July 7, 2009 .
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.
Event Notice
July 8th Briefing on Flexible Work Arrangements and Low-Wage Work
On Wednesday, July 8, 2009, Workplace Flexibility 2010 and the New America Foundation will present a briefing titled “Flexible Work Arrangements and Low-Wage Work.” Panelists will “present the latest research on scheduling challenges faced by low-wage workers, highlight common sense solutions that have been implemented by businesses and discuss how public policy can enhance access to FWAs for low-wage workers.” To read more about the event and to register, please click here.
Articles
Rewards Help Soothe Hard Times
“Despite the economic slowdown, downsized small businesses are offering rewards to remaining employees to boost morale and compensate them for doing additional work. Employers are sponsoring office sports teams, hosting postwork social hours and permitting flexible work schedules. In return, some are seeing savings on overhead costs or increases in revenue. [. . .] Deam Roys, chief executive of Roys & Associates LLC, now allows his eight-person staff to telecommute on Mondays and Fridays. Employees can spend more time with their families and reduce gasoline expenses. The extra benefit for the company: $2,000 to $3,000 in savings per month, or a 15% to 20% reduction in utility and landline bills, Mr. Roys says. The Redondo Beach, Calif., executive-search firm laid off two people about a month ago.“
Boomers: More work ahead
“In an extensive report, the McKinsey Global Institute examines the financial burden of this huge group on the nation's health. The consulting firm estimates that about two-thirds of the older boomers, ages 54 to 63, are not financially prepared for retirement. Worse, many don't even know it. Many boomers won't be able to retire as early as they planned. By delaying median retirement from 62.6 today to 64.1 in 2015, the share of unprepared boomer households could be cut in half, from 62 percent to 31 percent.”
Palin's Exit Challenges Ideas About Powerful Women
“Finally, my few words about Sarah Palin. When I heard that she had decided to quit the Alaska governor's office with 18 months left on her term, I'll be honest with you, my first thought was, which kid was sick and with what? Was it strep, was it flu, a fever that wouldn't go down, a cough that just wouldn't go away? Can I just tell you? I do not know a single working mother who does not dream at some point, even if just for a minute, about packing up that desk and heading for the homestead, even if that fantasy is about as realistic as the one about supplementing unemployment with Powerball winnings. And I bet that's why so many mothers, who work outside the home or not, were rooting for Sarah Palin, at least at first.“
Mandating Employee Leave
“Reform of the nation's ailing healthcare system remains the big dog in Washington, for now, but that doesn't mean there aren't other issues waiting in the wings to nip at employers. For employers, one of the more troubling pieces of legislation is H.R. 2460, also known as the ‘Healthy Families Act.’ In essence, the bill would mandate that employers with 15 or more employees provide paid family leave, with time accumulating virtually on the first day. The bill makes no distinction between part-time and full-time employees. Experts and employers' associations don't appear to dispute the value of offering paid time off to qualified employees. But, while some acknowledge the good idea behind the legislation, they say the road to chaos is paved with such intentions.”
Too sick to work? That's simply too bad
“Employees in Minnesota do not have the right to be sick or to take time off for a summer vacation. To the surprise of many and chagrin of some, the paucity of rights for employees to be sick or take a vacation is a reality. That plight might be alleviated by recently introduced legislation that would give employees in Minnesota and elsewhere the right to be sick and take a vacation, too. One measure would require most companies to give employees up to one week of paid sick leave per year. The other would mandate that large businesses give their workers at least a week of paid vacation annually.”
Job Retraining May Fall Short of High Hopes
“Nonetheless, a little-noticed study the Labor Department released several months ago found that the benefits of the biggest federal job training program were “small or nonexistent” for laid-off workers. [. . .] In interviews, the authors of the study and other economists cited several reasons that retraining might not be effective. Many workers who have lost their jobs are older and had spent their lives working in one industry. In need of a job right away, many pick relatively short training programs, which often have marginal benefits. Job retraining is also ineffective without job creation, a point made by several economists who have long cautioned against placing too much stock in it. Finally, workers trying to pick a new field cannot predict the future of the labor market, especially in a time of economic upheaval.”
