May 8, 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.
Articles
Writing Two Roles For Herself
“Karen Zacarías, mother of three children younger than 8 years old, begins her day by serving breakfast. Then it's a book read, shoes on, car seats buckled, a song sung, kids dropped at appropriate locations, a kiss goodbye. Once that routine is complete, she will shower -- finally -- and become her other self: the 39-year-old woman who has emerged as one of Washington's most successful and prolific playwrights. The one who completed five full-length plays the year her youngest was born. Who had four new plays staged within eight months last year.”
Parental Leave Passes Committee as Foe Foresees Families Stocking Up on Kids
“When it comes to paid parental leave for federal employees, everything isn't simple motherhood and apple pie. To Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.), the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, legislation that would allow Frankie and Flo Fed four paid weeks of leave following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child is a dollar sign -- $850 million over five years. To Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), who has waged a decade-long fight for the bill, it's an investment in the nation's future, an effort that would improve children's health and boost employee productivity. Maloney's side won the debate yesterday as the committee approved her bill on a voice vote and sent it to the full House.”
OPM director calls for regulatory reforms, announces work-life programs
“Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry said at a Tuesday reception kicking off Public Service Recognition Week in Washington that he will move quickly to remove unnecessary regulations and work with the Interior Department and the General Services Administration to create a model series of work-life balance programs at the campus the agencies share in Foggy Bottom. [. . .] Berry said he wanted to act swiftly to remove regulatory barriers that prevent federal retirees from returning to the agencies where they worked to help with specific projects, and to eliminate rules making it difficult for agencies to retain talented interns. He also called for changes so veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will be able to find jobs that suit their skills and interests in agencies outside the Defense Department.”
With income drying up, it's moms to the rescue
“In an unusual twist, many moms are finding themselves in a new scenario: seeking work-at-home arrangements driven not by flexibility -- think soccer practices and piano recitals -- but as the best option to supplement family income. With a surge in male breadwinners out of work, mothers are selling jewelry out of their kitchens, running businesses out of their living rooms and seeking Internet opportunities to make up for the shortfall in household budgets.”
Paid sick leave should be required
“No employee in Connecticut should fear losing a job for staying home when sick. And employers should recognize that over the long haul their enterprises are likely to be more productive while in the care of healthy employees. A bill now being considered by the General Assembly would make an allotment of paid sick time the law for companies that employ 50 or more people. The bill proposes a pretty modest standard: An employee would accrue one hour of sick time for every 40 worked. Assuming that employee worked 52 weeks, a year on the job would earn the employee six-and-a-half paid sick days.”
New Generation Tosses Out Old Gender Rules
“For the new generation of young Americans, known as "millenials," traditional gender roles have all but disappeared. Women are every bit as ambitious as men, and men are worried that their jobs are keeping them from their families. [. . .] A new study conducted by the Families and Work Institute found that women have become providers as well as nurturers, and men have become nurturers as well as providers. They're also forging more equal partnerships on the home front.”
Blogs
Michelle Obama calls self "a 120 percenter." Tackles Workplace Issues
“The First Lady presented to corporate America a set of fairly specific items to work on, making clear she was not looking to push legislative mandates on companies. Still, "there are a lot of people counting on us to figure this out. And one of the reasons I was interested in joining you today is because the research that you do provides a solid foundation for the conversations that we need to have on these issues. "Through your work, the private sector, government and other key stakeholders can have a real dialogue based on facts, find common ground and then develop innovative policies that can help employees manage their work and family obligations, without going crazy." Mrs. Obama carved out three areas to work on: *Flex hours *Paid leave for birth, adoption or family illness *Work-site child care”
First Lady Promotes Aid for Working Families
“Mrs. Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer and a former corporate executive, said she knew well “the challenges of leading a busy life at work and at home, trying to do a good job at both and always feeling like you’re not quite living up to either.’’ She described the hardships faced by parents who lack paid sick leave, single parents forced to work several jobs and two-parent households where both parents must work to get by. Supporting working parents is one of Mrs. Obama’s top priorities and she urged companies to support such families with paid sick leave, maternity leaveand flexible work schedules.”
Swine Flu and Workplace Flexibility: Families and Business Need "COGS"
“When the federal government considers how it prepares for national disasters or terrorist attacks, each federal agency develops a continuity of operations program, known as "COGS." COGS helps spell out the preparedness of the agency, and the procedures it will follow to ensure the organization will continue. These procedures often involve abilities and plans to work remotely, using technology, or flexibility in how federal workers get the job done. When I was at the U.S. Department of Labor, we had specific flexibility plans to ensure our organization could be successful if something unexpected and challenging happened.”
A Timely, and Perfect, Mother's Day Gift
“Unfortunately, the United States provides few legal protections to enable women--or men--to have this much-needed time with our children. There is no law to guarantee paid sick leave or vacation, and as a result half of U.S. workers must pay for their own sick days, and one out of five lose pay if they take any vacation time. There is no law to require paid maternity leave, and there are no allowances for time off to breast-feed. Federal law provides eligible workers with 12 weeks of unpaid extended sick leave to be used as parental leave, but about 40 percent of workers don't even qualify for that.”
When Will Women Become a Work-Force Majority?
“The jobs report coming out this Friday will most likely show that the female percentage of employment in March was greater than ever, after increasing 16 consecutive months. It is possible that, for the first time in American history, women will make up a majority of the labor force late this summer. The chart below compares overall employment (in millions of jobs) to the female percentage of that employment, with each month shown as its own data point. When the recession began in December 2007, there were 138.2 million nonfarm payroll jobs, of which 48.7 percent were held by women. Last month’s employment report showed that February employment was down to 133.7 million, of which 49.6 percent of jobs were held by women.”
New Effective Workplace Series on Small Business and Work-Family
“We just released our fifteenth Effective Workplace Series on Work-Family Initiatives and Small Businesses. This one-pager highlights the experiences of small businesses that support the work-family concerns of their employees. We often hear about how large organizations, or the “Fortunate 500,” provide work-family supports, but much less is known about the experiences of small- and medium-sized businesses. According to a 2006 Census report, approximately 80% of US businesses have less than 20 employees.”
Global News
Parliament's right-left divide highlighted by maternity leave delay
“MEPs divided neatly along classical right-left political lines in a vote on maternity leave on Wednesday (6 May). A majority of MEPs from the centre-right EPP-ED group, with support from the Liberals, voted to postpone adoption of a report which would have extended parental leave rights in the EU. The report drafted by Portuguese centre-left MEP Edite Estrela would have provided a minimum of 20 weeks of maternity leave, up from 14 weeks, provide full pay for six weeks rather than two and provide two weeks' paternity leave.”
Job security on leave? That's so pre-recession
“But with the economy in turmoil, she is one of a surprising number of employees on leave finding out that their job is not as protected as they might have believed, lawyers say. The work world such employees left months ago has turned out to be a very different one from the one they are trying to return to. And as cost-cutting employers pare payrolls, workers who have taken time out - for leaves ranging from maternity and paternity to disability to family compassionate care - are being surprised and dismayed to find out they are no more shielded from showing up on layoff lists than any other worker. Every Canadian jurisdiction does have laws requiring employers to offer employees who have taken such leaves the right to return to their job or comparable employment.”