VIVA NOLA APRIL-MAY 2022

Economic Development
Corporate Flexibility
during COVID times
By Alejandra Guzmán
@aleguzman
With no ending timeline
to the Covid-19 spread
that has burdened us
for over two years, many workers
and companies face constant
disruption challenges. Although
the future remains unclear, we
can be sure of employee burnout
across industries. Burnout is
especially true for working
parents.
We have witnessed many
schools transitioning to virtual
classrooms,
daycare centers
closed, and many
in-person activities
canceled during
this pandemic.
When school
or daycare is
unavailable,
parents have the
difficult task of responding to their
job responsibilities and caring
for their children simultaneously,
which can be disruptive to a
working environment.
Some employers don’t offer
remote work options, which has
led to many losing their jobs or
has driven employees to make
the difficult decision to resign
when they can’t find a support
system for childcare.
We are currently witnessing
“The Great Resignation,” which
refers to the record number of
people leaving their jobs. For this
reason, companies have reported
many job openings that can’t get
filled. Also, news outlets have
reported that more than four
million Americans quit their jobs
in late 2021.
With such a complex
environment and a limited
workforce, companies are now
With so many disruptions
in our environment,
flexibility becomes
a valuable asset
for employees and
companies alike.
rethinking attracting and retaining
talent to the workspace with new
perks.
Facebook is one of the big
companies that has already
announced that their workers will
have the opportunity to opt for
permanent remote work, which
provides an attractive option for
many to strike good work and
life balance. However, even if
there is remote work availability
for working parents, flexibility is
also required to
accommodate
childcare and
family needs.
SHRM, the
Society for
Human Resource
Management,
recommends
practices such as allowing
flexible hours, engaging in
ongoing dialogue, and ensuring
an accommodating workplace.
An example would be providing
flexibility for parents to work at
night, early mornings, or even
weekends if possible.
With so many disruptions in our
environment, flexibility becomes a
valuable asset for employees and
companies alike. In addition to
flexibility, best practices such as
role clarity, task clarity, structure,
and handbook first policies play
an essential role in securing high
performance during tough times.
While not every job has the
luxury of being flexible and
remote, if you are an employer
with these options, offer them.
I speak from experience that
you will get, in return, highly
committed individuals.
VIVANOLAMAG.COM ~ 18