Susan's Blog  
(Occasional comments by Susan Seitel)

April 29th, 2009

Telework will now get a push

Every once in a while we get a natural disaster – blizzards, floods, earthquakes – or even a threat of a pandemic. And telework, the option that allows employees to work from home occasionally, or a remote location close to home, gets a sudden and strong push. That time is upon us. The arrival of the H1N1 influenza virus will again give telework a boost, as employers everywhere realize that the potential downside of having some very productive and committed employee come to work sick may be worse than having him or her stay home.

We're now getting dozens of articles that report how the virus is spawning telework talk as well as the flu. So what's wrong with this picture?

We're all for telework, don't get me wrong. We're very much into it this month as we get ready for Minnesota's e-WorkPlace rollout - the program that will give Twin Cities employers our training and MITE's (Midwest Institute for Telecommuting Education) consulting in return for a pledge to allow a certain number of employees to work from home at least one day a week. It's the project's hope that offering these free services will encourage companies to allow at least 2,500 people to work remotely, which will, among other benefits, reduce congestion on our highways.

The employers who become part of e-WorkPlace will go about it in a very organized way. In this case, they'll decide first how many of their employees they would like to see telecommute at least one day a week. They'll make that commitment out loud, and perhaps even put a little skin in the game to show that they mean what they say.

In many cases their executives will get a briefing so they know exactly what they're getting into. Their managers will be trained, learning how to turn hallway management into the kind that includes setting clear and measurable goals and knowing how they'll know success when they see it. And employees will be helped to understand what's ahead – the challenges of setting up a home office, working in isolation, staying in contact with colleagues and customers, setting goals and reporting results.

The employers who react to this new threat by allowing telework are to be commended. We very much agree with the Telework Exchange when they say telework is key to allowing organizations to continue to function during emergency situations, especially when people don't want to go to an office. But we also loved what Cindy Auten, general manager of the Exchange, said in a statement: "Telework is not a 'break glass in case of emergency' solution." If you want to ensure success, a little preparation goes a long way.

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April 17th, 2009

Needing to cut costs?

If you're looking for a way to avoid layoffs, try doing as several are, and cutting employees back to a four-day week until things brighten up. One company we know of is thinking about asking for volunteers who might want to cut back for the summer months. They wanted to make sure they were ready for employees' questions as they rolled out the program, and we suggested they should be ready to answer these:

• When does my four-day week start? When will it end? Is it just for the summer?
• What are the chances it will go through the rest of the year?
• Is this just for headquarters people? Other facilities?
• Will we all take the same day off? How will the day off be determined (can we choose any day)?
• What if my day off falls on a national holiday?
• What if I'm needed on my "day-off?" Will I be comped the hours and take them off the next week?
• What happens to our benefits? What will be affected and how?
• What if I quit during this period? Will normal practices change?
• Will I be expected to do the same amount of work in four days? 
• What if I end up working extra hours on those days? Will I get overtime pay?
• Will it affect my performance review if my productivity is affected? Will I be less likely to be promoted?
• What if not enough people volunteer? Will you then lay off employees?
• Will those who take you up on the offer be the first or the last to be laid off if you do layoffs?
• Will anyone do our work when we’re gone or will it just pile up for us when we return?
• How should I handle calls or e-mails on my off day?

The April HR Magazine (pg.45) discusses a few potential yellow lights. There's little in the law to prevent switching full-timers to part-time, but cutting hours may affect their FLSA exempt status. A cut of only a few hours may bring workers' pay below the $455 minimum weekly salary required to qualify for FLSA white-collar exemption. Minimize the risk, say these experts, by prohibiting exempt workers whose hours have been cut from working during non-work time – even checking e-mail or taking phone calls. Otherwise they could be eligible for overtime if their wages were cut commensurate with reduced hours, since that effectively makes them hourly workers. And if it's not voluntary, be careful that your cutback isn't discriminating against a protected class of employees – women, older workers, black employees or those from any other racial or ethnic group, or cause reverse discrimination.

Bottom line: Cutting hours beats cutting jobs, but conduct an impact analysis before making changes.

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April 2nd, 2009

A guest blog by Judi Casey

We recently talked to Judi Casey, who heads up the Sloan Work and Family Research Network, about what work-life champions should be focusing on during the current economic climate. Here's the blog she wrote in answer to our question:

My response (to our question) was that they should remain focused on the same issues that were on their agenda prior to the economic meltdown. This includes helping their organizations to best meet their business needs, while supporting their employees, which promotes increased productivity, creativity, loyalty, engagement and retention. Of course, organizational needs are probably different now, and it is the job of work-life practitioners to identify current concerns. To get the full picture, work-life champions might talk with senior leaders, line managers, employees, and work teams about their short-term and long-term challenges and critical business issues. Work-life leaders must be pro-active and offer solutions that can respond to current needs. For example, if lower staffing costs must be achieved, perhaps offer employees reduced or flexible schedules as well as unpaid sabbaticals. If employees are stressed about job insecurity, regular communication from the CEO and senior leaders about future plans and the business bottom line might be helpful.

With so much uncertainty, now might be a good time to focus on resilience and managing change. A good example of an organization who helps their employees to handle the constantly change marketplace is  GlaxoSmithKline and their Team Resilience Program, designed to enhance personal as well as team resilience.  Deloitte’s Mass Career Customization (MCC) model supports individuals and their career needs as they navigate their careers over the lifespan.  As personal, work and family goals change over the lifecycle, MCC offers a transparent yet structured “lattice approach” to career progression that highlights four key areas—pace, workload, role and schedule/location.

I emphasized that the business reality is that we work in a highly competitive marketplace where the only thing that we can count on is that things will change. If an organization is going to survive, it has to look past today, and continue to recruit, retain, and support employees. One job of work-life champions might be to keep reminding management about that.

For more from WFC resources, read our interview with Susan:  A Historical Perspective on Work-Family:
Where We Came From, What We’ve Achieved, Where We Need To Go.