Work-Life Balance: The Trend is our Friend

WSJ writer Sue Shellenbarger writes that while the national mood on work-life issues is not good (she says the worst she's seen in 15 years), there are certain trends gaining momentum foretelling positive change in providing more control over when and where we work.

Most notably, "firms are becoming increasingly worried about attracting skilled young workers, for whom control over their time is a powerful draw." Right now, informal flexibility is the norm whereby employees are allowed to work from home on an ad hoc or casual basis. More rigid job-sharing and part-time arrangements are still very much in the minority. But even that might be changing. For the first time Dell is testing part-timers in its manufacturing division while BofA has set up a telecommuting program. As time goes on, the out-dated notion that it is the slackers who want work-at-home flexibility should dissipate.

According to Shellenbarger, it's not just work-at-home practices that are changing. Companies that used to have inflexible policies regarding location transfers are starting to put limits on those as well. Such changes allow these firms to attract employees who have strong connections to their communities and whom might have shunned such companies.

Another trend aiding workers' quests to control when/where they work is the ongoing development of technology to allow such flexibility. Besides the obvious improvements in voice/data connectivity to the office, less apparent technologies are also having an impact. For example, those workers who feel tied to a particular geographical area because of elder care issues might benefit from an in-home electronic monitoring system. Such systems can track a senior's movements in the household and provide appropriate information via phone or Internet. While some may only consider these an incremental improvement over the "help-I've-fallen-and-can't-get-up" products, for some it may provide just enough peace of mind to allow additional job location/timing freedom. While Shellenbarger didn't mention it, advancements in childcare monitoring can have a similar affect in allowing mothers to have the peace of mind that might allow them to return to the work force earlier than they might otherwise have.