Best Companies for Hourly Workers

Corporate Voices for Working Families is partnering with Working Mother Media to recognize the best companies for hourly workers and to highlight best practices throughout the American business community.

The recognition is modeled after Working Mother’s highly regarded and influential 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers listing.

The application for Best Companies for Hourly Employees Workers — and additional information — is now available online.

Here’s a WorldatWork blog post that looks at the Best Companies for Hourly Workers recognition as well as recent Corporate Voices research involving hourly workers.

Those companies included on the Best Companies for Hourly Workers list will be featured in the May 2010 issue of Working Mother magazine and honored at a celebration in New York City.

Flexible Schedules for Hourly Workers Becoming More Prevalent

A new study by WorldatWork and the Work Design Collaborative (WDC) indicates that the number of hourly workers in the U.S. using flexible scheduling benefits such as teleworking is larger than expected. The study, “Flexible Work Arrangements for Nonexempt Employees,” found that a surprisingly high number of companies are allowing nonexempt employees to telework despite traditional limitations such as work hour and safety requirements.

Among the key findings:

• Nonexempt employees participate in flexible work programs to a much larger extent than researchers had anticipated. 45% of survey respondents (61 out of 135 organizations) report they include nonexempt employees in those programs.
• The three biggest industrial sectors allowing nonexempts to telework were manufacturing, education and business services. Manufacturing came as a surprise as it is traditionally dominated by nonexempt employees working on site.

Corporate Voices for Working Families released Innovative Workplace Flexibility Options for Hourly Workers in May, which also concluded that workplace flexibility works as well for hourly workers as it does for professional workers. To view this and other reports on workplace flexibility, please visit the Corporate Voices website.

By Allison Tomei

Corporate Voices in Parade Magazine

Donna Klein, Executive Chair of Corporate Voices was quoted in a recent Parade magazine article about the affordability of quality child care.

The article states that two-thirds of all American women are working by the time their first child is a year old, compared with only 17% four decades ago.  The cost of child care—which has risen by as much as 11% in the last two years—varies widely, depending on such factors as location, type of care, and the age of the child. Nationwide, the cost ranges from $3380 to $10,787 for one preschooler, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. Full-time care for one infant at a center can be as much as $15,895 a year. A full-time babysitter may cost from $400 to $1,000 a week, depending on where you live.

Corporate Voices has been taking a leading role in advocating for an increase in the cap of dependent care spending accounts. The current DCFSA cap was a figure that was established in the Tax Reform Act of 1986.  More than 20 years have passed and in today’s dollars, this tax benefit is worth only $2,800, even as the cost of child care has dramatically increased.

According to federal law, any employer can establish a DCAP (Dependent Care Account Program), allowing employees to set aside up to $5,000 of pre-tax income (or a lower ceiling, if the employer chooses) to help cover the cost of child care, elder care, or care of a disabled spouse or disabled dependent. Employees do not have to pay federal income taxes or Social Security and Medicare taxes on the funds they’ve set aside. They can save—depending on their incomes—between $1,100 – $2,600 a year on their child care or dependent care expenses.

By Allison Tomei

Corporate Voices Partner Company Testifies at Senate Subcommittee Hearing

The upcoming reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act creates an opportunity to advance our goal of helping low income, low skilled young adults, as well as unemployed or underemployed adults, find routes to family supporting jobs with career paths by providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a knowledge-based economy.

Steve Wing, Director of Workforce Initiatives at CVS Caremark and Board Member of Corporate Voices, was invited to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety on Thursday, July 16. Steve highlighted information on a number of innovative iniatives and partnerships he has developed at CVS to provide jobs with career path opportunities to a wide range of individuals. Video of the hearing and a copy of his and other panelists’ remarks are available here. We appreciate Steve’s commitment to this issue and his willingness to participate in this hearing.

By Allison Tomei

Corporate Voices: Obama Administration and Workforce Readiness Training

As the Obama administration shines a light on the training and skills workers will need for the jobs of tomorrow, a new report shows that U.S. employers continue to struggle with an ill-prepared workforce, finding new hires lack crucial basic and applied skills.

For the most part, employer-sponsored readiness training is not successfully correcting these deficiencies, according to the report, The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training, produced by Corporate Voices for Working Families, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), The Conference Board, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

“The results of this study demonstrate how critical it is for companies to be more strategic and focused on efforts such as providing internships and working in partnership with community colleges on workforce readiness initiatives to prepare new entrants before they enter the workplace,” says Donna Klein, Executive Chair, Corporate Voices for Working Families, which partnered with The Conference Board, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on the report and its underlying survey of U.S. employers.

“It is a losing strategy for employers to try to fill the workforce readiness gap on the job. They need to be involved much sooner to prepare new employees to succeed,” Klein said.

The report published today, The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training, draws from a survey of 217 employers about their training of newly hired graduates of high school and two- and four-year colleges. The survey, conducted during 2008, included employers in manufacturing; financial services; non-financial services; and education, government, and other non-profits.

Almost half of respondents said they have to provide readiness training for new hires – and the majority rate their programs as only “moderately” or “somewhat successful.”

