News Roundup

'Kid Crunch Time' Can Be Cruelest Season

“But as thousands of working parents across the country know, this can be the cruelest season of the year, logistically speaking, when dozens of these end-of-school-year events collide with work obligations, over and over again. It's not just a matter of having an understanding employer, although that certainly helps. Even for those in the most flexible workplaces, a series of three-hour absences can sabotage a week. Yet with vacation time so tight in this country -- as opposed to say, Europe (hello, August on the beach!) -- what employee has enough to squander an entire day of it on a baseball game? And even if you're lucky enough to have your own company, it doesn't mean kid crunch time is a piece of cake. Ask Liz Lange, founder and creative director of Liz Lange Maternity, what she's been doing lately, and you'll get an earful.”

• http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/06/10/cruelest.month.ap/index.html? section=cnn_latest

Firms Show Flexibility on Career-Life Balance

“The arrangement - which included a joint phone line and e-mail address and management of all job-related responsibilities over a split 30-hour week - was so successful that within a year the two were recruited into a new role at BEA, as vice president of worldwide services marketing, managing 100 relationships weekly inside and outside the company. Miller and Cremona's flexible work arrangement is not the first of its kind, but it is becoming more common at large American corporations, which have watched the pool of talented women in their 30s to their 50s shrink after years of costly training. To reduce "female brain drain," global companies such as Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Booz Allen Hamilton, Hewlett-Packard, Best Buy and dozens of others are increasingly offering a variety of flexible work options. Those include reduced-hour jobs, flexible workdays, job shares and telecommuting. Another popular option is the flexible career arc, in which women "off-ramp" in the years after the birth of a child or in the months needed to care for a sick relative and then "on-ramp" when they are ready to take on more hours. Such programs are not just for women. They are attracting 20-somethings who want more work-life balance, men who want to spend more time with their children, and those ramping down their work schedules as they make the transition to retirement.”

• http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/06/09/MN3C10KV8E.DTL

Vacations Are Good for You, Medically Speaking

“But, it turns out, even before the downturn, a lot of Americans were working through their vacation time, taking fewer and shorter holidays. A global study by Expedia.com found that about a third of employed Americans usually do not take all the vacation days that they are entitled to, leaving an average of three days on the table. This is not so unusual. About a quarter of the workers in Britain do not take all their vacation time, and in France a little less. The only difference is that the British get an average of 26 days of vacation and the French about 37 — compared with our 14 days, Expedia.com said. According to John de Graaf, executive director of Take Back Your Time, a nonprofit organization that studies issues related to overwork, 137 countries mandate paid vacation time. The United States is the only industrialized country that doesn’t. …Using information from the Framingham Heart Study, which started in 1948, researchers looked at questionnaires women in the study had filled out over 20 years about how often they took vacations. Those women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year, said Elaine Eaker, a co-author of the study and president of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises, a private research company.”

• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/business/yourmoney/07shortcuts.html?em& ex=1213243200&en=8ba353a3b82e8ac3&ei=5087%0A

Many Employers Have Succession Plans That Permit Telecommuting

“With top talent increasingly unable, or unwilling, to relocate for new job assignments, many companies now have succession plans that include a “develop in place” designation for high-potential employees, permitting them to telecommute, according to Salveson Stetson Group, a full-service retained executive search firm. “The days of the traditional GE, high-potential career track, where an executive was asked to make five moves in 10 years, is over,” said John Touey, a principal with Salveson Stetson Group. “Instead, many companies are figuring out how to hold onto, or attract, top talent that can’t always relocate to company headquarters.” Despite recognition that they may need to be flexible to attract talent, many companies struggle with the concept and practice of telecommuting, Touey said. “Most employers are still formulating their ‘beliefs’ about telecommuting, particularly when it comes to senior executives,” he said. “Ideally, companies would like to have the executive on-site everyday, but they realize telecommuting may be the next best way to keep or attract talent.”

• http://www.talentmgt.com/industry_news/2008/June/2871/index.php

California Assembly Passes Paid Sick Leave Measure

“California's Assembly last week passed a measure that would require paid sick leave for every worker, the Sacramento Bee reported. The legislation would allow the leave to be used for a personal illness or to care for an ailing family member. The bill's sponsor, Democratic Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, said it would give protection to the more than 5 million individuals employed in the state who are forced to choose between working while sick or losing pay. "[It's] a win-win for workers and employers alike and is an important part of maintaining a healthy economy here in California," Ma said. The measure moves to the state Senate. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not voiced a position on it. Opponents, primarily Republicans and business groups, argued the bill would burden many small businesses. "It's an anti-business mentality," said Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze. In a letter opposing the measure, the California Chamber of Commerce contended that many employers voluntarily offer paid sick leave.”

