June 30, 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
Recession Depression
“You can't always get what you want. Especially in a recession. Unfortunately, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, network television correspondents on a nationwide book tour and media blitz, haven't gotten the memo. In their book, Womenomics, Kay and Shipman tell women that all they need to do to fulfill their work-life balance dreams is, well, ask. Want to work three days a week instead of five? Just ask. Want to work from home? Just ask. Need to walk your dog every day at 5:15? Heck, march right into you boss' office and tell him it's nonnegotiable!”
Paid-leave bills divide workers, businesses
“A proposed law that would benefit workers forced to choose their paychecks over their family responsibilities could also be costly for New York state businesses. State lawmakers have yet to vote on the Paid Family Leave Act which would allow workers of any size company to receive up to 12 weeks of pay while taking leave to care for very sick family members, newborns or newly adopted children. Bills A. 8742 and S. 5791 were introduced June 5 by Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, with 48 co-sponsors in both houses.”
Maybe flex time really is worthy of passion
“Name aside, I was also skeptical about what a two-week program could accomplish. With 100,000 vehicles streaming toward Loop 610 every morning on our highways, could a voluntary experiment make a dent? Or was this one of those cosmetic, ‘feel good’ programs that sound great in a campaign speech but aren’t very substantive? I’m happy to report that ‘Flex in the City’ actually has some muscle. The city has tried to quantify the traffic effects of the two-week period, with some encouraging results. During the first year, 140 companies participated, and about 20,000 workers tried flexible work hours, telecommuting or some other option.”
Recession likely to cause New Jersey workers to forgo paid leave
“Heralded as a victory for workers' rights and criticized as a potential drain on businesses, a law making New Jersey the second state in the nation to provide paid leave to care for new children or ailing relatives takes effect Wednesday. But the measure is not expected to dramatically alter the workplace right away, its champions and opponents agree. One reason: the recession. [. . .] The six-week, self-funded insurance program will pay two-thirds of an employee's weekly salary -- up to $546 -- to workers to care for a new child or a sick parent, child, spouse or domestic partner.”
Survey: Millions Forced To Rethink Retirement
“With the recession squeezing wages and holding back stock prices, millions of Americans are being forced to rethink their plans for retirement, according to a new survey. Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc., a retirement consulting firm, has released a survey showing that in the past year, 44 percent of workers age 50 or older have had to delay their planned retirement date. Three-quarters of those now planning to postpone retirement cite the loss of savings in their 401(k) accounts as the single biggest reason, the survey showed. The respondents also said they need to work longer because of rising health care costs and fears about price inflation.”
You Scream, I Scream for a New Career
“The long hours on Wall Street, plus the commute — I live in Montclair, N.J., with my husband and two small children — had really worn me down. The lack of flexibility in my schedule was just not working for me. Going into business with a partner and having more control over my work life felt like the right change. Both of us being business school graduates, we wanted to minimize risk, so we looked to buy an existing business instead of starting our own. We used an online service that led us to a pair of Häagen-Dazs shops in Manhattan that were up for sale.”
School Involvement Leave: Providing Leave for Parental Involvement In School Activities
“One of the most important factors in school performance is parental involvement.5 However, many parents do not have the flexibility in their work schedules or the leave policies necessary to attend school functions. As a result, legislators are creating policies to address this issue.”
Blogs
Dear U.S. Senate Workplace Flexibility Study Group; Love Gen Y
“About a month ago, out of the blue, Astri and I received an email signed by six senators. Sure, the email was undoubtedly written by staffers, but it’s not everyday that I see the words ‘Sincerely, Senator Christopher J. Dodd’ and co. in my Gmail. The letter was regarding the work of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Workplace Flexibility Study Group, which has been meeting since August 2008 to ‘explore different aspects of workplace flexibility and study relevant data, policy models, and case studies in the public and private sectors.’ Having looked over the ‘data’ and the ‘models,’ the committee is now interested in hearing from the people who will actually be affected by potential policy changes: employers, employees, working families, children, older workers, military families, and the disabled, etc. Call me crazy, but perhaps this should have been the first step.”
New Roles Bring New Rules
“I had this bright idea about how I would build a life with my partner and how things would become bigger and better as our careers grew and our family grew. Sure, I would work, but I would be able to scale back during those tender early years for my children, because of course my husband’s career would be blossoming. And then it happened– 2007, that is. Most people didn’t speak the word ‘recession’ until late 2008. For those of us in the New York area, however, the decline in stability and rise in fear happened about a year in advance. My husband lost his job, as many people did, and we saw it as the opportunity that would allow us to explore other options for him and for us.”
Why Working Mothers Face a Pay Gap
“What sparked this dialogue was a study from researchers who used fake resumes for two equally qualified women–one childless, one a mom. The only way hiring managers could tell the difference is that the mom said she was an officer in an elementary school PTA on her resume. Yet, the non-parent, who listed that she was a volunteer with a community group, received 100% more callbacks from employers. Mothers also were consistently ranked as less competent and less committed than non-moms. Although this research isn’t new, it’s fascinating to see how the conversation continues play out on The Wall Street Journal’s Juggle blog and Shine. I checked back with lead researcher Shelley Correll, a professor of sociology at Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Science, with some follow up questions from readers.”
Bad Times Getting Worse For Older Americans
“If your employer is in financial trouble and you are expecting to earn more than the pension insurance will cover you may need to think about working during retirement to make up the difference. According to an article published by Wharton in 2007, the Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act ‘repealed the Social Security earnings limit, allowing workers 65 through 69 to earn income without losing Social Security benefits.’ Good thing, too. Looks like they’ll need to keep working to make it through the depression.”
Global News
Downturn creates more working mothers in Asia - poll
“The economic crisis is turning more Asian women into CFOs, or chief family officers, according to a new survey, juggling work and childcare as they try to boost the family income. Three in four people in Asia believe women are capable of juggling work and family successfully, the massive survey of 33,000 people in 16 countries showed. Asian women have long been part of the region's workforce, but the global economic downturn has made having a job a necessity for most, according to the ‘Eye on Asia’ poll by global marketing communications firm Grey Group.”
Paid parental leave doesn't add up for dads
“A newborn reaches up from her crib, wrapping her tiny fingers around a comforting bigger hand. The baby laughs when a toy is waved in her face and then starts dancing to the nursery rhyme it plays. At lunch time she cheerfully feasts on mushy apples for a while before starting to cry hysterically and throwing the food up the walls. After the clean-up the little girl has her nappy changed and is taken to her crib for her afternoon sleep. Parents witness these moments in their babies lives on a day to-day basis, but who did you picture as the parent in this scenario? Was it a mother or father you could see? If you imagined the babies’ mother, you’re not alone, it’s a picture the Government would agree with based on their new paid parental leave (PPL) scheme.”