Commentary from Meryl Rosenthal, CEO and President of FlexPaths, a WBENC certified business, that specializes in providing workplace flexibility systems and solutions to corporations and individuals.

With the one-year demise of Lehman Brothers, the national tragedy of September 11 in its ninth year, and the effect of the recession felt globally, the collective impact has been significant.  Today’s workers are feeling stressed, overworked, and compromised.  And that doesn’t take into account life’s ‘normal’ pressures -- health issues, a litany of life events, the need to connect and respond in a nanosecond.

How are today’s business leaders, managers and employees coping?  I am neither a researcher nor a statistician.  But, like many of you, I have led, managed and worked; am practical and observant, and over time have seen some pretty dramatic workforce and workplace changes.  No doubt the accelerated pace of our work and personal lives over the last three years is a direct result of our state of affairs. 

On the individual front, working mothers have championed the work-life cause and advocated for less traditional ways of working for two decades.  However, by having work-life and flex work associated with a single constituency, there was a stigma attached and the connotation that this was something required by part timers, call center employees, moms and hourly workers.  The ‘reason’ behind needing to work this way was primarily viewed as a ‘mommy thing’.  The press brought awareness and debate to the topic, and onramping and offramping  to the forefront.

FAST FORWARD.  With today’s realities and pressures – the conversation and rationale has evolved from moms to mainstream and is about basic blocking and tackling and no excuses.  Carol Evans, the voice for so many working mothers, said it well in a recent blog post on the Families and Work Institute site “Working Mother magazine is dedicated to showing the real mom who’s just making it happen…but basically the story about working mothers is ‘yes, we’re the majority, we’re ok, we’re doing it, we’re solving our problems, and here’s how we do it.’ Gen Yers are asking at interview time questions never asked before -- can they work on the schedule they devise and from the location they are most productive?  Are sabbaticals possible? (They want to know in advance they will have time to upgrade their skills.)  These questions are the basis for how they are making employment decisions, even in this tough employment market.  Pre-retirees are facing a crescendo of complexities (how to work and live despite dual home ownership in varying locales, unpredictable caretaking needs that often extend to years, and dealing with their own personal health issues).

On the corporate front, a few short years ago, flexible work arrangements were discussed in the same breath as lactation rooms, daycare centers, and family leave. 

FAST FORWARD: Now, the terminology of flexible work has advanced to ‘anytime, anywhere work’.  This new frame requires leaders and managers to have the competencies and wherewithal to manage and lead dispersed teams, deal with the challenges of becoming truly inclusive – navigate multigenerational issues, religious tolerance, invisible disabilities  -- on a global scale.  Plus at the end of the day, corporations are continually challenged to get more done with less. No doubt workforce planning must include flexibility in order to  attract, engage and leverage  top talent while reducing their cost structure.  So employers are promoting (not just allowing) flexible and remote work.  But it is not good enough to simply give employees a laptop and send them home.  To ensure they are effective at working remotely as general course of business they must have the systems and tools to get everyone up to speed on this new way of working.  When that is accomplished, besides keeping employees engaged it keeps the business green, reduces the space footprint and prepared for continuity of operations during an emergency.  Smart companies are know precisely how this all translates to bottom line benefits and ensures they are competitive. 

Whatever you call it - flexible, remote, dispersed work – it is here to stay.  Kudos to those who conceived, envisioned and pioneered this work. Kudos to those who have raised the bar to make it about inclusivity, productivity and bottom line results.  Kudos to the employees, managers and leaders who each day are committed to meeting the challenges of unprecedented change.