SHRM Survey Findings: Workplace Flexibility for Select Populations April 26 , 2012

Definitions Disabled worker: employee with a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Low-wage/hourly worker: employee earning $15.50/hour or less.

Key Findings Disabled workers Do organizations currently employ individuals with disabilities that qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Nearly two-thirds (65%) of organizations currently employ individuals with disabilities that qualify under the ADA. Almost one-half (47%) of the organizations have also created flexible work arrangements specifically for this population. Of the organizations that do not currently employ individuals with ADA-qualified disabilities, one-third (33%) indicated that they would provide flexible work arrangements if requested, while 65% indicated that the decision would be made on a case-by-case basis. What type of flexible work arrangements does your organization offer for employees with ADA-qualified disabilities? Among organizations that employ individuals with ADA-qualified disabilities and offer flexible work arrangements specifically created for these employees, the most common flexible work arrangement was reduced work hours (60%). Organizations also provided traditional flextime (59%), telecommuting/ working from home options (55%) and break arrangements (47%).

Key Findings Veterans How likely are organizations to provide flexible work arrangements for veterans? Among the organizations that do not currently employ any veterans, 23% indicated that they would provide flexible work arrangements if a veteran requested such arrangements, while 73% of organizations indicated that the decision would be made on a case-by-case basis. Organizations that already employ and provide veteran employees with flexible work arrangements typically offer shift flexibility (66%), last-minute flexibility (55%), traditional flextime (52%) and telecommuting/work from home options (52%). What are the obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for veteran employees? Approximately one-third (35%) of organizations had concerns about providing equal treatment for all employees. Other challenges in implementing flexible work arrangements for veteran employees included ensuring that the work is done/satisfying the customer (30%) and the impracticality given the nature of jobs in the organization’s industry (25%).

Key Findings Low-Wage/Hourly Workers Do organizations currently employ low-wage/hourly workers? Approximately three-quarters of organizations (78%) employ low-wage/hourly workers. Of these organizations, one-quarter (25%) have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for these employees. What flexible work arrangements do organizations offer specifically for low-wage/hourly employees? Nearly three-quarters of organizations (71%) offer reduced work hours for their low-wage/hourly workers. Other common flexible work arrangements provided to low-wage/hourly employees include traditional flextime (61%), shift flexibility (59%), break arrangements (51%) and leave for caregiving (51%).

Key Findings Parents With Dependent Care Responsibilities Do organizations design flexible work arrangements specifically for employees who are parents with dependent care responsibilities? Roughly one-third of organizations (32%) indicated that they have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for this population. According to these organizations, the most common flexible work arrangements are traditional flextime (73%), last-minute flexibility (65%), reduced work hours (57%) and leave for caregiving (57%). Have organizations used flexible work arrangements as a means to recruit parents with dependent care responsibilities? The majority of organizations (96%) indicated that they do not make any special effort beyond what they do to recruit all employees. HR professionals report that the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements are equal treatment for all employees (40%), ensuring work is done/satisfying the customer (37%), difficulty in supervising employees (30%) and possible co-worker resentment (30%).

Disabled Workers

  Does your organization currently employ any individuals with disabilities that qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Note: n = 422. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Comparison by organization staff size Does your organization currently employ any individuals with disabilities that qualify under the ADA? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 500 to 24,999 employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 499 employees to currently employ any individuals with disabilities that qualify under the ADA. Comparison by organization staff size 500 to 2,499 employees (81%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (86%) > 1 to 99 employees (38%) 100 to 499 employees (58%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

  Has your organization created and implemented any flexible work arrangements specifically for your employees who are individuals with disabilities that qualify under the ADA? Note: n = 217. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ individuals with disabilities were asked this question.

