December 2, 2008.
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 WF2010@law.georgetown.edu.
Articles
The Dislocated Americans
“More and more workers have relocated abroad in recent years, but despite the growing numbers, family issues remain a major factor in the failure of overseas postings. The initial excitement of an exotic new posting can turn to culture shock, loneliness, identity loss and depression, and it is often the employee’s spouse and children — without the familiar routine of work — who are most affected. “I thought it would be an adventure, and it was,” said Francesca Kelly, who moved 10 times in the first nine years as a Foreign Service spouse, living in places like Belgrade and the former Soviet Union during the cold war.”
'First mom' has other roles
“When Michelle Obama wrote this month that her number one job as first lady would be to be a mom, eyebrows were naturally raised. After all, she's a smart, Ivy League-educated lawyer who worked most recently as a top hospital executive. Is she really opting out, stepping down, making pajama parties her new main aim in life? Or is she trying to make clear that she's not Hillary Clinton, whose aggressive public role in crafting ultimately failed healthcare reform as first lady turned many against her? Obama's controversial message deserves some dissecting, for it's one that our daughters and sons are hearing, too. Certainly, the mantra "family comes first" is valid, especially in a country that provides so few public or private supports for working families. There are times when we need to dial down or take time from work to care for a sick or disabled relative, or to compensate for the absence of a partner or spouse. While very few women can afford to step completely away from the labor force, all women - and men - deserve flexible work that respects their life as a parent or caregiver. Obama seems to speak from the heart when she expresses concern for her family life - and for the plight of working families in general.”
Don't let hard times take toll on staff
“LEADERS FACE huge challenges during these extraordinary times. One of the greatest is trying to figure out how to keep human capital loyal, engaged and inspired during a climate of layoffs and declining pay raises. A recent survey from the Center for Work Life Policy of 1,500 high-income workers indicates that trust and loyalty levels are hitting new lows. Only slightly more than half of those surveyed felt "loyal" to their company and nearly two-thirds said they felt "demotivated" at work. The pace, pressure and complexity of work has increased dramatically. Meeting the productivity and profitability demands of today's economic reality will require teamwork and collaboration. Research shows that teams of four or five people can think of more ideas and better solutions to problems together than the same individuals working alone. Unfortunately, these days many employees are focused on self-preservation, which can be the death of the "team." Getting everyone rowing in the same direction will be a huge competitive advantage in this economic crisis.”
More Men Take the Lead Role in Caring for Elderly Parents
“When Peter Nicholson’s mother suffered a series of strokes last winter, he did something women have done for generations: he quit his job and moved into her West Hollywood home to care for her full time. Since then, he has lost 45 pounds and developed anemia, in part because of the stress, and he is running out of money. But the hardest adjustment, Mr. Nicholson said, has been the emotional toll.”
Firms change practices to keep female lawyers
“Alexandra West graduated first in her class from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, signed up to clerk for a federal judge and planned to join one of the city's largest law firms. Then she became pregnant, dashing her hopes to join a big firm but not her ambition to be a lawyer. Instead, she took a part-time job with a boutique firm, Manion McDonough & Lucas, which allows her to practice law and be a full-time mother. West can drop off and pick up her son, now 8, from school each day.”
New First Dad looks like he'll be a good ally
“President-elect Barack Obama will confront an agenda of financial collapse, war and recession, but there are clear signs he will find time to help working parents even as he deals with these historic crises. On the campaign trail, Obama promised working dads and moms a lot: more money for child care, expanded family leave, a boost for telecommuting, even better after-school care. As he prepares to take office, advocates for two-career families have his ear. His wife, Michelle, said her top issue will be working families/military families, and policy director Karen Kornbluh has long championed parents who juggle jobs and family.”
