Last week’s Workplace Trends entry about people working reduced hours sparked a good discussion. Forbes magazine offers an interesting article on a similar subject – “Flex Time in a Down Economy.”
It begins with Kym Ward Gaffney’s story:
On becoming a mom, Ward Gaffney, a national director for coaching at PricewaterhouseCoopers, felt her work schedule needed to change in order to accommodate her new family obligations… Ward Gaffney hoped her boss, a father of four, would understand. In fact, she was surprised by how receptive he was to her ideas.
The result? Ward Gaffney now works from home one day a week and limits travel to the east coast. “I’m excited about the challenge of balancing all of this,” she says.
However, the article goes on to recommend caution when considering asking for flex time:
“I wouldn’t ask about flex time right now,” Gail Blanke, CEO of Lifedesigns, an executive coaching firm, warns. “There are too many people willing to work seven days a week.”
….
One accountant at Merrill Lynch says flexible schedules are not the norm where she works and that she would be the last one asking for favors in the aftermath of the Bank of America takeover.
Certainly, in these times, every person’s situation will be different – and every employer will have different needs. Some will be able to accommodate work-life balance requests, some – as discussed last week – will welcome employee offers to reduce their hours as this saves costs and retains talent and “corporate intelligence.”
Others will not even want to put the energy into considering it right now, which could be a mistake as the Forbes article concludes:
“With layoffs, remaining employees are overtaxed,” [Deborah Epstein Henry, founding president of consulting firm Flex-Time Lawyers] warns. “I don’t advocate ignoring these work-life challenges until the market improves. It won’t benefit anyone in the long run to suppress them.”
Any more thoughts on this subject?