Life Meets Work Blog

Continuing our ‘telecommuting in a snowstorm’ theme, the city of Baltimore banned traffic on city streets. Only emergency vehicles, authorized snow plows and power crews are allowed.  Even hospital staff have been ordered to stay put.

Be prepared for any disaster.  Set up an infrastructure that allows workers to login from home.  And don’t wait for an actual disaster to put those systems to use.  You need to test your system through regular use, in order for it to be effective in a disaster.

Moreover telecommuting will benefit your organization year round through increased employee engagement—that means higher productivity and greater loyalty.

A recent study found that those employees who could work from home even one day a week tended to work longer and with greater intensity.

And more about snowstorms, telecommuting and the federal government in yesterday’s Washington Post, and how telecommuting ruined snow days in USA Today.

Update added Feb. 17:  Federal offices closed a total of four days (and operated on a late start two subsequent days) during the ‘Snowmageddon’ that hit the D.C. metro area between Feb. 6 and Feb. 16.  Midway through, OPM Director John Berry issued a statement indicating the $100M/day cost estimate was no longer accurate as emergency personnel were still on duty and some employees were telecommuting.

Original Feb. 9 post:

Taxpayers lost $200,000,000 over the last two days because of the blizzard in Washington DC.

According to news reports, when the government shuts down for a day, it cost tax payers $100,000,000 in lost productivity.

And it looks like this winter’s been costly since federal agencies were closed in December 2009 for a day as well.

$300 million in lost productivity that could have been saved with a telecommuting program.

Last April, the same Office of Personnel Management that closed federal agencies this week due to snow, announced a new telework plan for federal employees in response to swine flu.

“It calls for a council of program managers to develop standards for telework, and requires agencies to submit telework policies to that council for review. It also asks agencies to designate a telework managing officer and create an appeals process for employees who are denied permission to use the work arrangement. Additionally, it would establish training programs to prepare employees to telework and curb managerial opposition. OPM would be in charge of providing technical assistance.”

And to support the telework plan two bills were introduced in Congress: HR1722 and S707. HR1722 is stuck in subcommittee. And S707 has made it out of subcommittee and needs to be voted on by the Senate

They already offer training programs for managers and employees on their website www.telework.gov

So what went wrong (or what do they need to do instead?)

First, the telework plan announced last year involved standards and policies and an appeals process. All good first steps, but not enough. Even if they completed those steps by now (which seems unlikely given the massive federal shut-down), they’re not enough. There needs to be clear direction from the top, a mandate if you will, that this is a new way of working, not an accommodation.

Consider this. In answer to an FAQ (on their website) about how to apply for telework:

In general, you should be prepared to make a business-based proposal for your arrangement, rather than one based on personal considerations.. At the very least, in addition to describing logistics like location and frequency, you should be able to discuss how you will accomplish your work without adverse effect on your organization and/or co-workers.

With $100,000,000 in daily lost productivity on the line, it’s time for the Federal government to further their steps toward true implementation of their telecommuting program.

OPM Director John Berry needs to determine which jobs are eligible for telecommuting based on the nature and confidentiality of the work.

• Someone (President Obama?) needs to send a memo to the heads of all Federal Agencies mandating that telecommuting be made available to those employees.
• Purchase laptops for everyone that’s eligible.According to my rough math, if there were 300,000 eligible workers in the Washington DC, VA and MD area and the government spent $3000/employee on a laptop, VPN connection, etc., it would cost taxpayers $10million to enable them to telecommute.
• Have their telework coordinators track the numbers and report them back to the Heads of each agency and have OPM consolidate a report that goes to the White House. Track the number of workers who worked from home each month and set goals to increase the numbers.

It’s critical to our public safety and our pocketbooks that the Federal Government get this right before there’s another blizzard, or H1N1 outbreak, or terrorist attack on Washington DC.

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.

Thanks to Kay Corry Aubrey for including us in her Virtual Teams Success blog–a resource for small businesses operating with virtual teams.

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.