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WORKSHOP: The Right Balance: Finding and Creating Flexible Work to Fit Your Life
The document provides an overview and history of flexible work arrangements. It discusses reasons for wanting flexibility, types of flexible work structures, and benefits for both employees and employers. The speaker outlines assessing one's values and skills, the most flexible career fields and jobs, and strategies for proposing or finding flexible work opportunities, either within a current employer or by searching external job boards and company lists that support flexibility.
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WORKSHOP: The Right Balance: Finding and Creating Flexible Work to Fit Your Life
- 1. The Right Balance: Findingand Creating Flexible Work to Fit Your Life Speaker: Emily Seamone
- 2. • Introduction toflexible work • What do you want and need? • Most flexible career fields and jobs • Setting up a flexible arrangement with your current employer • Finding a new flexible job and employer • Creating your own flexible work • Flexible work advocacy • Summary Overview
- 3. • 19th Century:Agriculture, and after the Civil War, factory jobs increased; men and women worked about 70 hours per week, 6 days a week • Early 20th Century: By WWI, workers demanded a five-day work week; Henry Ford adopted the five days for plant workers in 1926 • Depression and WWII: Work hours went up and down, but stabilized in the end to the standard 40 hours, five days a week • Later 20th Century: The need for flexibility increased during the latter half of the 20th century as the demographics of the workforce began to change. • Start of 21st Century: The flexible movement gains momentum Brief History of Flexible Work
- 4. Reasons for Wanting FlexibleWork • Achieve better work-life balance • Take care of children, elderly parent, or someone else • Improve health and reduce stress • Pursue a hobby • Start a business • Focus on an artistic endeavor • Manage a disability or health issue • Observe religious traditions • Make a career change • Slow down • Downshift to retirement • Study or pursue additional training or a degree
- 5. Types of FlexibleWork • Flextime • Flexplace • Job share • Part-time • Telecommute • Compressed schedule • Weekend work • Phased retirement • Partial retirement • Leave/sabbatical • Part-year/summers off • Career on/off-ramps
- 6. Benefits of Flex ForIndividuals: • Increased life satisfaction • Reduced stress • Improved physical and mental health • Less time and money spent commuting, parking, clothing, etc. • Better work-life balance • Reduce negative spillover For Employers: • Increased employee morale, engagement, commitment, and productivity, job satisfaction • Reduced absenteeism • Reduced turnover • Less costly employee benefits (in retirement and health care coverage) • Better suited for fluctuating business levels • Less fixed costs • Attract skilled and motivated staff; develop image as employer of choice
- 7. • Increased employeemorale, engagement, commitment, and productivity • Increased employee job satisfaction • Reduced employee absenteeism and tardiness • Reduced employee turnover • Less costly employee benefits (in retirement and health care coverage) • Better suited for fluctuating business levels • Less fixed costs (can reduce office space and/or related expenses) • Attract skilled and motivated staff; develop image as employer of choice Benefits of Flex: for Employers
- 8. Drawbacks of Flex •Stigma • Manager skepticism • Less visibility in company • Viewed as less productive, less committed • Skipped over for promotions • Reduced bonuses, raises • Lose good projects • Envious co-workers • Fear of negative consequences to career • Line between work and home becomes more blurred
- 9. What do YOUneed and want?
