There was a provocative article on Forbes.com recently, titled "Will Flextime Set You Up to Be Laid Off?" In it, the author, Tara Weiss, discusses anecdotal evidence that working a flex schedule may, in fact, put you at the top of the layoff list. She also talks to Deborah Epstein Henry, of Flex-time Lawyers, LLC (a friend of Ms. JD) and one of the founders of Balanomics -- an initiative that Ms. JD signed up to support early on.
At the end of the article, Weiss suggests ways to avoid a layoff being the unintended consequence of flextime -- all of which touch on ways to be in the office when it is most important and staying connected to co-workers and supervisors. The advice also includes this seemingly counter-productive suggestion: "Most important, be flexible. If your boss needs you in the office, be there."
I spend a lot of time thinking about flextime and its connection to and/or solution to that illusive work/life balance issue that seems to be the 1000 ft concrete wall standing between many women lawyers and professional success.