February 8, 2013 by Amelia Costigan
Hurricane Sandy may seem like old news, but those of us who work in downtown Manhattan, where Catalyst is headquartered, are still getting back on our feet: our phone service is unreliable, generators continue to clog the streets, and our favorite lunch spots are still shut down and even condemned.
In today’s workplace, maintaining organizational agility is key: employees who work in organizations with strong work-life effectiveness (WLE) are generally happier, less stressed, and far more productive—and they are in a much better position to weather a storm, both figuratively and literally.
At Catalyst, we believe that flexibility must be more than a benefit for some—in fact, we think it’s a crucial work strategy for all employees.
I have relied on WLE for most of my life. First, as an artist, I needed to be able to block out times to paint. But early in my career, jobs with WLE were available mostly through contract or freelance work, which is financially unstable and typically offers no benefits and little to no opportunity for advancement. Now at Catalyst, and as a parent of twin boys, I work a reduced schedule and often work from home. This is important to our family since my husband’s work does not offer a WLE program.
WLE is also crucial in a crisis. I work for Catalyst’s Information Center (IC). When Hurricane Sandy hit New York City and our offices were closed for several weeks, the IC, with its culture of flexibility (and the technological and communications infrastructure to support it), remained almost fully operational, despite our lack of physical office space. By relying on technologies we were already using on a daily basis, we were able to continue to do most of our work as usual. Many of our members were surprised to learn that our offices had closed at all!
Maintaining flexibility, offering employees the option of working at home, and prioritizing work-life balance are win-wins: they empower people to do their jobs without sacrificing their needs, and allow organizations to get and keep people who excel at their jobs and remain devoted to the organization.
Below are some reflections from members of Catalyst’s own Work-Life Issues Specialty Team on how WLE benefitted them before and after Sandy.
I recently gained an even deeper appreciation of employers who foster work-life effectiveness. During Hurricane Sandy, a tree fell on my house and my family and I had to move out. In the weeks that followed, I had to re-settle my family in a new apartment and get my children back to school, while dealing with countless insurance companies and contractors. I felt lucky to be working for an organization that (a) was already prepared for its employees to work from home, and (b) understood that after a disaster, employees needed to tend to their families and rebuild their lives first and foremost. Catalyst sets a great example of how to be a compassionate employer on a daily basis, as well as in a time of need.
–Emily Zuckerman, Senior Director
I celebrate the fact that, for me in Northern NJ, ‘working at home’ (often at the ambulance corps building, which was the only place in my town with electricity and heat) was an easy option. I worked. I did some shifting of priorities and modified my workload to deal with the reality of life without power. I held major phone meetings sitting with a flashlight at home and then returned to the ambulance corps to power up. I celebrate that I was able to pay attention to the needs in my community, spend time with my husband, help our neighbors share food before it rotted, and even enjoy dining by candlelight. I celebrate that I had colleagues to help and to get help from and it worked. Finally, I celebrate that I could do what I needed to keep going, with some caring and joy through it all.
–Meryle Mahrer Kaplan, Ph.D., Senior Vice President
At about 8:30 on the morning after the storm, my neighbor entered our apartment building dressed in full rain gear and carrying his bike. Incredulously, I asked him if he had been out for a bike ride in this weather. “No,” he answered. “I just got back from my office; I biked all the way there only to learn that it was closed.” He works five and a half miles away from where we live.
Contrast this with my own experience: Catalyst preemptively advised employees who normally work in our NYC office to work from home the week of the storm. Further, our IT department sent an email specifying what would happen to our technology systems in the event of a power or Internet outage, and reminded us how to use our back-up systems, Egnyte, Gmail, and Skype. Every worker—regardless of gender, parental status, age, or job type—deserves to be treated like a human being. When workplaces operate from a foundation of mutual respect, trust, and communication, everyone benefits.
–Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Senior Associate
As a born and bred Floridian, I am no stranger to hurricanes. Yet this time, being sick the day Sandy hit left me unprepared on the work front. I felt fortunate to have power in my apartment and Internet access most of the time, although I was not able to be as productive as I typically am when I work at home. My work for Catalyst requires the use of many files, programs, and interfaces. Without access to Catalyst servers or email, I had only the scattering of files I had saved to my laptop, leaving me at a virtual standstill in terms of my “to do” list. But a team effort kept my big project, the annual Fortune 500 Census reports, on track for their publication in December. Moreover, I had the opportunity to roll up my virtual sleeves and help the Catalyst Information Center with work that I was able to access through cloud sharing and Gmail. Working for an organization which already has flexible systems in place means being able to take care of myself and get my work done at the same time.
