Elvira

"The glass ceiling preventing flexible working for people in senior managerial jobs is beginning to crack as City banks, law firms and other top companies allow key staff to balance work and life. ... Flexible working policies such as compressed hours, home working and - sometimes - part-time working or job sharing are beginning to extend from low-level posts to managerial roles for the first time in the UK."

http://money.guardian.co.uk/work/sto...085239,00.html

Chances of this happening in the US in our lifetime?

Dan725

Work IS life! Time off is for poofs. Flexi hours - the choice should be between working 12 hours a day, five days a week, or 8 a day plus Saturday and Sunday. And who needs familes - the corporation is the only family you need.....

Look at me, I had to leave the country to get some flexi hours and time off!

Lycanthrop

Funny you should post this one Ellie, I was "talking shop" with another Mech Engr back home last week (actually he is a retired Lecturer from some Uni in London).......anyhoo.......he asked me if we have "job sharing" in the US for Engrs. I told him I never heard of such a thing.......he asked if it might come about in time.......

After thinking about it, I told him that for two reasons it probably won't.......One: companies define eligibility for health bennies at 40+ hrs per week and Two: you wouldn't be able to make the same money (unless you did two jobs.......which defeats the purpose)

I've looked for a P/T job for ages and unfortunately, they just don't seem to exist in my "line of work"............still you can only hope.

USBound

well no job sharing here but...

we have flexi hours AND I work at home regularly.

another bloody yank

As far as jobs go, I like mine. My boss goes the extra mile to help the employees, (Since I live so far from work, If I'm snowed in at home she gave me a training course on CD ROM to work on so I can avoid taking a vacation day, etc...). The work is interesting, most of the people are decent, I make a fair wage, get 4 weeks vacation (plus a "Diversity Day"!) and decent medical/dental although the last seems to get more expensive every year.

That said, I only work because I need the money. The time I put in at work allows me to actually live the other 16 hours of the day, spending time with my family. I'm not one of those "work 'till you die" types who win 120 mil in the lotto and don't want to stop working. If that ever happens I'll be on the next plane to Alaska.

Dan725

My wife works for a big corporation - to be fair, she works from home 2-3 days of the week, and there is a degree of flexibility on her hours.

Actually having read that article, from my experience, I think that a lot of the higher ups in the US do already have flexible arrangements - its the middle managers who are most burdened.

But by and large its still no secret that the US has no clue when it comes to work/life balance - even the japanese, who do put in a lot of hours, have on average 25 days off a year compared with your average US workers 13. Couple of years old articles, but they make the point very well:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...acation14.html

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/busin...7377/index.htm

krizzy

Hubby can have time off and make it up later if they need him...pity that the place is going down the pan because the new guys at the top have no idea what they are doing...the company still gives a lot of holiday time and will take into account you have a family that may need you at home if something goes wrong in the day...

TouristTrap

I wish companies here would realize that.

Maz

The company I work for is one of the top in the US - always being heralded - for work/life balance. And it is good. In fact it's going to get even better next Thursday when I'll have all life and no work. Along with about 100,000 others they're making redundant before the end of the year.

another bloody yank

Couldn't afford to compete and pay all those perks, somethings got to go, it won't be the bottom line!

Maz

The jobs are all going to India and China. The customers are doubtless going to be pretty damned livid! :curse:

Bob

we've got flex hours...and people can work from home, one bloke works 3 days a week at home, about 4 more work 2 days a week at home, and a handful more work a day from home.

Part time, doubt you'll see much of that in professional jobs unless your contract work.

krizzy

That is getting costly for companies...hubbys place can no longer afford to send the work to India...the workers in India want too much money nowadays...its costs to live where the big Indian companies are placed...
they are trying to open a place of their own out there with what money I don't know....they have staff in the USA that have made the company billions in the past...but thats not good enough...glad to be out of it ...can't wait to see the place close so we can move...you just don't want to leave a job while its still paying...

Lycanthrop

Here's a shot in the dark......

What types of job tend to offer the best work/life balance in the US?

IT, Sales, HR, Accounting, International Gun Running?
Engineering sure as hell doesn't........unless you make your own time off.

........Beuhler.......Beuhler...........Beuhler ????

Maz

I've known of companies that have moved their phone support to India, then it's been such a rotten experience on so many levels, that they've moved it all back again, at huge expense of course! I'm glad to be out of the company that's getting rid of me. At the end of the month of course.