October 23, 2007
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
Chicago Firm Creates Two Tiers of Associates
"Law firms with two tiers of partners are commonplace. So it was perhaps foreseeable that some would respond to ever-increasing starting salaries for attorneys by creating two tiers of associates. Chicago-based Chapman and Cutler has done just that, giving associates a choice between working more hours for top dollar (the firm recently went to a starting salary of $160,000 for associates) or fewer hours for less (exact figures aren't specified), reports New York Lawyer (reg. req.), in an article reprinted from the National Law Journal.”
Clinton Courts Women in N.H. with Family Leave Plan
“Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton courted female voters on Tuesday with a plan to expand paid family leave, boost child-care funding and fight workplace discrimination against pregnant women.”
Employers Scaling Back on Effective Work/Life Programs
"Taken together, family issues and personal needs account for more unscheduled sick days than actual illness. However, employers are scaling back on the number of work/life programs they say are effective at reducing those unscheduled absences, according to a new survey.”
Flexible Careers May Be Key to Worker Retention
"Flexible-work arrangements have been used by organizations for more than a decade as they try to retain valued employees and respond to demographic and social changes. These efforts, the authors of this new book contend, turn out to have been no more than stopgap solutions to fundamental cracks in the traditional career model.”
Why Retire Just When the Workplace is Getting Interesting?
"As I mentioned last week, employee perks — sabbaticals, flexible work hours, phased retirement, job-sharing and others — will become more common as businesses try to attract and retain employees of all ages just to keep their doors open. There is much about this trend to celebrate. Retirement for those who don't prepare has long been a time of inactivity, boredom and despair. Idle years without purpose aren't necessarily gifts. But now, thanks to our lopsided demographics, the boomers have an opportunity to redefine their careers and the last chapters of their lives like no other generation in history.”