The new flexible workforce

Getty ImagesWhen I was researching my book a few years ago, I was looking for employers who were taking advantage of people's desires to build significant careers while working a flexible schedule. I highlighted companies like Axiom, a new kind of law firm that caters to lawyers who don't want traditional full-time hours (e.g. working parents, artists, or those starting businesses on the side). Axiom pitches itself to clients as an economical alternative to big law firms since it can avoid the high overhead associated with overstaffed firms. Another firm, Virtual Law Partners, has been getting some buzz lately with a similar approach.

Now scores of companies are thinking flexible and virtual, in all kinds of fields -- from virtual assistants (check out Delegate Solutions), to corporate executives (see EPOCH). The troubled economy has been a boon to businesses like these, which can offer part-time employment to displaced workers and deliver lower cost services to clients.

I recently spoke with Jaime Klein about Inspire Human Resources, the business she started after leaving a human resources position at American Express. Klein took a leave of absence when her twins were born and when the time came to go back to work, she realized that she wanted more flexibility than even a company she said was extremely flex-friendly would ever be able to provide. That was the beginning of Inspire Human Resources, her company which now has a team of 11 consultants who live between Boston and Washington, DC and are available to work on projects that fit their schedules.

As soon as I got off the phone with Klein, she sent me an email with the names of over a dozen other women-founded firms, like Secretary in Israel, which offers virtual assistants, and Mavens and Moguls, a marketing and branding firm, that operate in a similar fashion. Visit these company web sites and you'll usually find a section telling the story of why the founder left behind the traditional world of her field to build something more nimble and cost-effective. A great example is this "how we operate," page on the site of Metal Creative, a virtual advertising firm, which begins with the line, "So what do you call an agency with no office space, no salaried employees, no company car, and a conference 'room' at the local Starbucks?"

Lower costs to clients. Low overhead. Transparency. Flexibility for workers. I expect to continue running into businesses like this, and while women might be pioneers, men will no doubt want the same kinds of options. What do you think?