Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
Recent world events have left Americans with the sentiment that while work is important, it shouldn’t overshadow personal and family time. But striking a work/life balance is difficult without the understanding of employers.
Employers of all sizes have become receptive to more flexible work arrangements as they’ve come to realize that contented employees increase worker retention and productivity. Small employers, especially, have the edge because they can create a flexible culture from the start.
Anita Baker has had a hand in changing workplace attitudes, starting at her own firm. She was the first woman at LarsonAllen, the large Minneapolis-based accounting firm, to become a principal while also raising small children. “Working through that opened my eyes to what employers could do better to accommodate employees’ needs,” she says.
During her 18 years at LarsonAllen, she has proposed ways to complement personal with professional priorities. And in October 2002, she was named chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Work/Life and Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee, which develops products and services to help accounting firms and professionals strike their own work/life balance.
Upsize: Why should small-business owners — or any business owners for that matter — be concerned with achieving a work/life balance for their employees?
Baker: I think that nowadays, more so than ever, employees are concerned with quality of life. They really desire to spend time outside of work doing meaningful things. If employers want to keep employees long-term and have employees that are happy and content in their jobs, then they need to consider having some flexibility or flexible work arrangements available to those that desire it.
Upsize: Describe the kind of flexible work arrangements that are available currently.
Baker: There’s “flex time,” in which you might work a full-time schedule, but you come in at 6 a.m. and leave at 3 p.m., for example. There’s of course part-time; then there’s “flex place,” also known as telecommuting, where you work part of your day at another place. There’s also job sharing, in which two employees can share a job responsibility and split the workload by working different hours during the week.
Upsize: How does the use of technology impact work/life balance?
Baker: The ability to work “virtually” by use of a laptop and modem facilitates the integration of your work life with your personal life. For example, when I travel, I use the down time at the airport or on the plane to clear out e-mail messages and organize tasks on my laptop. This allows me to focus on billable work when I am in the office. I can also access client files and billing records from out of the office, which contributes to flexibility in where and when I work. However, employees should be careful that access to technology does not consume all of their personal time.
Upsize: Are flexible work arrangements applicable to upper management?
Baker: It depends on the management style and work culture, and how much time is required of managers. But I’ve found it’s a little easier at the upper management level because you have more control over your schedule and workload, as long as you communicate with your other partners or your other management team members.
Upsize: Practice of a work/life balance was especially popular during the booming late 1990s. But are these practices still applicable in today’s sluggish economy?
Baker: I think they’re still popular. After September 11, employees looked at their values and what was important in their life. A lot of them decided they really wanted to spend more time with their family. Unfortunately, due to the economy, employers began laying off employees or putting more pressure on them to work longer hours. It’s important that employers work with employees to help them be more efficient and productive with their jobs, but also keep in mind that they have personal lives. Losing unhappy employees only compounds employers’ problems.
Upsize: Should employers offer flexible work arrangements up-front — upon a person’s hiring, for example — or should they wait for the employee to request it?
Baker: People looking for flexibility or flexible work arrangements should raise the issue during job interviews. If a full-time worker later asks for a flex schedule, it’s a lot more problematic. Communication needs to be up-front. Employers generally will not approach employees about flexible work arrangements unless they see there’s an issue or problem that might be solved by that type of arrangement.
Upsize: “Work/life balance” seems like a concept that pertains to employees with families. Should all employees be offered flexible, nontraditional work arrangements if they request it?
Baker: Flexible work arrangements should be gender-neutral and neutral as to where person is in his or her life. There are a lot of different reasons why people want work/life balance — the definition is different for everyone. For example, young people without families, their goals may be to make as much money as they can and to advance as quickly as possible. To them, “balance” is working. Employers should help single people integrate both personal and professional goals, and allow them to pursue other hobbies or travel, to keep them happy and satisfied.
Upsize: This seems like a concept that works well in big companies with sizable staffs and large revenue. How do small-business owners, with smaller staffs and greater monetary constraints, make it work?
Baker: Small-business owners should be focused on the culture of the company. Companies don’t have to reduce work schedules necessarily to have a family-friendly environment or one that promotes balance. A person allowed to leave during the workday for a child’s event will probably work even harder and longer during the rest of the week. Small companies will have more productive employees if they have an environment where being involved with your family or your personal life outside of work is supported.
Upsize: Small-business owners often work long hours, and believe they must put their all into their businesses. How do you convince them to achieve a better work/life balance for themselves?
Baker: It’s key for them to focus on their business priorities, and to focus on their natural abilities — everything outside of that they should delegate to the best people possible. Being successful is being able to say that if I’m absent from my company for two weeks, it will run just the way it is when I’m there.
Upsize: In what kind of professions or industries do you see the most compatibility with flexible work schedules?
Baker: It’s easier in office or desk jobs where you don’t have to work necessarily at certain times of the day. Service professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, have more control of their schedules. It gets much more difficult in manufacturing where you have shifts and you’re on machines.
Upsize: What is driving the demand for work cultures that embrace a work/life balance?
Baker: The more in-turmoil the world becomes and the more stress there is in the workplace, the more you’re going to see people fighting against working longer and harder, and wanting more family time because that’s what gives stability to life. If employers can embrace, encourage and support that, then they’re going to have stable employees that are loyal and will stay long-term.
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