February 19, 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.
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Leave Rules May Tighten
“Employers would get more authority to check on the reasons workers give for excused absences, under proposed changes to the U.S. family and medical leave regulations, a rule-tightening sure to trigger a political firestorm. The 127-page document issued Feb. 11 is probably the last chance the Bush administration will have to fine-tune rules for the law, which allows millions of workers to take as much as 12 weeks of unpaid leave over a year.”
Parents Work at Home While Advancing in High Pressure Jobs
“You will find both parents working at home during the day while their children, 11-year-old Nick and 10-year-old Abbey, are away at school. Don't interrupt them, please. There is nothing casual about their workplace, except maybe the way they dress. Debbie Mayville, a director at a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy, starts telecommuting at 6 a.m. and tries to finish in time to meet her daughter at the bus stop, up the hill from their Alpharetta, Ga., home, when Abbey returns around 2:30 p.m.”
Shared Work Spaces a Wave of the Future
“Working at home was too lonely for Summer Powell, a 35-year-old freelance graphic designer who had recently moved to San Francisco. She tried working in cafes but found it too distracting. So Powell called a friend and together they joined a communal drop-in office space called Sandbox Suites - an example of a new and growing work arrangement called co-working.”
Stress Management
“Yet workers that the company surveyed said their No. 1 source of stress is long and longer hours; half said that affects performance. Work-life balance and tech tools such as laptops and PDAs also were high on the stress-o-meter, according to Watson Wyatt.”
Commute Campaign Pushes Carpooling
“The number of employees carpooling in metropolitan Phoenix has more than doubled over the past year, and more residents are choosing alternatives to driving their cars to work. Valley Metro and Gov. Janet Napolitano hope to encourage that trend and have declared February "Find Your Match" month. The campaign will help people connect with different modes of commuting.”
Short Maternity Leaves, Long Deployments
“Many female soldiers hoping to start families face the prospect of missing most of their child's first year. The Army grants six weeks of maternity leave before a new mother must return to her job or training, and four months until she can be sent to a war zone. The Marine Corps and Navy allow from six months to a year before a new mother must deploy.”
One More Hurdle for DC's Sick Leave Bill
“D.C. Council members have rightly pushed back against corporate pressure to kill a sick-leave bill sorely needed by hundreds of thousands of area workers ["Council Advances Sick-Leave Bill in D.C.," Metro, Feb 6]. The bill, which provides some 200,000 low-wage workers with up to five days off, would also be the country's first to provide paid leave for victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse.”
The Workplace as Clubhouse
“Today, managers realize they need to think more broadly about what makes workers happy…. The SAS Institute, a business software maker in Cary, N.C., has taken that to heart. The company has one of the lowest turnover rates in the software industry, largely because of its strong company culture and benefits, like unlimited sick leave, on-site day care and medical clinics. Where most technology companies lose 15 percent to 20 percent of their employees every year, SAS loses 4 percent, said Jeff Chambers, vice president for human resources.”
Blogs
Looking for Balance During a Job Search
“Today, job seekers want to know about work-life balance before they sign on. According to a new Hudson survey, nearly a third (29 percent) of U.S. workers now consider work-life balance and flexibility to be the most important factor in considering job offers.”
The Best of Both - Commute in Bunny Slippers
“A Firmware Engineer at Tesla Motors (they make a very cool electric sports car that goes 0-60 in 4 seconds!) decided to build these all-electric pink bunny slippers just to see if they could. If you have a home based business, freelance and work from home, or telecommute, these babies are just the ticket. They only go 15mph, but for a jaunt to the grocery store you can save gas and keep your bunny slippers on too.”
Work, Stress and Health
“[The] annual conference next month is called "Work, Stress and Health 2008: Healthy and Safe Work Through Research, Practice and Partnerships." The seventh international conference in D.C. is sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology. Participants will discuss topics such as workplace violence, minority and immigrant workers and work schedules and flexible work arrangements.
10 Things I Love About IT
“Most other professions seem to be stuck on 8:00 to 5:00, with a one-hour lunch. If you like a flexible schedule, or prefer to not be in the office on a periodic (or even ad hoc) basis, IT is a great industry to be in. In fact, IT is so flexible, it’s quite possible to run a business [from] your home, dorm room, or garage.
Surveys and Reports
Report of the Taskforce on the Aging of the American Workforce
The Taskforce on the Aging of the American Workforce, comprised of representatives from nine Federal Agencies, released a report this February. This report includes a discussion of workplace flexibility, customized employment, self-employment, and health and disability issues, among other topics. It also offers strategies for improving flexibility and encouraging older Americans (particularly the wave of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age) to remain in or re-enter the workforce.
Big Pay Not Tops: Survey
“Hefty salaries aren't enough to successfully woo job candidates, according to a survey conducted for recruiting firm Robert Half International. The poll of 270 chief financial officers across Canada found less than one-third -- 31 per cent -- believed pay was the best incentive for attracting accounting professionals.”
Telecommuting a Win-Win Situation, Study Finds
"Ravi Gajendran and David Harrison at the Department of Management and Organization with Pennsylvania State University, conducted an extensive review of 46 studies on the subject featuring 12,883 employees. Their results show that working from home is good for business and for staff. The researchers identified seven positive results of working at home.”
Home Workers Struggle with Work/Life Balance
“Nearly half of home-based business owners are struggling to separate their work and personal lives, according to new research. A report by BT Business found that 56% of home-based ventures began because the entrepreneur wanted a better work/life balance. However, 45% find it difficult to separate home and work life when they actually start.”
Global News
Gearing Up for the Slowdown
“Companies trim costs, look for creative solutions as U.S. weakness ripples north....Labour flexibility could also keep costs down, which may mean sabbaticals, unpaid leaves and part-time work, said Michael Thompson, national partner at Mercer's human capital practice. He also doesn't expect widespread firing. "It costs you a lot of money to hire people and retrain them. That's the last thing you want to do," he said.”
Career Break: Walk This Way
“You don't have to give up your day job to take a career break; many employers will allow employees to take a sabbatical on the understanding that you come back and work for a minimum period of time on your return. However, you are much more likely to get approval for a structured career break with clear goals. A year-long holiday will impress employers less than a year of volunteering or participating in a once-in-a-lifetime expedition.”