work. smart.

Spotlight on Sara Sutton Fell, CEO at FlexJobs.com Our Newest Partner

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:33:41 -0400

Last week we announced our partnership with FlexJobs.com. This partnership combines our software product capabilities for creating, managing, and retaining a flexible workforce with FlexJobs’ credible and targeted capabilities for attracting and recruiting results-oriented talent looking for flexible work arrangements.

Because FlexJobs CEO Sara Sutton Fell is a flexible worker herself, we thought it only appropriate that we ask her to pull back the curtain on her company and her own work lifestyle.

Why did you start FlexJobs.com?

SSF: I started FlexJobs after experiencing frustration in my own job search. I was pregnant with my first child at the time, and as a professional woman I looking for a job that was both in my career path AND that would also allow some flexibility for family. I quickly learned that the search for professional, flexible jobs was very much like finding “needle in the haystack” of ads, scams and other junk. I was shocked that there wasn’t an easier, more reasonable way to find these jobs.

My experience also led me to the profound realization that although women have come incredibly far in the workplace, when it comes to incorporating pregnancy and motherhood into our careers, there is still a very long way to go to find the kind of flexibility we need.

What’s your most notable jobseeker success story yet?

SSF: Honestly, there are so many that come to mind, and they come from all kinds of job-seekers — women, men, mothers, fathers, military spouses, executives, caretakers, students, retirees, etc. One of the most recent success stories was with a new mother who was looking for a flexible job, ideally one that would allow her to telecommute with flexible hours. She had actually applied for a job with FlexJobs, and I thought she was a fantastic candidate and ended up offering her the job. But, she had actually received two other job offers through job leads she had found on our site! As it happened, she decided to accept a different offer than mine, as it was a better overall fit for her career background and goals. Although I was disappointed personally, of course, I was thrilled that she had found a great job that truly fit her life!

What about most notable employer success story?

SSF: Similarly, there are so many that are notable or different reasons, but a sentiment that I have had the good fortune to hear from several employers is that “FlexJobs helped us find the most impressive employees we have ever had – thank you so much!”

A recent standout employer experience was with Forrester Research. They had great success using FlexJobs — they were pleased to get a robust pipeline of high quality candidates for their job, and there were impressed with how quickly it happened. Even better, they ended up hiring someone who applied as a result of the posting! In their words, “It is a huge success story for us at Forrester, and I’ve shared this great resource with all of our recruiters for our future remote staffing needs.”

Our bottom line is that we are thrilled to help great employers of all sizes and in all industries find great flexible candidates.

When you are hiring, do you post the opportunity on FlexJobs?

SSF: Yes! In fact, we just went through a big hiring process for 6 positions, including both a Director of Marketing & PR and a Director of Business Development. I only posted the jobs on FlexJobs, and I am thrilled to say that we hired amazing people for each and every role.

What are your predictions for the next 12 months when it comes to flexible talent acquisition?

SSF: I believe that flexible talent acquisition will continue to increase, and largely due to the numerous bottom-line benefits that it offers employers. Many employers who hadn’t considered hiring remote staff or freelancers before the recession have opened their minds to these alternative arrangements from a cost savings perspective.

Additionally, with the long and short-term benefits of increased productivity and reduced turnover, employers are realizing that workplace flexibility isn’t just a perk for the employee, but also for the company!

Have you seen an increase in flexible job listings? What are some of the trends you’re noticing?

SSF: We definitely have seen an increase in flexible jobs, by about 400% in the past three years. We’ve seen growth in many career categories, especially education, medical, nonprofit, information technology, and sales. We’ve also experienced a surge in companies – both large and small – that are integrating a virtual component to their business models, and really implementing telecommute options into their work culture.

More about Sara…

Sara Sutton Fell is the CEO of FlexJobs, an innovative job site for telecommuting, part-time, freelance, and other flexible job opportunities. As CEO, Sara is responsible for managing all aspects of the company.

Sara is a specialist in the online job market, particularly on the topics of online job searching, telecommuting, and flexible work arrangements. She is frequently quoted in the media and has appeared on CNN, NPR’s Marketplace Money, Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes.com, Yahoo!, and many other sources to discuss employment trends. In addition, she is a passionate advocate for work-life balance and the environmental benefits of embracing alternative work arrangements.

Prior to starting FlexJobs in 2007, Sara spent 12 years in management and entrepreneurial roles. She also co-founded another online job company in 1995, JobDirect, which was acquired by Korn/Ferry International in 2000.

Sara holds a BA in Society, Technology, and the Environment from the University of California at Berkeley. She resides in Boulder, Colorado with her husband, two young sons, and chocolate lab.

Featured Flex Worker: Ryan

Mon, 16 May 2011 11:38:00 -0400

This week, we’re getting a reality check about flexible working from Ryan, who really gets into the nitty gritty around the challenges of flexible work and why he embraces them.

A little bit about Ryan:

Ryan Rutan is 25% technologist, 25% marketer, 25% entrepreneur, and 25% silly putty. This amalgam has led him from being the director of marketing for a technology company, to the director of technology for a marketing company, and most recently the President of Digital-MR in the US. He is charged with expanding the company’s position in North America, with a focus on business development for their syndicated web listening reports across financial, smart phone, and retail apparel markets.

With 16 of his 32 years on the planet engaged in commercial enterprises from cafe ownership to cattle ranching, he is able to bring a youthful energy backed by nearly two decades of broad experience to his endeavors.

Living across 3 continents, and working in twice as many countries, he has developed an “everywhere from anywhere” approach to work. He embraces the new flex arrangement with Digital-MR brought about after uprooting a 4 year residence in Cyprus to return to his family and hometown in the US with his wife and dog. Evidencing a commitment to flexibility, the move was made in 3 suitcases, one animal carrier, and a single briefcase.

Tell us more about your flexible work arrangement, what does a typical workweek look like?

Because a large part of my remit involves interfacing with my European colleagues, my day typically starts just shy of 5:00AM, with work commencing as soon as the coffee is poured. In this way, I am able to maintain a reasonable overlap with their working hours.

We utilize a number of web based technologies to create online environments that enhance communication, collaboration, and productivity between the functional roles within our company, and points of contact with clients and vendors. I have my own golden ratio, and its 10:1, written words to spoken. This creates a record, and leaves little room for creative reinterpretation (intentional or otherwise) of the details. Wherever possible, a document takes the place of a personal/phone briefing, a meeting is replaced by a collaboratively developed report, limiting the number of forced interruptions that occur in a day, allowing productivity to stay at peak levels, and the focus to be on delivery of “products” and not communication of objectives.

An average workweek comprises 50-60 hours, with 6-12 of these being spread over the weekend.

Was your job flexible to begin with, or was it something you negotiated with your employer?

Digital-MR is a digital market research agency, and because we occupy web based spaces, the roles within the company are inherently geared towards flexibility. My ability to perform is predicated only on being able to access the internet.

What have been the most notable benefits of your flexible work arrangement?

