November 6, 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
U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years
“The United States economy shed 190,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent in September, the Department of Labor said Friday in its monthly economic appraisal. While the pace of job losses has slowed significantly since the peak of the recession last winter, the unemployment rate, which measures the number of people actively seeking work, continues to climb, and economists do not foresee relief until well into next year.”
Recession Drives Women Into Role Of Breadwinner
“There are a lot of women who earn more than their husbands, or have jobs once held only by men. But when you look at the U.S. economy as a whole, that's not what stands out. ‘Our labor market still remains highly segregated,’ says labor economist Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress. So far, 7.5 million jobs have been lost in this recession, and the lion's share of them — 75 percent — were held by men. Boushey says men have been hit hard during the downturn because they're concentrated in the industries most affected, including construction, auto manufacturing and Wall Street. Positions in these fields also pay pretty well. Meanwhile, more and more women have had to become their family's primary source of income. But women still don't make as much money as men.”
'Glass Ceilings and 100-Hour Couples' challenges workplace culture to accomodate parents
“In 2003, the New York Times explored an unexpected demographic ripple presented by Generation X mothers: Highly educated women were ‘opting-out’ of careers to stay home. The ‘Opt-Out Revolution’ suggested that a generation of women raised by working mothers was saying no thanks to the fruits of feminism. However, Macalester College professors Dianne Shandy and Karine Moe suggest this is less a backlash against feminism then a rejection of a workplace culture that demands that employees, male and female, give at the office till there’s nothing left to give at home. Their new book, ‘Glass Ceilings and 100-Hour Couples: What the Opt-Out Phenomenon Can Teach Us About Work and Family,’ follows several families as they try to create feasible work solutions. The writers, who are both parents, jointly answered my questions via email.”
H1N1 Paid Sick Leave Splits Democrats, Advocacy Groups
“With H1N1 flu fears spreading as fast as the sickness itself, a leading House Democrat wants rapid action on legislation that would give employees five paid sick days. But in rushing out the measure on Tuesday, November 3, Rep. George Miller, D-California and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, roiled paid leave advocates who worry that he gives employers too much power to determine who can stay home. The author of broader paid sick leave legislation, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, is not on board.”
Blogs
Women Still Not Quite Half of Work Force
“Since the recession began, women have been edging toward holding a majority of nonfarm payroll jobs for the first time. The milestone would be bittersweet, however, as women are coming close to representing half of the work force primarily because men have been hit so much harder during this recession. (Men are more likely to work in more cyclically sensitive industries, like manufacturing and construction, and so bear the brunt of the layoffs when the economy takes a turn for the worse.)”
How Often Should Employees Check E-Mail After Hours?
“If you’re an associate at the law firm Quinn Emanuel, the answer is ‘very, very often.’ According to legal tabloid, Above the Law, clients of the firm expect their attorneys to be on call 24/7. Well, according to a memo written by a partner and circulated to associates, 24/7 may be ‘something of an exaggeration—but not much.’”
What Does Productivity Mean For Unemployment?
“A demand for more output is what generally drives employment to increase. Yet, in this case, that demand is being satisfied with fewer hours worked. As a result, it's pretty clear that employers have decided to simply get more out of their current workers, rather than turn to the labor market to ramp up hiring. The fear, then, is that this trend will continue. Output may continue to increase, but employers may simply require current workers pick up the slack, rather than look to the giant pool of unemployed Americans. But how does this productivity trend look from a historical perspective?”
The "Zombie Hour:" When a Bad Work Day Spills Over at Home
“A tough time of day for me as part of a dual-earner couple was the intersection of work and evenings at home. If either my husband or I came home from the office in a bad or anxious mood, it was easy for the other partner to skid into the dumps too. A new scholarly study tracks the emotional spillover that tends to happen when a working husband or wife arrives at the doorstep bummed out, and finds some spouses are more likely than others to cause it. By sampling 50 couples’ momentary moods throughout eight days and evenings via cell phone technology, researchers found that those who were deeply involved in their careers were more likely than others to bring their bad moods home and spread the pain around.”
Global News
Experts rubbish figures saying Welsh working hours are shorter
“WELSH workers are putting in fewer hours than they did a decade ago, according to new statistics. But factors such as increased commuting times and new technologies making workers more accessible out of hours, means people today feel they are working harder than ever. Figures from the Office for National Statistics Average Hours Worked in Wales report show the average employee worked 36.3 hours a week last year, down from 39.5 hours a week in 1996. But growing concerns about work-life balance, and the fact that many families now have two people working full-time, means that for many the daily grind seems that little bit more prolonged.”
Going flexible
“In two months’ time, all eligible Australian employees will have the right to request flexible work arrangements and, by law, all reasonable requests must be considered by employers with clear reasons given if the request is denied. Despite the far-reaching implications of this legislation, research has found that Australian companies are under-prepared for it. The provisions are part of the Fair Work Act and come into force on January 1. They state that employees with children under the age of five or with a disabled child under the age of 18 have the right to request flexible work arrangements.”