By Bea Fitzpatrick

President and CEO

The BOLD Initiative’s mission is to transform the way corporate America views and utilizes flexible work options: from being an employee perk to an effective tool for enhancing performance. This mission has never been more important. American corporations are consolidating and downsizing, as well as outsourcing and creating facilities overseas, thus increasing stress on employees who are being asked to do more with fewer resources. At the same time, shifting demographics are driving an intense war for talent among corporations who are striving to attract and retain the very best talent.

BOLD’s team-based, results-focused approach to workplace flexibility is providing companies with an opportunity to address their competitive pressures at the same time as employees are able to reduce the stress they experience from conflicting demands on their time from work and their commitments and interests outside of work. As a result leading companies in highly-diverse, industries are embracing this approach and applying it in a wide variety of functions, encompassing both exempt and non-exempt employees.

Once enrolled, and with the support of BOLD consultants, participating companies launch pilot projects with selected teams in areas where there is a compelling business need for increasing flexibility and where they need to tap into employees’ experience and commitment to enhance overall business performance. Employee teams develop flexibility plans that include targets for measurable improvements in team performance, flexible work schedules that accommodate the diverse needs of every team member, and innovations in work methods that enable the team both to meet its performance improvement goals and allow team members to flex around their personal needs. Building on successful pilots, the companies then scale up the use of flexibility in the pilot locations and roll out the approach to other functions.