Archive for September, 2008

McCain, Obama, and Biden Balance?

Featured Guest Blogger September 29th, 2008

Does anyone else find it curious that we are not hearing about how John McCain, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden will have to balance work and family? We are all WELL aware of the fact that Sarah Palin will…but what about the men?

I acknowledge that, historically and traditionally, the male head of the household was responsible for work outside of the home, while the female was in charge of child care and home tasks. However, haven’t we seen a shift in that paradigm?

At the Sloan Network, we see many, many articles on the importance of father involvement. This topic is often covered in the popular press, and many academics have devoted their careers to studying ONLY fathers. In our Encyclopedia entry on fathers, Scott Coltrane illustrates how fathers have become more involved in their families, and how mothers have increased their participation in the workforce. Even with all this research, the public discourse seems to pin family responsibilities on working mothers.

As a working woman with a working husband, I want to know your thoughts on why I could be criticized for my paid job, while my husband can avoid such social pressure…especially when research validates that it is so critical for him to remain involved with our family. Why are we so focused on Sarah Palin’s family and not the others? Perhaps the underlying belief is that mothers really do contribute more to the household when there are small children present? Perhaps we really do think men can earn a greater salary, so their role in the family is better sacrificed for a higher payoff? Is the work-family literature on fathers just lip service?

Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and let us know your thoughts.

If you have a class or a group to whom you would like to teach this concept, check our suggested activity on media depictions of mothers and fathers.

What’s New

Karen Corday September 26th, 2008

New from the Network:

  • The September issue of the Network News is out today, featuring an interview by our Global Perspective Consultant Suzan Lewis, who spoke with with Laura den Dulk and Tanja van der Lippe on the quality of work and life in Europe.
  • Join us for a phone conversation with Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and Jessica DeGroot, president and founder of the ThirdPath Institute. Maggie will discuss her new book and what we can do to reverse our collective and individual attention-deficits. Jessica will share her experiences working with leaders who have found ways to bring more focus and clarity into their lives. You will have plenty of time to ask questions, and learn from these thought leaders.
    Monday, October 6, 2008, 4-5 pm EST
    RSVP to: wfnet@bc.edu
    Attendance limited to 50 people. A confirmation and call in number will be provided following registration. Questions? Contact Lauren Leonard, francola@bc.edu

Work and Family News Headlines:

See our site for more!

Work and Family News from Around the Globe:

  • Putting Family Before Work
    The New Zealand Herald reports on research from the Families Commission that found that many workers will only take jobs that fit with their home responsibilities, while many stay-at-home parents reported that they would take a job outside the home if it allowed them flexibility to attend to their families’ needs.
  • Moms of Kids With Disabilities More Likely Than Dads to Have Jobs Affected
    The Canadian Press reports on the results from a recent survey by Statistics Canada in which three out of five parents of children with disabilities reported that their employment was affected by their children’s conditions. When asked whose job was affected more, 64 percent of parents reported it was the mother.

See our site for more!

We are the Working Moms Site of the Week!

Julie Schwartz Weber September 25th, 2008

While several weeks ago our work-family blog was honored to be named one of the five blogs loved by Idealist.org, this past week we received recognition for our entire website! Named by About.com: Working Moms as the S.O.T.W. (site of the week), the Sloan Network is described as the place to find “just about any data you’d want on work-family balance.”

Thanks so much, Working Moms, for honoring us in this way!

Reweaving the Safety Net

Featured Guest Blogger September 24th, 2008

Today’s guest blogger is Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Senior Policy Analyst for the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Please note that the views of our guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network.

Last week, I had the opportunity to testify on work-life issues before the Income Support and Family Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee.  Importantly, this was not a hearing specifically about work-life issues, but about the challenges facing American workers.  It’s a big step forward for the lack of paid family leave and the part-time penalty to be treated as a concern on a par with stagnant wages and the increasing cost of health insurance. I thanked the Committee for their recognition that workers are experiencing a time squeeze, as well as a financial squeeze, and that both are fundamental to the well-being of American workers and their families.

Given that Congress has only two weeks left before it goes on recess in order to campaign, it’s highly unlikely that any action will be taken this year on these issues, with the possible exception of a bill to provide paid parental leave to federal employees.  However, the hearing is important in laying the groundwork for action in the next Congress.  Following the hearing, Chairman McDermott introduced a resolution expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to “reweave the safety net” to respond to the changing economy.  Again, work-family issues were included.

