Workplace Flexibility by Patricia Kempthorne, Founder & Executive Director, The Twiga Foundation

 

I asked Twiga Foundation Founder and Executive Director Patricia Kempthorne (http://www.twigafoundation.org/about_us_test_new.htm) to share some information about the organization. I have had the pleasure of talking to Patricia about her work and she is passionate about the importance of workplace flexibility. Did you know that:

 

Employees who work in flexible and effective workplaces are more likely to:

 

• be engaged in their jobs and committed to helping their organizations succeed;

• plan on staying with their employer;

• be satisfied with their jobs; and

• exhibit better mental health (from When Work Works, Making Work “Work”, p. ii, found on the Twiga website)

 

On the Twiga website http://www.twigafoundation.org/index.htm you will find tons of information like this, research and examples, of how workplace flexibility leads to wins for both the employee and the organization. Here is what Patricia (who is, BTW, also the former First Lady of Idaho and wife of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne) has to say about Twiga.

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The Twiga Foundation is dedicated to promoting family-consciousness at home, in the workplace and in the community.  At Twiga, we recognize work as an essential part of life that can be personally fulfilling while providing the necessary financial needs of an individual or family.  Twiga is the Swahili word for giraffe.  We chose this name for our organization because the giraffe represents a perspective of being able to see the past, present and future and sometimes having to stick your neck out to reach the best life has to offer.  The giraffe has the largest heart of any land mammal.  Bringing the representation of a giraffe to a meeting is symbolic with remembering to bring your heart in with your head when making important business decisions.  With that in mind, Twiga seeks opportunities to help lay the foundation for a family-consciousness in the workplace through workplace flexibility because we believe it is advantageous to the employer and the employee.

 

Twiga is currently working in 24 communities across the country with the Families & Work Institute of New York and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce at the U.S. Chamber in Washington, DC to identify organizations using flexible workplace options as a part of an effective workforce design. These organizations are recognized with the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. 

 

Workplace flexibility is a strategy that defines how, when and where work gets done and how careers are organized.  Not only are flexible work options a key component for recruitment and retention of quality employees, we believe they also create an environment for professional growth and increased productivity.  Organizations committed to an effective workplace will find flexibility an important strategy along with employee learning opportunities, participation in decision making, co-worker and supervisory support, job autonomy and meaningful, challenging work. 

 

We are recognizing the mismatch in the 21^st Century workplace.  That mismatch is the challenge of supporting both a quality, effective workforce and a quality of life for the members of the workforce in this fast paced, 24/7, global economy.  Flexibility in the workplace, when embraced by and provided for all sectors of a workforce, is an essential tool for the 21^st Century workplace.  An underlying benefit of workplace flexibility is a healthy trend toward a more balanced approach to life in general.  Thus, when employees feel valued for who they are and they are encouraged to be part of the decision making for how, when and where the work gets done they are engaged with not just their heads but their hearts also.  What more could an organization hope for than a focused and dedicated workforce?  In such a workplace, work and life issues complement one another other instead of creating a competitive struggle.  That would be a great place to work!

MPAEA Testimonies

 

Dr. Kroth gave a “passionate” talk and pro-active approaches to taking control of the

work environment and your life.

 

Overall, I felt the conference focus was on leadership and producing happy, productive adult employees (students) in a nurturing environment.

 

(Click here to view these in their complete contents and more testimonies)