1. SHRM Survey Findings: Employee Benefits in California—
Flexible Work Arrangements
April 23, 2014

2. • This is part two of a series of SHRM survey findings examining employee benefits in the workplace
of California organizations.
• The following topics are included in the six-part series titled Employee Benefits in California:
» Part 1: Wellness initiatives
» Part 2: Flexible work arrangements
» Part 3: Health care
» Part 4: Leveraging benefits to retain employees
» Part 5: Leveraging benefits to recruit employees
» Part 6: Communicating benefits
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 2
Introduction

3. • For the purpose of this survey, flexible work arrangements or flex work may include full- or part-time
telecommuting, flexible scheduling, compressed workweeks, etc.
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 3
Definition

4. • Do organizations offer flexible work arrangements to their employees? Fifty-eight percent of California
organizations reported they offer flexible work arrangements to their employees. Among the
organizations that provide these benefits, approximately two-fifths (42%) indicated the majority of
their employees (more than half) are allowed to take advantage of these benefits.
• In 2012, by how much did employee participation in flexible work arrangements increase? Similar to organizations
nationwide (33%), about one-third (30%) of California organizations reported that employee
participation in flexible work arrangements increased since 2011.
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 4
Key Findings
California

5. • The numbers are rising for flexible work arrangements—the percentage of employers that
participate in this benefit increased from 2012, and more organizations offer flex work to a broader
scope of their payroll. This trend is in line with workers’ increased desire to manage their own time
and better balance their work with their responsibilities out of the office. Separate SHRM studies
have shown that many workers rate “the balance of work/life issues” as an integral factor in job
satisfaction, and flexible work arrangements can offer a cost-effective means of delivering that
balance. Other research by the Families and Work Institute revealed that an increasing number of
men have expressed a need for flexible work to better balance their jobs and family
responsibilities—proof that demand for such arrangements spans a broad segment of the
workforce.
• Comparable to the overall U.S. organizations’ population, California organizations are on par or
close to national averages regarding trends in flexible work arrangements. California is about the
same in actual participation (58% of employers, compared with 57% nationally), and flexible work
arrangements are available to a majority of organizations’ workers at a rate that is approximately
the same in California (42%, compared with 45% nationally).
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 5
What do these findings mean for the HR profession?

6. Does your organization provide employees with the option to use flexible
work arrangements?
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 6
Note: Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis.
58%
42%
57%
43%
Yes
No
California (n = 333)
Overall (n = 382)

7. Are the majority (more than half) of employees at your organization
allowed to use flexible work arrangements?
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 7
Note: Only respondents whose organizations provided flexible work arrangements were asked this question. Respondents who answered “not sure”
were excluded from this analysis.
42%
58%
45%
55%
Yes
No
California (n = 185)
Overall (n = 207)

8. How did employee participation in your organization’s flexible work
change last year compared with the year before?
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 8
Note: Only respondents whose organizations provided flexible work arrangements were asked this question. Respondents who answered “not sure”
were excluded from this analysis.
30%
61%
9%
33%
61%
6%
Increased
Remained the
same
Decreased
California (n = 155)
Overall (n = 179)

9. Does your organization monitor employee participation rates in its
flexible work arrangements?
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 9
Note: Only respondents whose organizations provided flexible work arrangements were asked this question. Respondents who answered “not sure”
were excluded from this analysis.
43%
57%
47%
53%
Yes
No
California (n = 171)
Overall (n = 187)

10. Demographics
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 10

11. 31%
36%
18%
10%
5%
1 to 99 employees
100 to 499 employees
500 to 2,499
employees
2,500 to 24,999
employees
25,000 or more
employees
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 11
Demographics: Organization Staff Size
n = 310

12. 60%
19%
13%
7%
2%
Privately owned
for-profit
Nonprofit
organization
Publicly owned
for-profit
Government
sector
Other
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 12
Demographics: Organization Sector
Note: n = 322. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.

13. Percentage
Professional, scientific and technical services 24%
Health care and social assistance 13%
Manufacturing 12%
Finance and insurance 10%
Government agencies 8%
Educational services 8%
Transportation and warehousing 7%
Retail trade 7%
Whole trade 6%
Real estate and rental and leasing 5%
Accommodation and food services 4%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 4%
Construction 4%
Information 4%
Utilities 4%
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organizations 3%
Mining 2%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 2%
Repair and maintenance 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 2%
Personal and laundry services 1%
Other 9%
13Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014
Demographics: Organization Industry
Note: n = 328. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.

14. Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 14
Demographics: Other
U.S.-based operations only 79%
Multinational operations 21%
Single-unit organization: An
organization in which the location
and the organization are one and the
same.
30%
Multi-unit organization: An
organization that has more than one
location.
70%
Multi-unit headquarters determines
HR policies and practices.
59%
Each work location determines HR
policies and practices.
5%
A combination of both the work
location and the multi-unit
headquarters determines HR policies
and practices.
37%
Is your organizationa single-unit organization or a multi-unit organization?
For multi-unitorganizations, are HR policies and practices determined by
the multi-unitheadquarters, by each work location or by both?
Does your organization have U.S.-based operations
(business units) only, or does it operate
multinationally?
n = 324
n = 325
Note: n = 234. Percentages do not equal 100% due to
rounding.
Corporate (company-wide) 78%
Business unit/division 15%
Facility/location 16%
Note: n = 234. Percentages do not equal 100%
due to rounding.
What is the HR department/function for whichyou
responded throughout this survey?

15. SHRM Survey Findings: Employee Benefits in
California—Flexible Work Arrangements
• Response rate = 13%
• 373 HR professionals in California organizations from a
randomly selected sample of SHRM’s membership participated in
this survey
• Margin of error +/- 5%
• Survey fielded May 3-June 7, 2013
Survey Methodology
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 15

16. • Workplace Flexibility Resource Page
• Work Life Fit Resource Page
• Alternative Work Schedules Resource Page
• Creating an Effective Flexible Work Environment
• Managing Workplace Flexibility in California
Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014 16
Additional SHRM Resources

17. About SHRM Research
• For more survey/poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys
• For more information about SHRM’s Customized Research Services,
visit www.shrm.org/customizedresearch
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Project leaders:
Christina Lee, researcher, SHRM Research
Yan Dong, SHRM Research
Project contributors:
Alexander Alonso, Ph.D., SPHR, vice president, SHRM Research
Evren Esen, director, Survey Research Center, SHRM Research
Copy editor:
Katya Scanlan, SHRM Knowledge Center
17Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014

18. About SHRM
Founded in 1948, the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM) is the world’s largest HR membership organization devoted
to human resource management. Representing more than 275,000
members in over 160 countries, the Society is the leading
provider of resources to serve the needs of HR professionals and
advance the professional practice of human resource management.
SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United
States and subsidiary offices in China, India and United Arab
Emirates. Visit us at shrm.org.
18Employee Benefits in California—Flexible Work Arrangements ©SHRM 2014