What flexible work arrangements does your organization offer specifically for your employees who are individuals with ADA-qualified disabilities? Percentage Reduced work hours (e.g., less than full-time, part-time) 60% Traditional flextime (allowing employees to periodically change starting and quitting times within some range of hours) 59% Telecommuting/working from home 55% Break arrangements (giving employees some control over when they take breaks—e.g., employees and employers create a mutual agreement on when employees are allowed to take breaks, allowing for more flexibility) 47% Last-minute flexibility (allowing employees to take time off during the workday to attend to important family or personal needs without losing pay) 43% Shift flexibility (allowing employees to coordinate with co-workers to adjust their schedules by trading, dropping or picking up shifts) 40% Leave for caregiving (e.g., caring for a sick child, elder care; this leave goes beyond the maternity, paternity or adoption leave policies) 38% Compressed workweek (working longer hours on fewer days for at least part of the year) 24% Alternative location arrangements (working at a hub or other site that isn’t at the employee’s home or the organization’s workplace) 20% Alternative or modified work assignments* 3% Other 9% Note: n = 98. Only respondents whose organizations employ individuals with disabilities and have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for those employees were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options. An asterisk (*) indicates that this response option was developed from open-ended responses.

  Would your organization provide flexible work arrangements if an individual with an ADA-qualified disability requested such arrangements? Note: n = 151. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ individuals with disabilities but have not created or implemented any specific flexibility options for individuals with disabilities were asked this question.

If your organization hired an individual with an ADA-qualified disability, would it provide flexible work arrangements upon the employee’s request? Note: n = 207. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations do not currently employ individuals with disabilities were asked this question.

Does your organization actively recruit employees with ADA-qualified disabilities? Note: n = 347. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization actively recruit employees with ADA-qualified disabilities? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 2,500 to 24,999 employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to actively recruit employees with ADA-qualified disabilities. Comparison by organization staff size 2,500 to 24,999 employees (37%) > 1 to 99 employees (13%) Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit and nonprofit organizations are more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to actively recruit employees with ADA-qualified disabilities. Comparison by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit (38%) Nonprofit (38%) > Privately owned for-profit (16%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Has your organization used flexible work arrangements as a means to specifically recruit ADA-qualified disabled individuals? Note: n = 127. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations actively recruit individuals with disabilities and those who didn’t know if their organizations actively recruit individuals with disabilities were asked this question.

Does your organization actively attempt to retain employees with ADA-qualified disabilities? Note: n = 396. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization offer any supervisor/managerial training related to support for disabled workers’ workplace flexibility? Note: n = 375. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Comparison by organization staff size Does your organization offer any supervisor/managerial training related to support for disabled workers’ workplace flexibility? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 25,000 or more employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 499 employees to offer supervisor/managerial training related to support for disabled workers’ workplace flexibility. Comparison by organization staff size 25,000 or more employees (58%) > 1 to 99 employees (16%) 100 to 499 employees (21%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for disabled workers? Percentage Ensuring equal treatment for all employees 34% Ensuring work is done/satisfying the customer 32% Impractical given the nature of jobs in our industry 26% Job requirements/workload do not allow Difficulty supervising employees who work from home, managing changes in schedule 25% Haven't heard about the need for these programs and policies from employees 21% Potential abuse (e.g., absenteeism) 18% Potential loss of productivity 17% Possible co-worker resentment 16% Small organization/few employees 15% Lack of organizational/senior management support 13% Lack of staff Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for disabled workers? (continued) Percentage Administrative hassles 12% Inflexible work arrangements 10% Union considerations 9% Managers don't want these policies and programs 7% Costs too much/limited funds 6% Lack of information about these programs and policies Liability Time constraints Employment laws restrict the arrangements that can be offered 4% Not a cost-effective investment We had a negative experience in a prior effort 1% There are no business obstacles Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Veterans

Does your organization currently employ any veterans? Note: n = 403. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization currently employ any veterans? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 100 to 2,499 employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to currently employ veterans. Comparisons by organization staff size 100 to 499 employees (91%) 500 to 2,499 employees (99%) > 1 to 99 employees (63%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Has your organization created and implemented any flexible work arrangements specifically for employees who are veterans? Note: n = 295. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employs veterans were asked this question.