• http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/a_20080602_8960.php

Republican House Members Introduce Comp Time Bill

“The "Family-Friendly Workplace Act" (H.R. 6025), introduced on Tuesday, May 13, would amend Section 16 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to give private employers the option of offering employees the choice of paid time off in lieu of cash wages for overtime hours worked if the employee prefers to take compensatory time instead of overtime pay. "Comp time makes it easier for workers--especially parents with young children and caregivers for elderly parents--to choose alternatives to the traditional 40-hour work week," said bill sponsor Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). … The comp-time measure is part of a broader package of legislation introduced last week by McMorris Rodgers, Kay Granger (R-TX), and the House Republican leadership. Deemed the "American Families Agenda," the lawmakers say their legislation is aimed at simplifying and updating US health, labor and tax laws to meet the 21st century needs of US families. Other initiatives include a bill to eliminate the 18-month limit on COBRA benefits to enhance health insurance portability. "One of the main foundations of the agenda centers on the special role wives and mothers have in the workforce while in many situations continuing to be the primary caretakers for their family," said Granger. In 1950, less than 12 percent of mothers with children under the age of six were in the labor force. Today, more than 60 percent of them work outside the home."

• http://hr.cch.com/news/employment/052908a.asp

Solving The Flexibility Puzzle

“The conclusion that shines through my research is that parents possess a remarkable ability to make the best choices possible, and they deserve a wider range of options from which to choose. Our research overturns the poor opinion of parents, documents their decision-making ability, and explains the key to their success. That key can be found in this riddle: What is more precious than gold, but isn't a luxury? The answer: Flexibility! When the subject of flexibility comes up, most of us think only of flexible work arrangements: we need job-sharing, part-time schedules, and the ability to work at home. "If I could only just have a little flexibility on the job," many mothers think, "everything would be OK." And certainly workplace flexibility is important. But in fact, the need for flexibility is more fundamental. Consciously or not, parents need flexibility on one of at least three fronts to make their work-family juggling act work well -- work, family support, or child-care arrangements.”

• http://www.mothersmovement.org/features/08/05/emlen_1.html

Working Boomers and their Aging Parents

“The Sloan Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility reports [PDF] that “according to projections based on the U.S. Census (2006), an average of 4.6 adults will turn 65 each minute in 2007. In 2025, an average of 8.0 adults will turn 65 each minute.” It is likely that this growing aging population will require care and attention from employed family members. In fact, a 2006 MetLife study [PDF] found that “nearly 60% of those caring for an adult over the age of 50 are working; the majority of those work full-time.” Caring for an older family member and working can be quite stressful both at work and at home. In fact, the MetLife study also found that “52% of the women and 34% of the men have experienced workday interruptions as a result of caregiving. “ Anecdotal information reveals that employed caregivers often feel that they are unable to meet their work responsibilities, and provide high quality of care to their loved one – a dilemma that can result in shortchanging one of their commitments. I recently learned of a resource that might be helpful. Created by the MIT Workplace Center, Caring for Your Parents is a web-based handbook that can be used by caregivers and the agencies that support them throughout the US.”

• http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/?p=34

The Issue Is Power

"Poverty, and the poor health of the poor, is about much more than simply not having enough money", says Robert M. Sapolsky, professor of neurology at Stanford University. "It's about the stressors caused in a society that tolerates leaving so many of its members so far behind." Which made me think of this [excerpt from a May 21 ABC news article entitled “Work Benefits Decline and Families Suffer”]: “According to a study by the Families and Work Institute, a decade ago, 27 percent of employers offered fully, paid six-week maternity leaves. Today, just 16 percent do, which means fewer working mothers can now afford any leave at all. "I had my son on Thursday and, on Monday, I had to go back to work," said Selena Allen, a 30-year-old mother who was working at a non-profit agency near Seattle when she had a baby five years ago. No paid maternity leave for Allen meant leaving her premature son, Conor, in the hospital for weeks without being able to care for him. "I was an emotional wreck, I was devastated, but in order to feed my family, I had no other option," Allen said.” Parental leave is usually framed as an issue of equity and work/life balance, but, ultimately, it's a mental and physical health issue, for both parents and children. It's also an issue of power: If poor and working- and middle-class parents had more of it, you can bet we'd see policies that benefit their health. The evidence is clear: The absence of those policies is harmful.”

• http://daddy-dialectic.blogspot.com/2008/06/issue-is-power.html

Forget Swollen Feet: Doctor Visits Complicate Pregnancy and Work

“Still, these check-ins have become quite an inconvenience. My doctor has stopped offering early morning and late afternoon appointments. So, I must leave the office in the middle of the day, every two weeks, for a 15 minute check-in that takes more than an hour of travel time. This means time out from work during the day, plus a tiring slog, hauling my pregnant self through public transit. Making it more of a juggle: To my delight, my incredibly supportive husband comes to all the appointments. So one day two weeks ago, after we discussed what days and times could work for both us, I got on the phone with the doctor’s receptionist and haggled my way through a list of dates. Finally we settled on the least inconvenient one. To be sure, I’ve been lucky so far to have an uncomplicated pregnancy. One reader recently said that childbirth classes were a particularly big hassle when she was pregnant because she was already “trekking to the hospital 2x during the week for baby to be monitored … then the hour to my office.”