The inception of my flexible role coincided with an overseas move (Nicosia, Cyprus to Columbus, Ohio), and because of the flexibility, my wife and I were able to manage this continental migration over a weekend, without taking a full day off during the process. This ability to remain viable at work even during chaotic personal events means that I can limit the tough choices between career and home life, because now they can co-exist.

The scope of my role has expanded along with becoming flexible, and in addition to the early mornings, has meant some late nights, and long stretches of needing to be on task. Because of the flexibility, I have been able to be physically present with my family as they gather in the evenings, if not separately mentally engaged. Its a great comfort to look up to their smiles when I retract nose from grindstone.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced working flexibly?

Workaholism is always lurking in the next Blackberry alert. Because my full work environment is constantly at hand, it is always a challenge to say “no, that can wait.” Rather than spend energy on making a conscious effort to separate them, it is often easier to give in to the urge to work. The fact that I enjoy my work makes this a less painful concession, but it does take its toll.

What advice would you offer those who would like to negotiate a flexible work arrangement with their employer?

Prior to opening the dialogue with your employer or partners, strongly consider things like:

How much do I rely on the input of others, and how much will my efficiency be reduced (and therefore my hours increased) if I do not have them readily at hand?

Looking for ways to maintain their “voice” at work, and remain an integral part of the management process.

Proving the concept: Make use of tools that allow the work environment to be more flexible and productive now, providing proof of concept for further expansion. By showing not only that your current role doesn’t lose efficiency, but that it can actually improve by removing the limitations of office based work, will go a long way in adding credence to your request.

Tell us about your “office” space….

My Asus UL-30VT, Blackberry Bold, and a great leather shoulder bag are all I need. I have temporary home office, which will convert to a dedicated home office in the next 2 months, but my approach is more “anywhere with wifi and a wall socket”. I infrequently need scanning and printing, which require either a trip to a print-shop if I am out (Fedex-Kinko’s are convenient) or are more than handled by the simple all-in-one Canon I keep under (unplugged) the table that currently serves as my base of operations.

If you could describe your “workstyle” in one-two words, what would it be?

Lean + Dynamic

Anything else you’d like to add?

Working in a non-traditional environment brings a unique set of benefits and challenges that should be weighed carefully before undertaking any drastic changes in your own situation.

I was able to sample a flexible role through project based work with distal offices in my previous company, and knew that it was a good fit for me. My role is also one that lends itself to being flexible, and my comfort level with the various technologies that support such an undertaking have made it a great experience thus far.

They say “that which does not bend is bound to break,” so I will embrace flexibility and all that comes with it.

So what about you, can you relate to Ryan’s flexible work arrangement?

Flexible Work & Legal Risks...Take Our Flex Legal Challenge

Mon, 09 May 2011 08:52:19 -0400

Do you have a solid understanding of the legal ramifications of flexible work?

Are you armed with the right information to avoid putting your organization at risk?

With legislation changing, you may be surprised to find that, right now, you’re not.

A great way to test your knowledge of the legal implications and challenges of flexible work is to take our challenge.

After you take the challenge, let us know how many of the challenge questions you got right and what surprised you the most.

Also, don’t forget: If you want to have access to a resource that will help to ensure legal compliance as it relates to your flexible work practices and updates you every time there’s a change in legislation, we’ve got a solution for you. Just contact Kelly Gouteixm kelly.gouteix(at)flexpaths(dot)com or Beth Starr, beth.starr(at)flexpaths(dot)com.

Flex Legal Challenge from FlexPaths & Littler View more documents from FlexPaths

Flexible Work Arrangement Week

Mon, 02 May 2011 15:14:00 -0400

The first week in May is Flexible Work Arrangement week, promoting experimentation with rearranged work schedules and locations outside of the conventional office setting.

To celebrate, members of the FlexPaths team offer their ideas for flexing your work arrangements this week. We hope that these will inspire you to embrace flexible work this week if you don’t already. And if you are already a flexible worker? We hope you’ll take the opportunity to encourage others to flex their work this week, as well.

Meryl Rosenthal, CEO:

Encourage managers to extend on site coverage of their teams while promoting flex work. Every Friday, have team members decide if they want to start two hours earlier or later to avoid peak commute times. Promote it as a win win for the company and its customers.

Clare Flynn Levy, Managing Director, UK:

Ask your team to each spend an hour thinking about what their ideal work arrangement would actually be, assuming that their role didn’t change, but if “face time” wasn’t an issue and/or there was no concern about career progression being jeopardized. How would their work be affected? How would the team be affected? Then sit down, as a team, and spend an hour reviewing them together. Are any of the “ideal world” scenarios actually both possible and win-win for the team member and the company? If so, why not give them a shot?

Sandy Burud, PhD, Principal:

Pick some jobs that seem ‘inflexible’, like administrative assistant positions — and think about how they can be restructured to make more flexibility possible. Better yet, have the people in those jobs – not just the individual, but the team as a whole — think about how to use technology, restructure responsibilities and how to collaborate in new ways, to allow for flexible scheduling and remote work. The process itself – besides leading to good ideas – helps the whole team buy in to the solution.

Meryl Rosenthal, CEO:

Be proactive.. If you have an employee who you believe can work well in a flex arrangement and it will be a win-win for him/her and the business, suggest it. The increased productivity, engagement and simply goodwill will be well worth it.

Karol Rose, Principal:

Try a flex simulation as a way to help managers and employees get comfortable with managing/working remotely. Invite employees who would like to work remotely some or all of the time and their managers to participate in a remote work simulation where they work away from each other in another part of the building or different office for one month. The ‘rule’ is they cannot have ‘face time’ during this period. Managers need to provide guidance about deliverables and performance without seeing their employees. Employees need to decide what kind of support they need and how best to do their jobs without the usual office resources. Both need to figure out what’s required to make remote work a success in terms of technology and business ‘etiquette’ for things like meetings, client or co-worker needs, etc. They should debrief during the month to determine what’s working and what needs to be fixed. The simulation is a way to practice remote work before committing to doing it all or some of the time.

Kelly Gouteix, Sales:

Flexibility doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” proposition. Sometimes just working flexibly once or twice a week might be all that you need. With a strong action plan in place for how you will get your work done, you can reassure your manager that you’ve thought through the company’s best interests as well as your own.

Meryl Rosenthal, CEO:

Attention all CEOs. We just had ‘Take Your Sons & Daughters To Work Day’. Follow that up by encouraging parents to visit their child(ren)’s school so the experience can be shared in the classroom and have the parents use the rest of the day to work offsite. Have them share the experience with you.

Robin Roschke, COO:

We know you want to flex … but cross the chasm and improve productivity through flexible work. Start by test driving your company’s tools. Here are some ideas:

Set aside a half of day and declare NO emails unless you need to send an attachment. Want to reach a colleague? Send an IM.

Schedule a meeting- a VIRTUAL one….insist that everyone be in a different location and turn the video webcam on; share a document and collaborate in real time.

