In the OIWC Career Satisfaction survey, we found that 86% of women in the outdoor, snow and bicycle industries said that being able to have a flexible work schedule is one of the most important benefits a company can offer them. There seems to be an overall shift in the workplace, for both women and men, that having a more flexible schedule is actually more important in a job then the money. Yes, we all still want to be challenged intellectually at our jobs too, but to have the flexibility to be able to manage ‘life' is a BIG plus.

Many of us have worked for a company that informally supports flex time, but does it really work without an official flex time policy in place? How many times have you been in the office by 7am so you could leave at 3pm, but when it comes time to leave early, you get a few ‘looks' as you exit? The same applies to working or coming in late and working late, regardless of the reason.

We've all seen it and wish it doesn't happen, but it does. And what's worse is that often one person turns their questioning looks into questioning the manager as to your schedule. Then, you get questioned and typically are asked to get back on a "regular” office schedule, at least for a period of time.

To be able to have flex time without an official policy, you need to have strong upper management support and management at all levels willing to deal with a variety of schedules to keep their team happy. A manager who trusts and supports your schedule, trusts the work is getting done and makes sure other employees know it.

It's hard to manage various schedules and the larger the company, the harder this may be, even if management wants it to work. So what about implementing an official flex time policy or as REI calls it a ‘customized work environment' or CWE? They implemented a flex time policy that has helped their bottom line. How? Happy satisfied employees = better productivity. In today's economy, where promotions and salary increases are far and few between, implementing an official flex time policy could be a way to retain and attract employees.

It would be interesting to hear from some OIWC members on this topic. Please share some ideas that could help with implementing flex time in your company. Does your company have a flex time option? Is it an official policy? How does it work? Tell us your experiences on this topic. We all work in these industries because we are passionate about our lifestyle and getting outside. Let's help each other make our industries an even better place to work!