Advertising

Advertising as a career

Introduction

In this paper we are going to evaluate the topic of workplace dicversity issues related to the advertising in career.

Thesis statement

Advertising the availability of flexible work arrangements like job sharing, flextime or telecommuting increases the number and quality of candidates that respond.

Discussion

The 1990's have witnessed dramatic change in the attitude of corporate America regarding flexible work arrangements. Once used as an ad hoc response to individual employees' needs, companies have begun to realize they can use flexibility as a cost-effective strategy to accomplish business goals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than half of US workers work other than a 5-day, 40-hour week and nationwide, about 12 million full-time workers have flexible work schedules. In a 1998 Families and Work Institute Business Work/Life Study, most of the 1000 participating companies reported that FWAs had a positive return on investment (46%) or were cost neutral (36%), while only 18% believed the costs of FWAs outweighed the benefits.

Many companies are beginning to recognize the value of workplace flexibility, and see it as the way work needs to be done in an information age. A 1991 Catalyst study found that since 1989, most of the 70 participating large companies had expanded the number of employees using flexible work arrangements and had formalized their initiatives. Many organizations have experimented with flexible work arrangements with positive results.

There are several aspects of flexible work arrangements:

FlexTime: Allows employees to take advantage of a range of starting and ending times for the work day.

FlexPlace (or Telecommuting): Enables employees to work from a different location - such as home or another facility. For this arrangement to be successful, the employee must demonstrate an ability to work independently. Job responsibilities must also allow for the employee to spend time away from the office. The amount of time worked off site can vary, from a few hours a week to a full five day work week schedule.

Compressed Work Schedule: Enables employees to perform their full-time job in less than a customary work week. Examples of compressed work schedules could include: working four days out of a customary five-day week, or working nine days out of ten in a two-week schedule. For this arrangement to be successful, the employee must have the stamina to work long hours.

Job Sharing: An option that allows two people to share the responsibilities of one full-time position. This option often comes into play when a company wishes to keep valued employees who seek reduced hours but holds a job requiring full-time coverage.

It may be possible to create a flexible work arrangement using a combination of options (i.e., an employee may be able to work a compressed work schedule and also one day from home). Also, some flexible work arrangements might be initiated by individual employees, a group or work unit, or the manager might suggest that for business reasons a particular option be implemented. Whatever the arrangement, Human Resources should be consulted to provide practical advice and ensure ...