Got wikis? Identify a topic that you want the team’s weigh in and capture it via online discussion threads, encourage folks to tag their content too!

Jessica Smith, Marketing:

Try rearranging your schedule to avoid the longer commute times. Arrive 1-2 hours earlier and leave 1-2 hours earlier. If you have a meeting later in the day, try calling in during your commute home (using a hands-free device) or video conference once you’re home.

Advice for Women Business Owners

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:59:00 -0400

Co-founded by Meryl Rosenthal and Robin Roschke, FlexPaths is a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified business.

What is WBENC, you may ask?

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned controlled, and operated by women in the United States. WBENC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its national standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country. WBENC is also the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America’s corporations.

- WBENC.org

Both Meryl and Robin were senior executives in the financial services industries before launching FlexPaths so they brought a lot of experience to the table when they started their business together. However, they have learned a lot in these past several years and offer the following advice to other women business owners…whether just launching or currently taking their business to the next level:

Audit and upgrade your team regularly. Don’t procrastinate as it relates to removing talent that isn’t right for your organization– in terms of culture, performance, results. Set up all arrangements as a trial (3 months) and expect that 50% won’t make it.
Listen to your advisors. Invest in the best attorney, accountant, HR, insurance advisors possible and heed their advice. Trade up as your budget and sophistication allows.
Invest in the right marketing – being visible with your brand isn’t hard in today’s world of online and social networking. Invest the time in having a brand and message that distinguishes your company, offerings, and reputation and rally EVERYONE to take part.
Face the reality that women owned businesses are much less likely to get funding and yes, even the women owned investment funds are extremely challenging. Women do not have the sustainable business networks that help bolster one another in a substantive way
Be sure to diversify your organization, yes- with men!

Finally, Robin adds:

One piece of advice that I heard and did follow was to make sure I had a business partner who was also someone i had a proven working relationship with. That to go it completely alone is all but impossible. I must say I can not imagine the journey without my co-founder and friend - and it is the synergy between us that underscores our successes as well as our ability to navigate our errors and the harsh market realities.

Meryl and Robin around the time FlexPaths was founded.

If you’re a successful woman who owns a business, what are your words of advice for other women?

5 Myths That Hold CEOs Back From Embracing Flexibility

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:15:00 -0400

Formerly a fund manager and President of Beauchamp Financial Technology Ltd. (now a subsidiary of Linedata Services SA), Clare is now focused on helping companies improve financial returns and individuals improve quality of life by embracing flexible work practices. As Managing Director of FlexPaths, Clare drives new product development and UK sales of the company’s software products, including FlexPaths Educate (a configurable portal for centralizing and communicating consistent, legally-compliant flexible working policies, tools and resources) and FlexPaths Enroll (a system for tracking utilisation of different workstyles in order to measure ROI).
Clare is the founder of the Equilibrant Network for senior executives interested in flexible work (see LinkedIn group). She also consults for Elsworthy Associates and is Non-Executive Chairman of Grasshopper Porridge.

Why is it that, so often, HR teams “see the light” when it comes to encouraging flexible work practices, but CEOs don’t? Most companies today are engaging in flexible work, whether their leaders fully recognize it or not. Some have formal policies in place. Most consider it to be an employee benefit that they may be required to offer, by law or in order to attract talent. Few actually embrace it as an actual competitive advantage in business. As a former CEO myself, and someone who deals with senior leaders regularly, I’d like to use this opportunity to dispel some common myths that I know hold CEOs and other senior executives back from making flexible work a strategic business imperative:

Myth #1: Flexible Work Means Less Work

People often confuse flexible work with “flexi-time,” a term that commonly refers to part-time work. Flexibility around HOW MUCH work that gets done is one type, sure, but there are several others:
Flexibility around WHERE work gets done: Telework and other forms of remote work are becoming more and more common, having been spurred on by technology as well as by the economic downturn, which has made many companies re-think their spend on corporate real estate. No one is saying that face-to-face interaction is not important, but do you really need to be paying for all of your employees to be sitting at desks in your offices 8 or more hours a day, 5 days a week? On average 60% of corporate desks are unoccupied at any given time. Not surprising, then, to see what was once called “hot-desking” on the rise again, under more palatable names like “agile workplace”. From a CEO’s point of view, getting your employees to pay the bulk of your rent for you is genius.

Flexibility around WHEN works gets done: ”When” is different to “how much” - it’s an important distinction. For many workers, their ability to do a good job does not necessarily depend on them doing their work between 9am and 5pm. Given the choice, many would choose to start earlier and end earlier. Or start later and end later. Or start at the standard time, take a few hours in the middle of the day to deal with other things, and then work again at night. Most senior leaders do that anyway. So why not proactively make it part of your company culture? As long as you are getting your work done well and your customers are satisfied, and your job doesn’t literally rely on something that happens during certain hours (like store operation, or equity trading), why should the company care when you do it?

Flexibility around HOW work gets done: Most people don’t think about flexibility in terms of the contractual relationship between companies and their workers. Using freelancers or contractors instead of employing the resource is a form of flexible work, and a very useful one, for many companies. There are pros and cons that go with it, like with anything else, but in a lot of ways, this is the purest form of flexible work - it allows the company to flex its cost base alongside its revenue base.

Myth #2: ”If I Can’t See You, You’re Not Working”

Seriously? More CEOs and senior managers feel this way than would admit it - it’s a by-product of how the last 2 generations have been raised in industry and it takes some cultural adjustment to get over. I liken it to how a toddler thinks that if he covers his eyes, you can’t see him. If whether you can see an employee or not is the only thing that controls whether he or she is working, you’ve got bigger problems. Studies show that flexible workers are actually more productive than workers without flexibility: when we have more control over our time, we are less stressed and hit our “breaking points” later. Meanwhile, just because you can see your employees does not mean they are working. A friend of mind who runs a large online recruitment website and I were chatting on the night of the last big snowstorm. I asked him whether many of his staff had stayed home due to the appalling inability of the UK’s infrastructure to handle snowfall. He said no, that most of them were set up for telework, but that they’d seen a major drop-off in online job applications on the snow days. ”How odd,” I said, “you’d think that people who had time off work would apply for more jobs, not fewer.” ”Exactly the opposite,” he replied. ”Most people only apply for new jobs from the office.” So now you know, just because you can see your employees, doesn’t mean they’re working. Some of them are looking for another job - on your dime.

Myth #3: Flexible Work is Women’s/Parents’ Issue

Working mothers have led the way on flexible work to date, and flexible work is definitely key to attracting and retaining senior women, but in this day and age, they aren’t the only ones who value it. Laws in countries like the UK have, to date, mistakenly framed flexible work as a parents’ issue, when really, everyone should have the right to request flexible work - WHY they are requesting it shouldn’t be relevant. Flexibility is the #3 thing people in general look for in a job in the US, after salary and medical benefits; in the UK, it’s #2 after salary. Meanwhile, studies show that people who have flexibility would forgo a significant pay increase if it meant giving that flexibility up: flexibility can, in fact, be more valuable than money. That should be music to a CEO’s ears! And with a labor shortage looming in most of the Western world, flexibility is a massive weapon in the war for talent. Orange, the UK mobile telco, recently did a study of 1,000 people just out of university: 53% said they expected flexible working as standard when they begin their jobs, and 69% said the option to work flexibly was important to them. They were not disproportionately female, and I’m guessing very few were parents - to Generation Y, flexibility is a way of life. Meanwhile, with mandatory retirement ages being removed and people living longer, Baby Boomers are looking to continue working too, provided they can have flexibility. Flexible work is an EVERYONE issue.

