Employers with more women and more minorities in top positions are more likely to offer flexible workplaces, according to the 2008 National Study of Employers released by the Families and Work Institute.

Nonprofit organizations are also more likely to offer flexible workplaces, defined as including flextime, reduced time, care-giving leaves, time off, and flex careers. The survey finds that 79 percent of employers allow some employees to periodically change their work arrival and departure time; 38 percent allow a compressed workweek; 50 percent allow occasional work at home; 23 percent allow working at home on a regular basis. The survey also finds that 41 percent of employers allow some workers to move from full-time to part-time, and back again while retaining the same position or level and 29 percent allow job-sharing.

A majority of employers in the survey (53 percent) allow some employees to phase into retirement by working reduced hours over a period of time prior to full retirement and 74 percent allow some employees to take extended career breaks for care-giving or other personal/family responsibilities.