In addition to the paid parental leave bill, legislation that might move forward next year includes:

  • Healthy Families Act.  This bill would guarantee all full-time workers at companies with at least 15 employees a minimum of seven paid sick days a year, with part-time workers receiving pro-rata benefits.
  • Family Leave Insurance Act.  This bill would support the development of insurance pools to provide paid family and medical leave to workers, modeled after the programs in California and New Jersey.
  • Unemployment Modernization Act.  This would provide incentives to states to extend unemployment benefits to individuals seeking part-time work and those who leave their jobs for compelling family reasons, such as caring for sick children or family members and to count a worker’s most recent work history when determining eligibility.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Retire!

Featured Guest Blogger September 22nd, 2008

Most of us grew up in a day where mom and/or dad counted down until the day they retired. Just recently, my husband’s stepfather, Dan, completed his one-year countdown to “R-Day” when he retired from teaching after 30 years. In the year proceeding his retirement, at random times, he would cite the date over dessert, over a glass of wine, or just randomly in the kitchen with a big grin on his face.

However, as we know, times they are a-changin’. We are seeing retirement in a new light now. With the aging of the workforce and increasing life spans putting pressure on post-retirement savings, employees and employers are seeing the benefit of sticking around a bit longer…even if not full-time.

And that’s where phased retirement comes in.

On September 9th, Mercer retirement consultant Pearce Noble testified before the U.S. Department of Labor advisory panel on the importance of phased retirement programs for workers, employers, and the U.S. economy.  He stated that the potential for these programs is increased with the participation of the Department of Labor, the IRS, Congress, and the country’s employers. An informal Mercer survey of large and medium-sized employers found that the most common reason for employer interest in phased retirement is to encourage workers to continue working (95.8%), followed by a desire to provide an easier transition to retirement (45.8%).

For as much as Dan jumped with joy for his R-Day, rest assured he still coaches track, goes back to substitute teach whenever he can, and still gets great pleasure from being around his students.  It may not be considered a phased retirement, but maybe it should have been?
To find out more about phased retirement, visit our topic page.

What’s New

Karen Corday September 19th, 2008

New from the Network:

Work and Family News Headlines:

See our site for more!

Work and Family News from Around the Globe:

  • Older, Wiser and Still Working
    Sorcha Corcoran of Ireland’s Independent writes about the possibility of extending the country’s retirement age of 65
  • Flexibility Rules in the Modern Workplace
    David Rosser of CBI Wales discusses a recent Welsh survey in which 89 percent of employers reported offering part-time work options, and 50 percent offering telework and job-sharing.

See our site for more!

A Legal Pitfall to Telecommuting

Julie Schwartz Weber September 17th, 2008

As a lawyer and policy specialist, I am, not surprisingly, interested in the legal backdrop of our work-family policy issues. This week, I want to share news about one possible legal pitfall to telecommuting across state lines– the potential to be taxed twice on income by an employee’s resident state, in which the employee teleworks, and the state in which their employer resides.

As my colleague, Sandee Tisdale, has previously discussed on this blog, telecommuting is steadily gaining popularity as a practical business arrangement, especially with the surge in gas prices, an increased awareness of global warming, and the need to conserve energy. Moreover, telecommuting promotes, for many workers, increased work-life balance and engages employees that might otherwise not be able to work (e.g,. older and disabled employees).

And yet, telecommuters and businesses beware! Some states extend the reach of their state income taxes to out-of-state telecommuting employees, even if the worker only comes into the state for work occasionally. This is true in states like New York, where the state imposes its income tax on the entire income of a telecommuter living in another state unless telecommuting is done out of necessity and not just for the “convenience of the employer.” Proving that a telecommuter needs to telecommute is apparently a very difficult thing to do, leaving many individuals unknowingly at risk for loss of income.

While individual employees may well be harmed by being taxed twice on income, the issue is also of critical interest to small businesses, which could be faced with additional significant administrative burdens. For instance, small businesses, many of which are working on a tight profit margin, will likely need to spend additional monies to learn the relevant state tax laws so that they may properly adjust withholding rates for out-of-state telecommuters.

One possible remedy to this telecommuting tax quagmire may be coming by way of federal legislation in the form of the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act (S 785/ HR 1360). Both the Senate and House have sponsored legislation by that title in 2007. These bills, a form of which has been initiated in the previous three legislative sessions, directly seeks to limit the extent to which states may tax the compensation earned by nonresident telecommuters by requiring nonresident workers to be physically present for work in a state to be taxed on their income. These bills are presently stuck in committee.

