Life Meets Work Blog

Great piece over at Discovery News late last week, highlighting research that shows flex workers work harder and often longer.  The reason, researchers suggest, is that workers who feel like their employers have given them something special, work hard to give something extra special in return.

Among the findings highlighted, flex workers…

• Work more intensely
• Have higher job satisfaction
• Have less stress
• Are more loyal

One of the article’s sources attributes the phenomenon to social exchange theory–a sort of voluntary and informal repayment system between individuals.  From the piece:

Over time, a series of positive social exchange transactions lead to strong relationships, whether it’s between individuals or an employee and a company. These transactions provide individuals and institutions alike with a way to build trust, since these exchanges usually aren’t obligatory.

Build trust and productivity at the same time?  We’ve found it!  Flex time–the holy grail of employee engagement.

(Well actually we found it several years ago.  But we’d like to help you find it too.  Call Life Meets Work at 1-888-462-LMW1 and we’ll point you in the right direction.)

In case you missed our Six Work Life Predictions for 2010, here’s a repeat of #6:

6. Mr. Mom issues. Fathers will increasingly reassess their roles in the workplace and family. Women now make up 50% of the workforce, and more of them became the primary household breadwinners after recessionary layoffs hit men in disproportionate numbers.

Studies show millennial men and women are equally career-focused, meaning traditional gender roles will be less defined in younger households.  And men are already winning primary custody in half of all disputed divorces. We’ll see greater awareness that work and childcare conflicts are a family issue, not just women’s concern.

Now jump over to yesterday’s The Juggle at the WSJ: Do Work Life Policies Discriminate Against Men?

But the problem isn’t so much that men are officially excluded from these policies, it’s a perception….a perception that these policies are for mothers only and that men (and all non-parents for that matter) belong at their desks, clocking regular hours.

That’s just not the reality of today’s modern family.  Fathers are active parents.  Fathers are often primary parent.  Or, fathers may be the primary parent on Tuesdays and Thursdays and every other weekend. Get it?  The family has changed.

And if your workplace culture perpetuates the assumption that women are the primary caregivers and therefore the only ones who really need flexibility, then you’re alienating and undermining the other half of your workforce.

It’s an issue dads need to step up and get vocal about.  From “Work Life Balance is not a Woman’s Issue” in The American Prospect last fall:

We have to stop using “work/life balance” as coded language for “working-mom stress.” Despite ample evidence that men are served by investing more time and energy outside the workplace and coming out as fathers while in it, there are very few men who are taking on this issue in a substantive, political way.

So keep speaking up, fellas.  But you have to do more than write angry blog comments on The Juggle.  You have to be an advocate at work and you have to model the way.

Sometimes the pieces I publish on Life Meets Work get re-run in a print publication. And sometimes those print pieces generate an email or two.

Like when this article on Finances for Stay At Home Parents ran, I got this email:

Your article “Stay at home parents lose out on retirement” sure did blast the wonderful tradition of raising one’s own children.  My daughter is a stay-at-home Mom and wouldn’t trade the companionship, the joy, the smiles of her children for all the 401K money in the world.

Why not just decide not to have children if money is so important.  Babies at 6 weeks old are left in the care of strangers who cannot humanly love and care for the child as well as a parent.  Would you hire a substitute to meet your husband’s needs?   Could she do so as well as you?

While the numbers in your article are correct the humanity is absent.

I wrote back:

I certainly don’t debate your perspective. I was merely trying to point out a little discussed reality of becoming a stay at home parent.  Especially considering our high divorce rate, I think it’s important that women understand the financial disadvantages. Better to make the decision well informed than to be surprised later on.

To which she replied:

The “reality” is what is good for the child, who doesn’t care what kind of house you live in or what car you drive.  He just wants Mommy or Daddy.

To which I think to myself….Arggh! Sanctimonious ever? Why do parents do this to each other? Sometimes it seems that criticizing how other people raise their kids is the great national past-time (see Jon & Kate, Toddlers in Tiaras, Nanny 911, Worlds Strictest Parents, etc.).

Today’s Juggle talks about working with kids, the financial break evens, and fulfillment.

It seems concerns over evening work hours is trending.  We’ve been talking about it, and clearly so have the folks at The Juggle: How Much Does Work Encroach On Your Off Hours?

Ironic. This writer must admit that she is missing an extended family dinner this evening for a client meeting.  She offered several available times, told them she had a family dinner tonight, but caved when they called back and asked if she couldn’t do it tonight anyway.

