October 26, 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
Work and Life: Ways to Find Balance
"Each decade tends to have defining characteristics. The 1960s were known for innovation and challenges to established social norms; industrial strife dominated the 1970s; the 1980s were characterised by "enterprise culture", strategic alliances and privatisation; and in the 1990s a short-term contract culture arose, with outsourcing, downsizing and long working hours. One effect of the 1990s shift is that European work cultures are beginning to be "Americanised", first in the UK and then throughout the continent of Europe. The American work culture has many characteristics, but the three most relevant to this article are leaner organisations, intrinsic job insecurity and a longer working hours culture. This trend, towards what is euphemistically called the "flexible workforce", found a European foothold in the UK… However, this Americanised scenario is beginning to have an adverse effect on employee attitudes and behaviour.”
Blogs
Reduced Hours are Green
"Back in 2000, Joan Williams and I wrote, ‘The Half-Time Tenure Track,"a paper asking colleges and universities to allow faculty to work reduced hours when caregiving responsibilities arose. The idea took off, but it always bothered me that the proposal was designed for some very privileged people. Academics often work very long hours, but we are also paid fairly well, have health insurance, and those of us who succeed are granted virtually complete job security through the tenure system. As one person responded, 'why are you worrying about a bunch of elite whiners?' It turns out that there is a very sound reason to promote reduced hours: they're good for the planet.”
Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor from Ellen Bravo
A letter to the editor from Ellen Bravo commenting on a October 18th op-ed by Gail Collins. The op-ed can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/opinion/18collins.html?ref=opinion
Press Releases
Adventurers Blaze Trail for Vacation Law
“As more and more Americans struggle to catch their breath from longer workweeks and shrinking vacations, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) announced at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Seattle Oct. 20 its endorsement of a minimum paid-leave proposal that would protect vacation time in the U.S. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Work to Live, in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Seattle-based Take Back Your Time organization, which celebrated national Take Back Your Time Day on Oct. 24, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to grant three weeks of time off for anyone who has worked at a job for a year. Unlike 96 other countries, the U.S. has no law governing vacations.”