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Co-Principal Investigators: Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes and Michael A. Smyer
Employers understand that the success of their businesses often reflects the adaptations they make to new trends and changes occurring both inside and outside of their organizations. The “right” adaptations made “just-in-time” may produce competitive advantages; adaptations that are “not enough” or that occur “too late” could result in unanticipated vulnerabilities. Since the oldest of the Baby Boomers will not turn 65 until 2011, workplaces are just beginning to see signs of the changes that will soon be at their doorsteps.
The Boston College Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility’s National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development was conducted to profile employers’ responses to the emerging workforce demographics in the context of their overall business strategies. Representatives from a total of 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees completed an online survey which gathered information on workforce demographics, culture, policies and benefits, and strategy.
Data suggest that over half (57.7%) of the respondent organizations had not analyzed the demographics of their workforces at all or only “to a limited extent.” Only 12.0% felt that their organizations had pursued this type of analysis “to a great extent.”
Less than one-fifth (18.9%) of the respondent organizations indicated that their organizations link workplace flexibility and overall business effectiveness “to a great extent.” Another third (36%) stated that their organizations make this connection “to a moderate extent.”
When asked about the extent to which their organizations had implemented flexible work options, 42% of respondent organizations stated that they had established options for employees to work in a flexible manner “not at all” or only “to a limited extent,” while 58% stated they had made these options available “to a moderate/great extent.”
Approximately one-quarter (26.2%) of the employers stated that it was “very true” that their organizations clearly communicate the importance that working and managing flexibly has for business success.
The flexible work options offered by the highest percentage of employers to “most/all” of their full-time employees include employees’ ability to:
• request changes in starting and quitting times from time to time (41.4%);
• choose a schedule that varies from the typical schedule at the worksite (39.6%);
• take extended leave for caregiving (30.5%);
• take paid/unpaid time from work for education or training (27.9%);
• phase into retirement (25.6%);
• have input into the decisions about the amount of paid or unpaid overtime hours that they work (25.5%); and
• transfer to jobs with reduced pay and responsibilities if they want to (24.0%).
Regression models suggest that for-profit organizations had significantly fewer available flexible work options than non-profit organizations. Organizations in the professional services industry tended to be more flexible when compared to other service industries, but organizations in the goods producing industries were less likely to be flexible when compared to other service industries. In addition, a weak negative relationship was found between the percentage of women in organizations and the availability of flexible work options, such that as the percentage of women increased, the availability of flexible work options decreased. Neither workforce size nor percentage of the workforce over age 55 significantly predicted the availability of flexible work options in this sample.
To find out more about this study read The National Study Report, which can be downloaded at: http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf or contact the Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility for more information: age.work@bc.edu / 617.552.9195.
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