• Home:
• News:
• Mom Corps:

New Mom Corps Survey of 1,071 Working Adults Shows U.S. Employees Willing to Take Pay Cut for Workplace Flexibility

By: Mom Corps |  1 Shares     147 Reads

Significant Preferences for More Control Over Work Schedules Not Just Tied To Parents and Millennials but the Workforce as a Whole

ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2011— Mom Corps (www.momcorps.com), a national flexible staffing firm, today released findings from an online survey conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive among 1,071 working adults¹ nationwide about their preferences around workplace flexibility and work/life balance. Results show that flexible work options are significantly important to working professionals today as a deciding factor when taking a job, with some even willing to give up salary to get it. The findings offer insight on gender and age differences as a means to surface ideas and dialogue around current workplace trends.

The Mom Corps survey results show that:

• More than two in five working adults (42 percent) are willing to give up some percentage of their salary for more flexibility at work; about six percent is the average employees are willing to relinquish.
• Perhaps surprisingly, working men (12 percent) are twice as likely as working women (6 percent) to say they would be willing to give up more than 10 percent of their salary to receive more flexibility at work.
• The 18-34 age group is up to three times more likely to give up more than 10 percent of their salary (15 percent among 18-34-year-old workers vs. 5 percent among working adults ages 35+), even though the unemployment rate for young workers is at its worst since 1948 and the highest among all age groups, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

″The fact that employees of all ages are willing to give up any percentage of their salary in exchange for more flexibility over their work schedule is significant, especially given the current economic climate and record unemployment rates,″ says Allison O'Kelly, founder and CEO of Mom Corps. ″The way a majority of Corporate America works no longer aligns with the way U.S. families conduct their daily lives. Participating in some form of flexible work option allows employees to regain a modicum of work/life balance, and successful companies know that this also can yield a significant return on investment for them.″

More than three in five working adults (62 percent) agree that flexibility is one of the most important factors they consider when looking for a new job or deciding what company to work for, and one in five strongly agree (21 percent). ″Employees are realizing they have a voice in asking for work options, and a highly volatile economic environment isn't deterring this attitude,″ continues O'Kelly. ″The desire for workplace flexibility is strong today and will only gain popularity as the job market begins to stabilize. Employees have a responsibility to their future career growth to learn and understand their opportunities.″

Gen X and Millennials Agree

Slightly more than half (51 percent) of 18-44 year old working adults plan to look for a new job with an employer that offers flexible work options within the next three years. Nearly one in four (22 percent) working adults 45 and older plan to do the same. Organizations not offering at least some element of alternative work options need to realize that employees have enough options today that finding another job matching their lifestyle preference is no longer an insurmountable obstacle. Workplace flexibility is an increasingly important recruiting tool.

Parents are Serious about Work/Life Balance

More than four in five working parents²(82 percent) feel that flexible work options would allow them to be better parents to their children, and two in five(40 percent)2 ″Working parents″ are defined as U.S. adults ages 18+ who are currently employed full time and/or part time AND are parents or legal guardians of children under 18 years old residing in their household (n=345).strongly agree. Interestingly, there is no gender difference here. So, while working mothers are often thought to be the impetus for workplace flexibility, working fathers are also seeking more balance between work and life as it relates to their children. Organizations that extend flexibility to employees are best poised to hire and maintain top talent. And a news flash to companies: 79 percent of working mothers and 77 percent of working fathers agree they would stay with a company longer if it offered flexible work options. More than two in five working mothers (43 percent) strongly agree.

″9 to 5″ is Just a Movie for Half of Working Parents

Only half of all working parents said they preferred to work a traditional ″9-to-5″ workday, and there is no gender difference here. There are some interesting regional variances, with workers in the South preferring the traditional workday more so than those in the Midwest (65 percent vs. 35 percent), and workers in the Midwest preferring alternative schedules at a higher fraction than their Southern counterparts (also 65 percent vs. 35 percent). These are significant numbers for employers, particularly national organizations, when considering flexible work options. Knowing the preferences of your workforce instead of implementing a program that looks good on paper is critical to long-term success.

About Mom Corps

Launched in 2005 by Allison O'Kelly, a CPA, Harvard MBA and working mother of three boys, Mom Corps specializes in matching leading companies with high-caliber professionals looking for alternative work arrangements. An industry leader in the flexible employment market, its mission is two-fold: 1) provide organizations direct access to a previously untapped market segment of exceptional talent—professionals who have opted out of the traditional workplace, and 2) enable professionals to work in their respective fields while simultaneously meeting familial needs and responsibilities and work preferences. For more information, please visit www.momcorps.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About the Survey

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of Mom Corps from July 27- 29, 2011 among 2,127 adults aged 18 and over, of whom, 1,071 are ″working adults″ (employed full time and/or part time) and 345 are ″working parents″ (employed full time and/or part time AND parent or legal guardian of children under 18 years old residing in their household). This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Lisa Tilt, (404) 388-7047, ltilt@momcorps.com.

¹″Working adults″ are defined as U.S. adults ages 18+ who are currently employed full time and/or part time.www.momcorps.com

² ″Working parents″ are defined as U.S. adults ages 18+ who are currently employed full time and/or part time AND are parents or legal guardians of children under 18 years old residing in their household. www.momcorps.com

###

Comments:

comments powered by Disqus