So off she’ll go, popping the promised chicken in the rotisserie before heading out the door.

What goes through our minds as we make these decisions? I imagine as freelancers and those with client-type employers, we feel the need to be accommodating for risk of losing the work.  As salaried staffers, we have a sense of obligation to our peers, to hold up our end of the bargain.  Yes?

Here’s a psychology question: What is the internal compulsion that makes us work nights and weekends? What would it take to get over it?  And do we even want to?

And here’s a work life question:  Are we taking back enough of our days to make the evenings and the weekends worth it?

Remember when you thought it was a badge of honor to pull an all nighter? Man, I stayed up all night and rocked that paper out!

Some office cultures are trending that way. Well maybe not all nighters, exactly, but logging in at night has become the way you prove yourself. They way you show your dedication. The way you say, ‘I’m a superstar and I’ll do whatever it takes to help this company succeed.’

Technology has added an second layer of work during the evening hours—a layer that’s becoming expected.

The advantages of occasional evening hours cannot be denied. It offers uninterrupted time to crank out a project. And it gives people the opportunity to leave work at a reasonable hour and take care of kids (or just de-stress) before returning to a high-priority issue.

But the problems are also obvious—largest among them staff burnout and family stress.

People need one-on-one time with their spouse, and you can’t get that when you’re logging in as soon as the kids go to bed.

Plus, our brains require mental rest. Just because you’re not actively working through a problem doesn’t mean your brain isn’t firing away it. Putting space between you and your responsibilities often leads to better focus and clarity.

Is evening work expected at your office?

Are you able to turn off your work brain? Do you even want to?

About 3/4 of today’s workers expect to work for pay even after they retire. But, historically, fewer than 35% of retirees actually report working for pay after retirement.

The disparity between retirees who want to continuing working and those that find jobs could get even greater in the coming decade.

The challenge, according to a new MetLife report, is that aging boomers will make up most of the increased labor force. But companies and boomers aren’t well prepared to connect.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2006 and 2016, the U.S. labor force ages 55+ will increase 47% from 25 million to 37 million, while the labor force ages 16 to 54 will increase less than 1%. The 55+ population will account for almost 93% of the net increase in the U.S. civilian labor force. (p.8)

The report outlines common misconceptions held by older job seekers and actions mid-life career professionals should be taking now to improve their future employability.

Unrealistic expectations are central to many of the study’s findings. Older workers will face hurdles if they try to recreate the same work they’ve always done, overestimate their technology skills, underestimate retirement finances, or expect that experience will trump the age barrier.

Values are changing. Unless you have a niche skill—like stainless steel welding—experience just isn’t as coveted as it once was. Again we cite Dr. John Medina of Brain Rules, who points out that younger generations are less compelled to actually learn information, because it’s so accessible online.  (You’ve seen it on a dozen sitcoms and commercials already…the young, upstart careerist shows up an older colleague, sourcing information with a few taps on their iPhone.)

As for today’s mid-career workers, the report provided only general (and rather common sense) notions of what workers can do now to prepare for future career success. Among the suggestions….self-evaluation, market evaluation, planning, continuing education, and networking.

Exactly what a motivated job seeker would do…at any age.

In the Associated Press recently, two female winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine are calling for more flexibility in scientific communities.

The recipients, Americans Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider, said as many women as men start out in science, but the women are often unable to advance after having children because of a lack of flexibility:

Blackburn said a more flexible approach to part-time research and career breaks would help women continue to advance their careers during their childbearing years.

“I’m not talking about doing second-rate quality science, far from it,” she said. “You can do really good research when you are doing it part-time.”

I’m reminded of an episode from CBS’s The Big Bang Theory. Two physicists prepare themselves to buckle down and crack a scientific puzzle. Then for the next few scenes—days in the TV characters’ time—we watch them sit down and simply…think.

Which further reminds me of brain research presented by Dr. John Medina in his fabulous hit book Brain Rules. As he explains it, the brain needs time for rest. Problems may be subconsciously solved during sleep periods when the brain continues to puzzle away at a issue. (Even NASA recognizes the scientific benefit of naps.)

Life Meets Work founder Kyra Cavanaugh has said much the same thing (see our piece on Unplugging on Vacation):

“When we step away from our work, it gives us an opportunity to reframe problems, to think about how to overcome obstacles, to do some reading on a particular business topic, [and] to have conversations with other people,” Cavanaugh said. “If we can pull ourselves away, it’s not that we’re not working, it’s that we’re working on the business in a different way.”

