Managing Flexibility

Managing Flexibility VOICES Manager Conference “Secrets of Great Managers” Presented by Jennie McAlpine, Director Work/Life Programs University of Michigan June 26, 2009

Objectives for today: Part I: Discuss and practice use of strategies for implementing flexible work options within a team. Part II: A look at two pilot studies on how flexible work options are currently used/perceived at UM.

University of Michigan Work/Life ProgramsCore Services • Work/Life Resource Center • Kids Kare at Home • Child Care Referrals • Resources and personal consultation for care of elderly/disabled relatives • Campus Child Care Homes Network • Support for employees and managers on flexible work options • Educational Services/conferences • On-site children’s centers: www.hr.umich.edu/childcare • Research partnerships regarding early childhood education and work/life practices Connecting the Dots Conference

Part I:Exploring New Ways to Work • Part time • Job sharing • Gradual Return to work after birth, adoption or health crisis • Compressed work weeks • Flexible work place • Phased retirement options Connecting the Dots Conference

Do you already have flex work? How many of your offices have people that: • start or leave work at different times • work less than 40 hours per week • work nights or weekends and then decrease hours the following days or weeks • use blackberries or answer work e-mail from home • work from home occasionally on special projects

Business drivers for flex work • Recruitment/retention • Decreased use of sick time • Increased productivity • Decreased stress/increase health & wellbeing • Increased engagement • Saving space • Saving utilities • Saving cost of parking lots • Saving building costs • Increased hours of operation

Benefits for the Individual & Community • Increased health and well being/decreased stress • Decreased need for child care out of the home • Enhanced time with children and family members • More time in your own neighborhood • More time to volunteer in your community/school • Fewer work expenses for meals, gas and clothing in the work place • Decreased auto emissions/traffic congestion

Challenges at UM • Large, decentralized organization • Many, many different types of jobs • Many services are 24/7 (hospital, students) • Different generations/expectations • Different levels of manager skills and experience • Policies allow for flexibility but leave to department discretion • Different levels of leadership support

Common manager concerns/barriers • If I let one person have a flexible schedule, everyone will want one. • Decreased productivity. • Supervising people who are off site or on a different schedule from manager. • Not all jobs are conducive to flexible work options. • The work of the unit requires all staff members to work the same hours (ex: assembly lines, construction work) • Flexible schedules leave the unit understaffed when others call in sick. • It will take all of my time to figure out who is where, when. I don’t have time to track all of this! • Scheduling meetings with everyone on flexible schedules is a nightmare, it’s not worth it.

Tips and Strategies: What they are: Suggestions about how to approach implementation of flexible work in your unit to ensure accountability and enhance team work. What they are NOT: Check list or formula to determine where or for which jobs flexibility will work.

Learn about any policies that your division has regarding Flex Options. • Consult with colleagues and others in similar situations – seek out those with similar job duties and size of staff who have successfully implemented Flex Options. • Ask yourself: How do you currently supervise staff? And what are the real and imagined differences? • Does your unit have an atmosphere of trust and cooperation between employees? If there are significant interpersonal trust issues, you may need to work on this first. • Consider the duties of various positions you supervise – which of these could be conducive to various flex options? How can you define jobs by outcomes rather than time in the office? If some jobs do not seem conducive to certain flex options, write down the barriers – can they be overcome? In what context? Preparing Yourself as a Manager

Getting Started Set some parameters that you would be more comfortable with, for example • no Fridays or Mondays off on 4 10 hour schedules • revert to regular schedule on holiday weeks • Telecommuters and part timers need to come in for weekly staff meetings Discuss Flexible Work Options with your team • Get a sense of how your team views potential flexible work options. • Discuss perceived barriers/challenges together – encourage creative ways to accomplish work goals. • Discuss pre-requisites for consideration of a flexible schedule (employee in good standing, technology availability, suitability of job for specific flex requested, budget neutral) • Discuss expectation of a “two way street” – if the work dictates, employees will need to occasionally change schedule.

