Revolutionary ThirdPath Community Members Changing Work and Life
ThirdPath has become the premier work/life organization supporting men and women – as both parents and leaders – to achieve integrated lives.
We were able to do this by learning from you.
You’ve taught us meaningful change can only really come about when we look at our lives from an integrated perspective – we need to make changes at work AND changes at home. Read on to see just a few of the ways ThirdPath’s amazing community members are changing the world.
Revolutionary workplaces … Our most recent Thursdays with ThirdPath webinar included two of ThirdPath’s Pioneering Leaders as well as Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of FlexJobs. Together they discussed the opportunities and challenges of creating truly flexible workplaces. Watch the YouTube video to learn more.
Revolutionary work practices … This month’s “Meet the Pioneer” story illustrates how to put these ideas into practice, including practical ideas for shaping a flexible work team.
Revolutionary parents … But our community members also taught us how changes at home are linked to changes at work.
Changing What We Do at Home Changes Our Workplaces
Gay or straight, living together or separate, when both mothers and fathers are supported to flex work around the needs of children, great things happen.
Both parents learn how to work more effectively
They learn how to: reduce interruptions; focus on tasks that make the best use of their skills; eliminate lower priority tasks; strategically delegate; use slow periods to re-prioritize work and put more efficient processes into practice.
Both parents learn how to manage changes in schedules
Parents can work together to handle predictable and unpredictable changes such as school closings, snow days and a sick child. They can also help each other out to manage the ups and downs of their workloads.
Families have more “wiggle room” to plan for what’s needed next
Families need time to for many small things (when to get the car fixed) and big things too (how to make the most of summers, or how to manage a job relocation). Having time to anticipate and organize around these changes increases the likelihood of developing the best possible solutions.
Organizations learn how to develop less gendered career paths
Normalizing both parents involvement in family care, doesn’t just change our assumptions about gender at home, it also changes our assumptions at work.
Both men and women become role models for the next generation
When fathers are supported to be active parents at home, and mothers and fathers learn how to work as a team to meet work and family needs, both parents become powerful role models for their children.
We explored the importance of flexibility at work and at home at our last Pioneering Leaders Summit – a biennial event that brings together all of ThirdPath’s “integrated leaders”. Are you a leader who has moved ahead at work while also creating time and energy for your life outside of work? Contact us. We’d like to tell you more about our plans for Pioneering Leader Summit 2017.