Sloan Work and Family Research Network

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Sloan Work and Family Research Network Blog

We are excited to hear your perspective on work and family issues. With our diverse, multi-disciplinary user groups of academics, workplace practitioners and state policy makers, we anticipate some lively and interesting discussions. We encourage you to participate and join our work family community, and we hope that the blog can help you to stay up-to-date on the latest information available from the Network.

Cheaper to Keep Her?

Featured Guest Blogger
February 8th, 2010

 

Robin J. Sitten is a contract project manager, for the past 10 years in the field of online recruiting and applicant tracking systems. She is a frequent contributor and SkirtSetter for Skirt.com, where this blog originally ran, and Co-Founder and Content Editor of the Business Women’s Finishing School & Social Club. Robin resides in Clinton, MA.

An interesting statistic has emerged from the umeployment crisis: men are being hit harder than women.  According to The Economist’s coverage on the rising rate of women in the workforce (Female Power), “In America three out of four people thrown out of work since the recession began are men; the female unemployment rate is 8.6%, against 11.2% for men.”

Considering that women are paid less than men in the main, (female median wage is 80% that of male), it may appear to be an issue of economics.  Is it simply more cost-effective to keep the lower wage earners?

Some years ago I was considering an internal transfer, and sought the advice of a senior manager, who wanted to be sure I was making the best long-range plan.  I said that I was concerned about the way this new department shuffled its workers around to suit project needs, and that one could never be sure of one’s duties or manager.  “The next thing you know I am the Saturday night manager,” I said.

She said, “No, the next thing you know you are laid off because you are too expensive.”

Let’s consider the manager’s point of view for a moment.  Faced with a mandate to cut $X for budgetary considerations, it may feel humane to cut the top earners, and save as many jobs as possible. In most industries, regardless of collar, those seats are likely to be held by men.

However, if we follow this logic, we should expect that unemployment was hitting White men harder than men of color, who earn about 75% the median wage of Whites. The statistics do not bear this out.

Rather, Black men have an unemployment rate nearly twice that of White men (18% and 10% respectively).  In men over 25, the rates are 15% for Blacks and 9% for Whites, when we can assume that men over 25 earn more than those younger.  Hispanic or Latino workers have a 12% unemployment rate, though they have the lowest median weekly wage of the 4 demographic groups counted.  Asians, who earn the highest, have the lowest unemployment figures (8.4% men and 7.6% women).  It is not simply a matter of keeping the cheapest labor to save the bottom line.

The Economist has another theory about what the numbers are telling us:

“The rich world has seen a growing demand for women’s labour. When brute strength mattered more than brains, men had an inherent advantage. Now that brainpower has triumphed the two sexes are more evenly matched. The feminisation of the workforce has been driven by the relentless rise of the service sector (where women can compete as well as men) and the equally relentless decline of manufacturing (where they could not).”

Taking a look at figures by industry puts some detail to that theory’s framework.

Management and Professions in the U.S., historically a low unemployment figure, is at 4.6%. General office occupations (including sales) is at 8.5%  The Service industry is at 9.6%, after hitting an all-time high of 10.2% last summer.

Now comes the real news for the changing face of American Labor.
Production/Transportaion jobs - 13.3%
Natural Resources, Constuction and Maintenance - 15.6%

It may indeed be economics, but in this case, it is the industries that have historically represented the fewest amount of women that have been hit the hardest, and we have coincidentally been preserved as a result.

What’s New in Work and Family?

Karen Corday
February 5th, 2010

 

New on the Network:

New, free work and family content online:

Helping in the Face of Disaster

Featured Guest Blogger
February 4th, 2010

 

Carol Bryce-Buchanan is the Director of Development of  Families and Work Institute. This post originally ran on the Families and Work Institute Blog.

On January 14th, Ellen Galinsky, President of Families and Work Institute, sent an email to Institute friends and colleagues asking them to tell us in a sentence or two what they or their organizations were doing to:

  • send aid to Haiti;
  • support Haitian American employees and their families in the US and in the Caribbean;
  • support American and foreign aid organizations who are or will be working on the ground in Haiti, and about
  • anything else they might be doing to help.

We have heard back from so many people with wonderful stories of support and care for Haitians, Haitian Americans and other concerned people, and have posted them on our website. We know from having gathered information in past times of national or international emergency that these stories serve as an important resource for hundreds of individuals and organizations trying to figure out their own strategies, and we are grateful to be able to share them with the public, the media and the work-life community.

