Work-life flexibility may be here to stay

MADISON, N.J., June 12 (UPI) -- A survey of full-time U.S. employees indicates work-life flexibility has survived the recession and is not just a perk for "good economic times."

The Work+Life Fit Reality Check, a telephone survey of 637 full-time employed U.S. adults sponsored by Work+Life Fit Inc. and conducted by Opinion Research Corp. March 3-7, indicates that compared to this time last year, more than eight out of 10 report they have the same or an increased amount of work-life flexibility.

"Whatever flexibility there was before the downturn survived, indicating it is here to stay in good times and bad. Work life flexibility withstood its toughest test and continues to grow," Cali Williams Yost, chief executive officer of Work+Life Fit Inc., says in a statement.

"But -- just when employees start to worry less about using flexibility -- now they think they're too busy to do so. Clearly, both organizations and employees struggle with how to make flexibility work as a meaningful and deliberate part of the way we manage our business, work and lives."

Work-life flexibility has been shown to increase the bottom line via improved recruitment and retention, employee productivity, differentiation from competitors, minimizing environmental impact and reducing healthcare costs, Work+Life Fit says.

The survey has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.