Patti Giglio

By Patti Giglio

The struggle faced by Americans who want and need more flexibility is regularly reported in the media. Blogs like The Washington Post’s “On Balance” and the Wall Street Journal’s “The Juggle” reflect the daily demand for information and discussion by today’s diverse work force with varied family needs. But if we are to close the gap between demand and availability, we must improve public understanding beyond individual and family needs and move the discussion toward rethinking work and identifying workplace flexibility as a strategic business tool.

As a veteran journalist and media strategist for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Goodwill Industries International and others, I believe in a strict, research-based, no-spin approach. I strive to make sure my clients are communicating with clearly-stated, succinct messages that are based on and grounded in empirical research. Toward that end, I facilitated a small, informal discussion among Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grantees in its Workplace, Work Force and Working Families program several years ago regarding workplace flexibility. The conversation resulted in an agreement to use phrases like “men want it too” and workplace flexibility is a “win-win for employees and employers.” While these messages were quickly integrated into the public discussion and reflected in news coverage, it also became clear that we were fundamentally still talking about individual needs and employee accommodation.

In 2006 I worked with members of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation National Workplace Flexibility Initiative to collaboratively develop a series of more formal key messages. Also based strictly on research, the goal was to develop messages that could be woven together with specific company anecdotes and surprising business statistics to create a compelling argument. Among the key messages: “Workplace flexibility is a 21st century response to the one-size-fits-all way of working” and “Workplace flexibility can make companies more profitable and improve lives.” Through the process and over time, a reframing emerged, a new way of communicating about workplace flexibility has surfaced and the foundation’s grantees along with many others in the field have been effectively communicating the business case.

Current news headlines are reflecting that shift. For example, The Dallas Morning News reports, “Ready (or not) Boomers are hitting retirement-and companies must rethink jobs” and the Seattle Times writes, “Who says 9 to 5 is normal? Local companies redefine the workplace.”

I learned that workplace flexibility is a complicated communications challenge given that distinct audiences from employees and unit managers to C-suite executives and public policy leaders all respond differently to the concept. For example, improving public understanding when you are talking to a corporate executive may only be about return on investment and increased profits. On the other hand, a public policy audience is often equally interested in understanding how workplace flexibility can improve lives. And, if you study the headlines in popular blogs–“When You Can’t Be There, How to Explain to Your Kids?” and “Is the Car the New Dining Room”– you find that people clearly have a sustained craving for information and direction on managing their day-to-day lives.

Patti Giglio is principal of PSG Communications, LLC and a media consultant for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 2003. For more on the Foundation’s definition of workplace flexibility visit: http://www.sloan.org/programs/Working_Families_History.shtml.