More call center work done at home
“An operator is standing by - at home. Companies that supply customer service agents to businesses around the world say they are saving money and attracting better employees by letting them work from their own houses. Using Internet telephone technology, the operators are able to answer questions and hear out complaints as if they were working in a sprawling call center in an office park."It gives us access to some high-quality labor that wouldn't work in a call center," said Andrea Ayers, president for customer management for Convergys Corp., an outsourcing company that is ramping up the number of agents who work from home. "This gives us more staffing flexibility, and we can make it work with their lifestyle." Convergys and rival companies say they're being swamped with applications. The first spike came a few months ago, when gas prices topped $4 a gallon. Now, they're surging again as unemployment soars.”
Paternity leave policy in effect
“Being a proud new papa has its perks, and now dads in uniform have another reason to smile — paternity leave. Last month, a new paternity leave policy, giving military dads 10 days off for the birth of their child, went into effect with the passage of the Defense Authorization Act. The Defense Department is leaving it up to each service branch to determine how to handle the new policy. "There certainly was support from all of the services, and Congress just started at the same time being interested in the same subject," said Stephanie Miller, director of the Women’s Policy and Task Force Life/Work with the Navy.”
Blogs
How Happy Is... 5 Ways To Work More Effectively From Home
“So here are the first five very simple changes that can potentially help make you more effective and change the atmosphere of your working environment for the better. By the way, I wanted to give you this a few weeks before the holidays as I know it takes many of us a few weeks to get our heads around clearing out and making changes.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton's Marriage-Work Deal
“Plenty of working moms take a lower-profile job, reduce their work hours or start fresh in a new location in order to support our husband's career. And we expect that when the time comes for our big promotion or transfer, our partner will make a similar sacrifice. On a smaller scale, working moms and dads should be able to rely on each other to cover sick days or school closings when the other spouse has a work crunch. My husband and I have a deal that we alternate taking days off work -- but we will swap days if one person has heavier work obligations when the call comes to pick up an ill child.”
Dads More Worried Than Moms
“An Election Day poll indicated that dads may be more worried about work-family balance than moms. For parents with children under 18, 72 percent of dads and 67 percent of moms worry, on a daily basis, about work and family responsibilities. Interestingly, these numbers were nearly the same for the number of parents who say they worry about the economy (73 percent of fathers and 74 percent of mothers) At first, this finding seemed surprising. Don’t we hear that moms are the ones balancing the home, the kids, work, the food, the pets…? But upon second glance, it made more sense.”
Workplace Flexibility and Work Fairness
“The workplace is getting some attention these days. According to Georgetown Law's Workplace Flexibility 2010 program, the definition (from the Sloan National Initiative) is….Georgetown's program (headed by Chai Feldblum and Katie Corrigan) includes a helpful webpage listing all the laws impacting workplace flexibility. They also have a page with a ton of great workplace flexibility links.”
The Intersection of Worker's Comp, FMLA, and ADA
“But there is another level to this question. If the employee is on disability under the company’s disability-insurance plan, his serious medical condition may very well qualify as a disability, as well, under the ADA. The ADA requires that employers make “reasonable accommodations” for qualified employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the courts have taken the position that an accommodation may take the form of a modified work schedule, flexible leave policy, or even just additional time off.”
Global News
Clegg urges more parental leave
“Anti-social behaviour among Britain's youth could be tackled by introducing more generous family policies, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has said. He told the BBC that the current two-week paternity break deprived children of essential male role models. His comments came as the party outlined proposals to offer new mothers and fathers up to 19 months of shared leave and free childcare. The measures would bring the UK more in line with the Nordic countries.”
Workplace flexibility on rise: survey
"The boss we love to hate - Mr Burns from TV's The Simpsons - reckons family, religion and friends are the demons to slay if you want to succeed in business.But federal Minister for the Status of Women Tanya Plibersek says the Burns motto just doesn't cut it today."We are a long way from the Monty Burns approach," Ms Plibersek said on Wednesday at the launch of a new survey showing workplace flexibility is on the rise.Close to 50 per cent - up from 40 per cent in 2004 - of more than 2,000 organisations that took part in the survey said they provided flexible working hours."