'Family Friendly' White House Is Less So for Aides
“The Obamas have vowed to create an accommodating workplace for their employees. For many advisers, though, the work-family balance that the Obamas enjoy remains elusive. White House advisers often work 60 to 70 hours a week and bear the scars of missed birthdays and bedtimes, canceled dinners and play dates, strained marriages and disgruntled children, all for prestigious posts that offer a chance to make an impact and unparalleled access to the president. At a time when the nation is in recession and at war, the public expects no less, many argue. Still, the Obamas, who also have young children, remain committed to making life more manageable for their aides who are parents, officials say.”
Blogs
Recovery Time? Mayor Bloomberg's Tentative Support for Paid Sick Days is Encouraging - But New York Needs Action
“It may be the biggest news you missed during the pre-holiday week. At the Working Families Party's Mayoral Forum on Thursday night Mayor Michael Bloomberg articulated the need for paid sick days in New York City, acknowledging ‘the reality of the needs of people who work in the city’ and referencing San Francisco's successful policy guaranteeing all working people compensated time off work to recover from illness or care for sick loved ones.”
How To Stay Creative Under Pressure
“Creating urgency to save a sinking ship is imperative. Working long hours to do so is also critical, but working day after day for months on end without a break is a bad idea. When a team is crashing on a deadline, pulling together can be energizing. But when there is no deadline in sight, the long hours exact vengeance in the form of loss of energy as well as diminished commitment. Managers do not become more creative by working harder; they burnout more quickly. You need give people a break from the day to day flow of work. Here are some suggestions for sustaining productivity under fire.”
The Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research
“For the past nine years, we at the Center for Families at Purdue University have had the pleasure of working with my colleagues at the Boston College Center for Work & Family and our sponsor Alliance for Work-Life Progress to award the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work Family Research. Every year, an esteemed team of academics and researchers in the field review literally thousands of papers to come up with the 20 nominees for the Kanter Award, the “Best of the Best.” We seek out studies that relate to work-family issues that are not only academically rigorous, but also have direct, actionable implications for real-world organizations.”
Lessons learned from one family's failed financial model
“The decision for a woman to stay home is culturally contentious: some say it’s in the best interest of the family while others argue that it’s an out-dated gender role and not truly a “choice” at all. With all this theoretical squabbling about what’s best for society, we’ve neglected to consider what’s safe for families. With their retirement savings in free-fall and two of their college-educated sons moving back home, Mrs. Diamond is now looking for full-time work—but her 25-year resume gap doesn’t make it easy. Not to add salt to the wound, but had the Diamonds’ initial model factored in 401(k)s from two 30-year careers, instead of just one, they might have more retirement savings to draw on today.”
The Big Shift
“Two of my favorite management thinkers, John Hagel and John Seely Brown, have just released an important new study, The Big Shift. I’ve read the research, which expands on some of my own constructs, and had a chance to talk with Hagel about it at length last week. One of the most important findings is that return on assets for American companies has been declining for decades. Here’s a short-form version that appeared over at Harvard Business Review online.”
Global News
No plans to amend the law on maternity leave
“Labour and Home Affairs minister, Peter Siele, says that the government has no immediate plans of amending the Employment Act to force private sector employers to pay their employees full salary while on maternity leave. What the government is considering, instead, is a proposal for an increase in the minimum rate of maternity allowance from 25 percent to 50 percent. The latter forms part of proposed amendments to the Employment Act which are currently being drafted by the Attorney General, Siele told parliament on Friday. In terms of the Act, women working in the private sector are paid an allowance of not less than 25 percent of their basic pay when on maternity leave.”
Aequus Partners' Diversity and Flexibility e-newsletter
“In this newsletter we turn our attention to a relatively new field of enquiry, namely: connecting the sustainable workspace to a sustainable workforce. Sustainability of the environment is at the forefront politically, socially and economically, so we ask, what are the consequences of this sustainability movement on the workforce and work practices? For example, can eco friendly workspaces contribute to a more collaborative workforce, and what management strategies are needed for virtual workers?”