How flexible working can succeed at senior levels
The suspicion that senior and managerial roles, or certain types of jobs, cannot be effectively worked on reduced hours or on a flexible basis can be a real barrier to men and women reaching their potential if they choose other than full-time, fixed hours.
Indeed, there have been recent calls from both the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) (Britain's Hidden Brain Drain, 2005) and the Women and Work Commission (WWC) (Shaping a Fairer Future, 2006) for the availability of more case studies showing that senior level part-time and flexible working is possible. And the WWC has specifically cited one of the main barriers to women taking on senior roles as the lack of quality part-time work, largely putting that lack down to "managers' perceptions that some jobs - particularly management - cannot be done in this way".
The Hours to Suit report, sponsored by Lehman Brothers, contains interviews with 23 senior managers working flexibly and/or for reduced hours for organisations ranging from Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and JP Morgan to BT, Shell, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and two City law firms. Hence it goes some way to providing the necessary evidence of successful flexible working. Within the 23 case studies the participants' work arrangements varied, with:
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