Indeed, there have been recent calls from both the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) (Britain's Hidden Brain Drain, 2005) and the Women and Work Commission (WWC) (Shaping a Fairer Future, 2006) for the availability of more case studies showing that senior level part-time and flexible working is possible. And the WWC has specifically cited one of the main barriers to women taking on senior roles as the lack of quality part-time work, largely putting that lack down to "managers' perceptions that some jobs - particularly management - cannot be done in this way".
The Hours to Suit report, sponsored by Lehman Brothers, contains interviews with 23 senior managers working flexibly and/or for reduced hours for organisations ranging from Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and JP Morgan to BT, Shell, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and two City law firms. Hence it goes some way to providing the necessary evidence of successful flexible working. Within the 23 case studies the participants' work arrangements varied, with:
- more than three quarters of the participants (18) working reduced hours, eight of them job sharing (covering five roles);
- 10 having a range of different arrangements, from a 10% reduction in hours to four, three and two day weeks; and
- five participants working full time - one based at home, two working from home one day a week and two compressing their hours into either four or three days a week, with some degree of working from home.
Jobs covered include:
- marketing director;
- law firm partner;
- executive director;
- store manager;
- production asset manager; and
- vice president of sales.
Four participants were male, all having taken active decisions to change their working arrangements in order that they can spend more time with their children and families.
The main findings
The report's findings on flexible working highlight the following points.
- A strong business case for it - facilitating senior managers to work on a reduced hours and flexible basis appears to make sense. This is linked with retention, recruitment, energy, enthusiasm, effectiveness, motivation and long term loyalty. As one participant observed, "There is no doubt that with three children under seven and another one on the way I would have very reluctantly left the bank by now if this arrangement had not been available."
- A recent cultural change in favour - there are indications that company cultures have changed over the last three to four years and that within some organisations there are the beginnings of a change of attitude to enable senior managers to work on a reduced hours and flexible basis. The two subjects from law firms mentioned that there had been significant recent change.
- The importance of support - individuals acknowledged the important support they have received from people at the top of their organisations, as well as from line managers, their teams and other colleagues. As one put it, "Our senior partner is very much pro this approach, which is a tremendous help. The business case was being made from the top."
- The significance of being a role model - being a visible role model working at a senior level on a reduced hours and flexible basis, sends a powerful message to others in the organisation and is key to further change. "People have said, 'it is wonderful to see people at your level doing this', and I think this reflects on the organisation itself and that can aid recruitment and retention," said one participant.
- The importance of communication - managing others is possible whilst working part-time, job sharing, compressed hours and from home. Trust is a key issue as is communication. "I think you can work flexibly as a director as long as you make sure you are managing the team. I am very clear about what I expect them to do." An additional specific advantage mentioned by a number of those working at very senior levels, is the development opportunity which is given to more junior staff who are encouraged to make decisions without always referring to their boss.
- The significance of technology - developments in technology over the last five or six years are recognised as a key part of making these working arrangements possible, in particular by facilitating communication. "We have an enormous amount of technology and we are virtually never un-contactable. (Although) I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing."
Job sharing, where full time cover is paramount
Job sharing can be highly successful at enabling senior roles to be carried out on a part-time basis, where full time role cover is necessary. Participants pointed to the fact that: "job sharing enables you to do jobs that aren't so suitable for part time". The eight job sharers interviewed were all in challenging roles. There was no one particular model used by the job sharers - they had developed their own ways of sharing tasks and responsibilities depending on the job. Key factors in the success of the partnerships were seen as:
- openness;
- trust;
- clarity;
- communication; and
- avoidance of possessiveness about work done.
Advantages for employers
Without exception the individuals interviewed for this study are highly skilled, experienced and motivated people. Their organisations have retained, (and in three cases) recruited, people who themselves refer to their passion, energy and enthusiasm for their jobs and indicate that they are effective and motivated employees who have strong loyalty to their employers, partly due to the flexibility shown to them.
Advantages for employees
The vast majority of the participants had changed their working arrangement in order to spend time caring for children, although a number specifically stated that it is important that flexibility is seen to be for all. All participants had been able to retain their career position, despite changing their working arrangement. In addition most participants said that they did not see that their working arrangements would affect their ability to be promoted further.
Are there disadvantages?
There was general agreement that some roles were best suited for particular forms of flexible and reduced hours working. "I couldn't do my job in three days a week and I don't think I could do it in four. But I can do it flexibly."
There is also a real danger that people who reduce their hours end up working a 'full-time' job. Three interviewees specifically referred to this issue.
"Visibility is an area you certainly need to focus on", said one individual who mainly works from home. "You have to make certain that you are in regular contact with your colleagues, in particular senior management. Effective communication from a remote location is a challenge."<
How it works for individuals
Amanda Morrison is KPMG deputy risk management partner responsible for setting the policies and procedures the UK firm follows for professional risk management. She has worked four days a week since 1999, one of these at home. During this period she has been promoted twice, firstly to director level and in 2003 to partner.
"I lead a very small team of four senior managers, one of whom works a four day week, and another works one day a week from home. We are a professional organisation and in that type of organisation, I believe that you must have trust and confidence in the people that work with you. You are working with people who you are empowering to get on with the job. They know that if they need to speak with me on a Friday, I have a BlackBerry.
"Working flexibly is easier when you are at a senior level. Whilst you drive the work agenda strategically, you have a team to help actually deliver the work. You can't expect never to be called on a Friday, but you can expect only to be called if it genuinely is important. Part of the key to success in making it work is knowing who you are working with, knowing the boundaries, and being flexible on both sides.
"The way I work makes me more efficient. I have to be much more focused than if I were working five days a week. Getting that balance with your peers is sometimes a bit of a challenge, you can't be all things to all people - I've recognised that. If the firm didn't permit flexible working, I genuinely don't think I would still be here. They have retained me and allowed me to flourish within the organisation and progress."
Sue Cooke is production asset manager in Yorkshire Water's water business unit. Her job involves responsibility for the long term stability of the company's assets. Since December 2005 she has shared the role with Debbie Feldhaus.
"We are very flexible and we swap days. We manage our weeks according to where we are needed. We use email and mobile phones to communicate. We also do lots of notes for every handover on Fridays and Wednesdays. Debbie leaves me a list of tasks or urgent things - 'hot topics'. Then we do a handover electronically, and anything that we can't do electronically we discuss on the telephone. Modern technology is critical for us. We would only speak on the phone about once a week.
"We always have an awareness of what the other is doing, but not detailed knowledge. The four people who work for us are very, very capable. They usually have a good degree of background knowledge of the operational situation, so we are able to brief effectively. We haven't had any problems. Everybody says Debbie and I complement each other very well, as managers. It is about personalities and how you trust the person you work with - it's about having that open relationship.
"Retaining two qualified experienced managers and allowing them this period of time in their lives where they want a different work-life balance is a big benefit to the company."
Hours to Suit (part 1 - private sector): working flexibly at senior and managerial levels is available from Working Families, www.workingfamilies.org.uk for £39.99.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7253 7243.
Further case studies and research into the subject of flexible working at a senior level are also now available at www.workingfamilies.org.uk.
Author: Pam Walton is the author of Hours to Suit and a freelance researcher and writer. She is also a visiting fellow in the faculty of organisation and management at Sheffield Hallam University.
Email: pam.walton@tesco.net
This article was published by the Finance and Management Faculty (Issue 151, January 2008).