Myth #4: If I Let One Person Have A Flexible Work Arrangement, They’ll All Want One

The fear of setting a precedent is a big one for leaders of smaller companies, in particular. Here’s the reality: just because a flexible work arrangement is granted to one employee, doesn’t mean other employees have the right to have their requests granted, too. Flexible work is not “one size fits all” thing. If your process for making decisions to approve or decline requests for flexible work arrangements is reasonably rigorous (eg. If it involves asking questions like: Is the employee a good performer? Is he or she good at managing time? Is he or she doing a job that requires a physical presence in the office 5 days a week? Is it possible for the team to function as well in the context of the employee moving to the requested form of flexible work? and so on) and documented well, you should be able to make the right decisions for your business while mitigating legal risk. Just because you grant one employee’s flexible work request does NOT mean you have to grant another’s. Where companies get into trouble is when managers make clumsy decisions, aren’t transparent or communicative, don’t manage the manager-employee relationship well throughout the process, and don’t document their thoughts and actions.

Myth #5: Giving All Employees the Right to Request Flexible Work Will Create an Insurmountable Admin Burden

We live in the age of technology, do we not? You don’t need a large HR team to manage flexible work well, and a flexible work initiative can pay for itself immediately, by stopping even one high-performer from leaving in search of more flexibility elsewhere. Both employees and managers can be educated to make optimal requests and objective decisions, respectively, using online tools and resources. Workflow can be automated, and records can be stored electronically at very low cost. Yes, this making all of that happen is FlexPaths’ business, but there are plenty of ways to skin a cat. Technology is the catalyst for and the lifeblood of flexible work - if you’re trying to use paper-based systems, or even just email, to run a flexible work initiative, you’re missing the point. Don’t be surprised when it fails.

So, dear CEOs, you have a choice: stick with the myths and bury your head in the sand, or be proactive and embrace flexible work to attract talent, get more productivity for less money, reduce real estate costs, and have everyone (including your shareholders) thanking you. It’s a no-brainer, really.

Featured Flex Worker: Jodi

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:14:54 -0400

Jodi works as a part time attorney in child abuse and family violence. She started 10 years ago full time and has also worked from home as a contractor. Now she works in house, part-time, 20 hours a week. She also blogs about anything and everything at jodifur.

A lot of our featured flex workers here at the work. smart. blog work remotely or telecommute the majority of the time. This week, we are featuring Jodi, a working mom who works part-time on a flexible schedule. If you would like to be a featured flex worker, we make it really easy, just answer our interview questions here.

Tell us more about your flexible work arrangement, what does a typical workweek look like?

I work 20 hours a week, and split them over three days, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My boss is fairly flexible but because I am an attorney and need to be in court, it is hard for me to work from home.

Was your job flexible to begin with, or was it something you negotiated with your employer?

When I started I was a typical 40 hour a week employee. And then I left when I had my son and worked as a contractor. When the one part-time attorney in my office left, my boss asked me to come back in the part-time role.

What have been the most notable benefits of your flexible work arrangement?

My boss does not care how I do my 20 hours, as long as I do them. So if I need to switch my days because my son is sick or to go on a field trip that is fine.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced working flexibly?

Even though I work 20 hours, sometimes emergencies come up on the days I am not there. And the judges don’t like to hear me say: “I don’t work on Fridays.”

What advice would you offer those who would like to negotiate a flexible work arrangement with their employer?

Employers don’t want to lose your institutional knowledge. They will want to keep you. It never hurts to ask.

Tell us about your “office” space….

It’s in a traditional office building, my flexible work arrangement is about when I do my work, not where I do it.

If you could describe your “workstyle” in one-two words, what would it be?

Productive - in limited time.

While Jodi’s career as an attorney thrives, she doesn’t have to give up seeing her son do the same.

We're Attending the "Life Balance"TweetChat #LeadFromWithin with Diana Antholis & Lolly Daskal

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:37:00 -0400

We're Attending the "Life Balance"TweetChat #LeadFromWithin with Diana Antholis & Lolly Daskal:

When? Tomorrow, Tuesday April 12 at 8pm EST.

Just follow the hashtag #LeadFromWithin to follow along.

We’re especially excited because the super smart, FlexPaths friend Diana Antholis will be featured talking about life balance, career, and flexibility.

If you’re not already, make sure you’re reading Diana’s blogs: Enter Adulthood for millennials transitioning into “the real world” as well as And It’s Only Tuesday, a business blog she co-authors with her mother Helen Antholis.

And make sure you’re following both Lolly Daskal and Diana Antholis on Twitter.

If you plan to attend, let us know in the comments with your Twitter handle so we can make sure we’re following you.

You can find us on Twitter @FlexPaths

Top Ten Things We Learned at SXSW 2011

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:51:00 -0400

We thought the best way to illustrate the insights we gleaned was to share them via our tweets.

10. There are lots of collaboration tools out there, however, in the Loose Organizations session, Google Docs was the one that stood out the most.

9. We agreed that talent trumps being geographically desirable.

8. Companies have tools, processes, and workflows for their employees to use, but the key is working for what works best for you.

7. Offering flexible work is not about providing a fringe benefit, it’s about increasing profitability.

6. Enough said.

5. With as prices up, we probably don’t need another reason why telecommuting makes sense and saves cents.

4. Who hasn’t found this to be true?

3. Working virtually has business benefits, one of which is potentially increased productivity due to employee wellness.

2. Simple, yet powerful, statement. We should remind ourselves of this often.

1. We need to take ownership of our situations…we can’t expect change if we don’t take responsibility for it ourselves.

Did you attend any of the Work & Happiness sessions at SXSW? Would love to hear what you learned and continuing making connections until next year.

We were honored to meet so many people who work. smart. at SXSW including Mike Schneider and Jen Lee Reeves pictured below.

We're Attending the White House Women in America Live Chat on March 30...Are You?

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:29:49 -0400

Image Source: WhiteHouse.gov

The White House recently released the report “Women in America: Indicators of Social & Economic Well-being” and on March 30, The White House is hosting a live chat with Shine to discuss women in the workplace, education, and workplace flexibility.

Who will be there?

Well, senior White House administration including Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and Preeta Bansal, General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, to start.

And you better believe that we’re going to be participating as well. Workplace flexibility is what we, here at FlexPaths, live and breathe with our clients everyday. Also, because we’re a certified women owned business, we’re especially passionate about supporting the White House Council on Women & Girls.

