Guiding principles for managing a flexible workplace.

Flexible work arrangements, say Barney Olmsted and Suzanne Smith in their book Managing in a Flexible Workplace, are "tools. Whether employed separately or in combination, their purpose is to assist managers to:

* "Help each employee achieve his or her full potential.

* "Allocate labor supply and other resources (space, equipment, budget) in ways that accomplish business objectives most efficiently.

* "Adjust work arrangements to meet current demands.

* "Build employee commitment to the organization, recognizing that this is an important cornerstone of growth and profitability."

When seen from this perspective, say the two experts, flexible work options no longer are solely a way of accommodating a few employees who have a need for flexibility in their hours but are the means of a win/win situation. "They allow managers to achieve business objectives in ways that support employee needs as well."

The flexibility toolbox that Olmsted and Smith envision has a number of compartments with sets of tools in each one. Below are the tools, as described by the cofounders and codirectors of New Ways to Work, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that promotes new kinds of work schedules.