August 8, 2006
The Workplace Flexibility 2010 News Roundup is a compilation of the latest news articles, reports and other materials related to workplace flexibility. The News Roundup appears twice-weekly. If you have questions about any of the items, please contact Jennifer Hedrick at jlh62@law.georgetown.edu.
Articles
Plugged-In Vacations: 43% Do Some Work on Their Off Days, New Survey Shows
"Vacation for Dan Parsons involves a little skiing, a little hiking and, on a good day, just a couple of text messages, e-mails and phone calls to and from work. Since he's been a working adult, Parsons, 32, of Bloomfield Hills, never has truly unplugged from the chaos that can erupt on any given work day. He's among the 43% of Americans who say they spend some time doing work while on vacation, according to a July survey of 700 workers across the United States conducted by Steelcase, the Grand Rapids office furniture manufacturer.” Mentions Ellen Ernst Kossek.
Wall Street's Women Face a Fork in the Road
"Although banks are doing much more than paying lip service to the notion of retaining women or enticing them back to work, executives say long-term success means fundamentally changing the way Wall Street works. Gordon Gekko, Hollywood’s idea of a swashbuckling, suspenders-clad banker, did not telecommute. Women remain the minority sex on the Street and many young recruits say they have grown more circumspect about a career there. The Street says it wants to change all of this, not simply because it is socially expedient but because the financial world needs a diverse work force to make money and court clients — especially when clients themselves are not homogeneous.”
Flex Boosts Retention, Reduces Worker Stress
"Many employers behave as if they have no choice but to keep their workers on the straight-and-narrow and work them until they drop. But a Michigan State researcher says that a more flexible attitude toward work arrangements can pay off for both workers and their companies.” Contains interview with Ellen Ernst Kossek.
Editorials
A Place for Slackers
"Commuters who race to cubicles face the notion that they are like ``young clerks in the dusk, wasting the most poignant moments of night and life," as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ Parents know there is too much to do at work and home. But family-friendly change is slow. And there are no reality shows to sell the idea: no ‘Pimp My Job’ and no ‘Who Wants to Marry a Stay-at-Home-Dad?’ So it's up to the public and private sectors to make some key changes…”