May 19, 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
Older workers embrace new careers, less stress
Flexible working
“The idea that employees should have the freedom (within limits) to work at times which suit them caught on in the last decades of the 20th century. The “9 to 5” mentality, that employees worked only between those eight hours of the day, with one hour off for lunch, was still prevalent in the early 1980s when a famous film was made with that title. The office-based staff in the film clocked in and out of work much as assembly-line workers had done in pre-war car factories. The working practices of the three main actresses in the film look as out of date today as the clothes that they wear.”
Sick leave donation program benefits county workers
“Mary Bowshier was very sick last year. Bowshier, 55, was so ill that she missed a combined six months of work, sucking up all her vacation, sick and comp time acquired over her 13 years as an employee of Job and Family Services of Clark County. “I would have been totally devastated if I lost my income and was sick, too,” Bowshier said. That didn’t happen. Bowshier was able to take advantage of JFS Catastrophic Leave Policy. The policy, which has been in place since 2001, allows employees to donate hours in a sick leave bank that employees in need can draw from, explained Kerry Pedraza, JFS Director of Human Resources.”
Best Pick For High Court Would Be Working Mother
“President Barack Obama should appoint a working mother to replace Justice David Souter, who plans to retire in June after two decades on the U.S. Supreme Court. Following Souter's announcement on May 1, the president said he would look for a candidate who understood the "daily realities of people's lives — whether they can make a living and care for their families; whether they feel safe in their homes and welcome in their own nation." Empathy, understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles are some of the qualities that the president identified as being important for a Supreme Court justice. Indeed, who better than a working mother to offer perspective on the daily realities of people's lives, especially on issues such as whether they can support themselves or their families? Women, and working mothers in particular, have long worked to balance the needs of their families with the needs of their employers — often against very difficult odds.”
Bill Would Guarantee Up to 7 Paid Sick Days
“A long-stalled effort to guarantee American workers paid sick days takes a big step forward Monday with the introduction of legislation by Congressional Democrats. The proposal went nowhere during the presidency of George W. Bush, but as a senator and then a presidential candidate, Barack Obama backed it, and Michelle Obama embraced the idea last week in a talk to business leaders. Now women’s groups, labor unions and other supporters are voicing optimism about its prospects. [. . .] Business groups are vowing to block the legislation, arguing that the recession makes this an inopportune time to create a new mandate that they say would raise costs for employers.”
Flexible Work Arrangements: A Smart Strategy In Troubled Times
“Eighty percent of the 5.1 million people who have lost their jobs in this recession are men. Many working wives and mothers are now the sole breadwinner. Since women shoulder a disproportionate load of family responsibility and earn 20% less than men, this adds up to a great deal of pressure. "A little flexibility would be a godsend right now," Rita sighs. "The ability to come home and have dinner with the kids before putting in a late night would make all the difference." Unfortunately, precisely when the need for flexible work arrangements is going through the roof, it's becoming harder and harder to take it.”
Reports
U.S. Lags World in Paid Sick Days for Workers and Families
“The sudden emergence of the H1N1 virus and the possibility of an epidemic outbreak on a scale not seen in decades has led to the closings of schools and workplaces around the world. President Obama recently urged workers with flu symptoms to "stay home." But a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that the United States is the only one of 22 rich countries that fails to guarantee sick workers some form of paid sick leave. The report, "Contagion Nation: A Comparison of Paid Sick Day Policies in 22 Countries," finds that the U.S. is the only country among 22 countries ranked highly in terms of economic and human development that does not guarantee that workers receive paid sick days or paid sick leave. Under current U.S. labor law, employers are not required to provide short-term paid sick days or longer-term paid sick leave.”
Blogs
U.S. Sick Leave Policy Makes Nation More Vulnerable To Swine Flu
“The United States lags behind developed nations in mandating paid sick leave for workers, a deficiency that makes the nation more vulnerable to contagious illnesses like swine flu, according to a study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research released Monday. "We looked at 22 affluent countries -- the 22 that are the top 22 ranked in terms of the human development index -- except for the United States, every single other one has some form of paid sick days or paid sick leave and the majority have both," said the report's lead author, Jody Heymann of McGill University's Institute for Health and Social Policy, in an interview with the Huffington Post.”