–Rachel Soares, Senior Associate Research
Being in an area without power, I felt so grateful when my Smartphone sporadically updated and displayed Gmail messages from my coworkers. They didn’t say, “Who is going to take care of X, Y, and Z?” but rather “Please check in so we know you’re okay.” Staff in areas that were unaffected by Sandy were able to pass along messages and updates on co-workers who were experiencing the brunt of the storm. Within hours, we knew where everyone was and how they were doing. If that isn’t effective management of work and life, I don’t know what is.
–Emily Cohen, Knowledge Management Librarian
Hurricane Sandy hit NYC two weeks before the release of my first Catalyst research report, and despite the shutdown of our office on Wall Street, the report launch was going ahead as scheduled. In preparation for the release, I had been planning a presentation to share our research findings with the rest of our staff. Unable to access our physical office, I was eventually able to conduct the meeting from my own kitchen table. Over a third of our organization attended, and the presentation was a huge success.
–Anna Beninger, Senior Associate
How has WLE improved your life? Please share your experiences in the comments section below!
19 Reader Comments
I am an independent contractor and had just taken an assignment from a new client when Sandy hit. I do most of my work remotely from home or a local co-working space in Hoboken, but power was lost at both because the city weathered a lot of destruction.
I used Twitter from my cell phone to keep abreast of power sources and developments. For a recharge, I turned most often to my church and neighbors who were on the one grid where power was never cut. By the third day I took my daughter to my parents' home and was able to meet my deadline. When I returned to Hoboken three days later, I could bring much-needed supplies for those who were still homeless, continue working, and volunteer.
As an employee, I've been blessed to work in several office environments where "face time" is not how one is measured. The flexibility and ability to tap into systems remotely to work when necessary from wherever I could get the job done was hugely empowering and removed a lot of stress.
In the West Village, because of Sandy and ongoing infrastructure issues with oil and gas, we still do not have central heating. Our building owners have been wonderful with back-up solutions. My workplace has been overwhelmingly supportive. For that I am thankful. I am also applauding those organizations that plan for these situations and support their employees in all times - not just those of prosperity.
Flexibility with work place locations is such an important consideration for companies and organizations who want to not only keep their employees happy, but increase productivity. Because I sit in an open air office, quiet focused time is lacking. Being able to work from home allows me to utilize the quiet comfort of home to get a lot of work done in a shorter period of time. I can spend three hours at home, uninterrupted, and get the same amount done over 8 hours in the office.
One of the extremely few positive things that was a Sandy by-product was the need for flexibility and WLE issues. Sandy brought the need for flexibility and back up plans to everyone's attention. There are some professions, such as mine, architecture, where a great deal of the work is collaborative but there is also a large amount of individual work that can take place. Its encouraging to hear that there are companies who are working to develop the protocols and policies for flexibility both in times of events like Sandy (and today's blizzard) and for those who have other parts in their lives beyond sitting at a desk.
I spent years working at a company that gave lip service to work life balance. I felt constant anxiety about whether my job would be in jeopardy if I needed to take time off for my family. This, even though much of my job could easily be done from home. It's especially obvious when a disaster hits that working for a company that values its employees is worth as much as a good salary. I know a company only has a certain amount of money, but anyone I work for should be able to treat me with respect.
I would like to be able to say that WLE has been of great benefit to me, but in my last two jobs it has unfortunately been a one-sided benefit - for my employers. On the Friday before Hurricane Sandy, we were all asked to take our laptops home in case we needed to work from home the following Monday. Mind you, my requests for some flexibility in my schedule, for working from home a day or two a week (or month, or ever) were repeatedly struck down over the 18 months I worked there. It was ironic that I was required to work from home in the days following Sandy. Perfect. Shut-in my house with my husband and 3 children, I was busy working while they played and made a general ruckus. Wouldn't the more ideal situation be to have me working from home at times when my family are at school and work?
I left that job, and started a new one. I am now working at small start-up with a relatively young staff who work long hours. Although I tried to negotiate for working from home, I am again in a culture where everyone needs to be in the office every day.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. For many years I ran my own firm thinking that as a business owner I'd have maximum flexibility when kids came but which, in practice, translated to only a few days of maternity leave for each kid and a fairly stressful juggling act. I now work for an environmental non-profit that allows us to work from home 20% of the time and, in addition to vacation and sick time, offers a few "kid sick days" a year to acknowledge that when you need to work from home with a sick child you are working, but probably not at 100% productivity, and that the situation definitely does not qualify as vacation. Due to these policies, we have developed a robust VPN system and successful web-based collaborative and organizational tools which makes business continuity much less of a problem when disaster strikes (as I sit here working from home due to the Blizzard).
