In her blog Motherlode this week, The New York Times’ Lisa Belkin said flexible work arrangements may not survive the recession. That’s because many still consider flexible scheduling a “perk” created by companies as favors for their working moms. But we have always understood that real flexibility is a bottom-line benefit to all companies, large and small. Now, during these tough economic times, the saaviest companies are embracing flexible work arrangements more than ever, because they can acquire top talent well within budget. As Best Buy and other companies have proven, employees given real flexibility are MORE productive, focused, motivated, and committed. FWAs are the best way to attract and retain top talent.
Category: Why flexible work arrangements are good for business
Forward-thinking companies see value in FWAs
Friday, September 25th, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesHow flexible work arrangements improve business
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 by Flexible Resources11 WAYS FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS HELP BUSINESSES
We know flexible work schedules improve our lives immeasurably. But managers often resist, believing the conventional wisdom that the only way to get the most out of employees is to ensure that they are in the office as long as possible, grinding it out in their cubicles.
In fact, it is probably the least efficient way to work. We say: measure RESULTS, not face-time.
Flexible work is about healthy bottom lines, not moms
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesWomenomics misses the point - it’s not a ‘mommy issue’
We concur with fellow blogger Leanne at Career Life Connection. If flexible work arrangements are a device that employers put into place - at times reluctantly — to help moms balance work and family they will forever be viewed as a necessary evil or worse - as a perk that discriminates against childless employees.
We know from experience many businesses embraced work-life balance because it was politically correct to do so. But in fact they really don’t believe in them.
Recovery Staffing — The new path to flexibility?
Thursday, July 30th, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesBusiness again discovers the bottom-line benefits of a flexible workforce.
Over the past 18 months we have placed innumerable professionals in part-time and full-time contract positions at all kinds of companies large and small. These companies didn’t come to us because they were looking to create a more flexible workplace. They were in total deadline mode, trying to cope with heavy workloads that were hitting their pared-down workplace.
How work-life staffing can turn a company green overnight
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesIt’s a no-cost option for creating greener, cleaner company while improving the bottom line.
STAMFORD, CT, July 22, 2009 — Flexible work arrangements, particularly telecommuting, not only can turn a business green overnight, they also create a more productive, focused, motivated, and loyal workforce.
Telecommuting, whether in full- or part-time positions, means employees work remotely - from anywhere, anytime. “It’s the most effective option for reducing greenhouse gases, fuel consumption, and has the power to virtually eliminate the bane of every commuter - rush hours. It’s also the only workplace model in step with technology and a global workforce that functions 24/7,” according to Flexible Resources co-founder Nadine Mocker.
“Keeping employees off the road doesn’t only reduce cost and gas consumption, it is a major life change that benefits people and businesses,” says Mockler. “Blackberries, Palms, and iPhones haven’t just replaced PCs they can eliminate the need to commute regularly. Companies can gain as much as three hours a day from their employees who work at home or from remote locations.”
Other types of flexible work arrangements, such as part-time and staggered work hours, keep employees off the road at peak hours and reduce the number of days they need to commute.
Flexible staffing also allows companies to keep office space and resource consumption to a minimum.
Among the other bottom-line benefits of flexible work arrangements:
- Flexible staffing allows small businesses to compete for top talent by attracting top-level people on a modest budget;
- Flexible scheduling is a huge personal bonus for employees who often value time over money. When faced with hiring and salary freezes, and reduced benefits, flexible staffing is a no-cost perk that boosts morale and aids retention;
- Large companies can fill in for medical leaves, staff up quickly to deal with workloads that fluctuate seasonally, and alleviate crushes that occur during hiring freezes.
Small biz secret weapon: MBA Moms
Monday, July 6th, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesTracey Austin, director of our Fairfield, New Jersey office, talks today about the dilemma faced by small business owners trying to grow their businesses while keeping costs in line.
Success has its drawbacks for entrepreneurs when they discover the challenge of simultaneously growing their business and doing the work. They need help fast.
