A Flexible Workforce Will Stimulate the Economy
Sallie Krawcheck wrote a great piece in Forbes about Flexibility Without Shame that really resonated with me. It’s no secret that fully 
engaging women in the workforce will increase our GDP and the economy significantly. The problem with engaging more women remains the flexibility factor.
Krawcheck divided working women who chose to have children into two groups. The first group, working full-time, holding on for dear life, exhausted due to working and raising young children. Sixty percent of these moms yearn for a flexible work option. The next group leaves the workforce – all 5.4 million of them, to raise their younglings but they end up paying a hefty economic price.
The re-entry for those who took an extended hiatus proves to be very difficult for 73% since employers are wary of their employment gap. Those who do manage to get back on track return to work with significant drops in income.
As Krawcheck so wisely stated in a previous piece she posted on LinkedIn – “Let’s Admit it: Women Are Different From Men” so smart companies need to get with the program and implement some flexible work options.
Since women are largely the Chief Household Officers, maintaining the home and the kids while not at work, employers need to build cultures that allow women to work flexible schedules without shame.
“Technology enables flexibility, productivity, and team formation in ways not previously possible,” according to Krawcheck. She maintains that having employees fully engaged in part-time work can be better than having them distractedly engaged in full-time work – or to opt out completely.
It’s not wise to burn out great employees and spend money and time replacing them. Krawcheck’s concept of flexibility without shame is a smart long term investment in talented individuals who will represent a highly credentialed workforce.
Enlightened companies that implement flexible work plans will reap the rewards by capitalizing on the return on investment of their employees. Flexibility should be lauded and not shamed. Cheers to you, Sallie Krawcheck and let’s keep this conversation going!
February 3, 2013 @ 9:19 am
I really like this – I was a ‘stay at home mum’, although I hadn’t had what I considered a career – more of a job. But after having children and divorce I went back and did a degree and a masters, and got much more out of it. Part of me wishes I had carried on working part-time, but then the break gave me the chance to take stock and I was certainly more determined on my return!
February 5, 2013 @ 8:52 am
I like this, too! While now retired, I have vivid memories of being in the first category of working women — “working full-time, holding on for dear life, exhausted due to working and raising young children.” I may not have had flexible options in my job that had been designed for working women, but I do want to acknowledge that the man to whom I reported understood my need to be gone at times for a child’s doctor appointment, school function, etc. His level of understanding allowed me to keep the job, rather than leaving it. I also was fortunate in having a spouse who was willing to share household and child-rearing responsibilities. My point is that I completely agree with the need for flexible options, but also believe that both men and women who are in supervisory positions need to exercise their authority in ways that can support working women who need their understanding. Spouses also need to be willing to support each other, so that individual careers can be developed as we carry out our domestic roles.