Work/life balance questions more common in job interviews

GUMBO STAFF REPORT

“Me time” is a concern for more prospective employees than it was five years ago, according to a survey developed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a specialized financial recruitment service.

According to the survey results, 57 percent of chief financial officers interviewed said job candidates are more likely to ask about work/life balance programs today. To attract workers, 68 percent of the executives said they offer staff some form of alternative scheduling arrangements.

An independent research firm conducted the interviews with more than 1,400 chief financial officers from a random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more staffers.

The question posed was, “When interviewing job candidates today, are they more or less likely to inquire about work/life balance programs than five years ago?” The responses were:

More likely – 57 percent

No change – 11 percent

Less likely – 26 percent

Don’t know/no answer – 6 percent

The company heads were also asked to identify which, if any, scheduling options they offer. The most common option was flexible work hours, which 51 percent of the respondents said their firm provides.

Part-time work (27 percent) and job-sharing arrangements (20 percent) followed.

“As recently as five years ago, it was not as common for job candidates to inquire about flexible scheduling options or other alternative work arrangements during interviews,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of “Human Resources Kit for Dummies,” 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). “But today employers anticipate these requests and are designing programs to accommodate them where possible.”

Policies must be equitable, Messmer said, however, a “one-size-fits-all” approach is not always practical because different jobs come with different levels of flexibility.

“Telecommuting, for example, is best suited to professionals who can work autonomously and do not need to be on hand to directly supervise other team members or meet with clients or customers,” he noted.