July 15, 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
Can a Group Like MomsRising Lead the US to a New Bottom Line?
Moms aren't the only ones looking for balance
“Some are dubious that fathers would help other men with their lives. Clearly, women are pushing the policy changes and family-friendly programs that have landed companies on the Working Mothers list of Best Places to Work. But fathers seeking a better work-life balance are creating change, in more subtle ways. They are colleagues who donate personal leave for another in need. They are role models who create workplaces where flexible work schedules and telecommuting becomes doable. They are entrepreneurs who start Daddy blogs and online support groups. And, they are fathers who help others shake off the long-standing pressure to get ahead at all costs.”
State Worker Schedule Options
“State employees may be heading out for the weekend a day sooner.
An extended weekend could become the norm, as Governor Granholm hopes to save them a little cash when it comes to gas. "If we can find ways to help them with alternative schedules and encourage them to take advantage of that-- then that's good for their pocketbook and it saves them money," said Governor Granholm's Spokeswoman Liz Boyd.”
Some health centers work with doctor's part-time needs
“More doctors, particularly women like Nypaver, are now choosing to work part time, and some health centers are accommodating them. Though working part time adds balance to a physician's high-stress lifestyle, some experts say that these work-hour decreases are worrisome in light of a nationwide shortage of doctors. According to a 2005 report from the Michigan State Medical Society, by 2010 there will be a deficit of 4,400 doctors in the state.”
As gas costs keep rising, look at ways to fight back
“Only 10 percent of businesses allow the majority of their employees to use flextime on a daily basis, according to a recent study by the Families and Work Institute in New York. Only 1 percent allow a majority of workers to telecommute on a daily basis. By making employees commute to work, businesses force them to dig into their pockets, which will make them demand higher wages or seek work elsewhere, adding to corporate expenses.”
Back to work, like it or not
“The soured economy - with its ever-increasing gas, food and utility prices, its sinking home values and its corporate downsizing - is forcing mothers who have traded careers for families to think about trading back. Though it's impossible to say how many women are affected nationally, Maryland mothers who have immersed themselves in the world of juice boxes and playgrounds are putting resumes together, filling out job applications at malls, looking into day care licenses and watching other people's children for money during the day.”
Creativity can thrive , if you keep the e-mail in check
“And overloaded or highly interrupted workers tend to be stressed - a state of mind that can hurt both productivity and health, recent studies show. Nearly a third of workers are chronically overworked and are more likely to be stressed, depressed, and in poor health, reports the Families and Work Institute. "There's a strong connection between trying to do lots of different things at the same time, and feeling overwhelmed," says Ellen Galinsky, president of the New York-based institute. "The way we're working is getting worse." The good news is there's increasing pushback. Companies and individuals are taking steps to combat the data storms so that they can sort the trivia from the crucial and declutter their desks and minds.”
Letters - No Babies?
“It may be a surprise to readers that the American labor market allows more flexible work hours than Europe. For years, we have heard about six-week vacations (while the U.S. employee averages 16.6 days) and long caregiving leaves. Yet when it comes to scheduling working hours, the U.S. does have more flexibility than Europe. We recently compared data from the Fourth European Survey on Working Conditions (2005), covering 31 countries, with data from my organization’s 2002-3 National Study of the Changing Workforce. We found that 65 percent of European employees say that their working hours are set by the company with no possibility of change, compared with 39 percent of U.S employees who say they have little or no control over the scheduling of their hours.”
Blogs
An Either/Or Decision: Forcing Women Into a Flase Choice
““My friends who stay home full-time with their kids aren’t happy, but the women I know who work full-time and put their kids in daycare aren’t happy either. I don’t know what the right answer is.” That comment was made to me on Saturday night, as I sat in a pub drinking beer with a friend of mine who loves her job as a speech therapist, but feels like the ever-increasing demands of her career are infringing on her family’s time. While she readily admitted that there is no one ‘right answer’ that will be perfect for all mothers, she initially seemed surprised by my insistence that, despite our constant talk of ‘family values,’ as a society we make balancing family and work hard - particularly for women. Our expectations and our laws are structured in such a way that we tend to force parents into a false choice - work or family.”
Grandparental Leave
Equality holds women back? Huh?
Corporate Voices for Working Families Spontlights Workforce Readiness Challenges, Solutions
“Corporate Voices has issued a comprehensive position paper and statement of principles that spotlights workforce readiness challenges and solutions. Titled “Tomorrow’s Workforce: Ready or Not: It’s A Choice the Business Community Must Make Now” – the report identifies the challenges facing the business community and highlights actions that can be taken now to help solve a problem that involves not just America’s young people, but one that touches the lives of everyone.”
Conversing about Karoshi: Are We Working Ourselves to Death?
Reports and Surveys
Schwab Study Finds Four Generations of American Adults Fundamentally Rethinking Planning for and Living in Retirement
“We undertook this study to better understand the way people from four adult generations think about retirement,” said Charles Schwab, founder, chairman and CEO, the Charles Schwab Corporation. “We surveyed nearly 4,000 people across the generations and got some fascinating insights that show people are rethinking the old model of retirement. We discovered, for example, that on average people believe ‘old age’ doesn’t begin until 75 or older. With the average retirement age now in the early 60’s, Americans are reasonably planning for upwards of 30 years in this stage of life. Most people are beginning to think of this as whole new third act.”
Global News
Equality laws 'are now holding women back'
"The radical extension of maternity leave and parents' rights is sabotaging women's careers, according to the head of the new equalities watchdog. Nicola Brewer said that it was an inconvenient truth that giving women a year off work after the birth of each child - soon to be paid throughout - was making employers think twice before offering a job or promotion. The chief executive of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission was speaking to The Times on the eve of a speech in which she will call for a significant rethink of family policy."
Longer British maternity leave sabotages careers
“Extending paid maternity leave in Britain to a year from nine months could damage women's careers, an equalities watchdog said this week. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission said that extending the amount of time a woman can take off work after giving birth to each child could unintentionally make women of child-bearing age less attractive to employers.”
What are the pros and cons of flex time?
“Flex time is part of a growing trend in the workplace that encompasses flexible work arrangements. It falls under the larger category of alternative work arrangements, such as telecommuting and job sharing. Even within that paradigm, flex time is, well, flexible. It can be a compressed work week: Longer hours Monday through Thursday, to earn Fridays off. Or, it might mean modified start and end times organized around core or peak work times. Or, maybe it means leaving early each Tuesday to make Susie's soccer game. Or, perhaps an employee wants to incorporate training into the middle of the day and will work later to make up the time. In other words, the possibilities for a flexible work arrangement are limitless.”