Sitting in a minivan in someone's driveway for two hours may not seem like an ideal way to spend a Friday afternoon.
That's especially true when you factor in the presence of four children who tend to get a bit whiny — even whinier than their father, in fact — when they're cooped up for that long.
But I found myself in exactly that situation a few weeks ago, and despite the challenges of the experience, it was symbolic of why I appreciate the occasional flexibility I have at work.
On that particular Friday afternoon, my wife was busy and unable to take our four children to their piano lessons. Those half-hour sessions are held at their piano teacher's home, which means the three who aren't in the house pounding away on the keyboard hang out in the van with the lucky parent/driver.
As I said, this can be a bit of a drag. My time in the van that day included several instances of coordinating potty breaks, as well as cleaning up a major soda spill and dealing with near-constant begging to use electronic devices.
On the bright side, I had the chance to spend some time with my children, and that's always more fun than it is work.
I was, I realize, very fortunate to have the opportunity to be there at all. Thanks to a fortuitously clear schedule, an understanding boss, a patient team of co-workers and a company that allows some flexibility, I was able to spend that afternoon helping my wife. Later, at home, I remotely logged in to my work computer and finished my day's tasks.
As I am an established proponent of flexible work options and a true believer in the benefits they can provide for both employees and companies, experiences like this one make me smile. They also make me hope that more businesses are getting on board with the need to help people build better work-life balance.
But while I see some evidence to support that, it often appears that for every step companies take in the right direction, they take two steps back.
That feeling was supported by some of the results of a Strategic Benefits survey released last week by the Society for Human Resource Management.
The survey of a randomly selected sample of 380 American SHRM members found that 52 percent of their organizations provided employees with the option to use flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting.
The fact that more than half of the companies involved are making such options available is a good thing. This constitutes one of those steps forward that I mentioned.
But the survey isn't all good news.
Only 33 percent of the companies that offered flexible work arrangements reported that the majority of their workers were allowed to use them. And just 31 percent reported increased employee participation in those arrangements in the last year.
"It is important to understand the obstacles that may be impacting employee participation rates in flexible work arrangements,” said Evren Esen, SHRM director of survey programs, in a press release. “There needs to be support from management and leadership in order for more employees to participate in flexible work arrangements.”
The SHRM report indicated that the increased use of flexible work arrangements, or FWAs, by employees may be a sign that cultural barriers to such benefits are starting to erode.
"More employees may feel comfortable using the FWAs they have access to if the job market continues to improve and concerns about job security diminish," the survey report said. "In addition, technological barriers are also less of an obstacle, making it possible to seamlessly do one’s work from anywhere."
There's another step forward. But then came the step back.
"Although about one-half of organizations provided employees with the option to use FWAs, there was a drop in the percentage of organizations reporting that the majority of their employees were actually allowed to use FWAs," the survey report said.
"It is important to understand the obstacles that may be affecting the employee use of FWAs provided by organizations. If this trend continues, a 'have' and 'have-nots' pattern of access to FWAs could develop. This could, in turn, have an impact on employee morale and engagement."
This is one of the huge challenges of the flexible work movement, and it's one I've struggled with at times as a manager. In order for these arrangements to be successful, company leaders need to be sure they act with fairness and wisdom, and those are two qualities that are sometimes in short supply in Cubeville.
I've tried to make sure all the members of my work team understand when it is and is not appropriate to telecommute or take advantage of other flexible options, and I've tried to be fair in how those opportunities are provided. During the three-plus years I've spent in my current position, I feel I've done a pretty good job at that.
However, I also still have much to learn if I want to maximize my team's productivity while also helping my co-workers enjoy the morale boost and happiness that come with better work-life balance.
The survey report went on to urge human resources professionals to work with managers to "model flexibility in their own approaches to work and to demonstrate that those who do make use of FWAs are not penalized when it comes to promotions and career opportunities."
I've got no problem modeling flexibility, and I truly appreciate the opportunities I have to do so. I've also made it clear that people on my team will not face negative consequences for taking advantage of the flexibility I've offered them, although I know many workers haven't been so fortunate. That's another step back in the push for better balance.
Still, as long as we're moving forward, I guess I can accept a pace that is a bit slower than I would like. And if that means I get to spend the occasional Friday afternoon trapped in a minivan with my children, all the better.
What's your take on this subject? Is your company offering more opportunities for flexible work now than it did a year ago? If so, what percentage of the company's employees are able to take advantage of those options? And do you think this will continue to improve in the future?
Send me an email or leave a comment online, and I'll share some of your responses when I revisit this topic in a future column.
Email your comments to kratzbalancingact@gmail.com or post them online at deseretnews.com. Follow me on Twitter at gkratzbalancing or on Facebook on my journalist page.