What flexible work arrangements does your organization offer specifically for your employees who are veterans? Percentage Shift flexibility (allowing employees to coordinate with co-workers to adjust their schedules by trading, dropping or picking up shifts) 66% Last-minute flexibility (allowing employees to take time off during the workday to attend to important family or personal needs without losing pay) 55% Telecommuting/working from home 52% Traditional flextime (allowing employees to periodically change starting and quitting times within some range of hours) Leave for caregiving (e.g., caring for a sick child, elder care; this leave goes beyond the maternity, paternity or adoption leave policies ) 48% Compressed workweek (working longer hours on fewer days for at least part of the year) Reduced work hours (e.g., less than full-time, part-time) 41% Break arrangements (giving employees some control over when they take breaks—e.g., employees and employers create a mutual agreement on when employees are allowed to take breaks, allowing for more flexibility) Alternative location arrangements (working at a hub or other site that isn’t at the employee’s home or the organization’s workplace) 21% Military leave policy/military time off* 7% Other Note: n = 29. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ veterans and have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for those employees were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options. An asterisk (*) indicates that this response option was developed from open-ended responses.

Would your organization provide flexible work arrangements if a veteran requested such arrangements? Note: n = 300. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ veterans, but have not created or implemented any specific flexibility options for veterans were asked this question.

If your organization hired a veteran, would it provide flexible work arrangements upon the employee’s request? Note: n = 92. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations do not currently employ veterans were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.

Does your organization actively recruit veterans? Note: n = 377. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization actively recruit veterans? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 100 or more employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to actively recruit veterans. Comparisons by organization staff size 100 to 499 employees (42%) 500 to 2,500 employees (44%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (55%) 25,000 or more employees (75%) > 1 to 99 employees (21%) Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit organizations are more likely than nonprofit and privately owned for-profit organizations to actively recruit veterans. Comparisons by organization sector Publicly owned for-profit (60%) > Nonprofit (32%) Privately owned for-profit (34%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Has your organization used flexible work arrangements as a means to specifically recruit veterans? Note: n = 134. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations actively recruit veterans and those who didn’t know if their organizations actively recruit veterans were asked this question.

Does your organization actively attempt to retain veterans? Note: n = 401. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization actively attempt to retain veterans? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 2,500 to 24,999 employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to actively attempt to retain veterans. Comparisons by organization staff size 2,500 to 24,999 employees (34%) > 1 to 99 employees (11%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Does your organization offer any supervisor/managerial training related to support for veteran workplace flexibility? Note: n = 364. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do no equal 100% due to rounding.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for veterans? Percentage Ensuring equal treatment for all employees 35% Ensuring work is done/satisfying the customer 30% Impractical given the nature of jobs in our industry 25% Difficulty supervising employees who work from home, managing changes in schedule 24% Job requirements/workload do not allow Haven't heard about the need for these programs and policies from employees 22% Potential loss of productivity 19% Potential abuse (e.g., absenteeism, etc.) 18% Possible co-worker resentment 16% Small organization/few employees 15% Lack of staff 13% Lack of organizational/senior management support 12% Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for veterans? (continued) Percentage Administrative hassles 9% Inflexible work arrangements 8% Union considerations Lack of information about these programs and policies 7% Managers don't want these policies and programs Time constraints 5% Costs too much/limited funds 4% Liability Not a cost-effective investment Employment laws restrict the arrangements that can be offered 3% We had a negative experience in a prior effort 1% There are no business obstacles 10% Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Low-Wage/Hourly Workers

Does your organization currently employ any low-wage/hourly workers? Note: n = 427. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization currently employ any low-wage/hourly workers? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 500 to 24,999 employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to currently employ low-wage/hourly workers. Comparisons by organization staff size 500 to 2,500 employees (89%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (88%) > 1 to 99 employees (63%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Has your organization created and implemented any flexible work arrangements specifically for your employees who are low-wage/hourly workers? Note: n = 310. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ low-wage/hourly workers were asked this question.

