Washington Post flexibility story includes Corporate Voices survey

A front-page story in The Washington Post last Saturday included information from a 2005 survey conducted by Corporate Voices for Working Families. The story, “Flextime Has Green Appeal And Lures Younger Workers,” by Lori Aratani, provides a comprehensive look at the growing trend toward more flexible workplace policies and strategies.

Here’s from the story:

They have replaced incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, cut the number of cars in their fleets and embraced hybrids. They have planted native grasses to cut down on lawn maintenance and, with it, fuel consumption. Now a growing number of businesses and state and local governments from Fairfax to Detroit to Salt Lake City are pondering a strategy for saving on utility costs and being kind to the environment: telling their workers, stay home.

And here’s the reference to the Corporate Voices survey:

Although much of the research on flexible scheduling has measured employee and employer reaction to such arrangements (most love it), a 2005 study by the nonprofit group Corporate Voices for Working Families found that flexible work arrangements offered benefits to customers as well, enabling some companies to offer extended hours. One Tennessee bank estimated it saved more than $3 million in turnover costs by shifting to flexible hours.

Other research and papers about workplace flexibility are available at the Corporate Voices for Working Families website.

by Rob Jewell 

Kathie Lingle’s Work-Life Blog and Best of Congress

Check out Kathie Lingle’s Work-Life Blog. She has an excellent post on the Corporate Voices’ Best of Congress award. But as Kathie points out, it is not only about the award and the recognition of members of Congress from both political parties. It’s about calling attention to work-life issues.

Here is her take on the “long-awaited Best of Congress.”

But here’s the shocker, which is really the best part of this award — to become a finalist, these legislators have to jump through not one, but two hoops. It goes without saying that they must have supported families by drafting, sponsoring and voting for appropriate legislation. But they also have to demonstrate that they actually practice what they preach in the family-friendly practices and policies they implement with their own staff. Even though this is the federal government, it is news to me that every individual member of Congress apparently establishes their own people policies, including pay, leaves, time off and flexibility practices. Now, you and I have watched enough action-packed episodes of West Wing to appreciate that workplace flexibility and generous leave policies are hardly the top priority on busy legislators’ agendas.

by Rob Jewell

Meet the “Best of Congress”

Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media
Honor Congressional Members Making a Difference for Working Families

Honoring leaders on Capitol Hill for improving the American quality of life through family-friendly work policies, Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media announced today the 24 recipients of the inaugural Best of Congress award. The award spotlights congressional excellence in supporting working families through legislation and by practicing what they preach – employing family-friendly policies in their own offices. Equally important, the award honors individual members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and throughout the country for their leadership in improving the quality of life for working families.

Recipients of the Best of Congress award are featured in the August/September 2008 issue of Working Mother magazine.

“Not only did we judge the esteemed members on their voting records for supporting working families, we also examined the benefits that their own employees receive like paid leave and flextime,” Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media, said. “There are no rules about flextime or paid leave for Congressional staff. They are stepping up voluntarily because they believe in progressive policies and act on their beliefs in the real world managing their staff.”

“The recipients of the Best of Congress award serve as models for what can be accomplished through legislation and a personal commitment to policies that benefit working families,” Donna Klein, president and founder of Corporate Voices for Working Families, said. “As our nation wrestles with a host of economic and other issues involving working families, these members of Congress deserve to be congratulated and recognized nationally for their leadership and support.”

Recipients of the Best of Congress award are:

U.S. Senate
•    Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Delaware)
•    Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
•    Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-Pennsylvania)
•    Christopher J. Dodd (D-Connecticut)
•    Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina)
•    Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas)
•    Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia)
•    Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota)
•    Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin)
•    Gordon H. Smith (R-Oregon)

U.S. House of Representatives
•    Tom Allen (D-Maine)
•    Russ Carnahan (D-Missouri)
•    Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Connecticut)
•    Chaka Fattah (D-Pennsylvania)
•    Carolyn B. Maloney (D-New York)
•    Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio)
•    Dave Reichert (R-Washington)
•    C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-Maryland)
•    Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida)
•    Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-Pennsylvania)
•    Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut)
•    Ellen O. Tauscher (D-California)
•    Lynn Woolsey (D-California)
•    John Yarmuth (D-Kentucky)

Fifty members of Congress submitted applications for this inaugural award. Applicants were judged on their voting record, sponsored/co-sponsored legislation, and efforts to promote legislation that supports working families.  In addition, applicants were asked to submit policies and practices within their own offices that support working families and flexible workplace options.

Applications were reviewed by a bipartisan steering committee co-chaired by Ted Childs, Founder and Principal of Ted Childs, LLC and Jane Swift, Founder and Principal of WNP Consulting, LLC and former Governor of Massachusetts.  Also on the steering committee reviewing applications were Patricia Kempthorne, Founder and Executive Director of the Twiga Foundation and Pat Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers and former congresswoman from Colorado.

The Best of Congress award will be presented to members of Congress at a recognition breakfast in Washington on Sept. 10, at Sewell House.  Recipients of the Best of Congress award will attend, and Antonio M. Perez, CEO of Kodak, will talk about the award and issues involving working families.

by Rob Jewell