felt a less-demanding job was called for.  I took an assignment in fundraising and event planning.  I worked from home and again, other than mandatory monthly meetings, my time was my own.  I had many goals to meet…number of attendees, fundraising goal, sponsorship dollars brought in.  But as long as I kept my supervisor apprised of what was happening, asked for help as needed and met my goals I was free to head out to a doctor’s appt. with my Dad and give my Mom some down time.  It was the perfect arrangement for that time in my life.

80%-Time/Flexible – By the time I decided to became a parent, my father’s health had stabilized nicely.  I had never really worked in a traditional office environment and decided to give it a try.  I was hired to work in marketing at a high-tech company.  I was temping full-time, but within a month I was pregnant and thinking about what I would like ideally for a schedule once the baby was born.  When the company decided to hire me on permanently, we discussed my schedule which became 3 days in the office, 1 day from home with the appropriate drop in pay/benefits to 80% to match my 80% work schedule.   This schedule worked for both them and I.  I wrote newsletters, produced webinars and helped out with PR.  Tasks that did not require me to be physically present in the office.  I also was quite flexible on my days from home…if they needed me or if there was an important meeting I would come to the office.  If they needed me for more than 80% at any point, I could help out as well, I just required some notice to arrange additional childcare.  It was an arrangement that worked for both parties.

Complete Flexibility – Now I run my own business and my time is my own.  I get to schedule my meetings for when they work for me, and the party I am meeting.  I get to write blog articles any time day or night.  I work with a web design and development company who also works flexibly and we schedule phone/meetings as needed but have never met face-to-face.  And it’s great…I still need to bend my schedule based on other people’s but, as all priorities and deadlines are self-imposed, I get to be as flexible as I allow myself to be.

There is no one size fits all solution or one “right” definition of flexible work, just many different options including:

Compressed work  week (40 hours in less than 5 days)
Telecommuting (work 1 day from home or every day from home)
Part –time hours
Job Share
Working 6 months in the northern climes, 6 months in Arizona or Florida for those who are “retired”
Flexible hours – work 8:30a-1:30p, meet the bus at 2p,  then back to work from 6p-9p.

How would you define flexible work?