Supreme Court Votes Against Redressing Gender Discrimination In The Workplace
“It used to be legal to discriminate against pregnant women in the workplace. If a woman took maternity leave, that time wouldn’t count toward her retirement benefits. The 1979 Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) changed all that: “If an employee is temporarily unable to perform her job because of her pregnancy, the employer must treat her the same as any other temporarily disabled employee.” But what happens to women who took maternity leave before 1979? The 9th Circuit ruled in 2007 that the new law should apply to these women. However, today the Supreme Court voted to overturn the 9th Circuit’s ruling.”
Time - and minds - are changing
“The title of the Families and Work Institute’s latest national study is “Times are Changing.” But the report easily could have been dubbed “Minds are Changing.” One of the most striking elements of the fascinating report, which I covered recently in my Boston Globe “Balancing Acts” column, is the dismantling of American veneration for the “male-breadwinner” family model - even among older generations. Not all that long ago — in 1977 — 75% of men and nearly half of women believed that it’s better for men to earn the money and for women to care for home and family. Back then, gender boundaries were clear and distinct, and cracks in this belief system were largely unwelcome.”
Workplace Flexibility Tries to Achieve ADA-Like Consensus
“What has passed for bipartisanship in Washington so far this year is really just the flexing of political muscle. Throughout his campaign and his nascent administration, President Barack Obama touted his ability to forge consensus from warring political parties. So far, there’s no evidence of it. There doesn’t have to be, with Democrats holding significant majorities on Capitol Hill. His stimulus bill passed with just three Republican votes—one of which is now on the Democratic side of the aisle. Congress approved his $3.5 trillion budget blueprint along partisan lines. And the first bill he signed—one dealing with pay discrimination—garnered only a small slice of Republican support.”
Congress, Government and Career Development
“After reading the new release of Workplace Flexibility 2010's defining platform on public policies impacting workplace flexibility, I was struck by one of their "buckets" of workplace flexibility, "Career Exit, Maintenance and Reentry." At the Corporate Voices for Working Families conference last week, Chai Feldblum, co-director of WF2010, explained this as engineering possibilities for revamping the workforce system so that mothers who leave the workforce to take care of children/other family members can brush up their skills and re-enter the workforce in a more advantageous position. It's refreshing, because we need these innovative ways of providing lifelong skills to workers.”
Global News
Lithuania president-elect questions parental leave
“The first woman to be elected president of Lithuania said Monday the government must slash spending and questioned whether the country can afford its generous parental leave benefits. A day after her landslide win, European Union budget chief Dalia Grybauskaite pledged to help Lithuania rebound from a deep recession and get ready to adopt the euro during her five-year term. [. . .] Grybauskaite highlighted Lithuania's parental leave program as a possible area for budget cuts. It allows parents to stay home with a child with full pay for one year, and 85 percent of their salary the second year. Both mothers and fathers are eligible, although only one of them can receive the benefits.”
Delaying retirement could prevent early dementia, say scientists
“Working beyond normal retirement age might help stave off dementia, scientists said today. Keeping the brain active later in life appears to reduce the chances of an early onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study of 382 men with probable dementia. The researchers suggest a significant link between later retirement and delayed symptoms. The findings emerged from a wider study on data from 1,320 people with dementia led by members of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, and funded by the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the Medical Research Council. The researchers found no link between education or employment and dementia risk, but found that those who retired later prolonged their mental abilities above the threshold for dementia.”
Two For One
“Lilian Schaer loves running an agricultural not-for-profit group in Guelph, Ont., but also wants time to help her husband run his craft business. Jackie Fraser, who left that same job a year ago on maternity leave, wants to come back, but is also juggling care for her baby and helping her husband's fledgling food business. So Ms. Schaer and Ms. Fraser approached the board of the organization, AgCare, with a proposal: Why not share the executive director's job? The board approved: Beginning next month, Ms. Schaer will work two days a week, overseeing communications and project management, and having time to help her husband and do some freelance writing. Ms. Fraser will work three days a week, focusing on environmental policy, with time to help run the store and be with her child. The two will stay in touch by e-mail, phone and meetings.”