It’s our hope that you will want to attend this exciting event too, whether you’re a woman or girl…or a man that supports the career advancement and education of one you care about.

How easy is it to participate? You can attend via Facebook, or if you’re not on Facebook, you can follow along with the live chat directly on the White House live chat page.

When it comes to the White House promoting workplace flexibility, their initiatives are not limited to this live chat. The White House Council on Women and Girls also provides a work flex kit with ideas for initiating and fostering your own workplace flexibility conversations.

So let’s recap.

On March 30, please make your voice heard when it comes to workplace flexibility, education, and women in workplace by attending the White House live chat by submitting your questions to Shine in advance.

Then on March 30 at 4:45pm EDT, attend the live chat.

Also, make sure you’re following FlexPaths on Twitter, as we will be live tweeting the event and continuing the conversation there.

March Madness For Increased Productivity?

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:30:08 -0400

Chances are, if you live in the United States, you’re thinking about basketball brackets right about now or know someone who is. Since a lot of the games take place during the traditional workday, we were curious about how managers are handling the “madness”. Does our passion for spectator sports impact workplace flexibility?

Read on…

Photo by big swift

Today’s guest post is by Vince Capps. He is a self-employed IT Consultant located in Little Rock, Arkansas, with ten years of extensive experience in the engineering, administration and support of information technology systems, websites, and databases. He’s also a part-time online student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in his senior year of pursuit in obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology. Vince’s hobbies include being outdoors as much as possible, writing, graphic design, amateur boxing, watching live sporting events, and playing with his White Labrador Retriever friend, Cooper. Follow Vince on Twitter for information on his soon to be released website, constantv.com, a personal blog and collection of short stories and IT projects.

*****

Many employers fear that March Madness will drag down their workers’ productivity, that allowing the tournament to be monitored will become an obsession and larger priority than that of the job. While this might show to be a plausible argument, many employers might want to lessen their apprehension, as doing so could become profitable.

Let’s review, for an example, a mid-sized, three hundred employee investment banking company that has consistently grown in value for over thirty years; one where the management likened the tournament to the industry of trade. After all, the tournament consists of the same gambles, hunts, and chases that create a sort of “madness” for buyers and sellers of stocks and bonds. Alike, the outcome of investments and games can change so quickly and shape the entire market/tournament by a marginal derivative. The only difference is that the outcome of March Madness isn’t as serious as that of the trading markets.. Well, for some anyhow.

Most employees in such a company will likely agree that “eating” what they “kill”, “living on the deal”, is fun but full of stress. Over time, this causes investors to be gun shy by the lack of fluidity in their deals. The tournament is an appealing way for management to lessen this tension, as they believe that games are therapeutic, reinventing or recharging the wheels that employees use to make optimal decisions. Not only that, but it strengthens the foundation of communication between those who have difference of interests in particular markets.

Sure, management is conscientious about the possibility of deterioration of workflow (and they should be for the welfare of the company). But the increased morale of the workplace is of far more importance.
Given the overall status of today’s economy, it is important that employees have a way to brighten their scope and play well as a team.

A company that has confidence in their team is one that has confidence in the future.

Does your company encourage March Madness at your workplace?

Legal Compliance and the Flexible Workplace: What You Need to Know

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:31:36 -0400

Have you read our most recent white paper we released in collaboration with Littler Mendelson?

Mitigate or Litigate: Flexible Working & Legal Exposure View more documents from FlexPaths

We participated in Littler’s 2010 Executive Employer® conference — one of the most innovative gatherings around employment law information held in the US, where flexible work was noted as the leading edge of how work will be done.

Garry Mathiason, Chairman of the Board at Littler, introduced FlexPaths as he presented “10 Workplace Trends” in employment law for the next decade. It was striking that 2 of 10 ten future trends involved a shift to flexible work:

The Digitalization of Work, and
The newest type of discrimination that protects ‘caregivers’ in the workforce.

That’s noteworthy to say the least in the vast and complicated world of employment law — that flexible work is garnering that much attention in the legal community.

The convergence of Littler’s legal expertise and FlexPaths’ knowledge of the practical application of flexible work fills a major gap. It’s clear there is great synergy with our combined talents and perspectives — to help leaders and line managers who worry about the legal issues related to flexible work embrace a trend that is growing virally and to protect themselves legally.

Sandy Burud of FlexPaths gleaned further insight into legislation and what it means for the future of flexible work:

I’m struck with the span of legislation in the works promoting flexible work – from the ‘green’ legislation geared to reducing commutes, FSLA changes, telework legislation, and sick time and leave legislation. When you put all the pieces together, a meta-trend is clearly at work. And, like the bunch of sticks being harder to break than a single stick, together they underscore how systemic this change is and how fast it is accelerating.

The white paper also points out some common stereotypes that managers make about flexible work arrangements that may result in unlawful conduct.

The most common – and the one with the greatest legal exposure – is the stereotype that people working flexibly are poor performers and so can be treated differently. Besides the fact that research substantiates the reverse – that employees who have more options about when and where they work tend to be more efficient and productive – the assumption can lead to discriminatory behavior.

This white paper underscores the importance of having flexible work polices and procedures in place as well as the provision of methods and mechanisms to hold flexible workers and their managers accountable.

It also illustrates the importance of human resources and legal working together to make sure everything is compliant and modifications are made as needed when laws change or are amended. FlexPaths, in collaboration with Littler, offers solutions for these with products and services can add immediate value to an organization that wants to create a flexible working culture.

FlexPaths’ focus is to help companies create and leverage a flexible working culture.

Evolving a culture is never immediate, it is a journey.

With that said, FlexPaths is about putting flexible working software solutions in the hands of key company stakeholders - HR, employees and managers – for easy, quick access and benefit. Once our global technology platforms are in place at a company, they can be quickly phased in for access by a department or division, or at the enterprise level.

Our ability to scale and move flexible working value across an organization systemically through technology, is a differentiator and accelerator to move on the culture change front.

Furthermore, by supplementing the legally compliant content and work flow in our product offerings through our collaboration with Littler Mendelson, we help companies step back to understand, monitor and evaluate the legal challenges associated with flexible work. As a result, our solution helps companies respond accordingly and expeditiously.

Click here to find out more information about our for legal compliance and/or a demo of our software solutions.

Featured Flex Worker: Pilar Galiana

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:46:22 -0400

Pilar Galiana is a digital marketer with over a decade of experience. She started her digital career working for agencies such as Lasso Communication (a division of Grey Interactive Canada), National Public Relations (Canada’s largest PR firm) and Medium One Productions on brands like TD Bank Financial, Nokia Canada, Polaroid Canada and Xerox Canada to name a few. Then she moved to the client side and joined Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Interactive Marketing team where she worked for almost 8 years heading up their content and development teams. Today Pilar works from home for her own consulting company called Ella Says. She works directly for both Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Seaport Hotel Boston and partners with local agencies working with XM Radio, White Ribbon Campaign and Access Ontario. Although she continues to lead and manage projects, Pilar’s work is starting to focus more on content centered social media strategy.

