r wife who can both shield them from family-related work, and enable them to direct energies exclusively toward a career.These figures demonstrate significant trends in the changing profile of todays labour pool. Not only are companies forced to recruit and hire from an increasingly diverse workforce, but companies intent on succeeding also will have to retain, motivate and engage the most talented women. Flexible work arrangements are options for helping working mothers integrate work and family responsibilities, so that women can function better both at home and in the workplace.Changes in the demographic characteristics and lifestyles of the workforce are occurring at a time when businesses are also in a state of flux. Global competitive pressures and the push toward greater productivity have resulted in a number of organizational changes that increase the appeal of alternative work arrangements.The lean and mean organization resulting from downsizing has given way to emerging management concepts such as employee empowerment and self-managed work teams. These characteristics of the current workplace, in combination with a rise in the use of contingent labour, signify a serious cultural shift away from the traditional pre-downsizing-era workplace. Hierarchical, bureaucratic organizations which offered employment for life are becoming increasingly extinct, in an attempt to compete with organizations that are nimble, highly responsive and able to staff just-in-time. Rigid organizational structures and operating procedures that worked well in more predictable times are no longer appropriate for todays changing business environment. The new corporate culture is one that is better designed to accommodate non-traditional working hours.The global economy is a primary driving force in changing todays workplace. Companies seeking to become more competitive on a global scale have had to look for ways to become more flexible in order to respond ...
