February 12, 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
American Workers Left Behind 438 Million Vacation Days in '07
“Averaging the number of days left behind per worker would be meaningful if everyone who works in the United States actually got vacations. But we don’t. About 75 percent of the work force gets paid vacation -- an average of 14 days, plus whatever holidays employers grant under labor agreements or by fiat. Not only do we regularly give up days we’ve often bargained hard to get, we also get few compared with the rest of the industrialized world. In fact, the United States is singular when it comes to vacation days: We are the only advanced economy in the world without a minute of government-mandated time off.”
Many Workers Value Lifestyle Over Pay
“Lifestyle issues, rather than compensation, rank as the most important consideration for nearly one-third of U.S. workers, a survey released Tuesday indicated.In the survey conducted by Hudson, an employment study group in Chicago, 32 percent of the those polled earning $75,000 to $100,000 per year said compensation -- pay and benefits -- was the primary reason they took their current job. But overall, of the 1,634 U.S. workers polled, 29 percent said a work-life balance was more important.”
Proposed Changes to FMLA 'Protect the Future of a Vital Law': SHRM Applauds Department of Labor Clarifications
“"[The Families and Medical Leave Act]] was landmark legislation from the day of enactment in 1993, yet misuse born of confusion has subjected it to some criticism from employers," said Susan Meisinger, president and chief executive officer for the Society for Human Resource Management. "These proposed changes protect the future of a vital law.” One of the most significant changes being proposed by the Department of Labor would clarify the rules regarding intermittent leave. Benefits afforded employees under the FMLA remain secure, including time off for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a seriously ill family member, or to seek treatment for a serious health condition.”
Commentary: Credit Unused Sick Leave to Improve Productivity
“For years, federal managers have struggled with what appears to be a general increased use of sick leave by employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) as compared to sick leave used by Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) employees, particularly as both groups near retirement….The perplexing issue for managers is how to deal with the suspicion that employees may be burning sick leave without a legitimate underlying illness. One solution could be to issue a confrontational leave restriction letter when abuse is suspected; however, there is no data that supports this as an effective method of curbing abuse. A more practical solution is to discourage the abuse of sick leave by giving it value.”
Letter to the Editor: Cut Congestion by Enhancing Work Schedules
“It occurred to me that the federal government's Compressed Work Schedule (CWS) policy, under which tens of thousands of employees typically take one Monday or Friday off every two weeks and work an extra hour on other days, was an incredibly effective way to deal with the myriad problems associated with rush-hour traffic congestion and limited parking.”
Embracing Flex Time Takes Work, Firms Find
“Balancing work and home-life is tough, making "flex time" a front-burner issue for many professionals. But companies are finding that changing corporate culture to offer more flexible schedules can be a complicated task.” AUDIO.
For Workplace Harmony, Know Your Generations
“Today's workplace is full of generational divides, and employers who tailor their management styles to emphasize the strengths of each group will get the most out of their staffs, experts say. Patricia Kempthorne, founder and executive director of The Twiga Foundation, a Boise, Idaho, nonprofit that focuses on family and workplace issues, identified four generations of workers, each generally defined by their own characteristics.
Resenting Workers Who Telecommute
“Kim Hare, researcher and administrative assistant at The Daniel Group, a strategic planning, research and training company in Charlotte, N.C., manages the office, including bookkeeping and payroll. Her office has three employees, plus 21 who telecommute. After three years of working with telecommuters, she said the arrangement "doesn't affect my work." How can the contradiction with the academic research be resolved? Perhaps some employers are doing a better job of recruiting so that employees, telecommuters and not, are finding ways to work comfortably together.”
Unpaid Parental Leave Needed
“Among [GA] Gov. Sonny Perdue's priorities for 2008 is a $14.25 million program to prod parents to become more involved in their children's school. But many parents aren't able to get involved because they can't get off work. House Bill 901 would help such parents. It requires employers to allow parents up to 24 hours of unpaid leave a year to handle routine medical appointments and school activities. Thousands of cashiers, factory workers and minimum-wage earners have no such ability now and sometimes resort to lying and calling in sick.”
Taking Their Leave
“Every year, about 7 million people take unpaid time off thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act, which marked its 15th anniversary this week. About half temporarily leave their jobs to care for themselves, and another one-fourth are caring for a new child, said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. The remainder care for immediate family members for up to 12 weeks.”
Tax Credits for Telecommuting Get State Lawmakers' Attention
“As Hawaii residents spend more and more time getting to and from work, some state lawmakers want to establish a tax credit for employers to promote telecommuting as a viable workplace alternative. Both houses of the Legislature have bills pending this session that would give employers a certain percentage in income tax credits depending on the location of their business, the number of telecommuting workers they have and the number of telecommuting hours logged by those workers. The tax credits would apply in 2009 and 2010 if either Senate Bill 2238 or House Bill 3271 becomes law.”
Gov't Wants Tighter Rules for Time Off
“Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees can wait as long as two days after their shift begins to notify employers they are claiming time. The Labor Department wants to end that practice except for emergencies….That change, which was sought by businesses that complained about workers unexpectedly not showing up, is one of several the Labor Department wants to make under the 15-year-old act. The proposed changes become public Friday.”
Blogs
How To Cope With Massive Anxiety
“Take into consideration some information and advice from Sylvia Hewlett, economist and the founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy and author of Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success: "Our Extreme Jobs research showed that never ending treadmill of constantly working is not sustainable. People's personal lives suffer tremendously under the pressure to be constantly working. We found that 65% of women and 61% of men said that their extreme job interfered with their having a strong relationship with friends and 46% of both men and women reported that their job interfered with their having a strong relationship with a spouse or partner."”
Career Track: Rising by Resolution
“The top career resolution: to learn new skills. Resolving to earn a raise or promotion and improve work/life balance were close behind…. Improve work-life balance. Family duties, long hours and crushing commutes leave plenty of us frazzled. If moving or changing jobs isn't possible, look for ways to steal back some time at home.”
Reports
In The Game of Hiring, Flexible Employers Win
Hudson’s press release concerning their new study. “Nearly a third (29 percent) of US workers now consider work-life balance and flexibility to be the most important factor in considering job offers, according to a new Hudson [a Chicago-based employment study group] survey. Compensation still matters, of course, but it finished second (23 percent) behind lifestyle when workers were asked to name the primary reason they accepted their current positions.”
Global News
New Blog on Work-Life Balance
“Nicole Black has recently started yet another legal blog called: Women Lawyers – Back on Track. She has a special focus on work-balance issues and draws ideas from a large number of different blogs. At the heart of her blog is her view that work-life balance is not a gender issue, as some of those more militant elements in law would have us believe. It is a societal issue." Blog: http://nylawblog.typepad.com/women_lawyers
Professional Predictions
“More companies will take steps to ensure employees have access to health and wellness programmes, flexitime, additional vacation, better benefits and safe and comfortable workspaces….The line between work and home is blurring, due to new technologies, like BlackBerrys and laptops. The good news — employers are allowing employees more flexibility through the regular workday to attend to personal matters, doctor appointments or yoga classes. If employers offer respect and trust beyond the employment contract, employees will reward them with loyalty and productivity.”
Flexitime Would Share the Load
“Chris Cooper, programme director for the South African National Energy Association, said: “There is a need to be more flexible in the working hours of employees to try and flatten the peaks in electricity usage at certain times of the day. “We also need to consider allowing employees to work from home. If someone wants to work at night, why don’t we let them?” Cooper said having flexible hours will reduce electricity demand as people would not all be at home or travelling to work simultaneously.”