With more and more women joining the work force, the buzzword among working women today, especially those with families, is 'work-life balance'. With many roles to juggle — that of a mother, a caregiver and a corporate executive —  the demands placed on the career woman are aplenty. Should she attend the PTA meeting at her daughter's school today at 10 am? Or should she take her mom to the dentist at 11 am? What about the video-con at work at 9 am? Or the science fair at her son's school? It is an eternal struggle to strike a balance between her career and family life. On the one hand, she wants to make life more meaningful with her achievements, on the other, she would not want to go on a guilt trip every time she can’t make time for her family.

So what is the solution? Organisations sensitive to the needs of their employees, came up with a novel, yet simple solution — offer flexible work options to employees, like, working from home or changing daily log-in/log-out timings or allowing to take time off to attend to other commitments or even shuttle between part-time and full-time work. Though the concept is not new, it has become popular only in these recent times of business boom that has created a wide gap between the supply and demand for talented manpower (or womanpower!) in the corporate world. It comes as a boon to the working woman, since it enables her to juggle her many roles with ease and efficiency.

But how many companies offer flexi-time work options for their employees? Says Joseph John, Vice President, Talent Engagement and Development, Wipro, "We do have women-friendly policies, like flexible working hours, where the women can plan their daily schedule themselves, so long as the monthly requirements of the job is met. Telecommuting is another option, where women work from home."

Cisco has been a pioneer in promoting flexi-time concept as part of its corporate culture. As Ranjani Ranganath, Senior Managing Director, Global Development Centres, Cisco, says, "Flexi-time work is part of the corporate culture here. All employees can avail of it, and it is hierarchy independent. The focus is on productivity. So long as the employees are delivering and stay connected with the rest of the team, where they work from becomes secondary. And with today's cutting-edge technology, connectivity of highest order is possible. A conference can be held among people in various locations. There is nothing to prevent people from working, wherever they are."  She herself manages her time such that she never has to miss out on any part of her family life, be it a family lunch or spending time with the kids or sparing time for her fitness routine.

Telecommuting

Says Bhuvana, an ex-employee of IBM, "I was able to tend to my baby even when I was working full time, thanks to the flexi-time work option. I could work around my baby's erratic schedule." Till her baby turned a year old, Bhuvana even availed of the half-time-half-pay option, which IBM offered. And on the arrival of her second child, she chose to telecommute to better manage her time between her kids, work and home, and going to work only when absolutely necessary. Rohini, an Infosys employee, who is telecommuting currently, is happy with the arrangement since she can juggle her five-year-old, home and work well, especially since her husband is working out of the country.

Says Joseph John, "It is a win-win situation for both. Flexi times and telecommuting help employees attend to their personal needs without having to quit their jobs. And it means a lesser drain on the company coffers, because it saves on the repeated hiring and retraining the new employees and reinvesting in infrastructure (in case of telecommuting). And it helps retain talent and curbs attrition, giving the company an edge over its competitors."

While most of the big players, especially in the IT sector, look at it as a win-win situation, the small and medium enterprises will certainly think twice before venturing into offering flexitime work options for their employees, says the HR manager of a firm in Bangalore. 

Pros and cons

Says Suhas of Accenture, "It is mostly the expectant and new mothers and some of the senior executives who most often work flexitime or telecommute. It makes little difference to the new and young employees, since they would like to come to work to imbibe the corporate culture!"

Opines Bhuvana, "No matter how understanding the manager is, any ambitions of furthering your career has to be put on hold as long as you are telecommuting."

According to Ranjani, this need not be the norm. As she says, " With a proper policy in place, there is no reason to fear a setback in your career by opting to telecommute. The corporate culture supports flexi time working. Business success is the final goal for one and all."