By DIANE STAFFORD
Thur, Oct. 14, 2004

Bob Kelly chose his current place of employment partly because it was a couple of minutes away from his daughters' school.

“When it's time for braces to be adjusted — bingo, I'm right there.”

Can you imagine those words coming from a 40-year-old business executive a generation ago?

Well, it's possible to imagine — but not likely to have been said.

In the not-too-distant workplace past, career success was all about work. Ambitious professionals, men and women, barely dared breathe of family life.

But times are changing, as today's related report on a new “generations and gender” study notes. And in some workplaces, they've changed a whole bunch.

At Adams-Gabbert & Associates in Lee's Summit, the business operations consulting firm where Kelly is director of operations, there's constant recognition that everyone is juggling work and family life.

Family always comes first — which isn't to say the company is cavalier about its business or its workers' responsibilities.

But the family-first attitude is etched into the company fabric by founder and CEO Jo Anne Gabbert. It grew from a moment in her previous job, the memory of which still stabs at her, even though she since has built a $5 million company.

Six years ago, aiming for partnership at a major national consulting firm, she was working 70-hour weeks, traveling a lot, missing her husband and her children, and sacrificing much for her job.

“I walked into a meeting, and the partner in charge pretty much said, ‘You guys suck.' I realized all my hours, my blood and sweat, weren't appreciated. I looked at what they were billing me out for and compared it to what I was making, and I knew I could do better than that,” Gabbert said.

The firm she founded has since won small-business awards, family-friendly workplace awards and community service recognitions. It also has won gratitude from employees who have worked elsewhere and seen the difference.

For Kurt Dominik, 37, it meant permission to work four 10-hour days so that, temporarily, he could stay home with his kids one day a week while his wife took classes at Central Missouri State University.

Later, it meant working half-days in the office and making up time later, without loss of income, when a newborn child was in intensive care for two weeks.

For Sharon Comstock, 35, it's working four-day weeks, but doing the same high-quality business consulting work expected by the most ambitious fast-tracker. She's not on a “mommy track.” But it is a family track, and she makes no bones about the balance it affords her life.

Gabbert says such flexibility costs the firm in terms of revenue. But it pays in terms of worker satisfaction.

Sure, some employees still choose to leave for jobs elsewhere. It's not perfect, Gabbert repeats often. But the work/life benefits — including a kids' room where workers can bring their children to play or watch television for the day if need be — add value to the firm and to its workers' lives.

Some employers say they can't afford to offer such benefits. Others believe they can't afford not to.

The workplace is competitive. The best and brightest will choose workplaces that best accommodate their busy, multifaceted lives.

That doesn't mean the work doesn't get done. Sometimes it gets done better.

For information:
Adams-Gabbert & Associates, Inc.
(816) 347-0077