Actor Geoffrey Owens Proves That Anyone Could Want or Need Work Flexibility

When you think of who might need flexibility in their jobs, the usual suspects come to mind—working parents, military spouses, people in rural areas, etc. But as actor Geoffrey Owens showed, everyone—even actors—might need work flexibility, too.

It all started when Owens, who was between acting and directing jobs, took a job at a Trader Joe’s in New Jersey. After 15 months of working for the grocery store chain, a shopper recognized the formerThe Cosby Showactor, and snapped what could rightly be labeled an unflattering photo of him bagging groceries. The images went viral—but for all therightreasons.

Hollywood immediately showed support for one of its own, with many actors proclaiming that they, too, have taken side jobs (even when they’ve been on hit TV shows) to help pay the bills. Tyler Perry even offered Owens a job on his hit OWN series,The Paynes, claiming in a tweet, “I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist.”

In aGood Morning Americainterview, Owens (wearing his Trader Joe’s name tag and a Yale University cap, his alma mater), spoke out against job shaming and why he took a job at Trader Joe’s. “I was teaching, acting, directing for 30+ years, but it got to a point where it just didn’t add up enough. You gotta do what you gotta do,” says Owens. “I wanted a job that I could have someflexibility, [to] try to stay in the business.” Working at Trader Joe’s was a way for Owens to supplement his income while still pursuing his passion.

Geoffrey Owens story has resonated with many people, since it shows that work flexibility is something that every worker (regardless of industry or job title) should have. In a LinkedIn story, FlexJobs’ founder and CEO Sara Sutton expands on the idea thatwork flexibility is not just a want, but rather a need for everyone. She went through the HR files at FlexJobs to highlight 20 real-life instances of how her employees have needed work flex at various moments of their lives. Some of those unexpected situations included:

It just goes to show that no one is immune from the need for work flex. It is an issue that affects all of us, on an everyday basis, and sometimes at critical crossroads in our lives, too. What we can ultimately learn from Geoffrey Owens’ story is two-fold: 1) there’s no such thing as one job being “better” than another, and 2) you owe it to yourself to find the best flexible work options out there, so that you can live your best life possible!