As a recruiter specializing in flexible work opportunities, I am in a unique position to hear candid opinions from both employers and employees (or candidates seeking work) on the subject of work flexibility. I am amazed at how substantial the disconnect between the two groups can be at times. Part of the problem, I feel, is that employees don’t always express their true sentiments to their employers because they’re afraid of being seen as less committed.
For example, not long ago I had a woman call me for assistance in finding a new job. She was a director of marketing for a Fortune 100 company and had worked her way up to that position over 10 years. About to have her second child, she was looking for a reduced workload that would allow her to better manage her increasing family demands but still provide her with intellectual stimulation and income. I always encourage employees in situations like this to use their relationships, history and knowledge as leverage in negotiating an alternative arrangement before leaving. Starting from scratch in a search for an alternative work arrangement is much more difficult. However, when I explained this to her, she countered with the following typical responses:
“If I did that, I would be looked at differently. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I’m at that I don’t want to backslide. I’d rather have a fresh start somewhere else.”
Typically, employees in an organization that doesn’t embrace flexibility feel as though they would be seen as less committed if they were to ask for an alternative arrangement. For high performers, nothing could be worse. They would rather leave a position that they’ve spent years developing expertise and relationships in, so that they can be viewed as committed somewhere else.
“I look around at my peers and no one is in the same situation. They just wouldn’t understand me”
What that really meant in this situation, it turns out, was that no one had children and many didn’t even have spouses or significant others. It’s no wonder that there’s no one with family demands in her department – they all left just as she was about to! Does her company really want to weed out diversity from it’s executive ranks? Probably not.
“The way my job is structured, I couldn’t do it on a less than full-time schedule”
Here I suggest that she take a good look at what her responsibilities are and think about how she can break them down into more bite-sized chunks or transfer her valuable knowledge and skills to something that can be done more flexibly. If she then comes up with a proposal that outlines her new role in a way that makes it a win-win situation, her manager would be more willing to accept it.
Employers don’t want to lose their top talent. It’s expensive and time consuming to replace and retrain valued employees. It makes more sense to let them dial back, telecommute, work different hours when they need to – as long as results are delivered and compensation is aligned with results. Trying to avoid costly situations like this one is what’s driving more and more employers to realize that more widespread understanding and acceptance of flexible work practices is needed.
Tags: flex work, flexible work arrangements, working mothers
I agree that a large part of on organization’s willingness to consider more flexible employment options has to do with the culture, but another aspect is the relative degree of supply and demand for talent in the marketplace. Today, I don’t see organizations perceiving a need to take efforts to retain top talent… many attitudes are closer to “in this labor market I can replace anybody, and probably at a lower comp package”.
That said, I’ve actually had great luck with more flexible accommodations for talent, especially job sharing for talented female employees looking to remain with the firm while also ensuring adequate time for their new families.
You may be right about some employer’s attitudes right now, however, many I’ve spoken to are still concerned with keeping their top talent around (and rightly so) so they will be ready for when things turn around. Some are even forcing furloughs and reduced hours/comp as a way to avoid layoffs.
I’m so happy to hear that you have good experience with job sharing. We just had a job share team from HP on our panel at our Next Gen Work event on Tuesday- very impressive model! Not only does it allow mothers to continue their careers with reduced hours, but it eliminates the typical job creep that occurs in part-time/reduced workload situations and allows them to continue progressing in their careers with respect to promotions etc. It also benefits the employer - they stagger their coverage so they are available more hours than a single person would be and they provide two different points of view to every project they’re on versus just one. I’m a big fan and looking for ways to promote it to employers.
Thanks for your comment!