I read with interest “Putting Yourself Out There on a Shelf to Buy” in the March 28th Personal Business section of the New York Times.  I was feeling vindicated when I saw the words “But what if I don’t want to be a brand?

Who says that in order to have flexibility the adjustments need to be made by an employer?  Let me be clear –  FlexPaths  does not advocate companies standing still but I did hear an interesting story last week. 

Running a virtual company, I’ve reflected on how I’ve evolved on the flex, communication, and technology fronts.  Confusing, overwhelming… Absolutely.

January, 2003:  Dip toe into flex work. Daughter #1 turns six months and it is clear.  No more five-day-in-an-office work weeks for me.  Solution - find a boss who is never in one place.  I do.  She/I live in the same state, she has multiple offices (NJ, Boston), she travels no less than 50% of the time. I have all of her phone numbers (Boston office, NJ office, home office, her mother’s in Florida, work cell, personal cell, home fax, office fax) and her office & home emails.  Become very chummy with her two administrative assistants who happen to job share.  I add their home, office and cell phone numbers to the list as well as keep their work schedules top of mind. 

Last July 22, I had the opportunity to represent FlexPaths as a Gold Level Sponsor, along with CVS Caremark & KMPG, at the second annual Disability Matters Conference held at General Motors Corporation’s global headquarters in Detroit, MI.   Announced by Springboard Consulting LLC and Work Life Matters magazine, the conference was held in conjunction with the national celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A friend of mine wrote to me the other day, and it was so poignant in a variety of ways, it made me want to share it with you. With my friend's permission to omit her company, and change personal details like names- I'm sharing with you her frustrations. My hope is that you, the reader, will find solace in not being alone in your challenges to achieve work/life effectiveness and that you, like her, might be able to find guidance and assistance through the resources available on our website.

As corporate leaders head back to their desks in early January, after celebrating holidays (albeit more conservatively in many cases) they will ease back to a hard set of facts… Looking in the eyes of their managers and employees and getting them energized and focused on their respective business agenda.  Not to be a pessimist but no doubt a lofty goal, given a record high number of distractions resulting from a tough & dipping economy.  The economy, as we all know, hasn't simply resulted in job loss but notable personal financial loss – one that won't be recoverable for years  to come.  So imagine, the demeanor of those returning to work in January - and where their heads and hearts are focused.  And, (not to be totally depressing and cause you to skip the rest of th

So here I am, co-founder, CEO and President of FlexPaths, a company that advocates and solves for workplace flexibility – we prove this out through our product offerings and company culture. It’s our mission statement. Our very core is flex – so I live and breathe it and do it well – right? Well…

Over the holiday weekend, I noticed an interesting article in The New York Times, Talking Business, 'On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble.' So much of this discussion is top-of-mind for challenges in the workplace, and how Flexibility can provide more options to people facing child care issues.

The article covered the classic tug of war about employer-provided child care:

by Meryl Rosenthal President and CEO for FlexPaths
How thrilled was I, this week, when our Chief Strategy Officer, Dr. Sandy Burud delivered the news.... that Congress is considering a 'right to request' flexibility law like the one in Europe that would not require employers to offer flexibility, but if they do (which is 75% of large companies) it would require them to have formal procedures for discussing employees needs and how to address them. While the law isn't passed and it isn't a requirement yet, companies who want to be ahead of the curve - or ensure they aren't behind the eight ball - will no doubt take notice and act. The fact is, while companies make the "flexibility promise" in their branding and recruiting, that's the easy part. Delivering upon that promise - building flex into the culture throughout the organization so that it is reality vs. rhetoric - is far more challenging and far less commonplace.

by Meryl Rosenthal President and CEO for FlexPaths
When I think about our business - and true "aha" moments when decisions I've made truly redirected our business thinking and made an impact, several stories come to mind. One was a pivotal dinner discussion I had with a cousin. Excited that Robin and I had just started our business and knowing his involvement in the production of Broadway shows, I raved about the fact that our first order of business was to champion flex - and to do so via a film or documentary. I thought he would give me a high five and kudos. Instead, this usually kind, soft spoken and mild-mannered person looked me straight in the eye and said - if you are inspired by this topic, don't talk about it, do something about it. I was so moved by his reaction, then by his words, that I called Robin.