Monica, I really appreciate your post. You wrote: "Time has become a measure of commitment. Yet it is not a good measure any more. In the era of ideas, there are far greater ways to add value than simply punching in the time."

Currently, there is a two-tiered feel in many workplaces: Full-timers are "fully committed." Part-timers are "partly committed" (even though, if you take a close look, the part-timers may actually be creating more value than some of their full-time counterparts). Part-timers too often end up feeling like second-class citizens.

If employers embraced a "value" mindset more thoroughly, they might figure out better ways to attract and hold on to working parents (who have great talents but prefer fewer work hours), boomers (who want to phase into retirement, scaling back from 60 hours to 20 hours), athletes (who need to make a living but need time to train), and others who don't fit the 50-hour-per-week corporate mold.

Thanks for posting this piece.