Getting Started • Require employee proposal, including solutions to potential barriers • Samples are on WLRC website at: www.hr.umich.edu/worklife • Encourage employee to work with co-workers to address their needs/concerns about the proposed schedule • Discuss with the individual and the whole team how the flexible schedule will be handled. • Set up as a pilot and have regular check in/feedback with individual and with team.

Implementation • Judge performance by outcomes established • For all jobs in unit, not just the flex workers • Have regular measures of progress on outcomes • Have employees log activities each day, if needed • Use technology to help track hours for non-exempt staff (ie. Time in and time out can be recorded on phone or computer). • Communicate, communicate, communicate – be sure all players know who is on what schedule and have regular opportunities for all team members to interact (weekly staff meeting, attend remotely if necessary). • Use technology to keep people in the loop (Share Outlook calendars, use conference calls for meetings when necessary). • Ask all players individually how it’s going. • Tweak strategies if problems arise. • Your leadership is key to how team members will respond to flexible work options in your unit.

Measures of Success • Work is done on time and is high quality • Customer satisfaction remains high • Co-workers report satisfaction with arrangements • Manager is not stressed by tracking schedules • Communication between team mates is working • Managers recognize success and celebrate with the whole team.

Exercise Using the strategies we have discussed, work with your group to identify which of the following units might be able to use Flexible Work Options and under what circumstances. For each example, answer the questions: • Can this be done? If not, why not. • If so, what steps will you take to implement the plan? • How will you assess success the plan once it is implemented? 1.

Part TwoFlexible Work at UM Where are we?

B&F Pilot Studies • Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption • Revised policy language to expect approval unless business or performance reason for denial • Required formal documentation of approval or denial • Required tracking of type of arrangements made • Post-leave surveys of employee, supervisor and co-workers • Flexible Work Options Survey • Manager survey of current use • Represents 2,500 B&F employees • Results now being evaluated

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption - Participant Survey: Was your Gradual Return to Work proposal accepted?

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption - Participant Survey: Did your Gradual Return to Work arrangement affect any of the following:

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption - Participant Survey: Did your Gradual Return to Work arrangement influence your decision to continue employment?

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption - Participant Survey: Did your Gradual Return to Work include any of the following arrangements? (Please check all that ...

Comments from Employees Great option & benefit... I appreciated the opportunity to take the additional time off. It was hard not having full pay and the stress of being at the office less was greater as far as at work, but my home time was so very important to me that it was worth it. I only wish the reduced time could have lasted longer. The arrangement has allowed me to make my family my priority. This has increased my commitent to my department. It made it so much easier to return to work after the birth of my baby. It would have been much more emotionally stressful coming back at 40 hours right away. I was not offered anything called GRTW. Instead, I just asked for a reduced appointment for a specific period of time after I returned to work. Return to 100% FTE followed as agreed. While on reduced appt, I was sill completing all of my duties of my 100%FTE position, so yes, I was working at home to cover when I shouldn't have been This was a positive experience and I would like to this program being encouraged. As a first-time parent, the program made my transition to the status of working parent much more manageable. I think allowing Gradual Return to Work is critical. After my first child, I did not have a gradual return to work. It was a huge struggle to get to work at 7:30 AM with a young infant that did not sleep well. My work efficiency certainly suffered as a result, as did my mental health. After my second child, I returned to work 20 hours a week for a few weeks. This was a much better transition and more effective for both me and my employer. I think GRTW should be the norm! I have 3 kids and always had a difficult time emotionally adjusting to leaving a baby w/ a caregiver-- GRTW helps with that adjustment tremendously. Also a gradual return helps everyone- mom, baby, other family members, caregiver, employer- adjust to the many changes in routine and the increased responsibilities that come with the addition of a new baby to a mother's overall "workflow".

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption - Supervisory Satisfaction Survey: What was your impression overall of the Gradual Return to Work arrangements that you supervised?