- 10. • Career andLife Values - Priorities: What is most important to you at this point in your life? • Skills: What skills do you enjoy using? What are you good at? What would you like to further develop? • Interests: What is most interesting to you at this time? What catches your attention? • Personality Traits: Where do you gain your energy? How do you take in information and make decisions? • Personal Situation: What is going on in your personal life? How does work need to fit into your life (rather than life fitting into work)? Assess Yourself
- 11. Values Exercise: • Reviewthe list and check off what is currently most important to you at this point in your life; add any that are missing • Consider both aspects that you value in your career as well as personal life • Narrow your final list down to your top ten values; try to prioritize these in a ranked order; get your list down to your top five must have’s Career and Life Values
- 12. • Advancement andpromotion • Power and authority • Feeling of accomplishment/achievement • Contribute to family earnings/wealth • Flexibility • Life balance • Being healthy and physically active • Quality time with spouse/children • Pursuit of a hobby • Public service/politics Values Example
- 13. • Put asideall thoughts or concerns about what types of jobs you can or cannot do or what kind of money you need to earn. Give yourself this time to brainstorm, be creative, and ideal. • Imagine you have the perfect flexible work arrangement that works for you and your personal situation. Think about the reasons for wanting a flexible work arrangement and the benefits that you are reaping. • Now it is Sunday evening, and you are planning your week with your ideal flexible work arrangement. Imagine doing things this week that only energize and excite you. What are these tasks? • Jot down what you experienced, and you will use this to create your “ideal week vision” Ideal Week
- 14. Most Flexible CareerFields and Jobs
- 15. • Culture ofthe field in general • Tasks of specific job and fit with flexibility • Culture and beliefs of company or organization • Beliefs and support of those in charge or those with decision-making power • Beliefs and support of direct manager Recipe for a Successful Work Arrangement
- 16. Most Flexible Career Fields •Computer-based • Web and Software Development • Medical and Health • Education and Training • Writing • Creative • Counseling and Human Services • Accounting and Finance • Business • Research and Analysis • Other* Based on research of online articles and studies – no order (*Includes: administrative, event planner, business owner, consultant)
- 17. Top 20 FlexibleFields with Most Posted Jobs • Medical and health • Sales • Education and training • Computer and IT • Customer service • Administrative • Web and software development • Marketing • Engineering • Program/project management • Research • Account management • Accounting and finance • Manager • NP and Philanthropy • Bilingual • Business Development • Consulting • Writing • Entry-level Based on data from Flexjobs.com – ranked order
- 19. • Medical andHealth – physician, nurse, clinical research associate, speech-language pathologist • Sales – regional sales manager, senior sales executive • Computer and IT – senior project manager IT, programmer • Marketing – market research manager • Engineering – security engineer (information services), aerospace engineer, principal software engineer, technical sales engineer • Research – clinical research associate • Account Management – account manager • Accounting and Finance – actuary, accountant, tax manager, financial planner • Consulting – management consultant • Writing – ghost writer Other for High Pay: compensation analyst*, graphic designer*, lawyer*, general counsel* Flex Jobs with Higher Pay and Demand (research based on flexjobs.com, as well as high paying flex jobs from Payscale.com and Ranker.com)
- 20. Set Up aFlexible Arrangement with Your Current Employer
- 21. • Check withHR to see if there are any formal policies already in place • Get a sense as to who is already working flexible work arrangements and talk to these people • Figure out what would work best for you • Try to understand how your arrangement will impact your boss and team • Anticipate any challenges that may arise • Think about any concerns your employer may have • Consider how a flexible arrangement could help with a problem that already exists. How will it benefit your employer? What would be a win-win solution? Research Your Current Employer
- 22. Check out aproposal form, either one offered at your company or an online template. Fill out a proposal even if this is not needed. Include the following: • Outline of your proposed schedule • How the arrangement will benefit your employer • How you will deal with challenges that could arise • Details of your home office, if applicable • A regular review and check-in meetings to discuss progress • A trial period to see how arrangement works and then make decisions for long-term ***Keep in mind: it all about the employer!*** Proposing a Flexible Arrangement
- 23. Finding a NewFlexible Job and Employer
