ill Smart, chief human resources officer at professional services consultancy Accenture, knows all too well how tough the life of an Accenture road warrior can be.

    Calling between meetings in Helsinki, Finland, on a Monday afternoon, Ms. Smart described how over the next three days she would be meeting with clients there, going to Munich, Germany, the following day and then stopping in Milan, Italy, for an executive meeting before returning home to Chicago.

    That’s a fairly typical schedule for many of Accenture’s 178,000 employees. That’s also why Ms. Smart believes flexible work arrangements—like part-time work and job sharing—are key to keeping Accenture’s people productive and engaged.

    Crain’s Benefits Outlook: What are some of the more unique flexible work programs that Accenture offers?

    Jill Smart: We have our Future Leave program, which is an unpaid, self-funded sabbatical program where an employee can take up to three months off work and continue to receive benefits. So if an employee knows that they want to do this, they have Accenture withhold part of their salaries and apply it to an account that they can tap when they are off. Another program we have is called Hours That Help, where employees can donate vacation time to other employees who are experiencing a personal crisis and need more time off.

    CBO: Why is offering flexible work arrangements important to Accenture’s bottom line?

    Ms. Smart: What we sell is the knowledge capital that our people have. So if our people aren’t engaged and productive, then our product won’t be of the quality that it needs to be.

    CBO: Does Accenture view flexible work arrangements as a benefit?

    Ms. Smart: We consider flexible work to be part of our employee value proposition. There is benefit with a big “B” and benefit with a little “b,” and we see this falling under the latter. People view this as a perk.

    CBO: What’s the difference between a benefit and a perk?

    Ms. Smart: I think there are certain benefits that people are entitled to, like health care. We offer those benefits to attract the talent we need. With flexible work arrangements, we are going the extra mile to entice them more and to help employees be more productive.

    CBO: You bring up the interesting issue of entitlement. Many companies are hesitant to offer flexible work because they worry that their employees will feel that they are entitled to it. How does Accenture make sure that doesn’t happen?

    Ms. Smart: We talk openly with our employees about the fact that if this doesn’t work for our clients, then it doesn’t work for our business. We make it a point to always explain the business reasons why we can or can’t do something. They might not like it, but at least they understand it.

    CBO: How often do you re-evaluate employees’ flexible work arrangements?

    Ms. Smart: Most of our programs have a maximum timetable. For example, under our Future Leave program, employees can take up to three months off. If we have someone who is working part time, we re-evaluate that continuously.

    CBO: What are the biggest challenges involved with offering flexible work arrangements?

    Ms. Smart: One is making sure that we are consistently applying the criteria. We make sure that we are thorough yet simple with how we explain the programs and who is eligible. Another challenge is making sure that the dialogue about employees’ options is happening.

    If a new employee comes in and a career counselor tells her about our flexible transition program for moms coming back to work after maternity leave, it might not register with her if she isn’t married and doesn’t have kids. So we need to make sure those conversations are going on also when they are relevant for the employees.

Jessica Marquez is Workforce Management's New York bureau chief.  To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.