Survey to Determine Awareness, Use of Flex Time In an effort to better understand what employees know about the university's policy on so-called flex time, the Provost's Committee on the Status of Women will conduct a telephone survey the weeks of Feb. 27 and March 6. Telephone calls will be made to a random sample of approximately 250 employees from all university schools and divisions (except the Applied Physics Laboratory, which has its own flex-time policy). Their responses to a series of questions, which should take no more than 20 minutes, will provide information about their work schedule, work location and whether they, their employees or their supervisors are working outside the office or at off-hours to accommodate non-business-related obligations. "The goal of the survey is to take a snapshot of the issue of flex time and flexible work locations to determine if people know that there is a policy in place," said Regina Frank, director of administrative services at Peabody Preparatory and chair of the subcommittee conducting the survey. "We have heard stories of the policy being implemented here and there, but we really have no idea if employees are taking advantage of it. That's what we hope to find out." Frank said the survey participants and their responses will be held in strict confidence. The Provost's committee has taken on this project, Frank said, because the human resources literature suggests that women are more likely than men to have a need for flex time. "We may be losing good employees because they do not know that they have flexibility in their schedules and work sites if they have special needs, such as caring for children or aging parents," said Provost Joseph Cooper. Frank said that the data will be collected and turned over to Human Resources for analysis. Results are expected to be released in May.