Nearly 8 in 10 employers with 50 or more employees now allow staff to periodically change their arrival and departure times. Those with the most women and minorities in top positions are most likely to offer flexible schedules, according to a survey released in May 2008 of more than 1,100 U.S. companies conducted by the New York-based Families and Work Institute.

The survey also reported that since 1998 there has been a 16% increase in flexible work schedules. The number of companies allowing workers to move from full-time to part-time work and back again while remaining in the same position or level fell from 57% in 1998 to 47% now.

Other key trends include . . .

Benefits on the rise
53% of companies allow some employees to phase into retirement.

38% of companies allow some employees to take sabbaticals – paid or unpaid leaves of 6 months or more – and return to a comparable job.

39% of employers today provide access to information about services for elderly family members, up from less than one quarter of employers in 1998.

65% of employer sponsor employee assistance programs, compared with 56% in 1998.

Benefits declining

16% of employers provide full pay for maternity-related disability, compared with 27% in 1998.

4% of employers pay full health care premiums for family members today compared with 13% in 1998.

29% of companies offer defined pension plans now, compared with 48% in 1998.

Source: HR Magazine July 2008, page 10, Bending With The Times, by Rita Zeidner