What's New Archive

September 2, 2008 – WF2010 Submits Comment to Healthy People 2020

Healthy People 2020, an initiative out of the Department of Health and Human Services, is presently engaged in developing a set of objectives to guide America‚s public health mission in the decade spanning 2010 and 2020.  The goal is to “promot[e] health and prevent disease.”  The process is transparent and triple pronged.  In addition to convening regional meetings and Advisory Committee Meetings that are open to all, Healthy People 2020 is requesting public comment.  Underlying the “collaborative” nature of the enterprise is the principle that public health policy should embody the latest scientific research and address the emerging trends in public health.  The Advisory Committee, therefore, relies on the expertise and input of the public to inform the process.

In this spirit, Workplace Flexibility 2010 has submitted a public comment to Healthy People 2020.  In our comment we urge Healthy People 2020 to consider the relationship between health outcomes and workplace flexibility and we document the evidence supporting the claim that a more flexible workplace will lead to a healthier America.  For the full text of the letter, click here.

June 12, 2008 – This past week, Workplace Flexibility 2010 sponsored a conference on behalf of our funder, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, titled: “Working For Change: A Conversation on Workplace Flexibility Research, Business Practice and Public Policy.” Sloan grantees and friends from across the country gathered in Washington, DC -- here at Georgetown Law -- to share research and hold dialogue on the subject of workplace flexibility. I am extremely happy to report that the conference went off extremely well.

You can actually view the conference via webcast, review the presentation slides, and read about the panelists by clicking here.

June 6, 2008 –

On Friday, June 6, Workplace Flexibility 2010 and the New America Foundation presented a briefing on faith and flexibility to a full crowd in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. With bipartisan sponsorship by Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Mark Souder (R-IN), “Workplace Flexibility and Religion” brought together a diverse panel to discuss the importance of a flexible workplace to religious observance.  It turns out that one thing uniting Christian, Islamic and Jewish people is the struggle to balance the requirements of work with those of faith.

• Read the Dear Colleague Letter
• Visit New America's page on the event