FAMILY “RAISING PHASE” Juggling Chapter: FLEXIBILITY
Both work and parenting come with heavy responsibilities, and it often feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to man age both. Children come with additional schedule constraints that may affect an employee’s ability to work the standard business hours – whether it ’s additional doctor appointments, childcare/school hours, drop-off or pickup schedules, extracurricular activities, or dinner/bedtime schedules.
Challenge
• Anecdotal : “I get up and work my 5– 9 am parent job getting my kids ready for school, then I work my 9 – 5 day job, then I work my 5 – 9 pm parent job again to get the kids through dinner and bedtime. I’m so exhausted after that, it’s hard to find the motivation to log ba ck on and finish up any outstanding work from the day.”
Importance
• Workplace flexibility is now broadly considered a basic element of a compensation package, per 2023 Conference Board Study.
GOOD
BETTER
BEST
Offer flexible schedule and trust employees will get their work done Offer hybrid and/or remote work options to allow employees to save on commute time Provide laptop to support productive work in any environment (home/office)
Allow “comp time” policy to allow salaried workers to save any overtime hours worked to offset future time off Leadership figures take personal advantage of flexible benefits, thereby modeling that this is expected for all employees and reducing any stigma
Provide membership to virtual assistant service, to help offload personal tasks
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Unlimited PTO policy
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Antidotes
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Encourage team bonding alternatives to traditional happy hours, including events earlier in the workday, or family-friendly events outside of workplace
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With many firms touting flexibility in a post- pandemic world, it’s difficult to determine which firms are offering something tru ly unique and praise-worthy, based on publicly accessible policy data. Further discussion needed to identify those companies that are innovating in this category and leading the way.
Leading Firms
• Outsource options: Consider Yohana, a virtual assistant company intended to support employees who are carrying the mental load and need help completing their personal to-do lists • Read more: Zweig Group article about “ Choosing a Culture of Flexibility ” dated 9/26/2021; PSMJ article “ Should Your Firm Have an Unlimited PTO Policy? ” dated 4/17/2019; McKinsey’s 2023 “ Women in the Workplace ” report
Additional Resources
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