So, if you are thinking about telecommuting across state lines, or letting an employee do so, it may be wise to check both of the relevant state’s tax laws. Otherwise, the costs of telecommuting may far outweigh the potential benefits.

Action Plan for Working Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities

Judi Casey September 16th, 2008

The Sloan Work and Family Research Network today released an action plan generated from a panel meeting in May on Work-Family Issues for Employed Parents of Children with Disabilities. The Sloan Network hosts an annual think tank to promote active discussion and examine current research efforts, workplace best practices, and state public policy for important work-family issues.

To address the serious hardships faced by working parents caring for children with disabilities, the report makes two major recommendations: (1) Advance the knowledge base by conducting more extensive research, and (2) Increase the visibility of this issue for employers, policy makers, and the public. Given that one in seven children under age 18, or approximately 10.2 million children in the U.S., have special health care needs, the panel is pushing for additional research to increase understanding about the myriad issues experienced by working parents and their families. This panel urged the launching of a media campaign to inform employers, policy makers, and the public about the often-hidden issues facing working parents caring for children with disabilities.

The financial, physical, and emotional impact on parents, children, families, employees, and employers is staggering:

  • Median household income is $38,332, compared to $48,936 for households raising children without disabilities, a $100 billion discrepancy in total earnings.
  • Nearly 14% of parents caring for children with special health care needs spend more than 10 hours per week coordinating care, which can negatively affect their careers.
  • Twenty-five percent of workers have chosen to cut back or stop working entirely, and one-quarter have been fired at least once due to the exceptional care demands of their children with disabilities.

Below are some new Network resources on Work-Family Issues for Employed Parents of Children with Disabilities:

1. Topic Page for Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities

2) Fact Sheet - compilation of statistics in a question and answer format

3) Encyclopedia Entry - Disabilities and Work-Family Challenges: Parents Having Children with Special Health Care Needs (2008)

What can be done to support working parents caring for children with disabilities? Are you or do you know families struggling with these issues? Will these resources help you in your work?

What’s New

Karen Corday September 15th, 2008

New from the Network:

How Workplace Characteristics Impact Employee Wellbeing

Judi Casey September 12th, 2008

In August, I was a discussant at the 2008 American Psychological Association conference for the session The Impact of Workplace Characteristics on Employee Wellbeing with Rosalind Barnett (Brandeis), Jackie James (Center for Work & Family at Boston College), Taryn Morrissey (Society for Research in Child Development, formerly Cornell), and Shu-Wen Wang (UCLA).

1) Wang and Repetti examined how job stress affects family interaction after the work day and found that more distressed dads exhibit a negative spillover effect between work and home, while less distressed dads may withdraw from family interactions. These patterns were not found for mothers.

2) Barnett and Gareis identified caregiver concerns as a more powerful predictor of job withdrawal and health-promoting behavior than objective aspects of the care burden. Usable flexibility affected both job withdrawal and health-promoting behavior.

3) James et al. reported that flexible work schedules might be one way to reduce health care costs as they appear to benefit both employees (and their managers) by reducing stress and improving mental health.

4) Morrissey and Warner detailed how child care vouchers resulted in a range of positive outcomes, including decreased work-family stress and greater commitment to employers.

The workplace can help today’s diverse families to better manage their work-family stress, which can lead to a triple win— better emotional wellbeing, stronger family relationships, and enhanced work commitment. Workplace programs and policies can act as a buffer to reduce stress and improve emotional health outcomes, but with three important caveats:

1) We must create a workplace culture where utilization of family supportive policies is encouraged and supported— it’s not the existence of policies and programs that is important, but rather whether employees feel like they can use them without negative ramifications.

2) No one size fits all and FIT is critical. You must match the needs of employees with the programs or policies— for example, it doesn’t make sense to build an onsite child care center if the majority of your employees are over 50 years old or if they wouldn’t bring their kids to work on the subway.

3) The role of the manager or supervisor is critical, and is often the key ingredient. They must assess and monitor with their subordinates what supports are needed to create a work environment that helps employees meet both their business and personal needs.

What do you think? How can workplace characteristics impact employee wellbeing?

For more information, visit our topic pages on Health and Workplace Flexibility and Flexible Work Schedules, or read our interview with Kay Campbell on personal and workplace resilience.

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