Let's Give Alternative Work Schedules a Chance

According to the overwhelming majority of those who use them, alternative work schedules allow both employees and employers to fulfill their objectives wihtout sacrificing quality. This conclusion was confirmed by several findings of a survey of nearly 4,300 members of the American Woman's Society of CPAs. On the management side, 85% of managers who had allowed an employee to use an alternative work schedule said they would permit it again. From the employee's point of view, 52% of the women embarking on an alternative work schedule ranked their expected career sacrifice as 3 or more (medium to high) on a 1- to-5 scale. Yet, of those who had returned to full-time work after using an alternative schedule, only 6% believed their next move up the promotion ladder was denied because of the alternative schedule and only 16% believed it was delayed. A scant 7% and 6%, respectively, believed that their subsequent promotions were either denied or delayed. A PERCEPTION PROBOLEM Despite the satisfactory track record, many CPAs continue to doubt alternative work schedules are a viable option for a serious, career-minded professional. For example, 37% of those who have used alternative work schedules believe their careers were damaged to some degree because superiors questioned their competitiveness. The apprehension is even more pronounced among those who have not used alternative schedules. Of those polled, 77% expect the use of an alternative work schedule could result in moderate to great career damage because superiors would perceive them as being less than upwardly mobile. In addition, 66% thought damage could come from the negative attitudes of peers on this same question. The following case history shows what can happen when neither the employer nor the employee shows confidence in the system. * A crisis of confidence. A senior staff member of a CPA firm was pregnant. She decided to work part-time during the last month of her pregnancy and for a few months after returning from maternity leave. She informed her office and found she was the first to propose such a schedule. Nevertheless, she negotiated a plan with the director of personnel and the details were distributed to her superiors. The schedule worked for a while, but problems developed when the tax season crunch hit. Her manager wanted deadlines met. The staff member felt her dedication to her career was open to question, so she put in the extra time to get the work done. The personnel director did not intervne because "the structure for a part-time schedule is there, and if she doesn't take advantage of it, it's her problem. " The result was that the senior staff member quit six months after returning to work so she could devote time to her family. The word got around that the firm did not really support part-time scheduling and two years passed before another high-performing woman asked for that schedule. In the interim, however, several women left to start families, even though management had discussed the possibility of working part-time with each of them. This scenario and variations of it happen wi increasing frequency in all types of accounting firms. What makes alternative work schedules effective? What causes them to fail? CONTROL--THE KEY TO SUCCESS Contrast the case study above with the comparatively easy success of the alternative work schedule described below. * Taking control. A woman CPA is a sole practitioner. Her husband is a pilot with one of the major commercial airlines. They have no children so they work out of the conflicting schedules of two demanding careers by using the flexibility allowed by her business. When she accepts a new client, she explains that she works a variable schedule. Sometimes, she works long hours in the office but, when her pilot husband is at home or she is traveling with him, she may be gone for several days. …