- 24. Network: • Conduct informationalinterviews with those in a company that you are interested in • Attend professional association meetings in your field • Talk to others who have flexible work arrangements • Tap into alumni networks • Utilize online social and professional networks Locate companies: • Look into small companies, small firms, nonprofits • Check out Best Company lists and award lists • Review company websites for mention of flexible work • Review message boards and websites about companies Finding a Flexible Job
- 25. • FlexJobs.com Guideto Best Companies for Flexible Work (search by top 100, by popular job categories, accolades, and location) • Working Mother Magazine’s 2013 Best 100 Companies List • Working Mother Magazine’s 2013 Best Law Firms for Women • Working Mother Magazine’s 2013 Best Companies for Hourly Workers • Glassdoor.com’s Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance • CNN Money and Fortune’s 2013 100 Best Companies to Work For - also sort by: • 2012 Best Companies for Work-Life Balance • 2012 Best Companies for Telecommuting • Forbes Magazine Best Companies to Work For • The Flex Pages Directory • Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility • Best Company List
- 26. • Flex Jobs:online job posting site listing all types of flexible work • Moms Corps: staffing firm that helps moms to find flexible jobs • 10 til 2: staffing firm highlighting part-time positions • Hire My Mom: job listings for home-based professionals • Flex Professionals: recruiting and staffing service specializing in part-time business professionals in the Washington, DC metro area • Momentum Resources: staffing firm listing part-time and flexible roles in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, DC metro area; particular focus on accounting, law, project management, and non-profit positions • Flexible Resources: consulting firm with flexible jobs in the New York City metro area • Aquent: staffing firm with freelance and contract jobs in marketing and design • Mom M.D.: website for women in medicine with a job board listing work opportunities • Flexible Executives: staffing firm that places professionals in executive-level part- time, contract work • Part-Time Pros: staffing company that unites degree-educated professionals with companies who have part-time, contract and full-time staffing needs. Flexible Job Postings
- 27. • Research companyand job description • Check scam lists: BBB, FTC, Scam.com • Do not pay money for ANYTHING! • Forget about getting rich quick • Read offers carefully, be wary of being offered a job without applying or a discussion • Be careful with employers that offer few details about the job • Protect personal information ***If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is*** Avoiding Scams
- 28. Evaluate the Company: •Review website for policies, mentions of flexible work • Watch for comments from interviewers, recruiters, and those you know for references to work-life balance, friendly culture, accomplishments, not face time and long hours • Ask questions that might get at these points: • In what ways is a career with your company better than one with your competitors? • What do you enjoy most about working here? • What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share? • What are the flexible work/work-life balance policies at your company? Are they used? (use this direct question with caution) ***Also take note of office environment, employees' desks*** Assess Company in Interview
- 29. Evaluate a PotentialBoss: • How do you measure your employees’ performances? • How do you communicate with your employees? • What traits do you value in an employee? • What qualities are you looking for in the candidate who fills this position? • How would you describe your management style? • Why did the person who held this job before leave? If have chance to talk with other employees: • What is it like to work with your boss? • Does everyone get along well in the department? • Why did the previous employee leave? Assess Boss in Interview
- 30. Preparation for Negotiation: •Assess likelihood of openness from interview and your research • Come up with two possible schedule options • Fill out a proposal form to prepare and maybe share • Be ready and firm from the start about what you are or are not willing to accept in salary, flexibility, and other terms • Are you willing to risk having the offer withdrawn? • Another option is to work for a while and then propose Negotiation Discussion: • Thank the employer for offer and state you would like to discuss your work schedule and some ideas for a flexible arrangement; share flexible options and how will benefit, offer proposal • Be prepared for them to say “no” and plan how you will respond: • Will you go forward, perhaps negotiate another item (e.g., salary)? • Or will you not take the job? Negotiating in Interview
- 31. Create Your OwnFlexible Work
- 32. • Freelancing canbe called temporary, part-time, self-employed, and project work • Legally called an “independent contractor” (doesn’t have the legal status of employees) • Growing part of American economy • Currently 25-35% work as freelancers in U.S.; expected to grow to 40% due to more project-based work • Think like an entrepreneur: • Deliver good service • Set up a business plan • Manage own money and taxes Freelance-Contract-Consulting Work
