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Events

WF2010 Submits Comment to Healthy People 2020

Healthy People 2020, an initiative out of the Department of Health and Human Services, is presently engaged in developing a set of objectives to guide America‚s public health mission in the decade spanning 2010 and 2020.  The goal is to “promot[e] health and prevent disease.”  The process is transparent and triple pronged.  In addition to convening regional meetings and Advisory Committee Meetings that are open to all, Healthy People 2020 is requesting public comment.  Underlying the “collaborative” nature of the enterprise is the principle that public health policy should embody the latest scientific research and address the emerging trends in public health.  The Advisory Committee, therefore, relies on the expertise and input of the public to inform the process.

In this spirit, Workplace Flexibility 2010 has submitted a public comment to Healthy People 2020.  In our comment we urge Healthy People 2020 to consider the relationship between health outcomes and workplace flexibility and we document the evidence supporting the claim that a more flexible workplace will lead to a healthier America.  For the full text of the letter, click here.

September 9, 2008: Hearing on Phased Retirement

On Tuesday, September 9, Chai Feldblum, Georgetown Law Professor and Co-Director of Workplace Flexibility 2010, will testify before the ERISA Advisory Council on the subject of phased retirement.  For Professor Feldblum's written testimony, click here.  

June 6, 2008: Faith and Flex Briefing

On Friday, June 6, Workplace Flexibility 2010 and the New America Foundation presented a briefing on faith and flexibility to a full crowd in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. With bipartisan sponsorship by Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Mark Souder (R-IN), “Workplace Flexibility and Religion” brought together a diverse panel to discuss the importance of a flexible workplace to religious observance.  It turns out that one thing uniting Christian, Islamic and Jewish people is the struggle to balance the requirements of work with those of faith.

Working For Change: A Conversation on Workplace Flexibility Research, Business Practice and Public Policy

Between May 28 and 30 , 2008 Workplace Flexibility 2010 hosted a conference on behalf of our funder, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, titled: “Working For Change: A Conversation on Workplace Flexibility Research, Business Practice and Public Policy.” Sloan grantees and friends from across the country gathered in Washington, DC -- here at Georgetown Law -- to share research and hold dialogue on the subject of workplace flexibility. I am extremely happy to report that the conference went off extremely well.

You can actually view the conference via webcast, review the presentation slides, and read about the panelists by clicking here.

April 30, 2008 Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing

On Wednesday, April 30, Chai Feldblum—Georgetown Law Professor and Co-Director of Workplace Flexibility 2010- testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging at a hearing titled, “Leading by Example:  Making Government a Model for Hiring and Retaining Older Workers.”

Feldblum’s testimony outlined ways in which the federal government has already successfully pioneered workplace flexibility programs—and is uniquely positioned to establish innovative workplace structures that enable older workers to remain active in the workforce.

To read Professor Feldblum's written testimony, click here. The following is a list of appendices submitted in support of the written testimony:

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Timeline

 

New Study from University of Minnesota

Researchers from the University of Minnesota have just released a report entitled the Flexible Work and Well-Being Study, which highlights two years of work looking at a program at Best Buy called Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). One of the several goals of the study was to determine if working in a ROWE environment reduces tension between individuals' work and family/personal lives. 

The study can be found here [link to Flexible Work and Well-Being Study].

 

Importing Success: Why Work-Life Family Policies from Abroad Make Sense for the U.S.

On Thursday, June 14th, the Joint Economic Committee held a hearing on Importing Success:  Why Work-Life Family Policies from Abroad Make Sense for the U.S.

At this hearing, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) presented findings from a new report on policies used abroad to help workers - especially women - balance the competing demands of employment and care-giving responsibilities. Click here to access the report.

 

Workers with Disabilities: The Role of Workplace Flexibility- A Forum on Policy and Practice
Monday, November 13, 2006, Georgetown University Law Center

Flyer
Agenda
Fact Sheet: Workers with Disabilities- Role of Workplace Flexibility
Cornell University Presentation
Families and Work Institute Presentation
Panelist Bios
   Click HERE to view a webcast of the event


Workplace Flexibility: An Emerging Public Health Concern
Monday, November 6, 2006, American Public Health Association Annual Meeting

Please click on the link below to access the presentation made by Workplace Flexibility 2010 policy researchers Jean Flatley McGuire, PhD and Kaitlyn Kenney.

APHA presentation

 

Promoting Children's Well Being: The Need for Workplace Flexibility
Friday, September 29, 2006, Hart Senate Office Building

Co-sponsored by Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)

Please click on the links below for access to the folder materials distributed at the briefing.

Flyer
Agenda
Bios
Definition of Workplace Flexibility
Fact Sheet on Promoting Children's Well Being: The Need for Workplace Flexibility
Bibliography for the Fact Sheet

 

Meeting the Needs of Today's Families: The Role of Workplace Flexibility
Monday, May 1, 2006, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Co-sponsored by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

Please click on the links below for access to the folder materials distributed at the briefing.

