Many employees, including myself, find themselves in a situation between working full-time and caring for their aging parents.  This group of working adults is called The Sandwich Generation. The Sandwich Generation is a generation of people (usually in their 40s or 50s) who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children. According to AARP, 61% of those who provide care for a family member older than 50 are also balancing employment. Over half of today’s workforce expects to provide care for aging family members in the next five years. So how can companies retain their top talent in a Sandwich Generation?  They do it by offering workplace flexibility.  

PAID TIME OFF (PTO)  

Paid time off (PTO) combines vacation, sick and personal time into a single pool of paid days off that employees can use at their own discretion. A PTO policy is a more flexible option, allowing employees to use their personal time for a variety of life events, such as tending to an ailing child or parent.  It is also a means of recruiting, rewarding and retaining valuable employees.  PTO increases with seniority, meaning the longer a person works for a company, the more they accrue time off.  This is a valuable means of encouraging employees to stay with the company, since it allows them to take advantage of more and more rewarded time.

RESULTS-ONLY WORK ENVIRONMENT  

Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE concept) means that team members are measured by performance, results, or output—rather than physical presence in an office or number of hours worked.

A ROWE workplace can serve to enable flexibility for all types of employees, such as those who must attend daytime appointments, those who seek to avoid heavy commute times, or those who are taking turns caring for family members with their partners.  Since the focus is on results and goals, team members are clear about what they need to achieve, and how this contributes to the organization’s objectives as a whole, and they are not simply punching a clock to fill unproductive hours.  The ROWE concept is usually the preferred method for a company’s outside sales force, as it encourages client relationships and results.

REMOTE WORK  

The ability to work remotely is on the rise. In such an environment, employees have the freedom and flexibility to stay at home and co-participate in household, child and senior care obligations, while still meeting the expectations of their employer.  Studies prove that having a physical and social connection with the co-workers is essential, but in a standard work setup, this usually means facing an ugly commute to an office and being shackled to a desk from nine to five. The future of remote working is about maintaining these social positives that come with the office setting, while enabling the freedom that comes with being able to work where you want.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING  

Work can sometimes require an interruption to the traditional nine-to-five, whether it’s traffic patterns, school schedules, or family obligations.  Allowing employees to have a flexible schedule means they can start and stop their day when they need to, based upon the needs of their day on both a personal and professional level.  When workers have control over their own schedules, it results in lower levels of stress, psychological distress, and burnout, while at the same time creating a higher level of job satisfaction.  People given the opportunity to implement a flexible work schedule are often more in tune with their daily habits and can better balance those elements that create more stress.  They also realize what time of day offers the best opportunity to be creative, which means flexible work can also create opportunities for more exceptional work.

About Lofton: Founded in 1979, Lofton Services offers clients the best of all worlds. We provide the responsive, personal service and flexibility of a small local firm while having the technology, resources, and infrastructure to deliver the benefits of the biggest players in our industry. Lofton Staffing can deliver the right people, with the right skills, right when you need them. Contact us today.