- 33. Business and FreelanceWork: Pros and Cons Pros: • Flexible in hours and location • Choice of projects • Meet new people, grow network • Tax-deductible business expenses • May earn more per hour than “employees” would (20-40% more) • Potential for making great money • More room for creativity and implementing own vision • Great satisfaction in work Cons: • Great risk • No guaranteed income or job security • No employer benefits (health insurance) • No paid sick days, vacation • No unemployment insurance • Lack of structure • Isolation • Constant transitions • Blur lines of work and home life • Difficulty getting paid in a timely manner • Could involve long hours
- 34. Franchise Business: Pros andCons Tablet repair Pros • Turnkey system • Marketing support • Business support • Reduced risk • You are the boss • Franchise support • Brand name – established • Lower inventory prices • Easier staff recruiting • Training • Access to proprietary methods Cons • Risk • Less creative freedom • Royalty payments • Higher start-up costs, initial payment • Marketing, advertising fees • Limited creativity/flexibility • Sole sourcing • Locked into long-term contract • Dependent on franchisor success • Limited independence • Restriction on post-term competition • Lack of legal recourse
- 35. Examples Tablet repaiHome Freelance,Contract, Consulting, Home-Based, Online Businesses: • Website designer • Software trainer • Online course instructor • Online store • Weeknight meal plan • Organization service • Blogging/writing • Home staging • Child proofing • Patient advocacy • Digital media conversion • Genealogy service • Office relocation service Franchises: • Mathnasium • Goddard School • Hand and Stone Massage Spa • Geeks On Call • Wag ‘N Wash • Bricks 4 Kids • Fitness Revolution • Challenge Island • Brain Balance Achievement Centers • Fresh Healthy Vending • OsteoStrong • Bach to Rock • The Children’s School of Yoga
- 36. • October is“National Work and Family Month” and October 15, 2013, was the first “National Flex Day” • Join One Million for Work Flexibility, which launched just this year as the “first national initiative to bring people together and create a collective voice in support of work flexibility” • Monitor WorldatWork’s Public Policy Legislative Track and click on the Work-Life category; see how you can get involved to support legislation related to work-life and flexibility for all • If you are a manager, check out WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress tools for businesses, where you can find resources for businesses regarding flexibility • Be ready to chat with people everywhere (e.g., at your workplace, a cocktail party, children’s soccer game) about the benefits of work-life and flex in general; see the Families and Work Institute and Society for Human Resource Management’s resources and infographics on When Work Works for some talking points Flexible Work Advocacy
- 37. • Take sometime to assess yourself, particularly your values, skills, interests, and personality traits. Consider where you are at in your life and what you want and need. • Consider the best flexible career fields and jobs lists; do they fit with your current and/or past work? Do you think you might need to change careers? • Do some research on your current employer – it might be possible to arrange a flexible arrangement where you are at now. • Another option is to use the tips and resources to target an employer who is known for flexibility or who has listed a job as a flexible arrangement. • A final option is to go out on your own and create your own flexible work by starting a business, buying a franchise, or selling your own services as a freelancer, contract worker, or consultant. Summary of Main Points
- 38. Emily Seamone Career Counselorand Work Life Specialist www.womenworklife.com
Editor's Notes
- #11 There may have been some sort of impetus that has brought you to this point where you have become more interested in flexible work. Experts say that it is important any time we are making a career decision that we take stock of where we are at in our lives and consider our values, skills, interests, and personality traits. We will take a closer look at values and priorities in a minute, as often times a shift in priorities is the catalyst for a career or job change. In addition, we will look at An Ideal Week exercise. These will help you to determine how important flexibility is to you in comparison to other aspects of your life and career and get you thinking about exactly what type of work you want to do flexibly. For example, you may decide that you are already doing work that you enjoy, and now you want to find a more flexible work opportunity, either at your current job or elsewhere. One time I worked with a woman, Sarah, who came to me saying that she needed to change careers. She had a young son, and she wanted to find a flexible work opportunity. She strongly felt she would need to find a new field in order to find a job that would be flexible enough for her. We took some time to thoroughly assess where she was at in life, as well as her values, skills, interests, and personality traits. In the end, she realized she was doing exactly what she enjoyed and wanted to do, which was marketing, but now she needed more flexibility in her schedule. She was adamant that her employer would not be open to a flexible arrangement, even though she had been there for some time and had proven herself. Eventually she decided to approach her employer with a proposal, and they accepted her request. Through self-assessment, you may decide that you need to change careers in order to find something more flexible. One