Tell us more about your flexible work arrangement, what does a typical workweek look like?

I have spent so much of my career managing stakeholders or suppliers that were in different countries or time zones that working in a “remote” office hasn’t been a significant transition. The vast amount of work that I do is on the computer or over the phone. I have regular status calls with my clients and for a few here in Toronto we have face to face meetings every couple of weeks. Meetings are always documented with contact reports and status updates go out on a regular basis. The best practices of office life become essential when you work remotely.

I do try and get out of the house every day, if I don’t have a business lunch or an out of office meeting booked I will make a point to go out for a coffee or out for a quick bite of lunch with my husband who works from home too. We live in downtown Toronto and can walk to a dozen different coffee shops or restaurants in just a few minutes. I love the uninterrupted work time you get when you work from home, but I find if I don’t break it up it can quickly become unproductive time.

Was your job flexible to begin with, or was it something you negotiated with your employer?

To get a flexible job I actually chose to resign from my last job and start my own consulting business. Before resigning, I approached my employer with a proposal to hire me as a consultant. Although I was candid that I was looking for a work arrangement that would enable me to spend more time with my family, I made sure my pitch to work as a consultant clearly showed the benefits it would have for the organization and not how it would improve my life. It was a long and stressful process, but in the end I walked out into my new flexible self employed job with a great client who pays on time!

What have been the most notable benefits of your flexible work arrangement?

Quality of life, our life is less stressful. I realize that may sound strange considering I gave up guaranteed income and benefits, but it is the truth.

We still get up before 7, but we no longer use an alarm clock. It is so much nicer to wake up to just about anything other than the beeping or buzzing of an alarm clock.

We walk our daughter to school everyday and walk to pick her up from her after school program every evening. Besides the pure pleasure of the walks, my daughter and I have the best talks on these walks - well mostly she talks, we hold hands and I listen. It is blissful compared to the stress I used to feel sitting in traffic worried that I might be late for a meeting or won’t make it to daycare on time!

I have long periods of uninterrupted time every day when I can be focused and productive. It is amazing what you can produce when people aren’t stopping by your office and inviting you to meetings you clearly don’t need to participate in.

I have time to exercise without having to give up time with my family. In the past, to fit in a yoga class, I would have to either miss our family dinner or miss bed time with my daughter.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced working flexibly?

This biggest challenge with this change ironically was my daughter, who knew I made the change to have more time with her and assumed that I would now do everything with her. She expected me to be able to volunteer at every school event and hang out with her as soon as she got home. She even went through a stage of calling home either early in the school day or at least before she had to go to her after school program - she figured since I was home she should be able to be home too. I did my best to make “sick” days were as dull and boring as possible and we eventually changed our after care arrangements. Now she goes 3 days a week, has one day a week with her grandmother and gets to come home and hang with us on Fridays. I also try to get the bulk of my work out of the way so she really can have me when she gets home. Let’s face it, in a few years she won’t want to have anything to do with me, I need to milk this for all its worth!

What advice would you offer those who would like to negotiate a flexible work arrangement with their employer?

Any proposal for a flexible work arrangement needs to focus on the benefits to your employer, not on how it will improve your life. Suggesting a trial period is a good way to get your boss to see the benefits first hand. Be prepared to own and lead the arrangement, clearly explain how and when you will work, make sure you are always accessible and be proactive with all communications.

Tell us about your “office” space….

I share an office, on the third floor of our very old Victorian house, with my husband.

If you could describe your “workstyle” in one-two words, what would it be?

Collaborative

*****

If you’re a flexible worker and would like to be featured on the work. smart. blog, please complete our Q&A.

Ask the Founders: Getting Technical, How Does FlexPaths Software Work with Your Existing System

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:00:00 -0500

Every week, “Ask the Founders” features our founders Meryl Rosenthal, President & CEO and Robin Roschke CTO & COO. They’ll be providing answers to your burning questions about flexible work best practices, telecommuting policies, the legalities related to the flexible workplace, and workforce productivity.

This week’s question drills down on how our products integrate with existing legacy systems.

We’ve recently started offering flexible work arrangements to every member of our staff. We already use a software system to manage our human capital including time sheets, payroll, forecasting, etc. How does FlexPaths software fit in with what we are already using?

MERYL:

Congratulations on making flexible work arrangements available to your company and furthermore, leveraging technology to do so. It sounds like the software you reference addresses the basic tracking of these arrangements which is a great foundational step. For companies who want to take this to the next level, we recommend our Enroll system. Not only does it identify these workers for administrative purposes, it automates the work flow around filing and approving these arrangements in real time with involvement from employees, managers and HR. This system is highly customizable for work flow, reports, etc. Because of this we can add dimension to how you use this system so that it can provide a powerful audit trail for compliance purposes, showcase productivity and ROI of your flex workers to prove the bottom line benefits of having flexible working in place, and further lever this data for external use – e.g., submit to top lists – for employer of choice distinction. Given that you’ve just started offering these arrangements, having a system that proves out the ROI couldn’t be more timely.

ROBIN:

Like many organizations, your IT division has invested in key components of HRIS to ensure day to day operations are handled efficiently. These systems have typically been configured for the permanent, exempt, non-exempt and/or contingent labor segments. The flex worker could be part of any one of these categories and the nature of the “employee contract” with the organization can vary significantly. Our systems allow for the following: alignment of individual preferences with company offerings, an automated/transparent/compliance request process and the ability to manage innovative workforce programs from flex recruitment to phased retirement to resource teams. Therefore, companies can implement new workforce practices without being confined by traditional HR systems. To that end our databases are designed to interface with key HRIS and are essentially a module within the information architecture.

Have a question you want to ask Robin and Meryl? Email it to jessica (dot) smith (AT) flexpaths (dot) com, send a Direct Message via Twitter to @FlexPaths, or write on our FlexPaths® Facebook wall.

39% of Women Cite Flexible Work as Reason to Pursue Career Advancement: International Women's Day Study by Accenture

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:44:16 -0500

…other reasons cited included better compensation (65%), new, challenging work assignments (44%) and leadership positions (22%).

Accenture released a study for International Women’s Day, today March 8, and found that this year employees are more likely to reinvent their career at their existing employer than find out if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence…even if they’re currently dissatisfied with their job.

We’re obviously excited about this study because one way people want to reinvent their existing job is by flexifying it. Almost half of women and about a third of men are talking about flexibility as a reason for their retention at their employer. As the labor pool starts to retire, retention will become a bigger concern for companies that want to keep top talent…and…well, we hope companies are paying attention.

What else did the study find?

Women and Men Perceive Women’s Career Advancement Differently:

When asked about factors that help women advance in their organizations, more than two thirds of women (68 percent) and about half of men (55 percent) cite hard work and long hours. However, more men (42% of men vs 34% of women) say that women have advanced due to their exceptional talent.

