WHAT'S new in the WORKWORLD
Office work has become more cerebral, self-directed and multidisciplinary
"It's not your mom and dad's office. There's no real gold watch at the end of a 50-year career anymore," said Tom Nelson, director of the employment security division in the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, referring to how the modern workworld has changed since the 1950s and '60s.
Back
In the last half century, the world has seen the advent of computers, Internet, fax machines, cell phones and BlackBerrys - all of which have had a profound effect on the way people get their jobs done.
The modern workworld is no longer simply an office people drive to in heavy traffic or where men dress in white uniforms and pump gas or fix Maytags.
Telecommuting, profit-sharing, job-sharing, outsourcing, downsizing and a compressed workweek are all part of the new workworld, where progressive companies offer flexible work schedules, on-site child care and fitness programs, bus passes and vanpools and welcome workers to be more involved in decision making.
THE NEW OFFICE
During the Industrial Age, workers moved from the farm to the office and factory where they generally performed repetitive operations.
In the new age of information and technology, computers have taken over the tasks that were once performed by workers computing at desks or working in factories.
"Office work is becoming more cerebral, self-directed and multidisciplinary in order to give organizations the resources they need to prosper in the new economy," reported Christine Barber, director of workplace research for Knoll, Inc., a manufacturer of furniture, and journalist Roger Yee.
Research conducted for Knoll by DYG Inc. reported that "companies expect a lot more from workers today than they used to (and) workers are expected to get more done and get it done faster."
Yet in the age of downsizing, outsourcing and the expansion of technological services, companies have not always continued to support workers.
The DYG study reported that 61 percent of the workers surveyed strongly asserted that "businesses focus too much on profits and forget about their employees and customers." As a result, workers have "less loyalty to their companies than they used to."
"Today's work environment ... remains trapped in a time warp," reported Barber and Yee.
Of course, not all companies remain in a time warp. As businesses move into the 21st century, many are discovering that worker satisfaction is key to better productivity and are striving to create a workworld that includes programs and facilities that support workers.
SOCIALLY-CONSCIOUS
Northwestern Mutual, a financial security company, provides a host of wellness initiatives to its employees, including online weight loss and fitness programs, annual health assessments and quarterly mammogram screenings.
The Atlanta Braves provides diversity training to help players
understand and work together better.
Ernst & Young, an international professional service firm, allows employees to create their own work schedules.
Since 1978, Johnson & Johnson's employee assistance programs have offered their workers personal counseling, multigenerational training and training in stress management. Their Work-Life programs offer innovative job arrangements that include telecommuting, flexible work hours, remote work options, job sharing and compressed workweek schedules. On-site occupational health clinics and ergonomics programs help prevent and treat workplace injuries.
In Juneau, the Federal Building offers employees of federal agencies access to a fitness center, cafeteria and child care facility. Having these services on the premises helps cut down on time spent away from the building and helps retain employees.
"A lot of people have brought their babies in and that was allowed because it makes it easier on the couple. ... You have a good employee, and you want to keep them working," said Ray Massey, public relations specialist for the Forest Service. "The child care in the building allows employees to be with their child on breaks and lunches."
The federal government also offers reimbursement for fitness club memberships, purchases exercise equipment for employees and paid leave to employees who participate in fitness activities, Massey said.
"Basically, we get paid time off to maintain health and fitness because it makes a healthier employee. Overall, you're more fit and there's less absenteeism because of health problems, and it cuts down on workplace and stress-related injuries if you're in shape," Massey said.
"We want to foster an environment that is conducive to productivity," said Jim Langlois, the Federal Building property manager for the General Services Administration. "And good health leads to better productivity."
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Scheduling is another area the new workworld is seeing changes.
The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in the Workplace honors businesses that offer flexibility programs, such as allowing employees to take time off from work, change starting and quitting times, work regular paid hours at home and do volunteer work during work hours.
In Southeast Alaska, the Family Friendly Business Practices project seeks out and supports businesses that exhibit policies which help their employees balance work and family life. The project is sponsored by Partnerships for Families and Children, United Way of Southeast Alaska and the Juneau Chamber of Commerce.
According to research on family friendly business practices, employers with family friendly policies can better retain workers, increase employee loyalty and productivity, and gain a more positive community image.
The project's Family Friendly Employer Award honors businesses with policies that promote work-life balance through activities, such as job sharing, flexible hours, working from home, time off to attend parent-school functions, as well as support family friendly functions in the workplace, such as breast-feeding, changing tables, toy and book baskets, and bringing children to the workplace.
Previous recipients of this award were Southeast Independent Living, Don Abel Building Supply, Elgee Rehfeld and Mertz, KTOO Broadcasting and USKH Engineering.