Flyer
Agenda
Bios
Definition of Workplace Flexibility
Fact Sheet on Meeting the Needs of Today's Families: The Role of Workplace Flexibility
Bibliography for the Fact Sheet
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation National Initiative on Workplace Flexibility
The Flexible Work and Well-Being Study at the University of Minnesota
Book Announcement: Being Together, Working Apart: Dual-Career Families and the Work-Life Balance
Families and Work Institute: 2005 National Study of Employers
Families and Work Institute: Highlights of the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce
Families and Work Institute: When Work Works
Corporate Voices for Working Families Report on Business Impacts of Flexibility: An Imperative for Expansion

Other resources on workplace flexibility from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation:

Sloan Work and Family Research Network at Boston College
Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College

New Report from Corporate Voices for Working Families
November 2005

Recently, Corporate Voices for Working Families released a report documenting the "substantial and compelling" business case for workplace flexibility.

Report and Press Release
Workplace Flexibility 2010 Statement

New Report from the Families and Work Institute
October 2005

The Families and Work Institute released its National Study of Employers for 2005 with key findings on the full range of best employment practices in the American workplace, including workplace flexibility.

Key Findings
Full Report
Workplace Flexibility 2010 Statement

What an Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility
Monday, July 18th • U.S. Capitol

A panel of experts highlight the role that flexible workplaces can play in responding to the challenges of an aging workforce. Academic researchers explain the economic, demographic and social trends that can and should affect the development of policy in this arena.

Program
Letter to Members of Congress
Agenda
Panelists Bios
Chai R. Feldblum, J.D
Professor Feldblum's comments
Workplace Flexibility 2010 Staff & Consultants
Workplace Flexibility 2010 Fact Sheet: Older Workers and the Need for Workplace Flexibility

Kathleen Christensen, PhD
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's National Initiative on Workplace Flexibility
Issue Brief: Flexible Work Options and Older Workers
Robert Hutchens, PhD, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
Charts:
Population Pyramids for the United States
Labor force participation rates of men age 55 and over, annual averages, 1963-2003
Labor force participation rates of women age 55 and over, annual averages, 1963-2003
Michael A. Smyer, PhD & Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, PhD, Sloan Center for Flexible Work Options and Older Workers, Boston College
Perspectives: Older Workers' Priorities and Preferences
Perspectives: Aligning Business Needs with Older Workers' Preferences and Priorities
The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College
Robert B. Hudson, PhD, Graduate School of Social Work, Boston University
Remarks on What an Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility
Phyllis Moen, PhD, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota
Beyond Mystiques and Mismatches: Unpacking Retirement and Work

Resetting The Clockwork: Possibilities for Healthy Employees, Retirees, Families, Businesses and Communities
University of Minnesota • April 22, 2005

Review the program
Chai Feldblum's Keynote (RealPlayer)
Marc Freedman's Keynote (RealPlayer)
Flexible Retirement-Views from the Trenches (RealPlayer)
Flexible Work-Views fromthe Trenches (RealPlayer)
A Flexible Future-Next Steps? (RealPlayer)

Georgetown Law Center Receives $2.3 Million Grant to Continue Workplace Flexibility Initiative
March 31, 2005

Press Release (PDF)


Workplace Flexibility 2010 to be featured on AARP’s Prime Time Radio

March 25, 2005
Director Chai Feldblum to discussed mature workers' need for workplace flexibility

Listen to an archived broadcast (RealPlayer)
Transcript of the broadcast. (PDF)


The Great American Time Squeeze: The Politics of Work and Family in a 24/7 World
March 3, 2005
Panel discussion about families, work, and public policy from the Russell Sage Foundation and the CUNY Center for Urban Research. Director Chai Feldblum contributed as a panelist.

Panel webcast (RealVideo)
Hear Professor Chai Feldblum talk about Workplace Flexibility 2010 (RealVideo)
Q&A discussion (RealVideo)

Presentation: Gornick & Meyers (PDF)
Presentation: Gerson & Jacobs (PDF)
Presentation: Presser (PDF)


Even in Sickness, Wedded to the Job:
Cultural Norm Makes It Hard to Stay Home
February 11, 2005
By Amy Joyce, Washington Post


Read the article


Creating a New Standard for the American Workplace
January 24, 2005
As part of its effort to develop a comprehensive national policy on workplace flexibility, Workplace Flexibility 2010, hosted a panel discussion in Washington, DC.

Archived webcast (RealVideo)
List of speakers (PDF)
Press release (PDF)


"Rethinking the Hours"
November 8, 2004
Patti Giglio, Legal Times
What's a billable hour? Firms are starting to realize that even lawyers on the partnership track might want some flexiblilty in the hours they work for the firm. It could actually lead to higher profits, say some proponents of "balanced hours"

Read the full report (PDF)

 

For information regarding the Webcasts - Technical Information and Troubleshooting.