Now, the hard work and long hours - no shocker there. But we found it interesting that men are giving women more credit for their exceptional talent than the women are giving themselves.

Also, the good news is that mentoring is trending:

Gen Y is More Likely to Use Mentors in the Workplace:

One-quarter (25 percent) of Baby Boomer respondents worked with a mentor, compared with 32 percent of Generation X respondents and 37 percent of Generation Y respondents

And if you want to get ahead this year in your career, you’re not alone.

More than half of respondents (59 percent of women and 57 percent of men), say that, this year, in an effort to enhance their careers, they will work on developing their knowledge and/or a skill set to achieve their career objectives.

The research, which surveyed more than 3,400 professionals in 29 countries, compared responses of equal numbers of women and men.

Want to read more of the study?

The entire study can be found on the Accenture website.

This Friday, Barbara Walters will join Accenture for a live webcast to celebrate International Women’s Day.

What about you? How do you feel about your current job?

Are you more driven by compensation or challenging work or would a flexible schedule increase your overall job satisfaction?

How to Write a Resume for a Flexible Job (Guest Post)

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:04:11 -0500

Traditionally, writing a resume was construed as crafting a rather dull ‘summary’ of where you have worked, and when, what titles you held, a few lists of what ‘responsibilities’ you were accountable for and perhaps a battery of bullets wrapped in percentages or dollar signs that assert what you achieved.

As a writing major in college more than a dozen years ago, I recall a technical writing course assignment to design my own resume. Even back then, immersed in the most creative environment, surrounded by aspiring writers, journalists and poets, I developed the most boring, unoriginal resume document. This anemic body of words would have left the reader uninspired, I’m sure.

Fast-forward more than a few years, and you can now find me crafting elegant, strategic and some might say exhilarating career resume stories that hook the readers and coerce them into action to ‘call the candidate in for an interview.’

Conventional or ‘Flexible’ Job Seeker, the Resume Goal is Selling Your Value.

So, whether you are a conventional job seeker aspiring to a role in a corporate, 9-to-5 environment or you are following a more flexible work path that facilitates diverse hours, an office at home, a compressed work week and/or job sharing, you should laser-focus your efforts on assertively and compellingly selling your value to the audience’s needs!

As in any sales initiative, you must drill down and really ‘listen’ to what they are saying their pain points are, and then persuade them that you can assuage their ailments.

First, table your aspirations for a flexible schedule for a bit, and focus solely on the company’s needs. For example, is competition stiff, and their share of the market in jeopardy? If so, then you must think of how you, specifically, will help them raise market share numbers. Or, perhaps they are growing at such a rapid rate, their area of pain is meeting market demand. Then, you must show how you can step in ‘running’ and take care of operational, customer service, production, and/or other needs that would help them maintain a positive reputation as a company who delivers on time, and with quality products or services.

You get the drift.

Flesh Out Your Success Stories, Exhibiting Confidence in a Flexible Environment

Now, flesh out your success stories, carving challenges you faced with people, processes, internal/external forces, etc., the action steps you took to meet those challenges, and the results you secured. When ferreting out your stories, jot down key traits you employed that are intrinsic to successful flexible workers, like, ‘discipline, focus, organization, technology acumen, resourcefulness, delivering work on time, a strong work ethic and confidence in working within a less structured environment,’ among other traits.

Genuinely and colorfully weave those traits into your stories, punctuating then for the reader. Show (don’t just tell) how and why you integrated the traits of a flexible worker to achieve the department’s, division’s and/or company’s goals and objectives. Show how you grew revenues, boosted profits, shrunk expenses, improved efficiencies, helped innovate new products and so forth.

