The Times They Are a Changing . . .
Long gone are the days when the first company you went to work for was the company you stayed with for your entire career. In those days, most employees moved up effortlessly through the chain of command until they worked their way to the top!
In this day and age, companies are not loyal to their employees, and in turn, employees, especially the younger generation (Gen X and Gen Y), are not especially loyal to the companies who employee them. Many change jobs (or job hop), in the hopes of getting a huge increase in their salaries and advance their careers all at the same time. I have met several whose attitude is “Why should I be loyal to any one company when this is ‘at will’ employment and I can be laid off at any time?” And, I have to say that there is a certain validity to this philosophy, as companies use outsourcing and layoffs as a way to cut costs (salaries) and increase profits.
Today people – women in particular – want more flexibility in their lives and work. The corporate scene, where workers put in 80 hour work weeks for a nice steady paycheck, is not as appealing as it used to be. Especially when all of their energy is spent after a long hard day at work and when they arrive home they are essentially too tired to spend any quality time with their family. As a result, women are leaving Corporate America in droves!
I coach many working moms, who are missing out on their kid’s lives and activities due to their full-time jobs. When you work full-time for a company, they feel like they “own” you and your time. You are not free to say no if you don’t want to attend an out-of-town meeting, for example. Eventually workers get resentful and the job becomes a burden.
So what is the New Work Model?
Making your work fit around your life, instead of your life fit in around your work.
So what are some options for doing this?
Some people decide to work part-time. In traditional income models people work 40 or more hours a week, and earn a standard annual salary, paid weekly or monthly. But going part-time doesn’t necessarily mean working only 20 hours a week! Working part-time can mean working a few hours a day, or 1 or 2 days per week, or working on a project for several months in a row, and then having several months off. It all depends on your business model.
Another option is to start your own business, which can give you a lot of flexibility. Today, more people are starting businesses than ever before and more women are starting businesses than men! Of course there are pros and cons to starting your own business, but that’s the subject of another blog post! Another option is Multi-Level Marketing (also known as Network Marketing), which lets you work where and when you want to.
The bottom line is that many women are looking for more flexibility, and work that works around their life, instead of trying to squeeze their life into the time that’s leftover outside of work.
I fear that the new work model leads to problems. Problems with benefits, in particular- like paid vacation, sick pay, and health care.
I understand the need (desire) for some of us to work part-time, but employers must address these issues to afford them the long term stability they desire (or at least, for the concerns they voice). Right now, employers are taking these offers- which typically involve lower rates of pay- and not extra costs- and them lament when this sort of staff leaves with the wind. I don’t comprehend (which requires deeper knowledge than understanding) why one would expect more from a relationship than it itself offers!
Hi Roy!
You make some good points, as always!
In this case my post is directed more towards married women who are struggling with working full-time while raising kids. There has to be better options out there, and most come to the realization that they no longer want the obligation of the full-time job once they have a family (that model doesn’t work anymore – for more on business models see the chapter in my new book Entrepreneur Extraordinaire)! If this is the case, most of the women have a husband who is still working full-time, who can provide the insurance and benefits for the family. Once a woman works part-time, the money is just “extra” money or a secondary income on top of the primary one. Of course, there are drawbacks to going part-time too (see previous blog post on this topic ) including staff attrition, so maybe doing a MLM or your own business full-time is the answer, because at least you can work around your family. Unfortunately there are no easy answers!
There is a new need for a new model for everyone but not sure part time work is the solution. In my mind, we need to stop thinking about holidays, benefits etc and start thinking of our work being do this get paid that. The model I am thinking about is based on productivity or sales results not just occupying a seat at a business and playing on the internet between doing some work because they have to be at work for so many hours. But what I think causes the most problems is the amount of time it takes to get to and from work and the stresses around that. If we could be productive both for ourselves and our business 6 hours a day and get pay for it then we would all be in a better situation and more things would be produced. I could go on but….
Excellent points Roberta!