• Telework/compressed workweeks/flextime
• Financial services
• Eight international offices; Tacoma, Washington headquarters

Work options serve dual purpose
Two phrases that define the Frank Russell Company's identity also speak volumes about why work options are a perfect fit at this world-class financial services firm. “The sun never sets on Russell” means this 24-hour, multi-country organization depends on the internet, telephone and flexible work hours to communicate and conduct much of its business. “Employees first, clients second” expresses the bottom-line worth management sees in employee satisfaction and creating a top-ranked work environment that includes opportunities to work from home. Telework, compressed workweeks and flextime serve Russell both as strategic business tools and valued employee benefits.

“If we have happy associates first, then we will have happy clients,” says CEO Mike Phillips. “So much of our success can be traced back to people who love what they do, and who give 100% because they want to.” These are not idle words: Frank Russell Company has three times won Washington CEO magazine's Best Place to Work award. Since its start in 1936, this pension investment company has been a financial success, but the years between 1994 and 1999 have been the best years in company history.

One size does not fit all
Work options are offered in all departments at Frank Russell Company, but the level and type of use varies widely among the 970 employees based in Tacoma. In the early 1990s, several work groups pioneered model compressed workweek and telework policies. As the programs spread, management discovered one size does not fit all. Rather than cover every possibility, Russell provides general guidelines under which departments customize plans to meet individual needs. Flextime, compressed workweeks and telework are used by administrative, marketing, human resources, information technology, stock trading, business analysis and other financial services staff and managers.

Global company already works remotely
Implementing telework becomes less of a leap when a company's staff and clients are already scattered around the world. Pam Johnson, Manager of International Assignments, works in Tacoma but reports to a supervisor based in London. She is responsible for transfers of staff from one country to another, including negotiating the terms, shipping belongings and obtaining work permits. She works from home several times a month, usually on Fridays when the phone is quiet because it is already Saturday at offices in many other countries. “I can get more done in the same amount of time, and it's more relaxing,” Johnson says. “I take home work that involves reading, writing, creating spreadsheets and answering emails.”

Johnson says she is a more loyal employee because of the combination of benefits, flexibility and trust her employer offers. “I've been here 11 years. Once in awhile I wonder if I should look elsewhere, but the opportunity to flex my hours and work at home are part of the formula that always ends up on the Russell side.”

Email, technology support telework
Email and technology such as remote network access not only transformed the office environment and the communication abilities between branch offices, they supported the growth of telework. Phillips is as reliant on email and remote access as anyone, regardless of whether he is working in Singapore, Tacoma or from home. “Email is our primary means of communication,” Phillips says. “I can get up two hours early in Singapore and respond to 20 emails from associates around the world or send a company-wide memo from home.” In addition, the intellectual capital that is Russell's product is not based on hours worked but quality provided. For knowledge workers, telework and flexible work hours become work tools.

Flextime, compressed workweeks meet business needs
The ability to vary start times or work the longer days of a compressed workweek are a way of doing business at Russell. An earlier start or a longer day increase telephone communication with international staff. In addition, since Wall Street opens at 9 a.m. in New York, traders on the West Coast need to start by 6 a.m. Another group, which provides desktop computer support, finds four 10-hour days make it easier to accomplish some tasks before or after employees need to use their computers.

The large consulting department offers compressed workweeks to administrative staff. Administrative Assistant Jean Boelk works 5/8s one week and 4/10s the next to receive one day off every other week. She is part of a team of four administrative staff who jointly support a work group of four executives. “People are more willing to help each other because we're dependent on each other on our days off,” Boelk says. Increasing the hours of coverage, plus the idea of cross-training and shared work, result in less overtime. The biggest benefit to Russell, however, is happier employees and low turnover. So long as coverage is adequate, staff can change days off from one pay period to the next.

Telework addresses work, personal needs
What motivates teleworkers is usually a combination of work and personal needs. Senior Technical Analyst Scott Boyd, who works in Computer Operations, works at home twice a month. “I usually save really hairy coding problems for home because I know I will be able to concentrate better,” Boyd says. He also appreciates saving 80 minutes of commute time. Boyd's job involves responding to telephone requests, sometimes writing code to solve the problem, and managing web servers located in Arlington, VA. “It's hard to work longer than 10 minutes without getting interrupted by the phone. It's an incredible relief to be so productive for one day at home,” he says. At home, requests for help may be delayed for half an hour or routed to another team member. Three of the five members work from home once a week to once a month. The team members also have company-paid ISDN lines installed in their homes to accommodate telework and provide the ability to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day.

Managers use telework
A number of managers also find that working at home increases their overall performance. Sales and Marketing Services Manager Tricia O'Connell works at home approximately two days a month. She gives staff her home telephone number and advance notice of her plans, then checks voice mail every half hour and email every hour from home. “I make sure I put in quality time with staff when I am at the office, so that extends my ability to work from home when I need to focus on special projects,” O'Connell says. She schedules weekly meetings with each of the eight members of her team to discuss challenges and encourage top performance. “I end up more focused at home on what I need to be, and more able to focus on staff when it counts,” she says. Team members work from home as needed, from once a week to once a month. O'Connell simply requires that work options support or be driven by project needs and that staff take responsibility for coverage and communicating their schedule.

Work options for executive support staff
Even key staff who support the President and Chairman with day to day tasks, such as itinerary, telephone and administrative duties, are able to use a creative version of work options depending on executive work schedules and travel plans. Kathy Deskin, Assistant to the President, says, “Five years ago, the thought of having some kind of flexible scheduling or telework in this department made me cringe.” Deskin's perspective changed when she broke her foot and needed to work from home for several weeks. “I realized it does work. It simply requires being open-minded to trying new ways of working.”

The cost/benefit analysis
In the end, management asks two questions when making decisions about work options requests: 1) Will it improve overall employee satisfaction or job performance? and 2) Will it hurt performance of duties in some way that is not acceptable or is not offset by other improvements?

© 2000 Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. You may reprint this written material, provided you do not use it to endorse a commercial product. Please reference by title and credit Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program and Commuter Challenge. Published February 2000.