Sacrifices to Keep a Job:

A 2009 survey of full-time employees found 94 percent would change schedules, earn less or give up flexibility to keep a job. The survey by Work+Life Fit found that the other sacrifices people would make to keep a job include:

• 78 percent would work a compressed week (four 10-hour days).
• 59 percent would take unpaid vacation days or a furlough of one to two weeks.
• 48 percent would job share.

• 47 percent would take a cut in hours and pay.
• 41 percent would take a pay cut for the same number of work hours or switch to project-based employment status.
• Almost one-third would agree to a month or more unpaid time off.

Work-Life Flexibility Continues:

Only 14 percent of employees surveyed were less likely to use flexible benefits from a desire to keep a job, the report said. 11 percent were more likely to use flexible work and 74 percent were the just as likely.

Companies continue to offer flexible work. Only 2 percent of workers said they have no flexibility. 19 percent have more flexibility than a year ago; 62 percent have the same and 17 percent reported less.

"Flexibility practices appear to be holding their own in these particularly tough times," said Kathie Lingle, executive director of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress.

To Keep a Job, Fewer Career Breaks Planned:

The recession and troubled job market have forced 90 percent of workers surveyed to change employment plans, the Work+Life Fit report said.

For instance:

• 58 percent plan to stay with their current employer long than originally planned.
• 58 percent expect to do some paid work during retirement.
• 56 percent are cutting spending and saving more as a precaution against job changes.
• 13 percent have taken a second job.
• 47 percent are less likely to take a voluntary career break.
• A larger proportion of women (56 percent) than men (40 percent) said they're less likely to voluntarily leave the workforce.

Can You Keep a Job Using Flexibility?:

In the coming year, 71 percent of workers wanted an occasional opportunity to adjust their schedules or work from a remote location (57 percent). 73 percent wanted to make their work-life flexibility official, but of those, only 12 percent were seeking to work fewer hours.

"We have to figure out how to use flexibility to help manage our businesses and our lives, both of which are forever changed by this recession," said Cali Williams Yost, chief executive of Work+Life Fit.

Reasons Not to Seek Flexible Work:

The key finding of the survey is that people would accept a change in schedule, pay cut or fewer work hours in order to keep their jobs. But when asked what factors kept them from seeking flexibility:

• 21 percent said they already have work-life flexibility.
• 42 percent said their job type limited options.
• 32 percent worried about making less money.
• 30 percent felt their superior would say no.
• 22 percent feared losing their job.
• 19 percent worried it would hurt their career.
• 16 percent were concerned that others would think they weren't working hard.

Support for Flexible Work Policies

Work+Life Fit also asked about the outlook for flexible work policies during the term of President Barack Obama, whose wife Michelle Obama has made work-life balance a priority.

• 56 percent of those surveyed believe the Obama administration will facilitate work-life balance.
• 62 percent of women were optimistic about the prospects of flexible policies, compared with 51 percent of men.
• 67 percent of women believe there should be national legislation or programs for work-life flexibility; 55 percent of men support such measures.

The annual Work+Life Fit telephone survey questioned 757 full-time employed adults and was conducted by Opinion Research Corp. from March 26 to 30, 2009. It has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Source: Work+Life Fit.
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