May 20, 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
What Working Women Want
“Re “State Programs Add Safety Net for the Poorest” (front page, May 12): Twelve years after the destruction of the social safety net, officials in some states have figured out that forcing women into low-wage, inflexible jobs doesn’t solve the problem. Yes, extra cash will help. But above all what we need is a national, bipartisan commitment to reform work… Living wages, paid sick days, flexible schedules — that’s the safety net workers want so they can care for themselves and their families.”
More Employers Embrace Flexible Scheduling
“Flexibility in the workplace isn't new. Telecommuting, working part time, job sharing, and even ducking out early on summer Fridays are becoming the norm, not the automatic career-stallers they once were. One sure sign: Nearly all of the 1,100 companies polled by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute for its 2008 report on employer benefits and practices offer at least one form of flexible work option. The firms were drawn from a random sample nationwide. But now flexibility's reach is extending into new corners of the work world - from high-stress, low-budget nonprofits to call centers famed for their rigid work culture.” Mentions the Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, and Ellen Galinsky of the Families and Work Institute.
Steele To Propose State Worker Flex Time
“State Sen. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock, wants a Senate committee to study the possibility of allowing state employees who travel long distances to work to have a four-day work week so they’ll need less gasoline.” Subscription required to access full article.
A Mother's Day Gift from Congress
“After celebrating my second Mother’s Day as a mom, I can tell you it has given me a deeper understanding on some issues that come before me in Congress. One of those issues is the federal laws that prevent most working parents from securing the type of workplace flexibility that could provide families with more time to care for an elderly parent or meet the needs of their kids. Unfortunately, current law today prevents working families in the private sector from having the same flexibility given to government workers. That’s why I introduced The Family-Friendly Workplace Act, which will give families the freedom to make choices that work best for them as well as meet the needs of our 21st century workforce.”
Anti-Mommy Bias Persists
“Mother's Day recognizes mothers for their dedication, resourcefulness and persistence. But some working mothers say that on the job, they're viewed in opposite terms. They say employers see them as less reliable, focused and committed than their co-workers, and weed them out of job interviews or bypass them for promotions. The practice has been labeled maternal profiling, and it is the source of a growing body of discrimination lawsuits being filed against employers. According to the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California's Hastings College of Law, family-related discrimination cases increased by 400 percent from 1996 to 2005…. Such discrimination isn't limited to women. Many men, for example, find their roles reduced when employers know they're going through a divorce, or are shifted off power-tracks if they request a family leave.”
Hiring After the Baby-Boom Brain Drain
“The Federal Aviation Administration. The Social Security Administration. The National Science Foundation. The Treasury Department. All could lose as much as a quarter of their employees by 2012, mostly because of retirements. They are not alone. Across the government, about a third of full-time employees will retire in the next five years, according to estimates prepared by the Office of Personnel Management. The turnover could be even higher in the ranks of federal executives and supervisors.”
Blogs
Good Dad or Good Employee. Pick One.
“Federal employees earn 13 days of sick leave a year, and IRS employees took an average of 11 days of sick leave in 2006, the inspector general's report said… It is relatively easy to take sick leave in small amounts because most managers will take the employee's word that an absence was because of illness or to care for a sick child. There is no limit on how much “Flex time, telecommuting, and other concessions are being made, but that’s only anecdotal knowledge to me. Tales of men being treated poorly in the workplace abound. I know two men who were recently fired because they had the nerve to ask for paternity leave. They were granted that leave with smiles and congratulatory remarks. To add insult to injury, poor job performance was cited as the reason for their dismissal upon their return to work. I make it my business to see what “21st Century Dad” turns up in the search engines. I found this great article about dads and their blogs. The excerpt below sums everything up perfectly: ‘In 2006, dads are feeling pressure from both sides. At home, many dads carry heavier parenting loads; they face their own traditional expectations, while at work they face baby boomer bosses who believe the job comes first, according to Joan Williams, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.’ The flexibility I need isn’t there in a 9-5 job.” leave an employee can carry forward into the next year, and IRS employees had an average balance of 43 days of accumulated sick leave at the end of 2006. "We believe that the lack of compensation for unused sick leave at retirement has contributed to the higher amount of sick leave used by FERS employees," the report said…. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) thinks providing an incentive might reduce the use of sick leave. He has introduced a bill that would provide FERS employees with a lump-sum payment for any unused sick leave at retirement but would be capped at $10,000. The bill, introduced in March, has 34 co-sponsors.”
Privacy, Pumping and Protection
“According to yesterday's Washington Post Health section, a new D.C. law joins Maryland, Virginia and federal laws that protect a woman's right to breast feed and pump at work. The Child's Right to Nurse Act requires employers to provide a private, clean space, presumably with an electrical outlet, for pumping breastmilk. The room must be located outside a restroom; anyone who has pumped on a toilet seat understands why this clause is critical. If your company doesn't comply, tell them what Wiley Rein law partner Todd Bromberg told the Post: "Ninety-nine percent of all employers can do this without any hardship at all." Many companies apparently agree.”