Sandwich in your flexible style with pragmatic, bottom-line outcomes to create a compelling resume that helps attract the types of work cultures and opportunities to which you aspire!

~~~~~

Guest blogger Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter is chief career writer and partner with CareerTrend.net. Collaborating with professionals in career transition, or those individuals who desire to ignite their existing careers, Jacqui is one of only 27 Master Resume Writers globally and holds a BA in writing. An intuitive researcher, she unearths clients’ compelling story details and applies an inventive approach to career positioning documents and social media profiles. Jacqui can be found blogging at the CareerTrend blog, or sharing careers and other talent-promotion and leadership-related musings via Twitter at @ValueIntoWords.

Interested in guest blogging on the work. smart. blog? Get more information about submitting a guest blog post here.

Featured Flex Worker: Leila

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:59:20 -0500

This week’s Featured Flex Worker is Leila. Can you relate to her flexible work arrangement?

Leila has over 11 years of experience and proven exceptional ability in planning and leading the development of B2B proposal strategy for a Fortune 100 company. She has been recognized by her employer multiple times over the years as a consultative sales advisor with a reputation for strategic business approach. Leila is a solid leader with the defining ability to guide geographically dispersed teams that produce tremendous results. A mother of 3 young children, Leila prides herself in her ability to “live the dream”.

So Leila, tell us more about your flexible work arrangement, what does a typical workweek look like?

I work out of my home office full-time. I live in a townhome with my family of 5, so my work space is tight. In fact, our “office” is in an open/common area of the home.

Typically, I drop my children at daycare between 6:30-8, and I am at my desk between 8 and 9am (although I’ve been known to start my day MUCH earlier). I close up on the average day at 5:30pm, when I go to pick-up my children. I sometimes work early mornings or at night while the kids are asleep.

I spend most of my day on the phone and working on sales materials. My home office includes my laptop with large monitor, docking station, etc. as well as a 5in1 printer.

Was your job flexible to begin with, or was it something you negotiated with your employer?

When I first started with this company, I was hired in to a regional office. I worked from there for the first 3 years. At that time, our divisional Vice President saw an opportunity to have the regional office employees in my role “go virtual” as a cost savings measure. At first, I only worked from home 1-2 days a week - on a land line internet connection <gasp>.

I also travel to my company’s headquarters location 1-2 times a month for 1-3 days at a time to lead strategy sessions and meet with key linkages.

What have been the most notable benefits of your flexible work arrangement?

I love being able to merge, MERGE, not balance, my work, and home life. I am able to do much more in any given day because I don’t have to dress up and commute. That gives me time to either focus on key work projects, or spend with my family.

I try to take conference calls while at the gym, walking around the neighborhood, or even doing laundry.

I also love that my kids are fully aware of what it means for mommy to work….it’s not some secret place I run off to each day.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced working flexibly?

The biggest challenge has been career growth. While my company is in many ways a leader in the area of virtual officing, there are still many roles that necessarily need to be located at headquarters. The challenge lies in building a strong network to market oneself as capable of completing those roles in a virtual office.

What advice would you offer those who would like to negotiate a flexible work arrangement with their employer?

Take every opportunity you can to demonstrate your ability to complete work to the same or higher level while working remotely/virtually/flexibly as you have done while in the office. Start small, with only a couple days a week, but ensure that you enable yourself through space, technology, and resources to do only your very best work.

Tell us about your “office” space….

corner office…of my living room (there’s a fireplace in my office!)

Leila’s “corner office”

If you could describe your “workstyle” in one-two words, what would it be?

focused

FlexPaths® is going to SXSWi. We’re looking forward to...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:00:07 -0500

FlexPaths® is going to SXSWi.

We’re looking forward to connecting with some of the most forward-thinking, innovative, and inspiring people from around the world. People who work. smart.

Are you passionate about the future of the workforce? We’d love to connect in person, whether it’s on the outskirts of the expo floor, over coffee or drinks, after a panel or at one of the many shindigs throughout the week. Let’s connect and talk about how we can work. smart. together.

Set up time to meet using Tungle.

You can also follow us on our personal accounts @jessicanow & @sgarbs .

Or, if you prefer, let’s connect via SXSW Social.

Panels with a focus on workforce, work culture, and people management we’re looking forward to:

March 11: HackingWork: Why Good Work Means Breaking the Rules

March 12: I’ve Never Met My Coworkers: Running International Teams

March 13: The New Workstyle – How Work Is Evolving

March 14: Stop Working Nights / Weekends and Get a Life!

March 15: How to Bring Teams Together to Move Mountains

Any you recommend that we attend? (Shameless plugs welcome).

Hope to see you there!

The Future of Work: Is it Flexible Chaos?

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:28:36 -0500

Some commentators and analysts suggest that the future of work is…

chaotic.

Image credit: Kevin Dooley

For example, to describe the changing nature of work, Gartner research analysts as well as Imran Ali at GigaOm use terms like “work swarms”, “work sketch-ups”, and “spontaneous work”.

A work swarm is a new kind of skills-based flexible project team. Instead “traditional teams of people familiar with each other” (usually drawn from the office pool of usual suspects), ad-hoc groups or “work swarms,” often with no previous experience of working with each other, and possibly geographically distant from each other, will become a commonplace team structure.

A work sketch-up is a more informal way to scope a project or map a process. In fact,
according to Gartner and GigaOm, work sketch-ups (presumably rather than formal project plans) will define “most “non-routine” work activities; the process models for these activities will be simple “sketch-ups,” created on the fly”.

Spontaneous work refers to a way of “seeking new opportunities and creating projects around them” that is likely to be “an opportunistic, rather than strategic, activity”.

With terms like that - and other concepts like the human cloud and the 4.0 Career - the future of work can look pretty loosey-goosey. Or chaotic.

Or perhaps we call it non-routine (Gartner calls it “the de-routinization of work”), or collaborative, creative and results-driven.

We like to call it flexible.

Featured Flex Worker: Jack

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:17:38 -0500

We’re excited to start featuring flexible workers here on the work. smart. blog because for us? They are the epitome of working smart.

Recently, Jack, known as “The Jack B” online, shared with me his flexible work arrangement and some insight into how he makes it work.

If you’re a flexible worker and would like to be featured on the work. smart. blog, please complete our Q&A.

So first, a little more about Jack:

The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. He works for a technology company from a lair that is cleverly disguised as a common home in the suburbs, complete with children and a dog.

You can find him on Twitter @TheJackB

The view from Jack’s work space

Tell us more about your flexible work arrangement, what does a typical workweek look like?

My company is located on the East Coast but I live in Los Angeles. Sometimes I think that I should be a vampire. My day often starts before sunrise with an early morning conference call. Ok, it is not so early at corporate but out here we refer to it as I better grab a cup of #&Y^%&#$%^#$%^ coffee so that I can talk.

Most of the team works in the corporate office but there are a few others besides myself who have remote offices. We use that conference call to review action items and determine if there are any pressing issues.

The rest of the day is split up into taking care of work priorities. Those responsibilities really aren’t any different than what you might find in other offices. The distinction is that sometimes we’ll schedule another mid or end of day call to make sure that we are all on track.

Was your job flexible to begin with, or was it something you negotiated with your employer?

I was hired with the understanding that this position came with a remote office.

What have been the most notable benefits of your flexible work arrangement?

The primary benefit is family related. I have more ability to do things with my children during the work day than most people who work in an office. School performances/parties that take place during business hours aren’t automatically off limits to me.

Business attire usually means a t-shirt, shorts and whatever music I want to listen to in the background. If I don’t feel well I don’t necessarily have to take a sick day. I can always take a quick cat nap and not be concerned about appearances.

And since I live in Los Angeles it is important to note that I have the best commute you can get. The house isn’t that big so it is literally moments from home to ‘workspace.’

Jack gets to attend his daughters’ soccer games because of his flexible schedule.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced working flexibly?

The biggest advantage of the freedom that the Internet and cellphones provide is the freedom to work from anywhere. Yet that freedom that they provide can easily morph into an electronic leash.

When you have a home office you have to make an active decision to set business hours or you find yourself working around the clock. It is really simple to decide to tinker with something for five minutes or to send one more email. It is much harder to actually follow through on that.

The other challenge is trying to work when the family is around. During the school year they are out of the house most of the day. If they come straight home they usually arrive during “business hours.”

It is hard for all of them to remember that I am working. The kids expect me to stop working to play with them and I have to remind them that I can’t. Not mention my spouse who is usually good about things, but sometimes expects me to help with the kids.

I try to make a point of taking a ten minute break when they come home so that they feel like I am not ignoring them.

I should add that when the kids get sick and stay home from school I am the one who takes care of them. Since we both work it makes sense not to use a sick day unless absolutely necessary.

But it does create few extra hiccups in the day. I love being able to do it, but sometimes it can get a bit hairy.

You also need to work a little bit harder to be seen by management. If you are interested in advancement it can sometimes be a little bit more challenging.

What advice would you offer those who would like to negotiate a flexible work arrangement with their employer?

You have to be disciplined. It is really easy to get involved in non work related things. If you want to watch a movie, go to the gym or do any number of things during the day you can do those things. No one is watching you or asking you to punch a clock.

But you still have to get the work done. So be prepared to adjust your schedule in ways that wouldn’t otherwise happen. If you are like me and sometimes you have to watch sick kids you have to be prepared to make up the time later.

You also need to make sure that your family will cooperate with you. Play dates at the house can be extra challenging. It is not fair to your family to try and make their home into a traditional office, but you can’t have the chaos and confusion of 1,928 kids running around either.

Tell us about your “office” space….

I don’t have a dedicated office in my house. When no one is home I work from the dining room table with a laptop and BlackBerry. If videoconferencing is necessary we use Skype. If a client is involved I put on a collared shirt and tie- but I still wear shorts. Sometimes I like to mix it up and I’ll head over to places that have free WiFi. Coffee shops and libraries often work.

Jack’s office space

If you could describe your “workstyle” in one-two words, what would it be?

Flexible, Productive

Anything else you’d like to add?

I don’t think that this is for everyone. You really need to be focused and disciplined and able to demonstrate that you are able to complete your work on time.

Flexible schedules are not as uncommon as they used to be but there are still people who think that those who do it have a poor work ethic or some other deficiency.