Anyone who works in a creative field knows that you can’t crank out innovation 8 hours a days. The best work happens when you’ve had time to walk away, and get a clear head.

Seems to me like the scientific cause might even be advanced if everyone took a little more time off.

A short takeaway thought from Buddy Can You Spare a Job?: The MetLife Study of the New Realities of the Job Market for Aging Baby Boomers

Why today’s older workers are like high school seniors and college freshman…

Senioritis. Remember how hard it was to buckle down and study with graduation only a few short months ahead?

Although the majority of older workers expect to work well into retirement, they underestimate the pull of leisure time. Even those with a clear financial need will feel ambivalence about continuing to work when peers are out traveling, playing golf, minding grandkids, or volunteering.

From a MetLife report on jobs for older workers: Job counselors also shared stories of program participants consistently sabotaging job interviews, because they were torn about succeeding in their quest for work. (p26)

Froshies: Expect to switch majors a time or two.

Many older workers will also suffer misapprehensions about future career options. While “consultant” seems an attractive career choice for retired executive types, many fail to have the marketing or sales skills required. Likewise, older workers imagine jobs like groundskeeper or security guard sound attractive without realizing the physical challenges and odd hours such positions often require.

Often jobs that appear to be the path of least resistance for older job seekers prove to be unsatisfying and costly… The risk comes in not exploring the actual skills needed to be successful, the physical demands of the job, or the psychological fit. (p19)

What happens when an employee receives a phone call on the job from their aging parent who needs help? One manager might say to their employee ‘Work is work and home is home—I’m paying you to work,’ and another might ask whether the employee needs to leave early to go help their parent. Guess whose family is healthier? Will one employee perform better and have fewer sick days? (Source: WFHN)

A supportive manager and a flexible workplace can actually make employees healthier

That’s according to Leslie B. Hammer and Ellen Ernst Kossek, professors at Portland State University and Michigan State University.

For the last four years, the two have conducted research on workplace environments and employee health.

“There is a healthcare debate going on right now in America, and that is important, but we should also be looking at ways flexible workplaces can benefit work and the family and their health as well,” Kossek said.

Phase I of their research was an intervention study that focused on training managers to engage in family supportive behaviors in 12 grocery stores in Ohio and Michigan.

Hammer and Kossek trained half of the managers, focusing on how to provide emotional and structural support, model healthy behavior, and work with other managers.

Structural support includes working with employees to reduce scheduling conflicts between work and family obligations. Emotional support includes acknowledging employees’ responsibilities outside the workplace and understanding the conflicts that can arise.

Hammer and Kossek found that employees working with managers trained in supporting a flexible workplace were healthier and more satisfied with their jobs.

These findings were reported on Oct. 13 at a congressional briefing and have been reported in Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management, SHRM news, ABC news and others.

Hammer and Kosseks results were reported in conjunction with three other studies on the impact of workplace flexibility and health. Also among the findings:

• Employees have 2x increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease if manager shows little willingness to accommodate employees’ family needs,
  
• Employees average 30 minutes more of sleep per night when boss is flexible about when and where work gets done.

These studies are sponsored by the Work Family & Health Network with funding from the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

Hammer and Kossek said they are hoping to also affect change in workplace culture toward flexibility.

“It’s key for managers to understand the value of providing family supportive supervisor behaviors,” Hammer explained.

We’re all looking forward to an economic recovery, but labor concerns are trending.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“There’s going to be a lot of churn in the rising labor market,” says Fred Crandall, a senior consultant for Watson Wyatt.

From The Great Recession report by Monster:

It would appear that even in the best case scenario, many workers will jump ship as soon as the job market rebounds—particularly in organizations that suspended good talent management practices during the recession.

And from the Associated Press:

A good number of them are just waiting for the economy to pick up so they can hop to the next job, find something more fulfilling and get what they think they deserve.

Workers are feeling stressed and distrustful. What’s frightening is the disconnect in employer perceptions. They believe employees are feeling more loyal due to the recession, but in truth employees are just biding their time before looking for greener pastures.

Act now to retain workers. A Deloitte study shows that workplace flexibility is among the top three retention strategies requested by workers in all generations.

Provide options so people have the time and space they need to make their lives work. Consider telecommuting, job sharing, and flexible hours.

Life Meets Work will help with pilot programs, policy guidance, manager training, and employee workshops. Call us at 1-888-462-LMW1.