New Ways Of Working

September 4, 2009
Interview with Lisa Mainiero, author of The Opt-Out Revolt

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Mike Carruthers:
Because technology now allows us to do any jobs from almost anywhere, the whole idea of the nine-to-five workday is changing; and companies are now allowing more and more people flexible work schedules.

Lisa Mainiero:
Not just flexible schedules in name only - but flexible schedules where you have the option of working any time you want. And the idea here is to pay people not for face time in the office, but to pay people for productivity.

Lisa Mainiero, co-author of the book The Opt-Out Revolt

So if you start thinking about work in terms of less face time and more in terms of is the work actually getting done? it doesn't really matter if the person is working in their office or if they're working elsewhere - what matters is the bottom line.

But it's not just the technology that's making flexible work time more popular; a lot of workers today are demanding it because although they want to work, they also want a life.

People were saying, "I'd like less travel and I don't have to be at the top of this company and I'll even take a little less money as long as I can work from home. I want to meet my kids at the end of the school day, I want to be able to go to a soccer game, I don't want to have to work this hard."

Lisa's research shows this trend is gathering a lot of momentum, and companies that have what she calls "family-friendly benefits" are the ones that will attract and keep good workers.

You don't want to leave a company that is doing things for your family and that lets you have more flexible hours - that's a company you're going to stay with.

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here.