September 11, 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
Just grateful to have a job
“In what economist Heather Boushey calls the ‘gloves-off economy,’ even those with jobs are feeling powerless, unable to say no. ‘This really puts employers in the driver’s seat,’ says Boushey, ‘and the backseat driver can’t even suggest putting on the brakes.’ The most immediate effect is on families. The dirty little secret is that workers with families - make that moms - are still seen as ‘less productive.’ ‘Discrimination against mothers is still the strongest and most open form of discrimination,’’ says Joan Williams at UC-Hastings College of the Law. ‘When employers have to cut, they turn to the underperformers who may be readily confused with mothers. People who see them targeted are afraid.’”
Recession Takes Toll on Living Standards
“The recession has slashed families' earnings, increased poverty and left more people without health insurance, according to the Census Bureau's annual snapshot of living standards. The report Thursday offered sharp evidence of how much the falling economy has touched Americans across incomes and races. [. . .] As the economy has shed jobs, many working poor, who in better times used plentiful jobs and overtime to raise their living standards, are falling back into poverty. The increase in poverty last year -- 2.6 million people -- was concentrated among working-age families, with the poverty rate among people between ages 18 and 64 growing to 11.7% from 10.9% a year earlier. Among the hardest hit were children: The child poverty rate was 19% last year, up from 18%. Poverty is defined, for example, as earnings under $22,000 for a family of four.”
Too sick to work, too broke not to
“State lawmakers will soon take up a bill that could require businesses to offer paid sick leave to all employees. Supporters of the proposal, such as Nikki Murphy, executive director of the N.H. Women's Lobby and Alliance in Concord, say it will improve public health by keeping sick employees off the job. But opponents, like David A. Juvet, senior vice president of the Concord-based N.H. Business and Industry Association, say it will place burdensome costs on small- and mid-sized businesses already struggling through the recession. [. . .] he bill, introduced by Rep. Mary Stuart Gile, D-Concord, would require businesses with 10 or more employees to provide up to five days of paid sick time to all part- and full-time employees who have worked there for six months. The sick time, which can also be used to stay home with sick family members or for preventive care, would be earned at a rate of 1 hour of sick time per 30 hours worked, according to Gile.”
The Working Person's Diet: Too Busy to Eat Right
“If you've ever gotten so busy at work that you skipped lunch and ended up staring at your hungry reflection in the vending-machine glass in the late afternoon, then you're familiar with this gastro-economic catch-22: losing your job may mean cutting back on food bills, but gainful employment could result in poor eating habits overall. That's the conclusion of a new nutritional study by researchers at Cornell University. They conducted a survey of 25 working mothers and 25 working fathers in low-to-moderate-income communities and found that more than half of the participants routinely resorted to unhealthy eating options because of their work circumstances.”
Still good for a few more years
“IN TERMS of output, America’s recession may be showing signs of ending; but it retains its painful grip on the labour market. Non-farm employment fell in August by the smallest amount in a year in absolute terms (though by a still-horrid 216,000); but the unemployment rate nevertheless rose, to 9.7%. That is up almost five percentage points since the recession began in December 2007. One group, however, is so far looking a bit less gloomy. The number of people aged 55 and over who are in work has climbed almost 4%, or by nearly 1m, since the recession started, even as employment of young and middle-aged workers has fallen sharply (see chart). Gains have been even greater for those over 65, the usual retirement age. Why?”
Furloughs May Not Save As Much As States Hope
“California, which is experiencing the biggest state budget crisis in the country, has been furloughing state workers since February. On three designated furlough days each month, almost 200,000 state workers across California take a forced day off. The practice is supposed to help shave $1.3 billion off the state's budget expenditures this year. But the costs to the state may offset a lot of the savings. Gabriel Taylor, an engineer for a California state agency, says the unpaid days off are having a big impact on his spending.”
The flu is coming to work, too
“But, given the state of many sick-day policies — or more important, the lack thereof — any flu virus that wants to run rampant in a workplace is likely to have free rein. The reality is that many workers will come to work sick because they can’t afford not to. According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, more than half of private-sector workers have no paid sick days on the job. That percentage leaps higher among the workers who serve your food or change your hotel bed linen. Eight-six percent of those low-wage workers in America have no paid sick days.”