Another Mother's Day
“No newsflash here for regular MMO readers: the Economic Policy Institute posted a an online fact sheet comparing paid and unpaid maternity leave benefits in wealthy countries -- and guess who comes up short? (Paid maternity leave still on the wishlist for many U.S. mothers, 7 May 08) "The United States falls two weeks short of the International Labor Organization's basic minimum standard of at least 14 weeks general leave," the authors note. The U.S. is also the only country that does not guarantee some duration of job-protected leave with income. From the your-tax-dollars-at-work department, the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 "Facts for Features" series offers bullet points on selected trends related to motherhood and Mother's Day in America.”
Do Telecommuting Jobs Really Exist?
“I was recently interviewed for CNN’s Your Money on the topic of telecommuting. This is certainly a hot topic among job seekers as people continue to seek more work/life balance and flexible arrangements. But I think there is a misperception about how to secure a telecommuting arrangement. It’s unlikely that you will land a telecommuting job through an online job board (and be wary, because most of these opportunities are scams). Most telecommuting jobs start out as traditional jobs that evolve to a more flexible arrangement through a mutual agreement between the employer and the employee.”
Reports & Surveys
Sick-Leave Abuse Prompts Calls to Compensate for Unused Time
“Federal employees earn 13 days of sick leave a year, and IRS employees took an average of 11 days of sick leave in 2006, the inspector general's report said… It is relatively easy to take sick leave in small amounts because most managers will take the employee's word that an absence was because of illness or to care for a sick child. There is no limit on how much sick leave an employee can carry forward into the next year, and IRS employees had an average balance of 43 days of accumulated sick leave at the end of 2006. "We believe that the lack of compensation for unused sick leave at retirement has contributed to the higher amount of sick leave used by FERS employees," the report said…. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) thinks providing an incentive might reduce the use of sick leave. He has introduced a bill that would provide FERS employees with a lump-sum payment for any unused sick leave at retirement but would be capped at $10,000. The bill, introduced in March, has 34 co-sponsors.”
Scholar Says Maternity Leave Benefits 'Not Expanding' or 'Worsening'
“Although more pregnant women are remaining in the work force than 40 years ago, maternity leave benefits have seemingly stalled since the 1980s. ``They’re not expanding, and they’re worsening in some cases,'' said Linzy Brekke-Aloise, a women’s history professor at Stonehill College. It wasn’t until 1993 that the federal government mandated employers give 12 weeks of unpaid leave to eligible employees for childbearing or family care…. Meanwhile, a recent U.S. Census study showed women are returning to work more rapidly.”
Science And The Glass Ceiling
“The problem: While 41% of "highly qualified" scientists, engineers and technologists "on the lower rungs of corporate career ladders" are women, they don't stay long. About 10 years into their career, 52% of them leave those fields, according to The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering and Technology, a study from the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York City recently published in the Harvard Business Review…. And since these are jobs that require long hours--some experiments require scientists to take samples at regimented times 24 hours a day, seven days a week--it's nearly impossible to manage raising a family or caring for elderly parents.” Report available for purchase from the Harvard Business Review.
Survey: Readers Want Better Communication, Flex Time
“When given the hypothetical power to be the boss, readers said people in the workforce need to do a better job of talking to each other. Consistent and efficient communication ranked No. 1 (67 votes, or 17 percent), along with a desire for flex time and telecommuting, as readers' top choice for making change in the workplace if they were in charge. That's the result of the latest Business Pulse survey, the newspaper's nonscientific weekly online poll designed to provide a snapshot of what readers are thinking.”
In Honor of Mother's Day, Show Some Love to Your Flex-Time Policies
“In fact, a new CareerBuilder.com survey finds that 43% of working moms would choose a pay cut in order to spend more time with their kids. Something tells me that 43% is a rather low figure, assuming the other 57% haven't spawned a "problem child" who clings to them like a rhesus monkey that practices his high-pitched shrieks at 3 am. CareerBuilder's survey of 880 U.S. female employees (employed full-time with at least one child under 18 years old living at home) also revealed that for those choosing the pay cut, 34% would be willing to give up 10% or more of their salaries. …The CareerBuilder survey also points out that for working moms with more than one source of income, 51% indicated they would leave their job if their spouse or significant other made enough money to support the entire family.”
Global News
Council Gets Family Friendly
“Employees can choose to work at home, share jobs and "buy" extra holidays in a bid by East Lothian Council to be more "family friendly.” The council is adopting new employment policies to help workers balance home and working lives. Most staff will be able to apply to work part-time, work from home, or take a job-share. They will also be able to buy extra annual leave, or carry leave forward to the following year.”
Universal Paid Maternity Leave
“Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Lisa Singh is in support of a universal paid maternity leave scheme in Australia. Ms Singh said a public hearing will be held in Hobart at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Monday 12 May organised by the Productivity Commission to investigate paid Maternity Leave. “I am in support of the Rudd Government's actions to examine ways in which such a scheme could be introduced,” Ms Singh said…. "Australia is one of only two OECD countries that still does not have a paid maternity leave scheme. "It is time that paid maternity leave and paternity leave are introduced nationally so that we are meeting the international (ILO) standards.”