woman, Tara, had been working in children’s publishing, where she was commuting into the city and working long hours. After having children, she spent some time figuring out what else she would enjoy doing but in a more flexible field. She ended up deciding to go back to school to add coursework to her degree and become a children’s librarian specialist at a local school. This way she had nearly the same hours as her children. Or it could be that flexibility is such an important value to you that you choose something or stay in a job just for its culture. For example, I worked with a woman named Christine, who had been working for a large corporation for some time using her engineering degree and skills. She was feeling restless with her current work and wanted to find something more exciting. However, with her current job she was able to telecommute 100% from home. This flexibility was such an important priority in Christine’s life at the time, because she was taking care of her ill mother. We went through the self-assessment process, but in the end, Christine decided to stay put with her job for the time being, just because of the flexible schedule she had. She knew it could be very tough to find this set up elsewhere.
- #12 One exercise I just mentioned is the Career and Life Values exercise. Often times values exercises only focus on career values. However, when people are focusing on work-life balance and flexible work, it is usually because other areas or parts of their personal lives have become more important than they have been in the past. Thus, this particular values exercise, which is included in your Flexible Work document, includes both career and life values. Follow the instructions to complete the exercise on your own time, which involves: Reviewing the list and checking off what is currently most important to you at this point in your life Considering both aspects that you value in your career as well as personal life Narrowing your final list down to your top ten values; try to prioritize these in a ranked order; get your list down to your top five must have’s There are also additional questions to answer in your Flexible Work document
- #13 Here is an example of an individual’s top ten life and career values. As we review the list, we can see that some of Ellen’s values could possibly conflict, such as valuing advancement and promotion, power and authority, and wealth along with values such as flexibility, life balance, and pursuit of a hobby. As she reviewed these values, she realized this as well, and thus prioritized them further to get down to what really matters in her life at this time. It doesn’t mean she will never be able to pursue advancement, promotion, power, and authority, but at this time her greater priority was flexibility and life balance. She realized that having a flexible job might give her time to get more involved with public service projects and politics, where she may also gain a sense of power and authority.
- #14 Another exercise that will be in your Flexible Work document is the Ideal Week exercise. This is more of a visioning exercise. Find a time when you can relax, and then follow the instructions. It will guide you to imagine your perfect flexible work arrangement and the type of work you would like to do, culminating in an Ideal Week Vision statement.
- #15 Once you have a good sense of your priorities and values at this point in time as well as what skills and interests you’d like to include in your work and how your personality traits fit, you can begin to consider what type of flexible work you’d like to pursue. You may wonder – which career fields and jobs offer the most flexibility? These days you can find flexible opportunities in just about any career field, but it is true that some industries seem more receptive to flexible work than others. The fields that traditionally require being available 24/7 for clients (such as law, advertising, consulting) can be less open to these types of arrangements, but even so, there are groups that have been started, such as Flex-Time lawyers, who help attorneys find flexible arrangements. Are these jobs going to be plentiful, easy to find, and easy to arrange? Probably not, but they do exist. The culture of the field in general The tasks of the specific job and its fit with flexibility The overall culture and beliefs of the company or organization The beliefs and support of those in charge or those with decision-making power, and The beliefs and support of the direct manager
- #16 Before we embark on reviewing the most flexible career fields, it is important for us to keep in mind that flexibility is not just about the field itself. In fact, there are five ingredients that are crucial for a successful flexible work experience. These include: The culture of the field in general The tasks of the specific job and its fit with flexibility The overall culture and beliefs of the company or organization The beliefs and support of those in charge or those with decision-making power, and The beliefs and support of the direct manager
- #17 First, we’ll look at this list of the most flexible career fields, which I put together by compiling suggested fields and jobs from numerous online articles and studies. These career fields are not in any particular order. Show complete list of flexible fields and jobs – this is included in your Flexible Work document.
