Flex-Time Workers Hunker Down, Fear Not Looking Useful

Workers who telecommute, use flex-time and take advantage of other work-life balance benefits are feeling the pressure of the economy more than others, reports the Washington Post. These workers are voluntarily giving up these benefits or not asking about them, for fear they'll look less committed than someone who's in the office putting in an 8- (or 10- or 14-) hour day. But, the Post reports, most of these changes are coming from the employeesthere is "little evidence that employers are formally suspending" such programs. On the other hand: Employment lawyers, work-life coaches and groups across the country that advocate for working mothers say they're hearing from women who are afraid to ask for flexible work arrangements, feel pressure to end such arrangements, or in some cases have been forced out for not giving them up. And, more after the jump: Madeliene Arcega, an office manager at a New York media company, said she recently had to give up telecommuting. Since returning to full-time work after maternity leave, she had been working two days a week from home. But as the recession deepened, she said, her company began trimming positions. Arcega, 36, was allowed to stay as long as she took on more responsibilities and came to the office five days a week. She was able to get a relative to care for her toddler, but the arrangement is not ideal. "I was worried the alternative was no job at all," she said. Managers treat flextime as a perk and a retention tool, uneccessary when the threat of unemployment is as good of a motivator. But if your company isn't ending these programs, and if you believe the studies that say employees are more productive when these perks are around, make sure you're communicating to your fearful workers during this scary time.

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Flex-Time Workers Hunker Down, Fear Not Looking Useful

Rachel Kaufman

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Rachel Kaufman