How can you hire the top pros you need – with the right expertise, who can hit the ground running – without paying top salaries and benefits that big companies can offer?
Use a ‘secret weapon’ — a virtually untapped workforce of “MBA moms” who are eager to put their advanced degrees and years of in-depth expertise to work on a part-time and flexible basis.
They are innumerable CFOs, marketing executives, senior brand managers, public relations, human resources, and financial executives who are looking for non-traditional work arrangements and are willing to weigh that desire against top salary and benefits to work on a flexible basis. As a result they are coming to the aid of small business owners who cannot offer top-tier salaries or benefits but are ready and willing to offer flexible scheduling. Telecommuting is particularly appealing to entrepreneurs who can ’staff up’ without having to take on the additional overhead of bigger office space.
These MBA Moms are women who may have been downsized or quit for lack of flexibility from their employers in the past. They are a human resources pot of gold for the small business owner. Not all have MBAs, of course. But all are highly regarded in their fields, women who have put in 10 - 20 years in the workplace, have diverse backgrounds and years of expertise and are able to get down to business ASAP. The highest level of productivity is the reward.
Tracey Austin
taustin@flexibleresources.com
Lay-offs Are Most Expensive Way to Save
Thursday, June 25th, 2009 by Flexible ResourcesWelcome to the very first edition of Flex-Notes, the blog for Flexible Resources. Our motto is:
“Measure Results, Not Face-time”
Flexible Resources Inc is a staffing and consulting firm that pioneered flexible work arrangements at the professional level. We are currently celebrating our 20th anniversary by launching our new web site, introducing the ‘Flex Notes’ blog, and by re-issuing our book, “The End of Work As We Know It,” the bible for creating all kinds of flexible work situations.
Flexible Resources was founded by Nadine Mockler and Laurie Young, experts in work-life balance issues. They have worked with hundreds of companies and thousands of women – and men – to create viable work places flexibility that makes companies more profitable and productive by creating a highly motivated, loyal, and committed workforce.
Here’s a timely topic for today:
LAYOFFS ARE MOST EXPENSIVE WAY FOR BUSINESSES TO SAVE
Laurie Talks Layoffs
Firing fulltime employees is the typical corporate panic move to a downturn. And we are now living with the results. But we have a better way: Build a stable workforce of permanent flexible professionals to create a cost-effective, efficient, productive, motivated, committed workforce that is best equipped for today’s 24/7 global workplace.
Severance and outplacement costs are just the beginning. There’s the ripple
effect, destroying the morale of those employees still on the job, the
downward spiral as those who have lost their jobs stop buying clothes, cars,
appliances, traveling, and dining out, and the long-term costs to companies
as they will have to pay for recruiting, rehiring, and retaining when the
economy turns around.
Cutting the workforce also damages 401 (k) investments, and can force health care costs to go even higher as the number of participating employees shrinks.
So what’s the alternative?
1. Ask for volunteers to cut their hours and work part-time. Flexible
Resources says that in most cases as much as 50%
of any workforce - mostly working moms - will happily agree to work a
less-than-fulltime flexible schedule.
2. Then reduce payroll further if necessary with mandatory cutbacks
throughout all departments. An across-the-board cut of, say 20% to 30%, with a redction to a three- or four-day workweek keeps everyone on the job and retains the sense of fairness;
3. Layoff only as a last resort.
Even in these tough economic times, we have candidates coming to us who
have full-time jobs and are looking for a part-time flexible position. Companies can save substantially by reducing hours, much of it voluntarily. It makes a lot more sense to reduce the hours of your entire workforce than to simply
slash and burn. It’s not merely the outplacement and
severance costs. The company’s health care costs often rise when the number
of employees decrease, and 401(K) investments are thrown out of whack.
In our 20 years in business we have been through two severe downturns and
the pattern never changes - the knee-jerk reaction to slash jobs only makes
the situation worse, and leads to higher costs to businesses long-term.
We’re helping our clients think outside the box to save both jobs and money. It’s the healthier solution.
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