This article from today’s Washington Post talks about how many women are facing loss of (or at least pressure on) their flex-time arrangements because of cut-backs at their companies. As a mother, I can imagine how difficult this must be; as a manager, I’m not sure whether my department would run effectively if any of my employees had a flex or part-time arrangement. In these times when staff is so lean, flex-time for one working mother might mean overtime for another.
A recent Forbes magazine article presents a somewhat more balanced view of the situation, indicating that some mothers are finding it easier to get a flexible work schedule because companies are cutting back hours and are also creating more enlightened work-life balance policies. At the same time, the article quotes several experts who warn against asking for flex-time in this economy. While it’s hard to draw conclusions one way or another from this kind of reporting, I think it offers a truer picture. Some women work for companies that will find flex-time acceptable, and even desirable, many others will not. It’s important to know your company well before asking.
Sometimes I wonder if women would be less of a target if we didn’t formally request flex-time, but just took what we needed to make our lives work. This might require asking for a few extra vacation days or a few hours here and there for doctors visits or school recitals, but in the end, maybe those requests would be would be more palatable to employers. I’m not advocating giving up this fight, but in the interest of getting what we need, might it be better to ask for less, but take more?
There were a few nice positives in the Washington Post story too: Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase, two benchmark companies, are maintaining their work-life initiatives. And the Obama administration is making work-life balance a priority, which will both give the issue visibility and encourage business leaders to make changes to their work environments.
How have you made flex-time work? Do you feel pressure in this economy to give up your part- or flex-time arrangements?
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3 Comments
March 25, 2009 at 12:33 am
My view has always been that it’s better to stay full time and just do what you need to do, quietly, without disclosing your every move. If I need to duck out for a ballet recital or a pediatrician appt, I just say I have a commitment or meeting or appointment and go. I suspect that if I were nominally part time I’d end up working nearly as much for less pay. (By the way, that is exactly what men do. Have you ever heard a man say, “I have to go out to a parent-teacher conference”? No. He just leaves, and everyone assumes he has a client meeting.)
March 25, 2009 at 5:41 am
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March 25, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Thank you for this rational, sensible post. (And for the Forbes article, which I hadn’t seen despite being a subscriber!) You nail the issue by writing, “Some women work for companies that will find flex-time acceptable, and even desirable, many others will not. It’s important to know your company well before asking.” Just as the right work-life balance structure will differ from parent to parent, what’s acceptable will differ from employer to employer. Unlike Ella, I worked for a supervisor who always gave consent if you explained exactly why you were taking flex-time — whereas if you were vague she got suspicious. So men and women alike said they were leaving early/arriving late due to a doctor’s appointment, parent-teacher conference, etc.