Down and Out
“A new report by the Center for Urban Economic Development, the National Employment Law Project, and the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment paints a disturbing picture of the treatment to which those workers are subjected. Two-thirds of those surveyed had suffered some form of wage violation. Some had been paid significantly less than the prevailing minimum wage; many had worked overtime without being paid at the required overtime rate. Others were simply not paid at all for hours worked outside of their regular shifts. Those who were seriously hurt on the job often were given no recourse: Just 8 percent who experienced an injury filed a workers' compensation claim, and workers' compensation insurance paid medical costs for only 6 percent of the injured employees.”
Blogs
Poverty Survey May Help Obama's Case
“The latest poverty figures released by the Census Bureau today might just serve to buttress some of the main points in President Obama's congressional address last night. According to a Reuters report, the bureau reported the U.S. poverty rate rose to its highest level in 11 years in 2008, to 13.2 per cent from 12.5 per cent in 2007. [. . .] While these statistics might give staffers on the Hill something to think about or ammunition for their case, it definitely injects some urgency into Obama's rallying call to "shape" the future, in particular, his vision of America and its character, as he defended Ted Kennedy's liberalism [. . .]”
AARP Names 10 Best Employers for Workers Over Age 50
“Each year the AARP names the 50 best employers for workers over age 50. The list has particular relevance this year because more older Americans are working or seeking work than before the recession began. [. . .] Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. topped AARP’s annual list for the second year in a row. AARP highlighted Cornell’s phased retirement program, a highly subsidized retiree health and prescription drug plan, paid time off for care giving, and free retiree access to university classes. Over 200 employers applied for AARP’s employer honors, based on criteria that include employee health and retirement benefits, retiree work opportunities, and workplace accommodations, such as flexible scheduling, job sharing, and phased retirement.”
When Couples Work Together, A Mixed Blessing?
“Some couples seem to work so much that it’s hard to make time to spend together. People are working more, and even taking on second jobs, to make ends meet. And some careers can put couples’ schedules at odds: The nurse comes home from the night shift just in time to send the lawyer spouse off to work in the morning. Ships in the night. But what if you worked together? If you work at the same job, you can see each other every day, share the same experiences, drive in together, take the same lunch break, even complain about the same boss.”
Let's Talk Workplace Flexibility
“That is my mission of the day. To talk about it, record interviews with those who live it, and to be on iwearyourshirt.com’s live show – perhaps the most flexible job I know…albeit with a pesky dress code. And inevitably I will be asked ‘What is your definition of workplace flexibility?’ I’m at ERE Expo, a recruiting convention and I understand. Executives and HR like nice, easy, clean solutions. One definition, one answer, something that you can pull out of a box and start to implement. But humans aren’t that simple. We all have different needs, wants and likes and while our desire for flexibility may be more common, the kind of flexibility we are looking for may differ greatly. So, I’m sorry, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for either companies or employees. There are many options though…and they’re really not that difficult to implement.”
Global News
Women taking pay hit over time off for children
“WOMEN are taking a big hit in their pay packets when they have children. Women's wages are lagging 22pc behind those of male workers and the main reason is the time they take out to raise families. A new ESRI study reveals that lower levels of work experience is the single greatest factor stopping women from enjoying the same pay as the opposite sex. And reducing hours to bring up children is the main reason they are not accumulating this vital experience. [. . .] He said the wage gap between the sexes would narrow if employers adopted policies that allowed women to take time off to look after children while still retaining the same position. Working flexi-time was found to make no difference to pay levels, although part-time work drove them down. However, the report found that women who took career breaks tended to return to jobs at the same grade or level they left.”
Teachers with a good work-life balance produce higher-achieving pupils
“A better work-life balance for teachers equals better exam results for students, according to a new survey. Schools with staff who are satisfied in their jobs and are valued by managers produce higher achieving students, evidence from market research agency ORC suggests. In primary schools staff with a good work-life balance were found to be teaching a greater proportion of pupils attaining level four or higher in Key Stage 2 level maths and English.”