• http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2008/06/06/forget-swollen-feet-doctor-visits-complicate-pregnancy-and-work/

Balancing Work and Family Studies and Resources

“Last week I participated in a wonderful conference focusing on workplace flexibility research. Besides thought-provoking conversation and dialogue, I also got to visit the campus of my alma mater, Georgetown University Law Center, which is now quite different from when I attended. Nostalgia aside, I was happy to get my hands on some new data and resources. And, as usual, I want to share them with you…. Enjoy digging through these resources!”

• http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimComment?id=26599

Core Competency Mothers

“The first post describes what Ms. Vanderkam refers to as the core competency mom, who manages to both have a job and a career by focusing her limited time at home on tasks that give her the most time with her children. As she puts it, “Going on a hike with your teenage children on a Saturday is a better way to show you care than washing their jeans.” As for the floor sweeping — that falls into the category of stuff that is either outsourced or ignored by the core competency mother. As a result, she writes, “since the 1960’s, women’s labor force participation has risen by about 50 percent,” yet “women, on the whole, are spending more time with their kids than they did 40 years ago.” I hear the critics sounding alarms about elitist mothers who outsource their child care to low-income women. But Ms. Vanderkam takes a fresh tack by focusing instead on time-saving tools like concierge services and professional organizers, online groceries like Freshdirect.com and disposable plates made by Dixie (an environmental no-no, but apparently a yes-yes to the core competency mom). She doesn’t mention the stay-at-home partner or shared child care in her piece, two rather low-tech options, but I surmise they also figure prominently for a lot of these core competency types.”

• http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/core-competency-mothers/

Thirty-Seven Percent of Working Dads Would Assume Mr. Mom Role if Spouse Could Financially Support Family, CareerBuilder.com’s Annual Father’s Day Survey Finds

“With Dad’s Day quickly approaching, many fathers may spend their special day dreaming about being a stay-at-home dad. More than a third of working dads (37 percent) said they would leave their job if their spouse or significant other’s income could comfortably support the entire family, similar to last year’s findings. Struggling to strike the perfect balance between work and family life, 37 percent of working dads said they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children; 42 percent would take a pay cut of 10 percent or more. The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Working Dads 2008," was conducted from February 11 to March 13, 2008 and included 955 men, employed full-time, with children under the age of 18 living at home.”

• http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr437&sd= 6%2F9%2F2008&ed=12%2F31%2F2008

Most Baby Boomers Are Financially Unprepared for A Potential Disability, Survey Finds

“Most Baby Boomers say they are financially unprepared for a potential disability, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Baby Boomers would have difficulty paying bills and many would have to tap into their retirement savings if a disability occurred…. Most Baby Boomers (55 percent) say they are not at all or somewhat unprepared. Only 15 percent say they are very or extremely prepared if a disability occurred. Baby Boomers were also asked how long they could go without their primary wage earner's income before they had difficulty paying all their bills. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) would have difficulty within the first year, half (49 percent) would have difficulty in the first six months, and a third (33 percent) would have difficulty paying all their bills in just the first three months. Most Baby Boomers said they would have difficulty making their mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments, and/or supporting dependents within the first year. Almost a third (32 percent) of Baby Boomers say they would have to tap into their retirement savings if the primary wage earner in their household became disabled. Seventeen percent admit they do not have a retirement savings to draw upon.”

• http://hr.cch.com/news/hrm/060208a.asp

U.K. Defeats EU's Bid for Stricter 48-Hour Workweek

“The U.K. defeated a European Union proposal to enforce a 48-hour workweek for British workers, ensuring companies can demand overtime during busy periods and remain competitive. Employment ministers ended a four-year deadlock in Luxembourg today, as France and some other former opponents accepted a compromise 60-hour cap on workers exempt from the EU's 48-hour standard. The measure now moves to the European Parliament, which has backed more limited exceptions. The U.K. defended its more flexible labor rules, which the government credits with holding unemployment to 5 percent, compared with 7.1 percent in the 15 countries that use the euro and 6.7 percent for the 27-nation EU.”

• http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=amPIVwNFsPt0

Some US Towns Switch to Four-Day Work Week

“Skyrocketing energy costs have fueled fresh interest in the four-day work week across the United States as a means to help workers as well as employers cope with the surge. City governments and private companies adopted the compressed work week as energy ministers from the Group of Eight industrial powers voiced concern over record oil prices during a meeting in Aomori, Japan, where host Japan warned the world could plunge into recession. Gasoline costs have surged to around $4 a gallon in much of the US, up some 30 percent from a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. The compressed four-day week is among many options being used by employees and employers in the US, including telecommuting and carpooling, to keep transportation costs down.”

• http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news2_june9_2008