InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology

October 16, 2000

Printer ready

Flexibility In The Workplace Is An Increasing Concern

continued...page 2 of 2

More on balance:

Balance (9/25/00) Backlash (9/25/00) VARBusiness: In Search of Balance (10/2/00)

Send Us Your Feedback

The findings are indicative of age and lifestyle: young, single workers who are just beginning to build their careers don't have the same expectations as more established professionals who have families or other time-consuming interests outside work. Managers aged 36 to 45 have the greatest demands for flexibility, followed closely by staffers in that same age category, while few professionals under 25 consider flexibility a priority, according to InformationWeek Research.

Moreover, the importance of a flexible work schedule increases in relation to earnings. Among IT staffers paid a median salary of $75,000 and managers paid a median of $105,000, 77% and 98%, respectively, say that work flexibility is important. But among staffers earning a median of $45,000 and managers a median of $65,000, 47% and 60%, respectively, cite flexibility as a priority.

Chip Bullock, president at DigitalESP, views workplace flexibility as vital for his company. "It's not about salary," he says. "Money doesn't keep anybody working for us. Lots of other things do. Part of our mission statement is taking care of our employees."

DigitalESP pays for notebook and palm-top computers, cell phones, and high-speed Web connections for all employees who choose to telecommute. "When they need to travel here, they can bring everything with them. It's the same when they go to a client," he says.

Quidnunc Inc., a London company that employs 270 IT consultants, shares a similar philosophy. "With all of your work done digitally, the network becomes your work desk," says Heather Vassall, chief people officer. Even though employees appreciate a flexible workplace culture, many have to learn to adapt to the change, she says. "It takes a lot of getting used to for people who are used to burrowing into a desk space, and hunkering down for a 25-year stretch," says Vassall, who travels frequently among the company's offices in London, Berlin, New York, Austin, Texas, and San Francisco.

But how do flexible work schedules ensure a commitment to the company's goals? Might workers become so accustomed to a virtual existence that they forget how they're expected to contribute to the company's success? Absolutely, says Bullock. That's why he requires people who work from home full-time to come into the office once a month for team-building exercises. This might include simply meeting with the CEO and other executives, or it could be more intensive, such as working side-by-side with colleagues with whom telecommuters are used to communicating via phone, fax, and E-mail. Sometimes, just goofing off can be a team-building exercise. "We've got foozball tables, dart boards, things like that," says Bullock. "We let people come in later in the day, if they need to. Take a two-hour break, play foozball, and then go back to work."

Some companies are taking the concept of workplace flexibility even further. At Quidnunc, none of the employees have their own desk or office. Instead, employees get "hot desks"--temporary desks that can be used by any employee on a given day. The employee removes all of his or her possessions by the end of the day so that the space can be used by someone else.

Here's how it works at one of the company's offices in New York: "We have three floors of space and about 90 staffers there," Vassall says. "There are different projects running at different times. If staffers are working on a particular project, they'll move a desk from somewhere and put it into a grouping with other people working on the project. It's not total chaos. It's managed. We're trying to get them to change the way they think every day, and we think this helps."

The office IT infrastructure is set up so employees can hook up their computers almost anywhere they wish, she says. Employees find the group they're working with on a given morning by dialing the team leader's extension on a hot desk's phone. The company has a number portability policy, meaning that phone numbers move with the worker and aren't tied to a specific phone. Once team members locate their leader for the day, the leader can designate where the daily meeting takes place.

In addition to workplace flexibility, the concept provides savings for the company. "Rent in midtown Manhattan is expensive," says Vassall. "We don't keep offices for people who are working from home or those working at a client site." If the company tried to keep a specific desk for every worker, it would end up with more desks and workspace than it really needed, she says. But chances are good that if a worker drops by the New York office for the day, a desk will be available.

InformationWeek Research also shows that hesitant job hunters will probably negotiate harder for flexible work hours than those looking to change jobs quickly. Only one in 10 IT employees looking to jump soon report that a flexible work schedule is an important job matter, compared with four in 10 who are only moderately interested in looking for a new job.

Still, some of those looking for new jobs place a high premium on flexibility. According to InformationWeek Research, 20% of IT professionals who say they want to change jobs cite an inability to balance work and personal time at their current positions. That's one reason Williams left his previous employer. Though he works many weekends, he can opt for flextime during down periods at work that allow him to recover from stress.

With the Baby-Boom generation aging, and Generation X fixated on lifestyle and work-style integration, look for the trend toward workplace flexibility to grow. "People are more reluctant to spend a lot of time away from home than they were in the past," says Parker of Deloitte, "whether they're starting families, caring for elderly or terminally ill parents, or pursuing an educational goal.

"The life of the IT consultant--being on the road five, six, seven days a week--has had an impact on too many people's lifestyles," he says.

"It's crimped their ability to build relationships and families. Having a life is difficult when you're on the road or working all the time. We're finally reaching a point where there's more of a balance, and that's a good thing."

return to page 1

Photo of Williams by Churchill & Klehr

Back to the Careers page
Back to This Week's Issue page
Send Us Your Feedback
Top of the Page