July 11, 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 Mac-and-Cheese Effect
Emily Bazelon • Slate • July 11, 2008
“The family dinner is ambrosia and nectar and manna, too, researchers have long told us. It helps prevent teenagers from abusing drugs and alcohol or smoking, and it protects them from stress, asthma, and eating disorders. It boosts kids' reading scores and grades. By the time all the virtues of dinner togetherness have been extolled, you can only feel that if you love your kids, you have to get home in time to sauté the stir fry.”
Flex time for outside activities can help business
Joyce M. Rosenberg • AP • July 10, 2008
“While it's still pretty much the norm for American workers to mold their lives around their bosses' schedules, many small business owners are giving employees flexible work hours, allowing them to take part in outside activities such as grad school, charitable work or second jobs. Company owners who give their workers such leeway say they're not just being considerate, they're doing something that makes good business sense. “The only way to compete for these top candidates is to give them flexibility to go back to school or to pursue outside activities, or to find a way to supplement their income," said Dornic, president of 3 Dog Agency, a Washington, D.C.-based public relations firm.”
Finding Personal Time in the Business of Saving Lives
Monica Delarosa • ABC News • July 10, 2008
“Dr. Brian Bethea has to stay up all night again. But after attending to patients in their hospital beds, his thoughts turn to tucking in his little girl at home. "Got a big game tomorrow right? I'll be there," Bethea says on the phone to his daughter while sitting in his empty office. "You've got to keep your emotions in control. I love you too. Get in bed!" The scene of fathers parenting over the phone in between meetings and making promises to be home even when they're not sure they can be kept takes place across America every day.”
Flex-time urged for state workers
Mick Hinton • Tulsa World, OK • July 10, 2008
“The Governor's Office responded that it is already encouraging the use of scheduling options available under state law, provided that services are not diminished. "The Governor's Office has instructed the Office of Personnel Management to work with agency directors to determine what flex-time policies can assist state employees, while maintaining the same level of services for taxpayers," said Paul Sund, a spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry. The Office of Personnel Management issued a memo June 23 encouraging state agencies to take advantage of flexible scheduling.”
Late Shift
Brenda J. Buote • Boston Globe • July 10, 2008
“A growing number of baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are embracing a similar outlook. Some are doing so by choice. Others, faced with plummeting stock portfolios and a weak housing market, are readjusting their plans. They may have left their careers, but they are still in the workforce, in some other occupation to pay the bills. Those who can afford to retire to a life of leisure are more likely today to view the final decades of life as an opportunity to do something they have always wanted to do.”
KSU employees interested in 4-day work week
Scott Unger • State-Journal, KY • July 9, 2008
“Kentucky State University employees are jumping at the chance to participate in the new compressed work week, according to President Mary Evans Sias. "(The employees) are very interested," Sias said. "We were inundated with requests yesterday." The pilot program allows eligible non-faculty employees to work the same amount of 40 hours in four days instead of the normal five. Although there are other benefits for workers on a shorter week, Sias said the program's key aim is to cope with rising fuel costs.”
Washington Top Place To Telework
Author Unlisted • NBC4.com (Washington, DC) • July 8, 2008
“In an effort to avoid paying high gas prices, more people are turning to telecommuting. According to Forbes Magazine, D.C. is the best place to telework, followed by Atlanta, Seattle, San Diego, and San Jose, Ca. Forbes reported that for telecommuting to be a viable option for workers, employers must first embrace the concept. Technology companies have led the way in corporate America in permitting employees to work at home at least part of the time. For instance, Cisco, which builds networking gear, reports that 70 percent of its employees telecommute 20 percent of the time. Even so, there's no corporate-wide telecommuting policy, Forbes reported. Details are worked out, manager by manager.”
For Many Americans, Hard Work is Badge of Honor
Michael Gelb • News Blaze • July 8, 2008
“Americans generally work more hours and take fewer vacations than workers in other advanced economies. But are they enjoying life less? That question is a matter of considerable debate in the United States, where some say "overwork" means greater stress and more illness and others counter that a "strong work ethic" brings material success to individuals and is a key to the nation's economic success. For advocates of more leisure time, the list of grievances is long. Lois Backon of the Families and Work Institute said long hours have been "a red badge of courage" that show the boss you deserve a promotion.”
Blogs
Technology: Beneficial or Detrimental to Working Fathers?
