Fighting the Flu (and Other Challenges) Flexibly

We’re still in the inferno phase of what’s been an especially hot summer in most parts of the country, but with back-to-school ads dominating the insert section of the Sunday newspaper, autumn can’t be that far away.

With the approach of fall comes new warnings about the serious threat – “an explosion,” as one scientist termed it – posed by the H1N1 (“swine flu”) virus. It’s more than likely that employers can count on plenty of workers calling in sick during Q3 and Q4 if (or when, as some experts predict) the flu begins to make the rounds (Stein, 2009).

One strategy in planning for this possibility is looking to alternative work options to ensure continuity in the event of an outbreak. Having employees work remotely certainly makes much more sense than risking the rampant spread of a virus that could quickly level an office. With this in mind, it’s quite possible that organizations that have been slow to embrace (or have outright resisted) flexible work arrangements in the past may find themselves, by necessity, finally taking the leap.

There seems to be marked evolution and constant movement where workforce flexibility is concerned, which is one of the reasons i4cp has been tracking the issue closely. For a long time, flexible work options were viewed as a softer, work-life balance issue. In some arenas there’s been an emphasis on flexibility as a management tool to get work done efficiently – but not necessarily as an employee perk. But ongoing economic challenges have some employers looking to flexwork as a way to reduce costs and to reward employees, especially when salary increases are not feasible (Galinsky & Bond, 2009).

The release of several studies on workplace flexibility in recent weeks, including i4cp’s 2009 Flexible Work Arrangement Pulse Survey, reflects a clear consensus that – besides playing a potential role in business continuity planning – giving in even a little bit on the subject of flexibility is reaping returns for organizations in many ways.

The i4cp survey – a follow-up to a similar 2008 survey – found that employers who offer flexwork arrangements report improved morale (84%, up from 76% in 2008). And 78% of polled companies said flexwork options improve retention, up from 64% the previous year (Institute for Corporate Productivity [i4cp], 2009).

We found that "flextime" (flexible start/end times) is the most widely used flexible work option, with 76% of companies overall selecting it as their top option. Working from home was the second-most favored, at 59% overall (that figure jumps to 70% in companies with more than 10,000 employees), followed by part-time work, pointed to by 56% of organizations (i4cp, 2009).

Similarly, a study conducted by the Families and Work Institute found that most U.S. employers “are either maintaining the workplace flexibility they offer (81%) or increasing it (13%) during the recession” (Galinsky & Bond, 2009).

Home Shopping Network (HSN) and Sun Microsystems, both i4cp member companies, are two examples of organizations that maintain their agility by successfully leveraging flexible work arrangements to meet their needs. HSN improved customer satisfaction, increased productivity and elevated its status as an employer of choice by using telecommuting (Albright, 2009). Sun Microsystems' mobile work program has significantly divested itself of real estate holdings and overhead by allowing over half (56%) of its workforce to telecommute at least once a week.

But can flexible work really deliver bottom-line dividends such as reduced costs for an organization? According to Cisco, it can save a truckload of money. A lot of hoopla followed the release of Cisco’s study on telework this summer. The finding that had media outlets hyperventilating was the annual cost savings that Cisco attached to its own flex policies: $277 million. The savings reportedly came in the forms of reduced fuel consumption, lowered business travel costs, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, and increased efficiency and productivity.

Granted, with the increased focus on flexible work arrangements and its evolving role in business, many concerns persist. Concerns include decreased morale among workers not offered flexwork – 64% of the i4cp survey respondents said that flexwork arrangements tend to frustrate workers who cannot utilize the benefit – and frustration among managers, reported by 42% of respondents (i4cp,2009).

Employers can consider flexible work arrangements in planning for the unthinkable, such as pandemic influenza, weather catastrophes or other disasters. They can also use it to reduce costs in times of recession or to motivate and reward employees when money is tight. Either way, it’s clearly a strategy that by its very nature can bend and flex based on the needs and goals of a company. It’s worth having the conversation about what it can do for your organization.

i4cp Recommendations:

  • If your organization has not had a meeting to discuss contingency planning for the 2009-2010 flu season, schedule one today.
  • Consider flexible work arrangements in disaster planning.
  • Approach flexible work from a strategic perspective, determining how it can be used to reduce costs and increase engagement, retention and productivity.
  • When considering flexwork arrangements such as telecommuting, assess network readiness and technology needs such as training and development.
  • Engage your employees in a discussion about how flexible work can help your organization.
  • If there’s resistance to considering flexible work arrangements in your organization, arm yourself with research and share it with your colleagues.
Documents used in the preparation of this TrendWatcher include the following:
  • Albright, M. (2009, February 27). No place like home for HSN. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved from sptimes.com
  • Cisco. (2009, June 25). Cisco study finds telecommuting significantly increases employee productivity, work-life flexibility and job satisfaction. Retrieved from www.cisco.com
  • Galinsky, E., & Bond, J. (2009). The impact of the recession on employers. Families and Work Institute. Retrieved from www.familiesandwork.org
  • Institute for Corporate Productivity. (2009). 2009 flexible work arrangement pulse survey. Retrieved from www.i4cp.com
  • Stein, S. (2009, August 10). World gears up for swine flu’s return. MSNBC. Retrieved from www.msnbc.com
  • Sun Microsystems. Open work is for everyone. Retrieved from www.sun.com
Lorrie Lykins
Lorrie is i4cp's Vice President of Research. A thought leader, speaker, and researcher on the topic of gender equity, Lorrie has decades of experience in human capital research. Lorrieā€™s work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other renowned publications.