What flexible work arrangements does your organization offer specifically for employees who are low-wage/hourly workers? Percentage Reduced work hours (e.g., less than full-time, part-time) 71% Traditional flextime (allowing employees to periodically change starting and quitting times within some range of hours) 61% Shift flexibility (allowing employees to coordinate with co-workers to adjust their schedules by trading, dropping or picking up shifts) 59% Leave for caregiving (e.g., caring for a sick child, elder care; this leave goes beyond the maternity, paternity or adoption leave policies) 51% Break arrangements (giving employees some control over when they take breaks—e.g., employees and employers create a mutual agreement on when employees are allowed to take breaks, allowing for more flexibility) Last-minute flexibility (allowing employees to take time off during the workday to attend to important family or personal needs without losing pay) 47% Compressed workweek (working longer hours on fewer days for at least part of the year) 42% Telecommuting/working from home 21% Alternative location arrangements (working at a hub or other site that isn’t at the employee’s home or the organization’s workplace) 13% Other 4% Note: n = 76. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ low-wage/hourly workers and have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for those employees were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Would your organization provide flexible work arrangements if a low-wage/hourly worker requested such arrangements? Note: n = 241. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ low-wage/hourly workers, but have not created or implemented any flexible work arrangements specifically for those employees were asked this question.

If your organization hired a low-wage/hourly worker, would it provide flexible work arrangements upon the employee’s request? Note: n = 88. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations do not currently employ low-wage/hourly workers were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.

Does your organization actively recruit low-wage/hourly workers? Note: n = 402. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Does your organization actively recruit low-wage/hourly workers? Comparisons by organization staff size Larger organizations with 100 or more employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to actively recruit low-wage/hourly workers. Comparisons by organization staff size 100 to 499 employees (59%) 500 to 2,500 employees (68%) 2,500 to 24,999 employees (66%) 25,000 or more employees (79%) > 1 to 99 employees (31%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Has your organization used flexible work arrangements as a means to specifically recruit low-wage/hourly workers? Note: n = 218. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations actively recruit low-wage/hourly workers and those who didn’t know if their organizations actively recruit low-wage/hourly workers were asked this question.

Does your organization actively attempt to retain low-wage/hourly workers? Note: n = 380. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Comparisons by organization staff size Does your organization actively attempt to retain low-wage/hourly workers? Comparisons by organization staff size Organizations with 500 to 2,500 and 25,000 or more employees are more likely than organizations with 1 to 99 employees to actively attempt to retain low-wage/hourly workers. Comparisons by organization staff size 500 to 2,500 employees (73%) 25,000 or more employees (92%) > 1 to 99 employees (48%) Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for low-wage/hourly workers? Percentage Ensuring equal treatment for all employees 37% Ensuring work is done/satisfying the customer 34% Job requirements/workload do not allow 32% Impractical given the nature of jobs in our industry 31% Difficulty supervising employees who work from home, managing changes in schedule 27% Potential abuse (e.g., absenteeism) 26% Potential loss of productivity 24% Possible co-worker resentment 21% Haven't heard about the need for these programs and policies from employees 20% Lack of staff 17% Small organization/few employees 15% Lack of organizational/senior management support 14% Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for low-wage/hourly workers? (continued) Percentage Inflexible work arrangements 12% Administrative hassles 10% Managers don't want these policies and programs 8% Union considerations Time constraints 7% Lack of information about these programs and policies 6% Not a cost-effective investment Costs too much/limited funds 4% Employment laws restrict the arrangements that can be offered Liability 3% We had a negative experience in a prior effort 1% There are no business obstacles Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Parents With Dependent Care Responsibilities

Has your organization created and implemented any flexible work arrangements specifically for your employees who are parents with dependent care responsibilities? Note: n = 382. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