Some of the moving, generous and very personal stories we have heard concern hospitals and health systems sending doctors, nurses and medical personnel, along with truck and boat loads of medical supplies. Yale New Haven Hospital packed up one truck load of supplies and shipped it to an airfield last week. The Hospital also organized a way for their employees to donate through a joint engagement with the local NAACP and the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, as the secretary of the NAACP locally is one of the Hospital’s managers and is Haitian. The Hospital is also working with the clinical departments and the Yale School of Medicine to identify clinicians who will go to Haiti to provide services. A donor paid for a plane to take medical personnel from Mt. Sinai Hospital in NY this week. I know this because my son’s orthopedist, whom we saw this week post-surgery, was leaving to serve in Haiti the next day.

WNYC in New York broadcast an interview with Annie Nocenti, teacher at the Cine Institute, a film school for Haitian youth in the City of Jacmel. She spoke about the effect of the earthquake on the Cine students and the ways in which they are documenting the aftermath. To listen to Brian Lehrer’s interview with Annie, please click here. To view the student videos, please click this link.

National Council for Research On Women (NCRW) and the Ms. Foundation for Women both suggested charities that will bring a gender-lens to the humanitarian response to the earthquake and attend to the needs of women, particularly pregnant women, infants and children, including:

NCRW states that, according to Doctors without Borders, “Haiti has the grim distinction of having the highest maternal mortality rate in the western hemisphere.”

American Institute of Architects encouraged their membership (from their shared experiences following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the tsunami in Southeast Asia) to do what they could either as a volunteers preparing shipments of supplies or as generous contributors to organizations best able to provide the immediate assistance Haitians need in the aftermath of destruction. They have been in contact with colleagues at the US Green Building Council about sending a joint letter to United Nations Envoy to Haiti, former President Bill Clinton, offering their profession’s technical and professional expertise when the initiative begins focusing on rebuilding. They have also discussed ideas with Architecture for Humanity on how architects can provide on-the-ground design guidance in Haiti so local citizens can seek qualified counsel as they rebuild their homes, businesses and lives.

Ceridian and LifeCare are offering their customers free access to their telephonic counseling and bereavement support through special toll-free phone number, EAP services, guides and comprehensive online resource centers. This means that U.S. employees who may have family members or friends in Haiti have access to qualified and compassionate EAP and work-life consultants. Ceridian has translated materials on helping employees deal with stress, anxiety or grief into Haitian Creole.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently selected Sittercity’s Corporate Program to help military families find in-home care (babysitters, nannies, eldercare providers, etc.) thereby supporting the families of service members that are deployed to help in the effort in Haiti. The DoD funded program provides all Army, Marine, Navy and Air Force families (including active duty, reserve and guard) with a paid membership to Sittercity through a custom built military portal where military families can access caregiver profiles (background checks, pictures, references, reviews).

Cardinal Health, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Baxter and Pfizer have all committed large sums of money towards initial humanitarian aid in response to the earthquake in Haiti and critical pharmaceutical and nutritional products to strengthen the ability of humanitarian aid organizations to respond to immediate health needs in Haiti.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is collaborating with colleagues at the Louisiana Children’s Museum about adapting their recovery project “Play Helps” for Haiti for the future, after rescue and clean up is well under way. CMOM adapted their learnings after 9/11 to a relief project in New Orleans after Katrina. It involves bringing creative play, primarily through the arts, to children and families who have suffered through a tragedy.

Housing Works, in collaboration with the Haiti-based AIDS organization PHAP+, is establishing a safe refuge in the town of St.-Marc, which is north of Port-au-Prince and outside of the earthquake zone. The refuge is specifically for Haitians living with HIV/AIDS. (In times of catastrophe, marginalized populations are often the last to get help.) The refuge will be used as a staging area to deliver supplies to PWA-led groups and provide medical care to people. They will also be establishing a tent city for displaced persons. Housing Works close relationship with the AIDS organization Fondation Esther B Stanislas, which is located in St.-Marc, should help them deliver relief effectively. Housing Works President and CEO Charles King left for Haiti with $30,000 worth of HIV medications and other supplies. A press release about Housing Works efforts can be found here. Charles King is also posting about his experience on their blog whenever he can. You can read his first post here.

JCB, a worldwide manufacturer of construction equipment in Savannah, Georgia, has donated backhoes to the rescue work.

There is an active credit union movement in Haiti made up of 175 credit unions serving more than 400,000 members. Credit Union National Association made its contribution on behalf of the American credit union movement to assist the Haitian movement to in turn help its members and its country endure this catastrophe.

