With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and partners including the Families and Work Institute, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), WFD Consulting, Working Mother Media/Bonnier Group, and WorldatWork, Corporate Voices for Working Families has instituted a national campaign to engage the business community in creating a broader understanding of the need for workplace flexibility.

 “We are pleased that Corporate Voices for Working Families has come up with a challenge for the business community,” said Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement and the chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls. “It’s a challenge in which businesses will encourage their peers to adopt smart practices that provide workplace flexibility. This will help us pave the way to the creative workplaces of the future.”

Corporate Voices for Working Families issued a statement on June 28, 2010 that stressed, “The increasing numbers of Americans working and going to school, caring for children or the elderly, or working two jobs to make ends meet have created the need for a fundamental shift in workplace culture so that people can meet the needs of both their employers and their families. Flexible workplace policies and practices make this possible; from compressed workweeks and job-sharing to telecommuting and working from satellite locations, flexibility enables workers to better balance work and life. In so doing, they lead to increased employee commitment and engagement, and ultimately, business productivity and profitability.”

Flexible Work Environment
The Corporate Voices for Working Families website offers resources for employers wanting to learn more about the campaign and implementing workplace flexibility policies and programs. For example, a Web page titled, “Workplace Flexibility Toolkits for Hourly Employees and Managers,” includes topics such as “Tips for Creating a Flexible Work Environment,” a 10-page PDF that may be downloaded. It discusses informal flexible work arrangements as well as formal programs. Here’s an excerpt regarding individual requests from employees for flexibility:

• To ensure consistency and fairness, use the same request process and approval standards across all employees to determine whether flexible work requests are viable in terms of enabling the employee to complete all job and work responsibilities.
• Suggest employees follow the suggested flexible work arrangement proposal process and use the tips and worksheet in the Guide for Implementing Flexibility with an Hourly and Nonexempt Workforce: Tips and Tools for Employees.
• Carefully review the employee’s proposed flexible work arrangement if submitted to you as a written proposal or in a meeting and conversation with the employee. Don’t automatically arrive at a yes or no response without careful consideration of the nature of the work and discussion of the following points:
• What are the employee’s current schedule and desired/proposed flexible work schedule?
• What are the employee’s current job responsibilities and work/business requirements, and how will the proposed flexible work arrangement ensure job requirements are met?
• Does the employee clearly understand how the proposed flexible work arrangement will address his/her job requirements rather than primarily meet personal needs? Is it clear that the proposed flexible work arrangement will not have a negative impact on the employee’s job/work requirements and performance? Is it possible that the proposed flexible work arrangement could enhance the employee’s and team’s ability to meet business needs (expanded coverage, improved customer/client service, greater productivity, and effectiveness)?

Join the National Campaign
Any companies with leadership interested in joining the national campaign to spearhead the workplace flexibility movement within business and industry will be joining a cohort of leading best-practice corporate champions, according to Corporate Voices. “Business Champions will be recognized by the White House, will be invited to regional special events celebrating workplace flexibility, and will receive a ‘Business Champion’ seal and logo to recognize their status as supporters of this campaign.”

There is more more information about joining the national campaign on workplace flexibility and becoming a “Business Champion" online.

According to Donna Klein, executive chair and founder of Corporate Voices for Working Families, “Businesses that are thinking about the future and want to be globally competitive are embracing workplace flexibility as a core leadership tool that enables people to meet work and personal responsibilities. All the Business Champions in the campaign believe that flexibility benefits workers at every level—from hourly to professional staff.”

Corporate Voices for Working Families is a national business membership organization representing the private sector on public and corporate policy issues involving working families. Currently, there are 50 partner companies that employ more than 4 million individuals throughout the United States.

Source:

Corporate Voices