December 16, 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. The News Roundup will return on December23, 2008.
Articles
Study Finds Additional Problems in Preschoolers With a Deployed Parent
“It's well known that spouses of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are severely stressed by wartime separations -- but is the same true of their kids? New research by developmental pediatricians, believed to be the first to study children so young, has found that preschoolers with a deployed parent display more behavioral and psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, than their peers whose parents are stateside. The difficulties confronting military families are likely to get increased attention in the next administration: Michelle Obama has indicated she will focus on the needs of military families as first lady.”
Overtime pay, rest breaks become bargaining chips in state budget crisis
Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs
“Hypertherm's policy is part of a "social contract" with employees, Mr. Couch says. In a downturn, workers are willing to identify inefficiencies because "you know you are not going to work yourself out of a job," he says. For several months in the early 1980s, Hypertherm adopted a four-day workweek. Mr. Couch calls that step, "the last of the last resorts," and says he hopes to avoid it this time. Small businesses, which often have less fat to trim than larger employers, can identify creative solutions. "Every $10,000 a month you can save is a person," says Alex Chang, founder of real-estate search engine Roost.com. [. . .] Mr. Chang also is considering licensing Roost's technology, moving to a smaller office space and allowing some employees to work from home.”
Sheridan Forward, state agencies help retirees re-enter work force
“Jim Craig retired about eight years ago after working more than 30 years in the military and as a private practice lawyer. Since then he's been involved in the Sheridan community, volunteering his time to several causes. But now the 67-year-old Craig is ready to work again. [. . .] Craig has been unable to find a position over the past year where he could lend his expertise and knowledge. "The economy has changed so having a little additional income would be nice," he said. "My investment portfolio is not where it was a few years ago." Craig is exactly the kind of worker that Sheridan's economic development corporation, Forward Sheridan, wants to help. Forward Sheridan is working with several state agencies, including the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, to try to develop a system that will match retired workers with local employers. The group is also working with the state AARP office.”
A parental juggling job
“Meg Comeau has flexible work, good family health insurance through her husband's job, and the right schooling for their daughter. Yet life, she says, is still a "house of cards." Her 21-year-old daughter, Sarah, has Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that produces developmental delays and health issues and is similar to Down syndrome. For the first decade of Sarah's life, she required so many surgeries and so much care that Comeau couldn't work. Even now, although Sarah attends a special needs school, her complex condition requires Comeau's frequent absence from her job as a university administrator. "If I wasn't able to have that flexibility, her care would suffer," says Comeau, project director of the Catalyst Center, a federally funded Boston University working group that helps states improve financing for families with disabled children. Her husband, Robert, works 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. as a manager in an electronics firm, so he can pick Sarah up from school. Outside of school, "one of us is always with her," says Comeau.”
A Baby and a Book, and a New Definition of Success
“PUSHING himself out feet first within two hours of my water breaking, my first child, Jonah, was born via an emergency C-section in March this year; he weighed 4 1/2 pounds. Coincidentally, my new career advice book was being released by Random House the same month and had gestated quite a bit longer than my son. I didn’t mean for the baby and the book to be so close in age. Normally, I’m a good scheduler, but the book was supposed to come out in January. I didn’t even try to become pregnant till I was sure that my child would arrive a few months after the book. I was already pregnant when my editor told me they were moving the publication date.”
Bush Gives Feds Holiday on Dec. 26
“Federal employees: No need to hustle back to work the day after Christmas. The president just cleared you to stay home. In an executive order Friday, President George W. Bush declared that executive branch agencies and departments will be closed on Friday, Dec. 26. That means federal workers will get that day off, with pay. The order does not apply to Postal Service employees. And it allows agency directors to require that their employees still come to work that day if their service is needed for national security, defense or some other essential public need.”
Where Are the New Jobs For Women?
