The current professional generation is looking for more than great titles and three weeks of vacation.  Working moms, dads, and spouses, are looking for the ultimate work/ life balance, which includes flexible time to spend with their families, and devoted to other enjoyable tasks.  While work/ life balance has become somewhat of a cliche, Americans are no longer willing to devote their entire lives to their companies.

As our parent and grandparents approached their jobs, is not the approach that we choose to take.  Graduate college, get a job, spend 30 years at the same employer, and retire with a respectable pension and profit sharing plan.  We are beginning to recognize that the most important par of life for most people is time with loved ones, building memories, not to be had by sitting in a steel cubicle in corporate America.

Some employers are slow to embrace the idea of flexible work schedules, while others recognize that flexible work schedules help them to attract and retain talent.  Although we are in the middle of a brutal recession, and the unemployment rate is nearly 10%, employers realize that there is a shortage of professional talent.

Women professionals are demanding more time with their families, and seeking other opportunities in business that can afford them this luxury.  Womenomics also reports that companies with a strong role of women business leadership fare better than their male-dominated counterparts.  So it makes sense for Fortune 500, as well as smaller companies, to expand their women executives, as a proven business tactic to contribute to their long term success.

Legitimate business can and will be conducted with the addition of the flexible work schedule.  Workers become more productive, working their business income opportunities more quickly and more efficiently, making time for both their 9-5 job (or 6-2!) to spend quality time with their families, or doing what they love.

Many employers are embracing the new values of workers, but for those who are unable to do so, many professionals are looking at other options to earn cash which will provide them with the flexible schedules they seek, and the income they desire.  Home based businesses have become more popular than ever for this reason.  We not only desire flexibility, but compressed work weeks, which many are able to facilitate through starting their own business, online marketing, and working from home.

I anticipate the industry becoming more friendly towards those who choose to work flexible hours, as the need arises to attract and retain talent.