November 7, 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
Women wary of career breaks
“Women are still wary of negative consequences associated with taking a break from their careers to have children, raise a family or help take care of their elderly parents. I'm reminded of this attitude with the release yesterday of a new survey at the Society of Women Engineers conference in Baltimore. The survey, commissioned by manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. in partnership with the industry group, polled 512 female engineers with up to 20 years' experience in the workplace. The study has a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points. Of the 400 women who haven't taken a career break yet, 45 percent said they expect to take one in the next 10 years.”
Generation Y Takes On Work-Life Balance
“This fall marks the entry of the latest group of "Generation Y" lawyers into law firm careers. As part of that generation, we face not only demanding new jobs but also the daunting task of maintaining some semblance of a private life. The struggle is not the same for everyone. For some, the challenge involves balancing commitments to significant others, children, friends or even pets. Others may wrestle with maintaining creative, athletic or other outlets. Whatever the outside interests or responsibilities, we understand that we will undoubtedly find that long work days and billable-hour requirements leave markedly less time for private pursuits. We asked a number of recently hired colleagues to share their thoughts -- and we drew on our own -- on what work-life balance means to them. We think the answers could prove helpful to firms and individual lawyers as they figure out how to juggle professional goals with personal fulfillment.”
Commute or Relocate? In Capital, an Enduring Question
"Mr. Obama and Mr. Emanuel embody the choice many couples who aspire to high-pressure jobs in Washington face. Members of Congress have wrestled with the commute-or-relocate choice for generations, with the decision often coming down to a simple physics problem of space and time: Can I afford a second home in Washington or can I get back to my home district quickly enough to spend meaningful time with my family on my days off?Many political appointees in the executive branch face the same problem. Karen Hughes, a close Texas friend and adviser to President Bush, brought her husband and their 13-year-old son to Washington in 2001 when she accepted a top White House post. Fifteen months later, she quit to return to Austin, Tex., with her husband and son. She said, simply, they were “homesick.”Ms. Hughes said Mr. Emanuel would find his new post even more demanding than his leadership job in Congress, and would be likely to see even less of his family than he does now. He keeps a small basement apartment in Washington and tries to fly home every weekend."
A Family Expected to Balance State Dinners With Sleepovers
“As first lady, Mrs. Obama has said, she plans to make herself an advocate for working parents, particularly military families, urging better access to child care for all. Trying to juggle public duties with two young children, she will be a living illustration of the very issue she describes. “She’s going to be engaging in the balancing act herself,” said Doris Kearns Goodwin, the presidential historian. But in one respect, the Obamas’ family life will now become much easier. Since 1996, when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, Mr. Obama has spent long periods away from home, and by his own admission, he is a part-time parent at best. The past six years have been a particularly punishing set of marathons, as he ran for a United States Senate seat, then spent weekdays in Washington, then traveled on the presidential campaign trail for nearly two long years. His election will help realize a long-held, cherished family dream: For the next four years, the Obamas will finally eat dinner together.”
How stay-at-home parents can prepare for transition
“Many stay-at-home parents are making the transition from the playroom to the boardroom. Some have sent their youngest child to school and always planned to return to work at this time. Others are feeling the crunch of a struggling economy and need a second income. Returning to work seems daunting, but it doesn't have to be if you develop a plan. Whether you're looking for a 9-to-5 job, or are thinking about working from home, consider the following ideas when preparing your journey back to the world of work [. . .] Wendy Tobin, an academic and career counselor with Mitchell Community College's Mooresville Center says that most of her clients are making a career change.”
How to Handle Holiday Hard Times at Work
“Companies require the efforts of their employees now more than ever as they try to do business with cheapskate consumers and miserly banks. But workers typically need time off to visit relatives, see school plays, and fulfill various holiday duties. So how do you find a balance? Some good news: Ellen Galinsky, president and cofounder of the Families and Work Institute, says some employers believe that giving employees flexibility is a "no brainer" when morale is low and payrolls are lean. But employees often fear their careers will suffer if they embrace a more flexible schedule. Galinsky recommends that workers limit their expectations for the holidays and choose to do the things that are most important to them.”