“Mr. Obama compared his infrastructure plan to the Eisenhower-era construction of the Interstate System of highways. It brings back the Eisenhower era in a less appealing way as well: there are almost no women on this road to recovery. Back before the feminist revolution brought women into the workplace in unprecedented numbers, this would have been more understandable. But today, women constitute about 46 percent of the labor force. And as the current downturn has worsened, their traditionally lower unemployment rate has actually risen just as fast as men’s. A just economic stimulus plan must include jobs in fields like social work and teaching, where large numbers of women work. The bulk of the stimulus program will provide jobs for men, because building projects generate jobs in construction, where women make up only 9 percent of the work force.”
Blogs
Moms and the Unemployment Crisis: Is Federal Help on the Way?
“Today’s employment crisis is having a devastating impact on workers from all walks of life, but especially those mothers taking care of their families while also struggling to cope with the loss of their job. These and other hard-working families are becoming increasingly reliant on unemployment benefits to help see themselves and their families through until that next job comes along. But, without the help of the new economic recovery legislation that is now actively being debated in the halls of Congress, these workers may well fall through the cracks of an outdated unemployment system set up in 1935 in response to the Great Depression.”
Out of the Office: What Steps Do You Take Before Vacation?
“By the time you read this post, if all goes well, I will be lounging on a beach in Florida. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I could automatically post this ahead of time before my flight. And when necessary, I can check in on the blog, via my Blackberry and laptop, once I arrive. But getting out the door on Friday wasn’t exactly a trip to the beach. My flight left Friday late afternoon, so I had to pack a full days worth of work into just a few hours in the morning, while also scrambling to drop off the dog at a friend’s, pick up some forgotten dry cleaning, stop the mail and the newspaper delivery, and make sure my 10-month-old was all packed and ready for the trip.”
The Ideal Stimulus Package
“Well-coordinated public investment should be able to generate new jobs; in the meantime we need to expand our existing social safety net, including unemployment insurance. We should also recognize and reward family work. Paid leaves (already adopted by several states) could help families balance the competing demands of paid employment and family work in ways that promote gender equity. Proposed tax cuts could be realigned to benefit families with young children through an expanded and fully refundable child tax credit.”
Employee Time Off at the Holidays: Does it pay to be married?
“Does your workplace have an unwritten policy benefiting married employees? John Phillips, at The Word on Employment Law, asks this question and posits some very interesting answers. In his post, Holiday Pitfalls: Time Off from Work and Marital Status Laws, John points out the common problem of competing requests for time off during the holiday season. Let's face it, everyone wants off over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. And, just because someone doesn't celebrate a particular holiday don't mean that they want to sit in the office all day by themselves, as the lone soldier manning the fort. So who foots the bill when it comes to getting stuck with the holiday shift nobody wants?”
Global News
Work-life balance blurred for many employees
“Employees with high levels of job autonomy and control over their work schedules are more likely to bring work home with them, triggering conflict within their families, according to research released on Wednesday. Workers with the most autonomy tend to work at home or communicate with their workplace outside of normal hours, many times a day, said the study by University of Toronto sociology professor Scott Schieman and doctoral candidate Paul Glavin. The study, which used data from more than 2,600 U.S. workers, was published in the November issue of the journal Social Problems. The research showed that flexible work situations, including the ability to set one's own schedule, can have unwelcome consequences, said Schieman.”
Dad's the word on discrimination
“The committee heard evidence that men had found it difficult to get flexible working hours. Amending the act would make it easier for men to take action against recalcitrant employers and help speed up the process of achieving equality between men and women, the committee heard. The Productivity Commission has recommended to the Federal Government a system of paid maternity leave with some paid time off for new fathers. But there is doubt that such a scheme will be adopted because of the Government's concern about the slowing of the economy. The existing legislation assumes the person seeking flexible hours is a woman.”
Revealed: Amazon staff punished for being ill
“Amazon, Britain’s most popular website for Christmas shopping, is making its staff work seven days a week and threatening them with the sack if they take time off sick. The company charges among the lowest prices for products ranging from books and CDs to sofas and lawnmowers, but those who use Amazon.co.uk or its US counterpart Amazon.com this Christmas may be unaware of the harsh conditions it imposes on staff. Last year the company achieved global profits topping £2.2 billion. Behind the scenes Amazon, which can expect its busiest day of the year tomorrow, is employing thousands of casual workers in Britain to fetch and package items under arduous conditions.”