Benefits of GRTW - Supervisor

Gradual Return to Work after Birth or Adoption – Supervisory Survey: Did the experience of managing Gradual Return to Work improve your ability to manage to work outcomes?

Supervisor Comments It is a great way to show the company supports a staff member through a life changing event - the morale, trust, and compassion aspect that it develops within all employees affected is beyond any performance based meeting you could have with the team. I'd like to see more flexibility considered in work hours - instead of just the standard 5-8hr days - let's see more 4-10 hour days offered - or even some work from home options Having a member of a team take 12 weeks off is almost impossible to plan for. We have several large projects going on, along with normal production support activities, and it puts a tremendous strain on the rest of the team covering for the absent employee. I value commitment, and a balanced work/home life. It is nice to be able to accomodate as long as work does not suffer. I think that this is a good program and should continue to be offered. Each instance should be reviewed to determine whether the workload of the department can accommodate the request. Team was supportive.

Gradual Return to Work - Coworker Survey: If so, what is your overall iimpression of how the arrangement affected the work of your team?

GRTW Co-worker Comments: From respondents that said GRTW was Unsatisfactory • Very difficult due to reduction in coverage • Exhausted, distracted workers product more errors • Too difficult to accommodate at reduced budgets • It was harder to find suitable work for a part timer • Reduced appt has = reduced productivity when here! • The position is filled, but the work isn't getting • Staff was resentful-prog not available for them • The work load is spread to others • Some co-workers complaining • Too much work around

Co-worker Comments: General • It appears that the returning co-worker is less stressed on a Gradual return, than having return to a full time schedule. • We all wanted to support the new mother. I just wish we had more support for new fathers. • She seemed happy. it didn't affect me.....it seemed like a win win situation. • It was good to have her here part time to pitch in and help before returning to work full time. • It took quite a while for the person to remember the tasks and the correct procedures. • The new mother was able to return on a part-time basis, and as a much more experienced employee than me at the time, was available whenever I needed help or advice. She also performed complex reporting and analysis for which she was specially trained at a high level even while on a reduced appointment. This proved to be very efficient for our dept, and eliminated the need to train a new EE to fill in on a temporary basis. • The customers we serve did not have to suffer through an adjustment period either thanks to this arrangement. • Very effective for a team environment! I think some employees need the option to adjust! The employees that are taking this opportunity seem more refreshed and productive. • Prolonging the time away from work makes it harder to carry coverage among already overloaded staff during times of reduced budgets • Although I think the program helped in a small amount for the two co-workers I knew, it still did not meet all needs. Paid time off should be longer, especially for breast feeding mothers. One co-worker had a very difficult time with not enough paid time off, and inadequate facilities for pumping milk. There were no sanitary AND private places for her. • This is a great experience to have happen especially when you are a first time around parent. • I found it great to gradually return to work as a mother. As a supervisor, I found it difficult to find suitable work for a part time employee. It was much harder to split the work between all the employees when I had a part time worker. • We had enough people to spread out the duties and people are understanding/empathetic. • Yes, it does mean added work for those covering for the new parent but I'm happy to do it and know that if I have children this option is available to me. • It is important to offer equivalent support while the transitioning person is out/or gradually re-entering the work place. • Sometimes these gradual returns do not have an end date. • I think it's really important for the person and the supervisor/team to have this arrangement. • Their manager clearly communicated what their work schedule was going to be. They also were careful with work loads as to ensure they accommodated the reduced schedule • It is a wonderful option to give to new parents. Especially since it can be such a big change in ones life. • It's a great option to have for working moms . It sends the message that as an employer, we care about our staff. It's a wonderful way to increase overall mental health and staff satisfaction

B&F Flexible Work Arrangements Survey: Which of these flexible work arrangements are available in your work area?

B&F Flexible Work Arrangements Survey: Flexible work arrangements in my department have contributed to:

Questions??? Connecting the Dots Conference

Managing Flexibility