Your Questions on Workplace Flex…for Experts and Real Life
May 6th, 2009 | by admin
Part of the goal of this blog and website is to forward the conversation on working more flexibly. Through the discussions so far, I’ve found that Work Life Balance is not an ideal term, but there also is no consensus for an ideal term. (I am enamored with “Alternate Workplace Strategies,” currently as well as workplace flex.)
We’ve also had great opinions on whether or not the issue of flexibility should still focus on mommies and whether or not it should be subject to legislation.
There is a series of free teleseminars happening next week on the subject of work-life/life-work. The seminar features some very smart people who have been working and researching this issue. My particular segment on May 11th will feature a speaker from the Sloan Network, the premiere online destination for information about work and family, to provide facts and figures as well as 3 real life examples (gen Y, gen X and Boomer). The guest speakers are a nice mix of mommies and non-mommies.
I know when I started this adventure I had lots of questions. I would have liked the experts to help me answer for myself. Do you have any questions for them? Either as an employer dealing with workers wanting more flex or as an employee looking to increase flex? This issue is not one-sided and it is not cut and dried. Each situation may be different. Let’s talk about it next week…the good, the bad, the difficult, the seemingly insurmountable.
I look forward to your questions and to the answers from those who study the subject as well as those who live it everyday.
So fare Starbucks is winning…3 lucky commenters have requested a Starbucks card…1 local favorite was also picked. You can get in on the coffee clatch by commenting 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…winner to be announced later today.
3 Comments
My company was founded by someone who previously worked for a place with Too Many Rules. As a result, he has created a couple of clear measures for each job and left the rest to work itself out. It’s the ultimate flexible workplace – no supervisors, no dress code, no requirement to work in an office and no set hours.
That was great when this was a small company and the economy was strong, but now that we’re doubling in revenues/people every three years and our margins are slipping, some employees are taking too much advantage of the situation. For instance, rather than taking leave, they retroactively sub in comp time for any week that they work less than 40 hours, if they worked more than 40 the week after that.
Any conversations about these little transgressions turns into a major upset for the employee. Any advice about how to turn back the dial once things have lost balance?
Frannyo – question: is the work getting done? Are goals and expectations being reached at a meets expectations, or above expectations, level? This should be the focus – certainly not how many hours are being worked in a week, or who is subbing in comp time for which weeks. The time component needs to be removed from your work environment – that will get you to the point of concentrating strictly on results.
Now, if goals and expectations aren’t being reached, that’s another issue – namely a performance issue. With those issues, it’s the performance that needs to be addressed, not time in the office or how many hours are being worked each week.
Turning back the dial on employee freedom isn’t the answer – but turning the dial up on performance management and ridding the environment of time tracking is.
Thanks for responding. Generally I agree, but the issue is that vacation balances are getting really really high and our auditors want to know why. There is a financial liability on our end that needs to be addressed.