"Making Work Flexible: Policy and Practice"
Catalyst
Sponsor: Deloitte & Touche LLP, January 1996
This study by Catalyst reports that companies increasingly find that flexibility improves the bottom line. Sixty-six percent of employers offered flexible arrangements in 1994. This report provides strategies, examples of real-life practices, and tools for creating and maintaining a flexible work environment. The report presents the business case for flexibility, stating that it helps organizations achieve the following goals: retain and recruit valuable employees; respond to demographic changes in the workforce; reduce turnover; service people in different time zones; meet cyclical or seasonal business demands; provide continuity on projects and client service; operate a “round the clock” business; and maintain morale and performance after reengineering or downsizing the workforce. The methodology involved studying 16 corporations and 15 professional firms with nationally recognized experience with workplace flexibility to create concrete recommendations for developing and managing flexibility in the workplace. The four primary building blocks identified in the study are: build organizational support; support managers and employees; internalize the practice; and sustain the commitment. The guide provides details about how to achieve each step.
