Quick Takes

Published: November 2008

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Flexibility

• The Catalyst study Women and Men in U.S. Corporate Leadership: Same Workplace, Different Realities? found that although senior-level women and men showed high interest in informal and formal flexible work arrangements, actual utilization of many arrangements was low:
  • 44% currently used flexible arrival/departure time, compared to 36% of men¹
  • 20% currently could change their schedules ad hoc, compared to 18% of men¹
  • 13% currently telecommuted/worked from home, compared to 12% of men¹
  • 9% of women and men could currently change their work locations ad hoc¹
  • 1% of men and women used a reduced work schedule or worked part time¹
  • 91% of women and 94% of men agreed that they could be flexible with their schedules when they had a family emergency or personal matter, but only 15% of women and 20% of men agreed that they could use a flexible work arrangement without jeopardizing their career advancement¹
• According to the 2006 Catalyst Member Benchmarking Report, high percentages of Catalyst Award-winning organizations offered flexible work arrangements:
  • 100% offered reduced work weeks and adoption leave/assistance²
  • 96% offered flexible arrival and departure times and telecommuting²
  • 89% offered compressed work weeks and job sharing²
• The Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers had numerous findings about flexibility:
  • 77% of employers allowed "some workers" to return to work gradually after leaves for childbirth and adoption; the number dropped to 57% when asked about "all or most employees"³
  • 79% allowed "some employees" to periodically change start and quit times within some range of hours; the number dropped to 37% when asked about "all or most employees"
  • 23% allowed "some employees" to work part of the workweek at home occasionally; the number dropped to 1% when asked about "all or most" employees³
  • When comparing data from 1998 and 2008, the study found that two measures had increased significantly during that time - 79% allowed "some employees" to change their start and quit times daily compared to 24% in 1998; and 47% in 2008 allowed "some employees" to move from full-time to part-time and back again while remaining in the same position or level, a decrease from 57% in 1998³
• In a large talent management survey of the values of pipeline and senior leaders in Europe, U.S. and Asia conducted by Catalyst and Families and Work Institute, "having a supportive work environment" ranked first for women and men and "having a good fit between life on and off the job" ranked third.⁴
  • Pipeline leaders ranked both values higher than senior leaders, which may explain why senior leaders may not be able to understand the perspectives of leaders in the pipeline on work life issues⁴
• The 2008 Benefits Survey from the Society for Human Resource Management reported what percentage human resource professional said particular benefits were offered at their organizations:
  • Flextime: 59%⁵
  • Telecommuting on an ad-hoc basis: 47%⁵
  • Compressed workweek: 37%⁵
  • Telecommuting on a part-time basis: 35%⁵
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics looks at flexible work schedules among all U.S. workers:
  • In May 2004, 27.5% of all full-time wage and salary workers had flexible work schedules that allowed them to vary the time they began or ended work (27,411,000 million workers), down from 28.6% in 2001⁶
  • Men and women used flexible schedules at almost the same rate-28.1% of men and 26.7% of women⁶
  • 38.8% of these people working flexible hours did so as part of a formal employer-sponsored flextime program (10.7% of the total) ⁶
  • Flexible schedules were more common among white workers (28.7%) and Asian workers (27.4%), than black workers (19.7%) or Latino workers (18.4%)⁶
  • 44.7% of people in management, business, and financial operations occupations had flexible schedules, with a higher percentage of men having a flexible schedule (46.9%) than women (42.0%)⁶
• In 2007, more women were part-time workers than men:
  • Of the 138,321,000 people at work in nonagricultural industries in the U.S., 23.1% (31,902,000) worked part time⁷
  • Women made up 61.8% of all part-time workers⁷
  • Of the 49,322,000 people in management, professional, and related occupations, 18.8% (9,252,000) worked part time⁸
  • Of the 64,525,000 women at worked in all occupations, 30.9% (19,926,000) worked part time⁸
  • Of the 24,588,000 women in management, professional, and related occupations, 24.5% (6,028,000) worked part time⁸
  • Of the 75,803,000 men at work in all occupations, 16.5% (12,510,000) worked part time⁸
  • Of the 24,733,000 men in management, professional, and related occupations, 13.0% (3,224,000) worked part time⁸

Elder Care

• The Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers found that many companies provided time off for elder care:
  • 75% of employers say that they provide paid or unpaid time off for employees to provide elder care without risking their jobs³
  • 31% of employers offered information about services for elder family members ³
  • Between 1998 and 2008, the percentage of employers who provided access to information about needed services for elder care increased significantly, from 23% to 39% ³
• The Society for Human Resource Management survey found that 20% of employers offered elder care referral services, and 5% offered backup elder care services.⁵

Child Care

• The Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers looked at child care:
  • 21% of large employers (1,000+ employees) offered child care at or near the worksite, compared to 7% of small employers (50-99 employees) ³
  • 57% or large employers offer access to information to help locate community child care, compared to 30% of small employers³
  • 76% of large employers offered Dependent Care Assistance Plans (help employees pay for child care with pre-tax dollars) compared to 37% of small employers³
  • 5% of large employers reimbursed child care costs when employees travel for business compared to 6% of small employers³
  • 10% of large employees offer back-up or emergency child care compared to 6% of small employers³
• According to the Society for Human Resource Management survey, 31% of organizations surveyed permitted employees to bring a child to work in an emergency, and 19% offered a childcare referral service.⁵