Viacom announced that MTV and BET teamed up with George Clooney to present an on-air telethon on Friday, January 22nd to rally support and raise money for the relief efforts in Haiti.

Many in the WellStar Health System family have been affected by the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti. To support WellStar team members and the citizens of Haiti, they have activated an Emergency Response Team to provide:

  • Grief counseling (provided by WellStar Behavioral Health)
  • Pastoral Care services
  • Coordination with relief agencies, including opportunities for individuals to volunteer in relief efforts and/or make monetary donations.

There are many other examples of contributions of all kinds. Please continue to send us information on what you and others you know are doing to assist those suffering in Haiti and encourage others to send aid. We are most grateful for your input. And again, please refer to the resources we have posted here.

Go here to read about what organizations are recommending and doing to respond to the Haiti earthquake tragedy. You can also add  your organization’s activities.

Case in Point: Reach of Local Antidiscrimination Laws

Julie Schwartz Weber
February 3rd, 2010

 

Dena Lockwood has been in the news quite a lot recently. The reason: she has successfully sued her employer for Family Responsibilities Discrimination (FRD) using Chicago’s Human Rights Ordinance, a local law that expressly prohibits employment discrimination based on parental status. While there is no federal statute that explicitly prohibits FRD, Chicago’s local statute is one of many that was recently included in Work Life Law’s new report that I discussed here. Dena’s story highlights the substantial import that these local laws may have on FRD lawsuits, where in this case, the local agency ruled in Dena’s favor and awarded her more than $300,000, including damages, fines and attorneys’ fees.

Dena’s story is as follows (and is extracted from the news stories and report referenced above): A single mom of two children, Dena applied for a sales position at a Chicago-area medical services company, Professional Neurological Services (PNS). During her interview, Lockwood revealed that she had children, and she was then asked if having children would “prevent her from working 70 hours a week.” Dena said it would not.

PNS decided to hire Dena and offered her a salary and commission that was almost half as much as single female coworkers, though Dena did not know of the pay disparities until the court proceedings. While Dena eventually negotiated a higher salary (that matched the single female coworkers’ salary), she still received a commission that was half of what was offered to fellow single female coworkers. Dena also negotiated that if she reached a sales goal of $300,000, her commission rate would double.

Dena worked for two years for PNS, during which she met her $300,000 sales goal and achieved sales higher than most of her coworkers. Importantly, throughout her tenure with PNS, her employer had never stated any criticism about her work or attendance.

Then, one day, her 4-year-old daughter contracted pink-eye and Dena called into work to request a change in meeting time, as she would not be coming into work that day. While the company had a relaxed policy for workers without children, affording them time off for plumbing problems and personal emergencies, thirty minutes later, Dena’s manager called back and explained that Dena needed to leave the company. More specifically, her manager stated that unless Dena resigned, she would be fired with or without cause. When Dena inquired as to what was motivating this action, she was told “it just wasn’t working out.”

The next day, Dena was fired in violation of her employment contract that stated she could only be fired “for cause.” Believing her firing to be 100% based on the fact that she had caregiving responsibilities, Dena then filed a FRD suit with the Chicago Commission on Human Rights (Chicago Commission). The Chicago Commission ultimately found that Dena was a victim of “blatant” discrimination against an employee with children and the rest is history.

Of note, this is the first case of FRD brought before the Chicago Commission in its history. With such a successful outcome for Dena, there will likely be more such suits to follow both in Chicago and in other localities with FRD laws.

What’s New in Work-Family

Karen Corday
January 29th, 2010

 

New from the Network:

New, free work and family content online:

It’s All Work-Life to Me

Judi Casey
January 28th, 2010

 

It seems that work-life issues surface no matter what I’m doing or where I am. In fact, they are just about everywhere. Let me explain.

First, there was the dreaded jury duty. We’ve blogged about this before. In speaking with one of my fellow potential jurors, it was clear that she was visibly upset about possibly being selected. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to serve, but rather that she really didn’t have anyone to watch her 2 young children. She confided that she wasn’t thrilled with their caregiver for the day, and could tolerate the arrangement for one day, but not for longer. She was terrified that she would be selected and stuck.

Later in the day after the jury pool was selected, one of my colleagues serving jury duty asked for special permission to have her cell phone on vibrate during the proceedings. She didn’t expect to take a call when court was in session, but wanted to make sure that she could monitor if all was well with her 3 kids under the age of 6. Later, she shared how she had just moved from part-time to full-time work as her job was more secure than her husband’s. In this economy, one full-time paycheck was essential with 3 small kids. He was now a part-time working dad who had assumed more of the day-to-day caregiving responsibilities. He was still new to his role, so she wanted to be as available as possible.

