When I had my first two kids a year apart, it became challenging to keep up with the deadlines and long hours that the news business required. After a few days of not seeing my little ones before they went to bed, I considered quitting. Instead, I asked my manager for a reduced schedule.

That was the original definition of flexibility, an accommodation for a working mom. Fifteen years later, the conversation has changed. Today, flexibility is about the bottom line, a

“Today, companies are using flexibility to help drive business results,” says Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit that conducts research on the changing workforce. “There is no one kind of flexibility that’s right for all. The solution has to fit the problem.”

Of course, some businesses brush aside workplace concerns in the midst of an economic recession and are focused only on making the next sales target. But the changing workforce makes ignoring flexibility as a solution difficult for others to ignore: Employees are struggling with elder care issues, unsustainable long work hours, a desire to phase into retirement or conflicts that arise when both parents work.

When Bon Secours, with 20,000 employees, realized its workforce of experienced nurses was aging, it introduced scheduling options for those transitioning into retirement. For example, they can retire at 65 and work part time while collecting pension.

In Michigan, Menlo Innovations wanted to attract and keep top talent in a highly competitive field. The 15-person software design firm pairs its workers on shared computers and switches the pairs regularly. The cross training makes it possible for no time off request to be denied – no matter how long or short. Even more, it keeps its employees to a 40-hour work week “a sustainable pace” with no one working weekends or evenings to prevent burn out.

Such examples abound and for the first time, the Families and Work Institute (FWI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) have compiled The Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work. It’s a look at more than 425 companies of all sizes and industries in 44 states that are standout examples of employers who use flexibility as part of their business strategy.

“There are some employers who are not against flex, they just don’t know how to go about doing it to make it work,” says Lisa Horn, co-director of SHRM’s workplace flexibility project.

One small business owner admits to being an initial skeptic of flexibility. A few years ago, G. Brint Ryan, the CEO of the tax firm Ryan LLC based in Texas, had a talented employee come into his office, tell him that she loved the company and her job, but she needed to quit because the way that she was working was unsustainable. That got his attention. Ryan started a program that focuses on work results achieved, not hours worked. Employees can choose to work when and where they are most effective and efficient.

Describing himself as a rabid capitalist, Ryan says, “I didn’t go down this path to provide another employee benefit. This is not like Friday afternoon pizza. I wanted to make money.” The results have been more than positive. For the past two years, during these recessionary times, the company has posted record profits and revenues and great client rankings.

In Miami, Jim Kaufman at the Miami accounting firm of Kaufman Rossin. saw the same business need – to keep his skilled accountants before, during, and after the brutal tax season. Some are working mothers, others older accountants looking to trim back on their schedule. Today, about 25 percent of his staff has flexible work arrangements. Even Kaufman takes advantage of working from home a few mornings a week. “Sometimes we adjust hours, other times where they work, and sometimes staff is seasonal and takes the summers off. Our professionals don’t spend time fretting if they need flexibility. It’s part of our firm culture.”

Even the White House is pushing workplace flexibility, calling it important to our nation’s competitiveness in the 21st century economy. It is urging federal agencies to allow workers to telecommute for continuity of operations and lower costs should an area get hit with a snowstorm or other disruption. The White House also has brought together employers, employees, advocates, labor leaders and experts to trade information about options that are working in the workplace. Those options include telecommuting, flex time, job sharing, helping with childcare and eldercare, and predictable scheduling. Part-time schedules still are the most prevalent flexible work arrangement.

For low-wage, hourly workers, there’s an effort underway by Workplace Flexibility 2010 and the Institute for Workplace Innovation. Liz Watson, legislative counsel for Workplace Flexibility 2010, says retailers, restaurants and hotels that hire hourly workers found a solution to disruptive turnover by giving employees more predictability in their weekly schedules or letting them take breaks at the same time each day, the kind of flexibility they need to balance family obligations and keep their jobs.

“Introducing flexibility is just the beginning,” Galinsky explains. “It is important to be able to assess the success of such programs.”

Cindy Krischer Goodman is CEO of BalanceGal, a provider of news and advice to balance work and life. Email her atbalancegal@gmail.com or visit www.worklifebalancingact.com.

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