What flexible work arrangements does your organization offer specifically for your employees who are parents with dependent care responsibilities? Percentage Traditional flextime (allowing employees to periodically change starting and quitting times within some range of hours) 73% Last-minute flexibility (allowing employees to take time off during the workday to attend to important family or personal needs without losing pay) 65% Reduced work hours (e.g., less than full-time, part-time) 57% Leave for caregiving (e.g., caring for a sick child, elder care; this leave goes beyond the maternity, paternity or adoption leave policies) Telecommuting/working from home 56% Break arrangements (giving employees some control over when they take breaks—e.g., employees and employers create a mutual agreement on when employees are allowed to take breaks, allowing for more flexibility) 51% Shift flexibility (allowing employees to coordinate with co-workers to adjust their schedules by trading, dropping or picking up shifts) 48% Compressed workweek (working longer hours on fewer days for at least part of the year) 39% Alternative location arrangements (working at a hub or other site that isn’t at the employee’s home or the organization’s workplace) 17% Other 6% Note: n = 122. Only respondents whose organizations currently employ parents with dependent care responsibilities and have created and implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for these employees were asked this question. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Would you provide flexible work arrangements if employees who are parents with dependent care responsibilities requested such arrangements? Note: n = 289. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations have not created or implemented flexible work arrangements specifically for parents with dependent care responsibilities were asked this question.

Does your organization actively recruit parents with dependent care responsibilities? Note: n = 400. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.

Does your organization actively attempt to retain parents with dependent care responsibilities? Note: n = 408. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

Has your organization made any special effort to ask fathers what they need in terms of workplace flexibility? Note: n = 371. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for parents with dependent care responsibilities? Percentage Ensuring equal treatment for all employees 40% Ensuring work is done/satisfying the customer 37% Possible co-worker resentment 30% Difficulty supervising employees who work from home, managing changes in schedule Impractical given the nature of jobs in our industry 28% Job requirements/workload do not allow 27% Potential abuse (e.g., absenteeism, etc.) 26% Potential loss of productivity 22% Haven't heard about the need for these programs and policies from employees 19% Lack of staff 16% Small organization/few employees 15% Lack of organizational/senior management support 14% Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

What are the main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements for parents with dependent care responsibilities? (continued) Percentage Administrative hassles 13% Inflexible work arrangements 11% Union considerations 9% Managers don't want these policies and programs 8% Lack of information about these programs and policies 6% Time constraints Costs too much/limited funds 5% Not a cost-effective investment Liability 4% Employment laws restrict the arrangements that can be offered 3% We had a negative experience in a prior effort 1% There are no business obstacles Note: n = 399. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Demographics: Organization Industry Percentage Manufacturing 23% Health care and social assistance 15% Professional, scientific and technical services Educational services 9% Public administration Finance and insurance 7% Construction 5% Retail trade Accommodation and food services 4% Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services Information n = 390. Percentages may not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Demographics: Organization Industry (continued) Percentage Transportation and warehousing 4% Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations 3% Repair and maintenance Wholesale trade Arts, entertainment and recreation 2% Mining Real estate rental and leasing Utilities Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1% Personal and laundry services Other 9% n = 390. Percentages may not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

Demographics: Organization Sector Note: n = 387. Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Demographics: Organization Staff Size

Demographics: Other Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only, or does it operate multinationally? U.S.-based operations only 74% Multinational operations 26% n = 385 Is your organization a single-unit organization or a multi-unit organization? Single-unit company: An organization in which the location and the organization are one and the same 35% Multi-unit organization: An organization that has more than one location 65% n = 391 What is the HR department/function for which you responded throughout this survey? Corporate (companywide) 68% Business unit/division 15% Facility/location 17% n = 269 For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit corporate headquarters, by each work location or both? Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices 52% Each work location determines HR policies and practices 4% A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determine HR policies and practices 44% n = 270

SHRM Survey Findings: Workplace Flexibility for Select Populations Methodology Response rate = 18% Sample composed of 509 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership Margin of error +/- 4% Survey fielded February 8-27, 2012 For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research Project leader: Christina Lee, SHRM Research Project contributors: Mark Schmit, Ph.D., SPHR, vice president, SHRM Research Evren Esen, manager, SHRM Survey Research Center Copy editor: Katya Scanlan