We Believe In The Future:

A Proactive Look at the Balancing Act

By Trish Shermot, Parents' Source, January 20, 1998

Is it possible to put in shorter office hours and get the work done anyway? Trish Shermot, from CTCE Federal Credit Union and instructor of "Redirecting Children's Behavior" seems to think so. In fact, Trish has spent long hours over the last two years looking at companies and how they have adopted scenarios that utilize telecommuting, job sharing and flex-time. Trish is on a personal mission to assist working parents, who are stellar performers, and to help empower them to adopt the ideas below into businesses in Berks County and in their company environments.

Findings show that many companies are looking at alternative work schedules to fill the needs of job vacancies. The implementation of Telecommuting, job sharing and flex-time programs are redesigning the way work gets done. Although the traditional alternative work position tends to be geared around sales, companies are now competing vigorously to get the most qualified individuals and looking at all these options.

Flexible work arrangements enable employees to achieve a more successful balance between work responsibilities and family life enabling both the business and employee to benefit. But these arrangements are not for everyone. Research has shown that to be successful in this type of program the employees must have a proven record, high work standards and the commitment to making the agreement work.

One Example of a telecommuting program titled, "Utah State Office of Education Telecommuting Policy and Procedures" is summarized below.

• The telecommuting program is neither an employee right nor a benefit. It is a management option which may be made available to some employees when a mutually beneficial situation exists for the agency and the employee. Telecommuting contracts may be terminated at any time the beneficial situation ceases to exist for the agency.
• An employee involved in the telecommuting program must complete and agree to a telecommuting contract.
• Telecommuting participants must not provide primary care to children or elders during contractually-agreed upon telecommuting hours.
• Employee salary and benefits will not change due to participation in the program.
• The amount of time the employee is expected to work will not change due to participation in the program. No overtime shall accrue without prior written consent.
• A designated work space should be maintained by the telecommuting participant at the alternative work site. Liabilities will be limited to this area as opposed to all areas of the home. Since liability extends to accidents, the employer retains the right to make on-site inspections.
• The employee agrees to complete all work according to procedures and guidelines in the telecommuting employees performance plan. The employee agrees to provide reports, if necessary, to help judge performance. The employee understands that a decline in performance my be grounds for canceling the arrangement.
• When special equipment is needed to participate in the program, the employee can choose to use his/her own equipment or agency supplied equipment.
• If agency equipment is used, the employee must exercise reasonable care for the equipment and will be held liable for damages caused by negligence. If employees own equipment is used, the employee must release the agency of all liability.
• If any equipment needed to perform the job at home work site becomes inoperable or ineffective, telecommuting privileges are suspended until the problem(s) are solved.

These are just a few of the items contained in this type of arrangement which is only one look at the "balancing act" between one's responsibilities to their family and their employer. For more information check out these references which explore other alternative work solutions.

Flextime: Seattle/King County Commuter Pool. "Flexible Working Hours" Seattle WA. A manual on flextime that tells how to design and implement a program including such topics as scheduling, solving problems, legislation, the position of unions and sample surveys.

Telecommuting: Marcia M. Kelly. "Telecommuting: How To Make It Work For You And Your Company" Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1986. Provides evaluation for the full range of remote work locations, with special attention to the pros and cons of the home as a work site. Explains remote supervision options, discusses how to determine when on-site supervision is needed and provides a job selection profile that helps determine which jobs will best fit into a telecommuting program.

Job Sharing: Suzanne Smith. "The Job Sharing Handbook." Berkley CA. Ten-Speed Press, 1985. An essential guide to sharing the responsibilities and rewards of one full-time job. Contains checklists, questionnaires, case histories, and practical suggestions.

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