- #18 Another aspect to consider is which flexible career fields offer more opportunities. Again, you can find flexibility in an industry like the legal field, but there may not be that many jobs out there, making it more challenging to find good opportunities. One resource I’ve been especially impressed with is FlexJobs.com, which we will go over on another slide. To give you a little bit of information, it is a jobs database consisting of only jobs that are posted offering some type of flexibility. It breaks down its jobs into 56 different fields. Of those 56 categories, this slide shows the top 20 fields with the most flexible jobs posted. We can immediately see some repetition between the previous slide and this slide. These fields are in ranked order, so we can see that medical and health jobs have the most flexible opportunities over any other field.
- #19 You may be wondering, are flexible jobs more concentrated in one area of the country than another? Flexjobs.com put together this interesting infographic based on their jobs database. If you are in NY, it looks like we have a high level of flexible jobs. Keep in mind that this map is probably influenced by the industries that exist within each region.
- #20 Another aspect to consider is pay, and some people will naturally want to know where they can make the most money. To come up with a list of the highest paying flexible jobs, I searched for articles focused on this topic and matched these with the flexjobs.com research on the fields with the most jobs. I then only listed the jobs that made $50,000 or more (on average). Note that not all of the top 20 categories from flexjobs.com made this list.
- #35 Buying into a franchise business can be a great option, especially if you work well in a team environment and have limited business and industry background. For others, starting your own business may be the best option. To summarize the pros and cons for buying a franchise business, the main benefits are having reduced risk and support from the overall franchise enterprise. You also control most of your work hours. The main disadvantages are that it is still somewhat risky, and franchises tend to require expensive fees upfront. They can also involve a fair amount of hours to get started, just as with any business. Again, there are additional resources on this topic in the Flexible Work document. One woman, Mary, and her husband decided to buy into a daycare franchise while they had younger kids. They were surprised as to how much work it involved, especially since it was a struggling school, and it took several years of hard work before they finally felt they could take a real vacation and not worry as much. But once they had reliable staff on board, they did find that they had more flexibility in their schedules. So you just want to make sure that with any business that you know what you are getting into.
- #36 Home-based and online businesses can tend to be more flexible than other businesses. Here are some examples of such options, just to show you the range. I’ve also included articles on such businesses in the Flexible Work document. Browsing through similar lists can help spark ideas that might work for you.
- #37 Lastly, I wanted to share ways you can help advocate for flexible work places if you are interested in doing so. Clearly, the American workplace has made great strides in advancing flexibility in the workplace, but we are not completely there yet. It is not available to everyone and in every workplace. It is not standard or a given. But I believe we will get there one day. All the initiatives and resources on this slide are listed in your Flexible Work document, but I want to point out One Million for Work Flexibility, which launched just this year as the “first national initiative to bring people together and create a collective voice in support of work flexibility”. This is fairly easy to join, basically by just submitting your email, and you can encourage your friends, family, colleagues, and even company or organization to join as well.
- #38 So we have covered quite a bit this afternoon. Here are a few key points to take away from this presentation: First, take some time to assess yourself, particularly your values, skills, interests, and personality traits. Consider where you are at in your life and what you want and need in terms of flexibility. Consider the best flexible career fields and jobs lists; do they fit with your current and/or past work? If not, could you change careers to a more flexible field? Do some research on your current employer – it might be possible to arrange a flexible arrangement right where you are Another option is to target an employer who is known for flexibility or who has listed a job that already incorporates flexibility. A final option is to go out on your own and create flexible work by starting a business, buying a franchise, or selling your own services as a freelancer, contract worker, or consultant.