Other Family-Friendly Benefits

• The Families and Work Institute 2008 survey found that the average maximum job-guaranteed leave for men following the birth of their child was 12.6 weeks. Note, however, that availability does not equal utilization and the study found that 18% to 21% of employers (small and large) appear
• to be out of compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).³
• The 2008 Benefits Survey from the Society for Human Resource Management analyzed what percentage of particular benefits human resource professionals said were offered at their organizations:
  • Paid family leave: 33%⁵
  • Family leave above and beyond required by FMLA leave: 21%⁵
  • On-site lactation/mother's rooms: 25%⁵

Dual-Career Couples

• In 2007, 51.7% of married couples were dual-career couples, up from 50.7% in 2004.⁹
• One study demonstrated how working mothers (and fathers) struggled with time and work-life balance:
  • Dual-earner couples worked long hours, with combined weekly work hours rising to 91 in 2002, up from 84 hours a decade earlier¹⁰
  • Working mothers reported having 54 minutes a day of personal time, down from 1.6 hours a day in 1977, while their working spouses' personal time had fallen to 1.3 hours a day, down from 2.1¹⁰

Culture, Resources, Training, and Accountability

• According to The Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers:
  • 50% train supervisors in responding to work family needs of employees³
  • 63% consider how well supervisors/managers manage flexible work arrangement when making performance appraisals and compensation decisions³
  • In looking for a culture of flexibility, 60% of employers said it was "very true" that supervisors are encouraged to be supportive of employees with family needs; 71% said it was "very true" that supervisors are encouraged to assess employees' performance by what they accomplish and not just "face time"³
  • 21% of employers said it was "very true" that the organization makes a real and ongoing effort to inform employees of available assistance for managing work and family responsibilities; 20% said it was "very true" that management rewards those who support effective flexible work arrangements³

Benefits to Organizations

• One study compared organizations with high and low levels of flexibility.
  • 66% of employees at organizations with high levels of flexibility report high levels of job engagement and commitment, compared to 56% of employees at organizations with low levels of flexibility¹¹
  • 72% percent of employees at organizations with high levels of flexibility plan to remain with their employers for the next year, compared to 49% of employees at organizations with low levels¹¹
  • 67% of employees at organizations with high levels of flexibility report high levels of job satisfaction, compared to 23% of employees at organizations with low levels¹¹
• Many companies using employee surveys found that flexible work arrangements and work-life balance is extremely important among their employees.
  • IBM found that 94% of its managers reported positive impacts of flexible work options on the company's "ability to retain talented professionals"¹²
  • 78% of Ernst & Young's Canadian employees said that it was "very important" or "extremely important" to them to have a flexible work environment; 20% said they have considered or are considering leaving the firm because of unmet needs for flexibility ¹²
  • 96% of AstraZeneca's R&D employees say that flexibility influences their decision to stay at the company¹²
  • Using turnover calculations, Deloitte determined that it saved an estimated $41.5 million in turnover-related costs in 2003¹²
• A research study of CPAs at large accounting firms found the following:
  • Professionals working under a flexible working arrangements exhibited lower levels of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, which is the first step toward burnout¹³
  • Job satisfaction among professionals under a flexible work arrangement was significantly greater than among professionals under a standard work arrangement¹³
  • The intentions to stay with the firm long-term were stronger among professionals under a flexible work arrangement than among professionals under a standard work arrangement¹³

Note: See Boston College Center for Work & Family, "Building the Case for Work-Life Programs," Executive Briefing Series (2008) for links to additional benefits.

SOURCES

¹ Catalyst, Women and Men in U.S. Corporate Leadership: Same Workplace, Different Realities? (2004).

² Catalyst, 2006 Catalyst Member Benchmarking Report (2006).

³ Families and Work Institute, 2008 National Study of Employers (2008).

⁴ Ellen Galinsky, Nancy Carter, and James T. Bond, Leaders in a Global Economy: Finding the Fit for Top Talent, Catalyst and Families and Work Institute (2008).

⁵ Society for Human Resource Management, 2008 Benefits Survey Report (2008).

⁶ Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Workers on Flexible and Shift Schedules in 2004 Summary and Tables" (2005).

⁷ Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Persons at work in nonagricultural industries by age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, marital status, and usual full- or part-time status" (2007).

⁸ Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Persons at work by occupation, sex, and usual full- or part-time status" (2007).

⁹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 2004-05 annual averages" (2005).

¹⁰ Families and Work Institute, The National Study of the Changing Workforce (2003).

¹¹ James T. Bond, Ellen Galinsky, and E. Jeffrey Hill, When Work Works: A Status Report on Workplace Flexibility, Families and Work Institute (2004).

¹² Corporate Voices for Working Families, Business Impacts of Flexibility: An Imperative for Expansion (November 2005).

¹³ Elizabeth Dreike Almer and Steven E. Kaplan, "The Effects of Flexible Work Arrangements on Stressors, Burnout, and Behavioral Job Outcomes in Public Accounting," Behavioral Research In Accounting, vol. 14 (2002).

UPDATED November 6, 2008