I just returned from our annual family trip to Norway, where my husband was born and raised. I sometimes wonder how different our lives would have been if our family lived there full time.
Throughout my career — from serving as a corporate marketing executive to carving my own niche as an entrepreneur — I have struggled to strike that ever-elusive work-life balance. Yet in Norway, balance isn’t just an idea.
Who would have thought that in the land of nomadic sea-faring brutes, men take months off work to bond with their newborns and women have the highest percentage of boardroom seats in the world? The fierce are now equality champions!
Work-life balance is engrained in the Norwegian culture, thanks in part to national mandates that require flexible work options. Parents are entitled to paid parental leave for one year, and can combine this with working between 50 percent and 90 percent of their usual working hours for up to three years.
And Norway isn’t alone in its family-friendly focus. Compared with 36 other nations, the United States is the only country that does not have a national paid leave policy for mothers and fathers after a baby is born, according to rankings compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
I am not suggesting that the U.S. legislate flexibility, but I wonder how we will achieve a better work-life balance voluntarily. While companies need to create their own paths to flexibility, we are losing ground daily to countries that are far more progressive in the workplace. And unless our nation’s employers embrace work-life balance more proactively, we will remain at a competitive disadvantage.
Almost daily, I see really talented women and men opt out of the workforce altogether, or go it alone as consultants, because they can’t find challenging positions that will accommodate flexibility. This is a huge brain drain for corporate America.
Replacing these top performers is not only time-consuming but expensive. Two years ago, the Center for American Progress examined 30 case studies on the costs of employer turnover and found that the median cost of turnover was 21 percent of an employee’s annual salary. For executive-level positions and those that require extensive educational credentials, the costs are even higher.
Another potential consequence from failing to enact more flexible work policies? Unrealized productivity gains. Norway’s workers are among the world’s most productive by several measures. The country is ranked No. 1 in terms of GDP per total hours worked, according to the OECD, and produces more wealth per hour than any other country, according to the International Labor Organization.
I believe Norway’s flexible approach to work allows the country to maximize participation in the workforce. Call me crazy, but I also think that workers who are given more options to balance their personal responsibilities will be more engaged and more focused when they’re on the job.
So what can companies do to avoid these dire consequences?
• First, and most important, stem the flow out the door by creating a culture of acceptance for flexible work options. Start by asking employees their opinions about work and life preferences during annual reviews. Have management model best practices. One local financial firm recently gained a high-level chief financial officer because the company’s commitment to flexibility comes straight from the top. The firm’s CEO leaves early to coach a soccer team or works from home if needs to balance his spouse’s work schedule — signaling the value of work-life balance.
• Second, rethink the way you define flexibility. It doesn’t just mean allowing an employee to leave work early but is instead defined in terms of time, duration and place. The CFO I mentioned earlier earned more flexibility through a change in the location of her workplace.
Of course, being flexible about the amount of time an employee works is also a way to attract high-level professionals. A private equity firm recently landed a Harvard-educated MBA and CPA by making her a part-time chief operating officer. The reward for the employee is a challenging position in a typically high-pressure industry, while maintaining some home life with her children.
• Consider a results-oriented work environment. Hire based on the work or project that needs to be completed rather than with a certain number of hours in mind.
A fast-growing marketing startup I worked with needed a senior level human-resources expert, but wasn’t able to afford a full-time employee. The solution? It hired a former vice president on a six-month contract to establish their benefits plan and create the necessary processes and procedures to manage their quick growth. The professional received the flexibility she wanted, and the company gained a veteran worker on the limited basis it needed.
It’s clear that flexibility can take many forms. We just have to change our mind-set if we want to see the benefits of flexible work situations.
Lauren Sveen is owner and president of Mom Corps Denver, a national talent acquisition firm specializing in connecting high-growth firms with high-caliber talent. She is a sought-after speaker on employment trends, organizational strategy and work/life integration. Go to momcorps.com/denver
