Career Partners News Article: Past Failures in Work Flexibility
El Segundo, Calif., Sept. 22, 2006 — According to a recent article by Susan Seitel, President of the Work & Family Connection, opportunities for job-sharing have dropped dramatically over the past decade and flexible work arrangements, in general, have not done well in companies large or small.
While work flexibility programs have been touted by employee advocacy groups and human resource professionals alike, many employees still cite work-life balance as a major workplace concern.
Based on analysis of more than 10 years of surveys from both the Society for Human Resource Management and Hewitt Associates, a surprising trend emerged that suggests flex work arrangements have stagnated and even declined over the past decade.
“We could never have predicted what happened to flexible work arrangements in ten years”, says Seitel. “Back in 1995 it looked good for flexibility, and Hewitt said alternative scheduling was becoming increasingly popular, offered by 67% of employers to at least some employees. But in ten years that number went up just seven percentage points; just 74% said they offered flex options to at least some employees in 2005. And we can't figure out what they're providing.” Here is a sample of the findings of the changes company benefit offerings for in flexible work programs in the ten years between 1995 and 2005:
The percentage of companies who offer
- Job share dropped, from 36% to 26%
- Flextime went down, from 73% to 59%
- Part-time work plummeted, from 65% to 47%
- Compressed work weeks remained flat, from 21% to 22%
According to the Labor Department, the percentage of full-time wage and salary workers on flexible schedules declined to 27.5%, or 27 million workers, in 2005 from 28.6% in 2001. Even among small and medium employers, the opportunity to job-share in has significantly diminished. In 1999, according to the article, SHRM reported job sharing available at 22% of small and medium sized companies. Today only 18% offer job-sharing.
Seitel’s article did not illuminate the reasons for the unpopularity of job sharing and other work-life balance programs. However, for business leaders the answer may be obvious. Many well-intentioned flexible work-life balance programs offer employee flexibility only at the expense of company productivity. Over the last ten years, corporate America has seen an unprecedented increase in workplace productivity. Flex work programs, as they are typically designed, are viewed as incompatible with, or at best irrelevant to, productivity gains.
Even when companies do offer job sharing, the results are not always satisfying. While job partners Sharon Cercone and Linda Gladziszewski have been at it for 15 years, their careers have been sidelined by more than one employer, according to a recent Businessweek article by Susan Berfield. “Would (our careers) be in the same place if we both worked full-time? No,” they say. The have shared roles at 7 different companies to date.
“There is an unfortunate impression out there that work flexibility is not for people serious about their careers or their employers,” remarks Kelly Watson, President and Founder of Career Partners, a human capital company focused on matching and placing executive job share teams. Her company targets high performing executives who love to overachieve at work and still have a life. “Executive job-sharing has removed the one remaining barrier keeping women out of the executive suite: Time.” Using proprietary technology, Career Partners matches job share candidates together based upon shared values, personality styles, and complementary skills. They place candidates with organizations and provide the ongoing coaching and support required to make it all work – for both the employer and the employee. “We hope that employers will come to regard job sharing as a powerful opportunity to get the best possible mix of skills, the computing power of two creative brains, as well as the most refreshed and loyal employees.”
Despite the negative trends, and while acknowledging Work-life balance programs obviously have not progressed as fast or as steadily as she would wish, Seitel remains optimistic about the future. According to Seitel and the Work & Family Connection, “We may be on the edge of a big increase in initiatives that will recruit and retain much-needed skills. The next generation of worker is much more clear about their priorities and are less likely to sacrifice their personal lives for work demands.”
Career Partners, LLC is a professional talent management and human capital deployment company, which uses proprietary technology to match pairs of talented executives with progressive organizations for joint-leadership roles and provides the ongoing organizational and personal support required to create lasting work teams. Career Partners is located in El Segundo, Calif.
SOURCE Career Partners, LLC
08/01/2006
CONTACT: Paige Wilds
310-666-5329
Paige.Wilds@theCareerPartners.com
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