Then, there was the dermatology appointment. I learned how my surgeon had originally planned a career in orthopedic surgery. Her husband is an ER doc. He told her that if she wanted to pursue orthopedics, he would do whatever it takes to make it work but would she at least consider dermatology? Life as dual-career MD’s is challenging regardless of your specialty, but dermatology surgery has a more predictable schedule and apparently, as I learned, many common features with orthopedic surgery. The fellow assisting her shared how she started medical school 5 years after graduating from college, so she was already way behind her classmates. However, she had further delayed her career by taking a year off to spend with her infant daughter and had just returned to work.

I could go on. Am I a work-life magnet or does this happen to you too? Is everything a work-life issue or is it just me?

Proper Office Petiquette

Featured Guest Blogger
January 25th, 2010

 

Mallary Tytel is president of Healthy Workplaces, a national consulting practice.  Specialized areas of expertise are Human Systems Dynamics, Coaching, Cultural Change and Women in Transition. She is the former CEO of an international education and training corporation; has served as key adviser to senior-level civilian and military personnel within the U.S. Department of Defense; and created and delivered an innovative leadership training program in communities worldwide.  She is a Certified Executive Coach and Mediator and in her spare time she writes and mentors budding women entrepreneurs.  Her new book is Vision Driven: Lessons Learned from the Small Business C-Suite.

When it comes to (wo)man’s best friend there is no secret to how people feel about their four-legged friends. Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households have at least one dog, and despite the current economic impact on consumer spending, pet-related sale — products, services and care — grew slightly in 2009. So, it will come as no surprise that today more and more companies are exploring and allowing their employees to bring their dogs to work.

Many of these workplaces are small businesses or start-up companies who recognize the need for a flexible work environment. Others are large high tech firms that seek to capture the interest and talents of prospective employees or to retain current employees. Benefits cited are increased staff morale and worker productivity, decreased absenteeism and levels of stress, and greater camaraderie among employees. A survey from The American Humane Association and findings from a national survey of 50 large and small companies that allow pets in the workplace concur.  In fact, right now twenty percent of companies allow dogs at work.

Is this something you are considering? If so, be sure to develop and communicate throughout your entire organization a clear policy with guidelines and expectations. Most of the rules will be common sense; more importantly they will ensure everyone’s comfort and safety. Examples include:

For the employee and pet owner:

  • Take only well-behaved non-aggressive pets that are comfortable around people and have been socialized to other animals.
  • Be respectful of co-workers with allergies or who are not dog people.
  • Make sure your dog understands the basic commands, such as SIT, STAY and DOWN.
  • Ensure that pet vaccinations are up to date; have a current rabies certificate at hand.  Also, it is best if your pet is spayed or neutered.
  • Groom your pet before office visits.
  • Make sure your individual work space can comfortably accommodate your dog and let coworkers know you have a pet in your office to avoid unpleasant surprises.
  • Bring the essentials with you and plan for contingencies and accidents.
  • Act responsibly and supervise your pet closely.  Keep dogs on a leash or in a closed area or crate.
  • Respect all designated “pet-free” zones.
  • Plan for walking your dog throughout the day.
  • Clean up after your pet immediately.
  • Do not leave water, food bowls or pet food out.  Put them away before you leave at the end of the day.
  • Reward your dog frequently for good behavior.

For employers:

  • Only well-behaved non-aggressive pets that have been socialized to people and other animals are allowed.
  • Dogs must be kept leashed, in a closed area or crate.  No free roaming!
  • Maintain a file of up-to-date pet vaccinations and copies of current rabies certificates.
  • Identify and implement “pet-free” zones.  These can include meetings, conference rooms, employee break rooms, cafeterias, and rest rooms.
  • Be respectful of and continually check in with employees who are uncomfortable around dogs.
  • Create a “pet rest area” for walking dogs during the work day.  Be prepared with poop bags and garbage cans conveniently located for easy clean up.
  • Communicate and strictly enforce standards of behavior.  One example is three accidents and you’re out.  Uphold a zero tolerance policy for aggressive dogs; one incident and you are out.

Welcoming pets in the workplace is not for everyone, but it could work for you and your employees. Paying serious attention to proper office petiquette is critical and as with any significant workplace change or innovation, careful planning, and direction can go a long way to achieving success.

What’s New in Work and Family

Karen Corday
January 22nd, 2010

 

New from the Network:

New, free content available online:

What impact has H1N1 had on flexibility in the workplace? Little, according to our poll results.

