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Non-Linear Career Strategies
 
 
 
 
Creating Flexible Workplaces and Sustainable Careers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Workplace Flexibility. Work-Life balance. Work-Life Effectiveness.
 
Work-Life Fit. Work-Life Integration. Career-Life Fit.
 
 
Many people struggle with the terminology but the concept is clear. The traditional workplace was designed in the industrial age when the vast majority of male workers focused solely on their jobs while their wives managed the home front.  Today's workers do not often fit within these gendered norms. The separation of work and personal "spheres" does not optimize workplace effectiveness. Employees are seeking options to effectively integrate their work and their lives and reduce work-life conflict.
 
Across the workforce, each generation seeks flexibility for different reasons. Millennials have grown up with the technologies that allow them to work anywhere, anytime. A career that requires a sole focus on work is not a viable option for the majority of dual-career families and single parents.  Baby boomers are showing an increased desire for a phased retirement.  
 
Companies eager to attract and retain a high-quality, diverse workforce are recognizing the critical role of workplace and career flexibility. The business case for flexibility has been clearly established. Despite this knowledge, effective implementation seems elusive to many motivated organizations. NLC Strategies provides objective assessments, strategic guidance, and implementation support for meeting the unique work-life goals of your specific business culture.
 
 
“Talented employees expect their work to add value to the business,
and they will not work to the exclusion of the other priorities in their lives;
they want to work smart and be recognized for their contributions.”
                                                                                                    (Catalyst, Inc.)
 
  
 
Flexible Workplaces 
 
Individuals' work responsibilities are not static. Neither are their flexibility needs. Employees need the ability to manage that interface on a day-to-day basis. Workplace flexibility needs to be addressed from a systemic point of view on three levels: individual, work group, and institutional.  
 
Viewed as an accommodation, flexible policies are underutilized because employees often find that negative career consequences undermine the
benefits.  Assumptions about work/life crossover often influence what constitutes competency and commitment in a organization. An effective workplace culture addresses those underlying assumptions and becomes a creative, collaborative environment which provides options for managing both work and life. This achieves results for the dual agenda of employee work-life integration and workplace productivity/effectiveness.
 
The challenges that a flexible workplace can address are:
  • Recruiting
  • Retention
  • The Leadership Pipeline
  • Leadership Diversity
 
  
 

Non-Linear Careers

Fully two-thirds of highly-qualified women have discontinuous or non-linear careers. (Off-Ramps and On-Ramps,2007)
 
Non-Linear Careers include any variation from the traditional career path in which an individual chooses a career detour or a career break in order to fit their career goals within the framework of their personal goals.
 
A career detour is a conscious choice to modify or dial down some aspect of the role (change in the workload, location or hours; slow the pace of advancement; or switch to a modified role). It does not necessarily mean fewer hours. While the use of detours may have an impact on advancement it should NOT preclude advancement.
 
A career break is an extended break from the workforce - usually with the intention to return - either in the short term or long term.  
 Sustainable Careers
   
As technologies bring work into employees' personal lives, workplaces should likewise, allow for personal responsibilities. The spillover needs to go both ways for effective work-life management. Research demonstrates that this level of integration results in more focused, committed, and engaged employees; it develops careers that are sustainable throughout the changing demands of our lives (child care, elder care, health care, and aging). Motherhood (or fatherhood) should not force a choice between work and family.
 
Organizations that offer viable options for navigating non-linear careers are able to retain valued contributors and reap continued dividends from their investment in the experience, knowledge, and skills of those employees. The creation of these options involves:
  • highlighting successful non-linear role models in the organization
  • providing guidance for navigating alternate career paths
  • addressing the underlying assumptions about how work gets done and is rewarded
  • developing arrangements with a requirement of positive business outcomes
  • ensuring management support and advancement opportunities for employees with non-linear careers
  • managing the "alumni" networks of employees
A flexible culture provides a great deal of "option value" that attracts and retains key employees. Profiles of successful role models in your organization can encourage talented recruits to join the organization and induce employees to stay connected in a continuous relationship.
Awareness of alternate, viable career paths creates confidence in a long-term future with the organization.
 
 
NLC Strategies can make a difference:
 
 
 
 To determine the best approach for your organization, please refer to NLC Services.