Chelsea Lettieri • Sloan Work and Family Blog • July 9, 2008
“Achieving a work-family balance doesn’t seem as foreign to fathers these days as it once did. Technology advances are giving fathers the freedom to focus on their family life while maintaining their workplace responsibilities…or so it seems. A recent survey by human resources consulting firm Adecco USA found that 81% of fathers were somewhat likely to send work-related emails late at night. The evolution of technology has allowed fathers to take a more prominent role in the family. Email and devices like blackberries have made it easier for fathers to get their work done at home after the kids have gone to bed.”
McCain: Clear and Present Danger to Families
Robert Drago and Arlene Holt Baker • MomsRising.org • July 0, 2008
“Okay, on one of the centerpieces of federal legislation to help working families succeed, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, McCain did eventually vote in favor. However, that was after voting for an amendment forcing the eventual suspension of the Act unless the government either certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provided financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. What an odd notion. Employees are only supposed to get sick or welcome a new child into the world so long as it is costless for their employer?”
How Autism Can Impact Family Finances
Cybele Weisser • WSJ Online - The Juggle • July 9, 2008
“Balancing a full-time job with the demands of taking care of healthy children is certainly challenging. But having an autistic child can impact the juggle on a whole other level. According to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 39% of parents of autistic children have had to change their employment situation in order for their child to attend specialized school programs and receive adequate childcare.”
Starting Businesses as an Encore for Women
Marci Alboher • New York Times - Shifting Careers • July 8, 2008
“As we walked the beach, my mom and I talked about what kind of career might make sense for her in this next phase of life. It turns out that she and all her female friends are consumed with the subject when they gather for their biweekly mah-jongg game. Not one is ready to slow down, and many thought they would not have to work in these years but now still need to earn a living. Still, they have certain demands. They want to work autonomously, during hours they choose, with the flexibility to travel or take time off to spend with grandchildren or aging parents. “It’s just too hard to work for someone at our age,” my mom explained, though she said that she would consider working part-time for someone if she could find a job that worked on her terms.”
Reports and Surveys
Scot Wids report backs phased retirement
Joy Dunbar • Financial Times – Financial Advisor • July 10, 2008
“People working beyond the traditional retirement age are the fastest growing group in the labour market, the Scottish Widows Pension Report 2008 has revealed. Examining current retirement trends, the 32-page report backed calls for phased retirement, stating people need to be educated on the need to work longer as flexible retirement becomes an area of importance to the industry, clients and public policymakers.”
Study Disputes Opt-Out Trend for Women
Jessica Marquez • Workforce Management • July 10, 2008
“According to a study published in the June issue of the American Sociological Review, less than 8 percent of professional women born since 1956 have left the workforce for a year or more during their prime childbearing years. The percentage of professional women working more than 50 hours a week has increased from less than 10 percent for those women born before 1935 to 15 percent for women born after 1956, according to the study. Furthermore, the study, which is based on data from the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey, found that the percentage of mothers with young children working full time has risen to 38 percent for women born from 1966 to 1975, up from 6 percent of women born from 1926 to 1935.”
Global News
Should child follow parent?
Finlo Rohrer • BBC News Magazine, UK • July 11, 2008
“And both the older and younger generation are thinking differently about the whole nature of work, which could explain the fracture in the inherited trade. "The whole idea that work should be fun is something that was invented by the baby boomer generation," says Jenny Ungless, a career coach at the Monster recruitment website. Even half a century ago, career choice was completely dominated by economic and geographic considerations. Now young people will be considering work-life balance, fulfilment levels and even making ethical choices.”
When hard work equals hard cash
Catherine Quinn • Times, UK • July 8, 2008
“It’s not only the lure of extra cash that delivers the psychological reward to employees on performance-related pay deals. Experts have long argued that control over one’s work environment helps to lower stress and boost happiness. So allowing staff partial control over their pay packet delivers this benefit, while the dynamic of being rewarded by one’s manager fulfils a valuable function of appreciation for a job well done — the lack of which is associated with discontent and job-hopping. But not everyone agrees on the benefits of performance-related pay.”
Generation Y’s unique challenge
Chloe Rhode • Times, UK • July 6 , 2008
“Employers are already taking steps to ensure they hold on to their Generation Y graduates. Centrica is using open social networks via its intranet site to pass on information to graduates. The company is focusing on worklife-balance flexibility, has provided laptops for all new graduates and summer interns to facilitate flexible working and aims to provide mentoring for graduates from their first day in the job.”