Events
Upcoming Congressional Briefing: Friday, October 23, 2009
Our Stories: Your Constituents
A Diverse Group of Business, Employee and Consumer Representatives will discuss the importance of Flexible Work Arrangements
Senate Briefing: 10:30 a.m. To 12 p.m., Senate Agricultural Committee Room, Russell 328-A
House Briefing: 3:00 p.m. To 4:30 p.m., Capitol Visitor’s Center, HVC-215
(The same briefing will be conducted for both Senate and House staff.)
Flexible work arrangements play an important role in reducing work/life conflicts so that employees can succeed at work while fulfilling personal and family obligations. At the same time, many employers across the country now recognize that flexible work arrangements are an effective strategy for building a strong, stable workforce and increasing their competitive advantage.
At this briefing, a diverse group of business, employee and consumer representatives will discuss why flexible work arrangements are important for their family members and the issues they represent.
A representative from each of the following organizations will speak at the briefing:
American Association of People with Disabilities
AARP
American Psychological Association
Corporate Voices for Working Families
Family Values at Work Consortium
National Military Family Association
National Partnership for Women and Families
Society for Human Resource Management
United States Chamber of Commerce
WorldatWork
Workplace Flexibility and Health
Since 2005, the Work, Family, & Health Network has engaged in scientific research on the intersection of workplace environments and the health of employees and their families, and how changes in workplace practices can improve the health of workers and their families. On October 13, Workplace Flexibility 2010 coordinated a briefing with support from Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Tom Harkin to hear from four of the Network's research institutions about their research and preliminary results.
Flexible Work Arrangements and Low-Wage Work
On Wednesday, July 8, 2009, Workplace Flexibility 2010 and the New America Foundation presented a briefing titled “Flexible Work Arrangements and Low-Wage Work.” Panelists presented "the latest research on scheduling challenges faced by low-wage workers, [. . .] common sense solutions that have been implemented by businesses and [. . .] how public policy can enhance access to FWAs for low-wage workers.” David Gray - Director of the Workforce and Family Program at the New America Foundation - moderated the panel:
Susan J. Lambert
Associate Professor, University of Chicago
Jennifer E. Swanberg
Executive Director, Institute for Workplace Innovation
Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
Elizabeth Lower-Basch
Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy
Liz Watson
Legislative Counsel, Workplace Flexibility 2010
John Wilcox
VP of Operations, Corporate Voices for Working Families
To visit a new WF2010 web page on Flexible Work Arrangements and Low-Wage Work, please click here.
Supporting A Healthier Workplace: Workplace Flexibility and Mental Health and Wellness
On Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Workplace Flexibility is hosting a briefing with the New America Foundation and the American Psychological Association on workplace flexibility and mental health. To view the invitation, please click here. To watch a webcast of the event, please click here.
Materials from the briefing:
- Presentation by Joseph Grzywacz
- Presentation by Diane Halpern
- Presentation by Don Kemper
- Wellness Profiles (Families and Work Institute)
- Snapshot of FWI Research on U.S. Employees and Work-Life Fit (Families and Work Institute)
- Highlights from Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers (Families and Work Institute)
A Comprehensive Public Policy Platform on Flexible Work Arrangements
On Wednesday, May 13, Workplace Flexibility 2010, a Georgetown Law-based think tank, will release a comprehensive set of policy solutions to expand Americans’ access to flexible work arrangements such as compressed workweeks, predictable schedules, and telecommuting.
The report represents the culmination of a five-year process of listening to employer, employee and consumer representatives – and provides a detailed blueprint for the White House, Congress and other policymakers to build on innovative workplace flexibility strategies. It also provides numerous examples of effective business practices, and comes on the heels of First Lady Michelle Obama’s challenge to find ways to encourage employers to provide more flexibility to employees.
For the full announcement, please click here.
Military Families and Flexibility
Workplace Flexibility 2010 recently presented a briefing, titled: "Supporting our Nation’s Military Families: The Role of Workplace Flexibility.” The briefing brought together a panel of experts on the data, law, and practical experiences of military families and relevant workplace flexibility issues. Panelists included:
Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth
Military Families Research Institute, Purdue U.
Kelley Hruska
National Military Family Association
Barbara Thompson
Office of Family Policy/ Children and Youth, U.S. Department of Defense
Sheila Casey
To view the briefing, click here. To view the subsequent Q & A, click here. For a report on the briefing by Stars and Stripes, click here. To read "An Overview of USERRA and the FMLA's Provisions for Military Families," click here. To read "A Sampling of Workplace Flexibility Laws and Programs for Military Personnel," click here.
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.
- Read the Dear Colleague Letter
- Visit New America's page on the event
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:
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.
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.
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.