Archive for April, 2008

Getting Gen Y to talk about work and family issues

Judi Casey April 30th, 2008

Is Gen Y talking about work and family issues? I recently learned about an organization called the “Lattice Group,” a grassroots campaign that aims to engage as many young people as possible in the Unites States and Europe in a dialogue about work-life issues. This idea really strikes a cord for me. I have taught a number of undergraduate work family classes at BC, and I always ask the students how they see their work-life future. I ask them if they think they will be in a committed relationship, have a job and have children. Typically, the overwhelming majority say that they will have a committed partner, a family and a job. When I ask them how that is going to work, they get a little stuck and it is clear that they have not really thought through all the possibilities, trade-offs and challenges. It seems that it would be extremely helpful for college students to consider work and family issues prior to graduation, so they could be more purposeful in their college and post-graduation activities. Are you a Gen Y professional? How do you see your future? Not a Gen Y worker, but observe today’s Gen Yers trying to figure out how to have a family and a job? Any suggestions for them? Didn’t Cervantes say, “Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.”

Changing FMLA

Featured Guest Blogger April 29th, 2008

We have all heard of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. It was President Clinton’s first signed law, and it has had a huge impact on businesses since. During one 18-month period, nearly 24 million workers took a leave for an FMLA-covered reason, or about 1 of every 7 employees.

The FMLA has recently undergone a variety of changes. The new legislation attempts to clarify definitions of terms in the past version of the Act, as well as allows for provisions for military families. The changes were noted in the Federal Register on February 11th.

Some of the more noteworthy changes (in my humble opinion) include:

1. Employees who have a spouse, parent, or child who is on or has been called to active duty in the Armed Forces may take up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave yearly when they experience a “qualifying exigency.”

2. Employees who are the spouse, parent, child, or next of kin of a service member who incurred a serious injury or illness on active duty in the Armed Forces may take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for the injured service member in a 12-month period.

3. Employers may communicate directly with health care providers to authenticate medical certifications.

4. Common ailments may be “serious health conditions.”

5. Male employees may be protected when attending prenatal appointments with spouses.

The much anticipated Final Rules are said to be announced as soon as Summer, 2008. In the meantime, employers and employees alike should keep themselves “in the know” for compliance purposes. Additionally, covered businesses should ensure that their posters are up to date.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the changes…are there any employers or employees who love FMLA? Any who find it cumbersome?

What’s New?

Karen Corday April 25th, 2008

New from the Network:

* The April issue of the Network News, featuring an interview with Jane Randel of Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Jennifer Swanberg of the University of Kentucky on domestic violence and the workplace.

* New addition to the Work and Family Encyclopedia:

* Sloan Network affiliates now have full-text access to six more journals through our Literature Database:

  • Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal (1997-present)
  • Journal of Business and Psychology (1997-present)
  • Journal of Family and Economic Issues (2007-present)
  • Journal of Population Economics (1997-present)
  • Sex Roles (2007-present)
  • Social Indicators Research (1997-present)

If you would like the password to access full-text content, please e-mail wfnet@bc.edu

* Results from the Family Friendly Employers Poll: Continue Reading »

“Too much work, and no vacation…”

Julie Schwartz Weber April 23rd, 2008

Last month, Experience Life Magazine published, “No Vacation Nation,” in which John De Graaf, President of Take Back Your Time, underscores both the lack of vacation time granted to Americans, and the importance of vacation for “improved physical and mental health, family life, productivity, creativity and personal well-being.” De Graaf notes,

“Americans may be materially richer than almost anyone else, but we have the poorest health in the industrial world…In 1980, we ranked 11th in the world in longevity; now we’re 42nd. We are twice as likely as Europeans to suffer from anxiety and depression. In large part, these deficits are caused by lack of time.”

The Center for Economic and Policy Research reports that about one fourth of the U.S. workforce has no paid vacation in the course of their work year. Part-time workers, low-income earners, and workers in small establishments (fewer than 100 workers) are less likely to receive paid vacation and paid holidays, and when they do, these workers receive fewer paid days off. Specifically, lower-wage workers are less likely (69%) than higher-wage workers (88%) to have paid vacations, and part-timers are far less likely to have paid vacations (36%) than are full-timers (90%). Similarly, only 70% of employees in small establishments receive paid vacations.

CEPR also reports that there is no government mandate for even 1 paid vacation day in the U.S., but that 137 other countries (including all industrial nations) guarantee their workers at least 20 paid vacation days or 4 weeks time.

Breastfeeding in Panera

Featured Guest Blogger April 22nd, 2008

The other day I walked into Panera Bread (a sandwich shop) and, while waiting for a table to open up, I noticed that a woman was breastfeeding after her lunch. I wouldn’t say that it was obvious, but I also wouldn’t say that it was discreet. Despite the fact that I research breastfeeding for my job here at the Sloan Network, I must admit, I wasn’t used to seeing this ritual in public, and it did surprise me.