Paid sick leave referendum wins big
“City of Milwaukee residents overwhelmingly approved a binding referendum Tuesday that calls for private employers in the city to provide paid sick leave for all their workers, a measure strongly opposed by business leaders and Mayor Tom Barrett. The final vote tally showed 69% voted for the referendum with 31% against. Milwaukee now becomes only the third city in the country to require private employers to provide paid sick days. San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have approved similar measures. The referendum went on the ballot after a coalition of union and community groups led by 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, collected more than 40,000 signatures.”
Blogs
The Obama Work-Family Balance
“In this morning’s story Jodi notes that in some ways the world’s most demanding job will mean that Barack Obama will see more of his children than he has over the past six years. He will, technically, work from home. And he will be very much in charge of his office. Both those things, I have learned during years of writing about families and work, are key parts of any balanced equation. Working from home, at least some of the time, means a seamlessness between your life and your work that is less possible when you are commuting long distances (or, in Obama’s case during the past two years, essentially living on a campaign plane). And being the boss means that there are people to whom you can delegate, who can make sure your schedule is clear for parent-teacher conferences or dinner with the family.”
Sizing Up the American Workplace Under an Obama Administration
“More unions? More paid leave? Tighter anti-discrimination laws? What designs does President-Elect Barack Obama have for the American workplace? A press release put out today by employment firm Littler Mendelson speculated that employers might have to deal with minimum-wage hikes and increased monitoring of illegal immigrants. Intrigued, we called up Jay Sumner, a D.C.-based labor partner at the firm. We also lobbed an email to an Obama spokesman. (We have yet to hear back.)”
Top Ten Trends in Work-Life and Work-Family
“I was recently asked, “What are the current trends in work-life and work-family?” Reviewing the resources we’ve added, examined or blogged about on the Sloan Network, I developed the following list. In addition, I’ve provided Sloan Network resources and other sources for more information.”
Announcing: The first comprehensive list of career re-entry programs worldwide
“Programs for those on career break interested in returning to work have been introduced at such a rapid rate over the last few years that we thought it would be useful to identify them all and put them in one place. Therefore, we are proud to announce the iRelaunch Comprehensive List of Career Re-entry Programs Worldwide offered by employers, universities, foundations and other organizations. We have identified 57 programs so far. Only nine of these programs, or 16%, existed prior to 2004. This explosion of career re-entry programming represents a more than 530% increase since 2003. Last week was a notable one in the career re-entry world, as Sara Lee Corporation and Bank of America both announced programs, and American University’s Washington College of Law Lawyer Re-entry Program held its opening session.”
Global News
Women in legal profession in a rush to work part-time
“MORE than a quarter of female senior associates at the nation's largest law firms have negotiated part-time work arrangements. This allows them to juggle a career with family commitments. Blake Dawson leads the charge, with a staggering 44 per cent of its female senior associates working part-time. Minter Ellison follows closely behind, with 40 per cent of its female associates working part-time, while DLA Phillips Fox came in third, at 29 per cent. But The Australian's second flexible legal work survey reveals that the figures are far from consistent, with the vast majority of lawyers, especially males, working five days a week.”
As credit crunch bites hard remote working increasing
“The current economic climate is creating worry for many business owners as well as employees who fear redundancies, yet some companies are successfully finding their way through the squeeze with the use of remote working and home working employment options. Working from home significantly improves productivity, enabling businesses to be more competitive, and enhances work-life balance for staff, with added health and leisure benefits.”
Policy to match demographics
“WHAT will happen to those National Employment Standards proposed for 2010 that are particularly geared to supporting working families and individuals to integrate their work and personal lives? Will issues like paid maternity leave and the right to request flexible work arrangements just disappear along with stock values? For the pessimists among us it's easy to think the answer is "yes". After all, if the economy takes a plunge, if we enter a recession or depression, people will be scared of losing their jobs. In that kind of environment, nobody would complain about working a 65-hour week if it meant having a job and keeping food on the table. Work-life issues will not only stick around, but strengthen. There are enduring trends that are forcing individuals, businesses and governments to take account of work-life issues that even the financial crisis will not change.”