This year's awardees were the University of Alaska, the Alaska State Legislature and Jensen Yorba Lott Inc., an architectural firm.
Jensen Yorba Lott employs about 14 people and takes a "humanistic" approach to running its business, partner Tony Yorba said.
"People work in order to raise families and if you make it difficult to raise their family, what's the point in working," he said. "If it makes people happy, then I'm happy, because developing loyalty in staff is one of the signatures for successful business."
Jensen Yorba Lott allows workers to tailor their hours and welcomes children in the workplace when situations arise. They have flexible leave policies that allow employees to take the time they need for family matters.
"It kinda costs us in terms of productivity in the short term, but in the long term I think it's important and it's worth it. It's an investment in people," Yorba said.
Shelly Wright, executive director of the Southeast Conference in Juneau, offers one of her employees flexible hours in the morning so she can help her daughter get off to school "with a mom and a nice hot breakfast."
"I think she is a better worker. I think she's happier and does a better job knowing that her daughter is safe and sound in the morning and off to school," Wright said. "It's about morale. ... When your employees are happy, they do a better job."
EARTH FRIENDLY
As fuel prices rise, many business with an earth-friendly bent are developing recycling protocols and accommodating workers in the area of commuting.
Bayless Engineering and Manufacturing, in California's Santa Clarita Valley, for example, supplies a vanpool to drive employees to and from work.
In Juneau, through the Commuter Transit Subsidy Benefits program, the Forest Service provides bus passes for employees because it saves energy by cutting down on the amount of people on the highways, reduces parking problems and helps people get to work on time.
"The program encourages people to take mass transit instead of individual vehicles to save on gas, wear and tear on the highways and all those practical reasons for having people ride together," Massey said. "It expands commuting alternatives."
Currently, about 15 Forest Service employees use the program in Juneau.
TELECOMMUTING
Companies are realizing they can increase productivity by letting employees work at home, or telecommute. With the use of home computers, high-speed Internet, fax machines and BlackBerrys, workers no longer need to be physically present in an office, but can transmit their work via these technological means from somewhere else.
A 2006 report by WorldatWork, based on data collected by the Dieringer Research Group, found "roughly 8 percent of American workers have an employer that allows them to telecommute one day per month and roughly 20 percent of the workforce engages in telework."
The report concludes that the trend is likely the result of a combination of factors, including "the proliferation of high speed/broadband and other wireless access (which has made it both less expensive and more productive to work remotely) and the willingness of more employers to embrace flexibility and work-life balance."
Citigate Cunningham in San Francisco, a public relations company, "encourages workers to stay at home whenever possible, providing laptop computers and BlackBerrys to enable telecommuting and reimbursing them $40 a month for high-speed Internet connections in their homes," the New York Times reported.
Juneau resident Dave Hunsaker telecommutes between his home in Juneau and Los Angeles. He is a screenwriter and writes at home, but flies to Los Angeles about every six weeks for face-to-face meetings, which he says are important in his business.
"When I'm (in Los Angeles) I'm always running around to meetings (which) entails hours of time stuck in traffic behind the wheel of a car trying to get from point A to point B. It all seems very important and busy at the time, but then when I come back up here, I often wonder what it was all for," he said.
Hunsaker prefers being in Alaska because of the wilderness and the people, he said.
"We live out the road, and so I have a window looking out at an eagle's nest and at Lynn Canal. And so it's a pretty ideal spot to write," he said. " I have lived here for a long time, and it's where I'm comfortable living and working. And there's something about the place that just continues to feed me. I also find I'm just a lot more productive here."
IN TWO WORKWORLDS
Rodger Painter is an aquaculture advocate and shellfish farmer. He works between his home in Juneau and an oyster farm on Prince of Wales Island. In Juneau, he spends his workday talking on the telephone, writing e-mails and doing computer work related to shellfish aquaculture. He also is the president of the Alaska Shellfish Grower's Association.
"On a typical day (at the farm) ... I get up about five in the morning, and by 7:30 head out to work on the oysters," Painter said. After lifting the gear out of the water, he washes the oysters. "The ones that are marketable size, we store in bags of 10 dozen, and those need to be cleaned off real well."
Painter said his lifestyle allows him to straddle two worlds and get the best of both.
"The advantages of it are that I was born in Alaska, grew up in rural areas, and I like that kind of lifestyle. At the same time, I like being involved in things, which I am in my other life. So the two fit together well. When I'm at the farm, I'm in the middle of nowhere doing the kinds of things my family has been doing for generations and generations, and its my tie to the land."
• Teri Tibbett is a writer living in Juneau. She can be reached at www.tibbett.com.