May 2005

Workplace Flexibility:
Helping Employees Manage It All!

The shift in workforce has caused many employees to struggle with trying to manage all the demands of work and family life. Employee and family responsibilities may include, but not limited to: child and elder care issues, personal commitments, medical appointments, business demands, work load, work hours, etc...

Many employees ask themselves, "How can I manage it all?" These everyday struggles impact the employee and the manager or business owner. The effects may include: low employee morale, punctuality/attendance issues, increased employee turnover, attitude problems and decreased work performance.

In order to help staff better manage the demands of personal and work life, managers and employees have developed creative ways to meet personal needs plus meet the demands of the business -- which makes for a win-win situation! Studies show that flexible policies improve retention, recruitment, productivity, work performance, morale, personal commitment, job satisfaction and attendance.

Flex-Options, a mentoring project sponsored by the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, is designed to help bring together managers and business owners to develop and implement flexible work arrangements to help employees better manage work and life responsibilities while adding to an organization's bottom-line.

"According to the 1996 Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employee Benefits in Small Private Establishments report, 96% of the 39, 816 employees interviewed worked with fixed work schedules, 1% work with flexible work schedules and 2% work with non -fixed worked schedules".

Keep in mind, not all flexible arrangements can be implemented because they may not make good business sense - you are the ultimate decision maker!

If you would like to learn more about offering flexible work arrangements, the Flex-Options program or to become a mentor or mentee, please contact Barbara Ross, bross@workingsolutionskc.org at 816-753-1114.

Working Solutions is a non-profit  organization providing employee training and  leadership development services for  healthcare organizations,  non-profits and corporations.  This retention tip is  published monthly to provide tips, strategies and new  ideas for HR professionals, managers and executives to  help retain their  employees.