Feb. 14, 2011 (WorldatWork)–The higher an organization rates itself on flexibility offerings, policies and impacts, the lower the organization's voluntary turnover rate, according to a survey on workplace flexibility, released by WorldatWork.

This survey of more than 500 HR professionals and WorldatWork members found that flexibility is, in fact, flexible. Part-time schedules, flex-time and teleworking on an ad hoc basis top the list of offerings. These programs are each offered to some or all employees in more than 80% of companies, with 68% offering all three forms of flexibility. Other flexibility programs surveyed — and found to be less prevalent — include compressed workweek, job sharing, phased retirement, and career on and off ramps. On average, organizations offer six flexibility programs in varied ways to employees in varied positions.

With so many options for flexibility, the survey confirms that a comprehensive flexible culture reaps rewards in employee motivation, engagement and satisfaction. By asking respondents to assess their own perceptions of how pervasive the culture of flexibility was, organizations were categorized as having either developing flexibility cultures (64%) or established (36%).