Here is an excerpt from an article written by Melissa J. Anderson (New York City) for The Glass Hammer, an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. “Visit us daily to discover issues that matter, share experiences, and plan networking, your career and your life.”

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According to a recent study in the Journal of Vocational Behaviour, there is a huge disconnect in policy and practice when it comes to corporate flex programs. The study, “Influences on employee perceptions of organizational work–life support: Signals and resources,” found that even though many companies have flex policies in place, employees aren’t taking advantage of them.

Why? Workplace cultures often do not support actually using human resources policies as they are written.

As the report’s author Ariane Ollier-Malaterre told the Financial Times:

“Employees aren’t using the policies because they feel that if they did it would negatively impact their career. They feel that if they were to say, take a leave or go part-time, they would not be conforming to the ideals of a loyal committed worker, and it would [harm their opportunities for advancement.] Quite frankly, the consensus in the work/life community is that work/life doesn’t work.”

Ollier-Malaterre indicated that a workplace culture unsupportive to flex utilization may be driving women out of the workforce – that at the manager level and beyond, women tend to drop off the career ladder. The reason, she says, is that companies have a hard time acknowledging that many women have significant priorities outside the workplace.

The solution, she said, is improving job security for those employees who take advantage of flex policies. She explained:

“Job security helps employees feel supported. What good is on-site childcare if you’re worried about losing your job? Another important attribute is the fit between employees’ needs and the work options available to them. Companies need to really tackle the organisation of work – the way they assign workload, and the norms around typical working hours. Organisations need to consider each employee as a whole person, not just one of its resources.”

And she added, if your coworker makes a snarky remark about leaving early or your work habits – your workplace culture probably isn’t supportive enough.

FT writer Rebecca Knight commented, “But it does appear that if companies are serious about retaining more of their female talent, they need to go beyond just providing human resources programmes. Otherwise employees will perceive them merely as lip service.”

But what are women to do? Even if many companies are merely paying lip service to the idea of flex, the current economic climate and jobs outlook isn’t exactly inspiring. Many people feel lucky just to have a job. Should we be willing to “walk” if our flex needs are not being met?

According to research by iPass, a company that provides support for mobile workers, a third of workers are willing to leave their job if their needs aren’t being met.

Jenny Williams of ComputerWeekly reports, “…40% of the 3,100 employees surveyed worldwide wanted employers to provide more flexible working conditions. A total of 33% would consider looking for employment elsewhere in search of better mobile working benefits.”

Barbara Nelson, iPass’s CTO said told the magazine, “Enterprises should note, if they don’t provide the flexibility today’s mobile employees feel entitled to, their employees will seek out those companies who do allow them the freedom to work when and where they choose.”

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Melissa J. Anderson is a writer, editor, and social media expert for The Glass Hammer. She is interested in how engaging in networked communities can foster workplace gender equality, good corporate citizenship, and individual workplace satisfaction, all of which improve a company’s bottom line.