Featured Guest Blogger
January 21st, 2010

 

Mary Curlew is the Policy Assistant at the Sloan Work and Family Research Network.

From November 30, 2009 to January 14, 2010, the Sloan Network asked: “Due to H1N1 (swine flu), has your workplace become more supportive of flexible work arrangements such as telework or alternative work hours?” In response, 37% stated, “No, but my organization was already supportive of flexible work arrangements,” 33% responded, “No, my organization is not supportive of flexible work arrangements,” and 30% stated, “Yes, my organization is more supportive of flexible work arrangements.”

Although our sample was small and our poll informal, our results reflect growing national concerns in this area. Our results are consistent with research findings, as well. In a national survey of businesses conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2009, researchers found that only 1 in 10 businesses (12%) made changes to employee policies after reports of H1N1 in the spring of that year. At the same time, President Obama was urging employers to adopt “flexible and non-punitive” policies to reduce the spread of H1N1, and both the CDC and OSHA told employees to stay home if exhibiting flu like symptoms.

So far, the consequences of H1N1 have not been as severe as some expected. However, our response to H1N1 raises some important questions. What are American workplaces to do if a more serious outbreak of H1N1 occurs in the future? Do we have policies in place to protect both the workplace and the workforce? Currently, only 63% of American employees receive at least 5 paid sick days a year according to the Families and Work Institute (2008). This percentage drops to 46% for low wage workers, forcing many employees to choose between spreading the flu and getting paid. Also, many businesses feel they have a limited ability to maintain operations successfully if a significant portion of their workforce is absent due to a more serious outbreak. Could providing greater access to alternative work schedules and telework be one solution? Should paid sick be more available to more employees?  If so, why has our nation been slow to initiate these policies compared to other industrialized countries? Give us your opinion. What do you think of our poll results and the issues raised?

To learn more, please visit our Topic Pages on flexible work schedules, telework, and paid sick days.

Local Laws Across the States Expressly Prohibit Family Responsibilities Discrimination

Julie Schwartz Weber
January 20th, 2010

 

While employees and employers may be increasingly aware of the federal (e.g., Title VII, FMLA, ADA or ERISA) and state antidiscrimination laws that may be used to bring a Family Responsibilities Discrimination (FRD) case, fewer people are aware of local FRD laws. Importantly, a new report from the Center of WorkLife Law has identified and analyzed over 60 local laws in 22 states that “go beyond state and federal law to expressly prohibit discrimination at work against those who are also caregivers at home.”

In light of the increased protections that these local FRD laws may afford workers and the greater risks of liability that they represent for employers, the local FRD laws are important to understand. Moreover, as the report underscores, these local laws create “a new protected class of those with family responsibilities, by specifically including parental or familial status or family responsibilities along with other protected classes (such as sex, race, religion and disability).” Where federal laws and most state laws do not provide this protection, in some ways, these local laws may be even more potent than the related federal and state laws.

Some key findings from the report include:

1)    At least 63 local governments in 22 states across the country have passed such laws. Florida has the greatest number of related local laws, with FRD laws in three counties and six cities, while Maryland has laws in four large counties and one city. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, three major cities (Boston, Cambridge and Medford) have passed local FRD laws.  (For a complete list of local laws: http://www.worklifelaw.org/pubs/LocalFRDLawsReport.pdf );

2)    Most (47) of the laws apply to private employers, while 16 ordinances specifically apply to public employers;

3)    The sizes of the employers covered by the local FRD laws vary, but most local laws cover businesses with fewer than 15 employees — the threshold number of employees required for coverage under Title VII (a federal law prohibiting employment discrimination).   Of note, 20 of the local laws apply to businesses with as few as one employee, thus rendering any business in those localities potentially vulnerable to liability;

4)    Most of the local laws prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of being a parent or guardian of a minor child, though several (including localities in Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon) go further and include other family caregiving relationships;

5)    Many (26) local FRD laws grant employees the right to bring an FRD lawsuit in civil court, while other local laws provide administrative procedures for bringing a FRD complaint (and some local laws provide for both processes);

6)    Remedies for successful complainants vary, but at least 23 localities afford winning plaintiffs the opportunity to recover damages from employers and 14 localities allow for the recovery of attorneys fees.  At least 25 localities provide some injunctive relief, and 22 allow for small fines.

For more information on Family Responsibilities Discrimination, generally, please see our Policy Brief, Bills by Theme, blog entry and the Network News interview with Joan Williams.

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