My reaction may speak to the fact that breastfeeding has not been seen as a common public act. However, recently, many states have enacted or are enacting legislation that allow for breastfeeding in public. Some states have even gone so far as to enact legislation mandating workplaces to accommodate employees who are breastfeeding. This can include offering a physical location at the workplace for pumping, supplying refrigeration for stored milk, and/or offering paid breaks to pump.

Organizations who advocate for a woman’s right to breastfeed, including La Leche League International, are saying ‘bravo!’ to such efforts. We still hear conversation from critics of these policies who believe that breastfeeding is indecent, but the legislation seems to be charging forward.

The Sloan Network will be releasing a policy brief which summarizes all of the 2007 state action related to breastfeeding in public and at work. Keep an eye out for this publication in the next two weeks.

What’s New?

Karen Corday April 18th, 2008

New from the Network:

The eleventh issue of the Effective Workplace Series: Domestic Violence (PDF format).

Three new entries in the Work and Family Encyclopedia:

Afterschool Care and Work Life Issues, by Rosalind Barnett et al.
Educational Careers, Returning to School, and Work-Family Concerns, by Andrew J. Hostetler
Parenting in the Workplace, by Mary Secret

A few articles that caught my eye this week:

Prepping Children for the 9 to 5 - In her latest Life’s Work column for the New York Times, Lisa Belkin discusses Generation Y’s attitude towards the workplace, how it differs from those of other generations, and how parents and others can help prepare Generation Y for life as working adults.

House Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Proposed FMLA Changes, Paid Leave - CCH Business & Corporate Compliance reports on testimony before the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Committee on Education and Labor. People had the opportunity to testify for and against the proposed FMLA changes as well as the possibility of paid leave for workers caring for a new child or sick family member or managing their own serious medical condition.

For more recent work and family articles from the popular press, please visit What’s New in Work in Family.

Entrepreneurs & Work-Life Balance

Olivier Sartor April 17th, 2008

Entrepreneurs are a potent element that drives economies but should it be success at all costs? According to a global study on entrepreneurship from Babson College,almost 15% of the US population is working for startup companies that are less than 3.5 years old. About half of these companies will fail within five years. To successfully get these companies off the ground, founders face tremendous challenges; attracting customers, raising capital, hiring employees and fending off the competition — while theoretically trying to maintain a work-life balance for themselves and their teams.

Recently, Jason Calcanis, serial entrepreneur and founder of the new search engine Mahalo, wrote about his 17 best tips for entrepreneurs starting up their own company. Number 11 on his list ignited a firestorm of protest,“Fire people who are not workaholics. don’t love their work… come on folks, this is startup life, it’s not a game. don’t work at a startup if you’re not into it–go work at the post office or starbucks if you’re not into it you want balance in your life. For realz.” Jason went on to amend his original post, softening his original statement but his message is still the same, starting up a company comes with many sacrifices. David from 37 Signals countered with it is better to fire the workaholics for a number of reasons, including they tend to burn out. I agree with Jason — working a startup requires a serious commitment that occasionally may require sacrifices, including money, time and security. Having worked for startups, David is also correct because it always better to work smarter rather than harder. Is this your definition of an “ideal worker”?

Family Friendly Employers

Judi Casey April 16th, 2008

Everyone’s talking about family friendly employers. Our recent Network poll found that “family friendly employers” was the work and family topic of greatest interest. Fifty-six percent of respondents asked the Network to develop work-family resources on family friendly employers, followed by resilience, stress and coping (39%) and return on investment or the business case (34%).

You may be wondering, what exactly are family friendly employers doing? Well, a lot of amazing things that benefit employees, employers and their work organizations – a triple win. And it’s not only behaviors that are changing, but the realization that attitudes and values about the world of work and the role of employees can be recrafted to better meet business and personal needs.

This evolution is described in a recent report from the Families and Work Institute called the 2008 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work. The report illustrates how 24 varied communities representing all types of organizations can make work work for both employees and employers.

Perhaps there are practices detailed in the report which could be implemented in your organization. What is your workplace doing to make work work? What could they be doing? What would be the most helpful to you?

New Jersey Senate Passes Paid Leave

Featured Guest Blogger April 14th, 2008

New Jersey took one step further to becoming the third state in the country to allow employees paid leave to care for a sick relative or a new baby. Governor Corzine is set to pass the law.

The legislation would allow for 6 weeks of paid leave, up to $524 per week. The leave will be funded by employee contributions of approximately $33 per year.

Supporters of the legislation believe that this action will enable working families to balance their careers and their families with greater ease and less stress. They also make arguments that employees who are granted paid leave will make for more engaged workers. Opponents feel that this “new glass ceiling” will hurt small businesses in the state, create burdensome taxes for residents, and create discrimination practices in hiring of women of child-bearing ages.

The Sloan Network would love to hear your thoughts on this legislation - would you like to see this is your state? Why, or why not?