I too thought having my own business would be the answer to maximum flexibility. I found though that I couldn't figure out when work began or ended.....it was all a blur (including vacations). After my twins were born, I had a one particularly demanding client who needed their alumni magazine completed on time. My maternity leave was less than a month (and I am no Marissa Mayer!). Although I did always have the flexibility to schedule when the work would get done (as far a time of day) which was very helpful.
I, too, found the freelance lifestyle did not provide the balance I was looking for. To ensure financial security, I said yes to every assignment I was offered, and found myself working many more hours than I had worked in staff positions. I've spoken to (and since hired) many freelance workers who experienced the same challenges and frustrations. In my experience, the best way to make a freelance lifestyle function well is to have steady, recurring assignments with one or two key clients-- basically, recreating something very close to being a full- or part-time staffer--but now the IRS is starting to look much more closely at companies that are using contractors for steady work, which means those kinds of arrangements harder to come by.
I totally agree, the freelance world has changed a lot in the last 10 years. It became increasingly difficult for companies to hire one or two steady freelancers for fear of it looking like a staff job being offered without benefits. I understand the reasoning of the IRS, but until companies catch up with their WLE policies, those wanting more balance have been a little stuck.
Thanks to WLE being more accepted and promoted in some forward-thinking companies these days, I have been able to create a career that works for me as a single mom of a very busy son! My skills and experience are a unique niche, I speak Mandarin Chinese and have over 15 years experience doing business in China. Most job offers I’ve had required extensive travel or even relocation. That just wasn’t going to work for me at this point in my life. I found several projects as an independent contractor working from home, and turned them into solid positions. Sure, sometimes “out of sight out of mind” can hinder my work, however I’ve found that if I can deliver what they want, in the end it doesn’t matter what and where I do my hours. I have been able to produce what no one else knew how to handle, that’s all that matters to the company. And I’ve done it on my own schedule. Sometimes that means late nights, sometimes weekends. But I’ve been there for my son’s school play, volunteered at field day and able to pick from school most days.
I am very efficient working from home, I know what I need to balance. I am confident that my company is satisfied with my work, reliability and professionalism. I am a happy and productive employee because my company respects my life responsibilities and allows me to work around that. Clearly a win-win for all.
As a part time librarian, and mother of an almost three year old, I can appreciate the importance of WLE.
I do not work from home, but the Union I am part of is very supportive of the needs of working parents and and of employees who must care for aging parents. When it is necessary to take time off we are allowed to make up the time we missed at our convenience.
During hurricane Sandy we were fortunate enough to be paid, even though our workplace was closed. This did a lot for morale. When the workers feel valued they are motivated to contribute to their companies success.
I really enjoy reading the other entries here, it is fascinating to see how others manage their WLE!
Good for Catalyst—A progressive implementation with “win- win” results for everybody. We are living in an era where information is received, shared, analyzed, and commented on instantly. With the new technology, it makes sense for employees to be able to work from home or be up-and-running shortly after a situation like Hurricane Sandy. I am a teacher, and have the capabilities to run a class on-line. I see a young and creative work force finding WLE an attractive option. They have been exposed to innovative thinking concepts for the 21st century, which includes flexibility and a working understanding of cross-pollination with other disciplines. Working outside of the office would encourage employees to develop relationships and find ideas that go beyond the office. Ironically, the people I spoke with who volunteered in Staten Island and Long Beach after Hurricane Sandy, were working flex hours. They independently managed their time productively and were able to serve the community.
Part of the reason that I pursued a career in higher education was that a certain degree of flexibility was already built into the scheduling, which at the time seemed a rare thing in the workplace. Higher Ed recognizes that there are many types of work processes that build creative and productive outcomes, some of which are done in a classroom, some in an office, some in seclusion, etc.. I can't imagine that this would be any different for most careers. I did have a 9-5 job for a number of years before the availability of the advanced technology we have now, and I was in a sense tethered to my desk. Even then I could sense that I would be at least if not more productive with a less rigid schedule. I must also add that the subway commute during the morning and evening rush hour day in and day out made me miserable, which in itself had adverse effects on my attitude and productivity.
Until recently, my current employer had allowed me to work one day a week from home, which was huge to me. I have a very long commute (easily 3 1/2 hours a day) and since most of my work involves solo writing and editing, it both helped me to work more efficiently (our office is open, and therefore distracting to any task requiring concentration) and saved me time, which was very important to me. I've always pursued independent creative projects that do not necessarily generate income but are central to my concerns as an artist and writer.
