When I talk to people about flexibility at work, I find many different perspectives on what it means. For some, it means the ability to pick the work schedule they want. Others want some flexibility to occasionally change their schedule to meet their needs, or the option to work at home. For me, it means that I can make my own schedule on a weekly basis.
The common thread in all of these definitions is control. Flexibility at work means having some control over where and/or when you work. The degree of control that you need will vary based on your personal situation, but a family friendly work arrangement requires some level of control.
In fact, researchers at the University of Minnesota that wanted to study work/family interactions, chose to study schedule control instead of flexibility (see article). They felt that control over schedule was a better measure to tap into what is important for parents.
So as you work on making your work more family friendly, consider how you can get more control over your work schedule.