I have also been a caretaker for elderly parents. My mother had early-onset Alzheimer's and in those days I worked part-time so that I could help my father care for her at home. It meant, however, forgoing health insurance, and when I then needed medical help, I scrambled to find a full-time job - any job! - that would provide me with benefits. It meant giving up work in a field I loved and excelled in and settling for a brain-deadening job with no potential for growth.
Lately, it has been my father and father-in-law who have been ill, and my 89 year old mother-in-law who has needed help in caring for her husband. My company is pretty good about being unofficially flexible, but I happened to have a terrible manager when my dad needed help and although I was ultimately able to be with him when he needed help, there were negative repercussions. Fortunately, my husband's company has allowed him to "work from home" one day a week, so he travels to his parents' house 60 miles away Thursday night and works from there on Friday and comes home on Saturday.
Why I am no longer allowed to work from home at least one day a week is unclear to me; I certainly held up my end of the bargain, and did the work I needed to do; was available by email and phone; but I think that it was felt that some people needed to be in the office more than others and it wouldn't be fair. Yet, the office is over capacity; there's not enough desk space, especially when we have interns. I'm told I can work part-time if I don't mind giving up benefits. Back where I started!
I've been a freelancer for the last few years in NYC. I'm a broadcast journalist. Last year, the company I worked for had freelance benefits through a union I paid into - it has great health benefits at an affordable price. The problem was the schedule - it was so unpredictable there, I had to leave (they would tell me Thursday if I was working Sunday, and it could be a morning, overnight, or evening shift!). I switched to a better schedule and new employer last summer, but my time is less and my pay is less and they don't offer benefits. Oh, and it's also a 40 mile car drive away, and my monthly tolls are $400- and gas is another several hundred. Freelance culture is tricky .... last year, I had a W-2, but no contract - this year, I have a 1099, no contract, but last year I could claim UI insurance if needed. Now, if I lose this job, I won't be able to do that.
So what's the answer? I think working a regular day shift (albeit with fewer hours) at my current job has definitely improved my ability to plan my life, and subsequently, aided in my overall mental health. That said, the fear of always being "freelance," still lingers, as there's no contract to fall back on (even though I've been released from contracts too).
The answer lies not only in WLE (the first time I've heard this acronym) but also in an end to overwork. With or without children, many of us work too many hours to build healthy, sustainable, and meaningful lives outside of work. If you haven't already (it was No. 1 on the "most emailed" list), check out this piece from today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?src=me&ref=general If you're too busy to read it, its author essentially argues that "less is more."
I am lucky to work for a company that encourages telecommuting. Most days, I work from a home office in Philadelphia for a job that is based in Manhattan. Other members of my team are based in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and San Francisco; many are in the NY metro area. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, this dispersion made for greater resiliency. The corporate office was closed for a week, and many co-workers in the NY area were without power or reliable Internet for days or weeks; others were busy checking on elderly parents who had suffered in the storm. Those of us in areas not affected by the storm were able to keep projects moving forward and were able to respond to emails and requests that would otherwise have gone unanswered. Had we all still been based in NY, with our files on computers in the office, all work would have effectively shut down for 1-2 weeks.
What's more, many members of my team are still with this company because of its telecommuting policies. Many of us are parents of young children, and working from home allows us a high level of WLE and job satisfaction. So it improves employee retention, and saves the corporation bottom-line money (it now rents one less floor in an expensive midtown office tower).
I work as a copywriter full-time and my commute takes me from Brooklyn to Hoboken. When Sandy hit, the hoboken office was out of commission, which forced any department that had not already adopted the broader flexible work policies of the company to quickly get them into shape. My department had to scramble to get everyone's contact information and set everyone up with remote access. I had already started working from home one day a week, so my work didn't miss a beat. If they had been allowing everyone the benefit of working remotely, the entire department could have kept up with our workload. Management learned a hard lesson on that one, and it really changed their attitudes about how work can and should get done.
Coincidentally, I also work as an organizer for A Better Balance, an organization that fights for family-friendly policies including flexible work arrangements. Right now, we really don't have any right to paid leave or flexible work. A crucial step at the legislative level would be paid leave, in the form of paid sick days that we can use for ourselves and to care for a sick child and paid family leave that we can use to care for and bond with a new child or to care for an ailing loved one. In New York State, we could have a law in place in the next couple of years, joining CA and NJ as the only states that have paid leave. The Family Leave Insurance Act would give partial salary for 12 weeks, and would be funded entirely through employee payroll contributions. You can sign this petition to Gov. Cuomo asking him to support this bill. It would be a huge step toward creating a more family friendly workplace. http://signon.org/sign/pass-the-new-york-paid
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