“U.S. business is increasingly outspoken about the competitiveness threat posed by an ill-prepared workforce – but employers must do a better job of quantifying this threat and communicating it to key stakeholders,” says Mary Wright, Program Director, Workforce Readiness Initiative, The Conference Board.

“It doesn’t make any difference if you’re operating a business in Mumbai, Beijing or New York – the number one challenge facing every organization is finding and growing skilled talent,” said SHRM CEO and President Laurence O’Neil. “HR professionals are helping bridge the gap, finding ways to give employees the skills they need to add value and to be more valued.  This isn’t just an HR challenge, but a bottom-line global business problem.”

“In any economy, having a knowledgeable, skilled workforce is critical for organizations to grow and be successful,” said Tony Bingham, ASTD President and CEO. “As the skills gap widens among new entrants to the workforce, it’s clear that all stakeholders –

employers, education, and the public workforce system – must collaborate to effectively prepare workers to be successful on the job.”

The report, which includes five case studies of successful workforce readiness programs run by Bank of America and Year Up, CVS Caremark and TJX Companies, Harper Industries, Northrop Grumman, and YUM! Brands, finds that:

• Many companies say new hires lack crucial critical-thinking and creativity skills – but don’t offer related training.

• Employers’ inability to detail their spending on remedial programs makes it impossible to assess the true costs of an ill-prepared workforce to their own –

or the economy’s – bottom line.

• Employers with successful workforce readiness training incorporate:

o A culture committed to training and thorough job-readiness screening.

o Strategic partnerships with local colleges, and a focus on integrating training with job-specific skills and career development.

o Constantly re-evaluation to align training with company needs.

• Employers should:

o Track the cost and quality of training programs.

o Help focus philanthropic dollars and public-policy discussions on the need to link K-12, technical-school and college education to the workforce readiness skills that employers need.

The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training is available on the Web sites of each of the participating organizations: Corporate Voices for Working Families (www.cvworkingfamilies.org), The American Society for Training and Development (www.astd.org), The Conference Board (www.conference-board.org), and the Society for Human Resource Management (www.shrm.org).

As the Obama administration shines a light on the training and skills workers will need for the jobs of tomorrow, a new report shows that U.S. employers continue to struggle with an ill-prepared workforce, finding new hires lack crucial basic and applied skills.

For the most part, employer-sponsored readiness training is not successfully correcting these deficiencies, according to the report, The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training, produced by Corporate Voices for Working Families, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), The Conference Board, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

“The results of this study demonstrate how critical it is for companies to be more strategic and focused on efforts such as providing internships and working in partnership with community colleges on workforce readiness initiatives to prepare new entrants before they enter the workplace,” says Donna Klein, Executive Chair, Corporate Voices for Working Families, which partnered with The Conference Board, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on the report and its underlying survey of U.S. employers.

“It is a losing strategy for employers to try to fill the workforce readiness gap on the job. They need to be involved much sooner to prepare new employees to succeed,” Klein said.

The report published today, The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training, draws from a survey of 217 employers about their training of newly hired graduates of high school and two- and four-year colleges. The survey, conducted during 2008, included employers in manufacturing; financial services; non-financial services; and education, government, and other non-profits.

Almost half of respondents said they have to provide readiness training for new hires – and the majority rate their programs as only “moderately” or “somewhat successful.”

“U.S. business is increasingly outspoken about the competitiveness threat posed by an ill-prepared workforce – but employers must do a better job of quantifying this threat and communicating it to key stakeholders,” says Mary Wright, Program Director, Workforce Readiness Initiative, The Conference Board.

“It doesn’t make any difference if you’re operating a business in Mumbai, Beijing or New York – the number one challenge facing every organization is finding and growing skilled talent,” said SHRM CEO and President Laurence O’Neil. “HR professionals are helping bridge the gap, finding ways to give employees the skills they need to add value and to be more valued.  This isn’t just an HR challenge, but a bottom-line global business problem.”

“In any economy, having a knowledgeable, skilled workforce is critical for organizations to grow and be successful,” said Tony Bingham, ASTD President and CEO. “As the skills gap widens among new entrants to the workforce, it’s clear that all stakeholders – employers, education, and the public workforce system – must collaborate to effectively prepare workers to be successful on the job.”

The report, which includes five case studies of successful workforce readiness programs run by Bank of America and Year Up, CVS Caremark and TJX Companies, Harper Industries, Northrop Grumman, and YUM! Brands, finds that:

• Many companies say new hires lack crucial critical-thinking and creativity skills – but don’t offer related training.

• Employers’ inability to detail their spending on remedial programs makes it impossible to assess the true costs of an ill-prepared workforce to their own – or the economy’s – bottom line.

• Employers with successful workforce readiness training incorporate:

o A culture committed to training and thorough job-readiness screening.

o Strategic partnerships with local colleges, and a focus on integrating training with job-specific skills and career development.

o Constantly re-evaluation to align training with company needs.

• Employers should:

o Track the cost and quality of training programs.

o Help focus philanthropic dollars and public-policy discussions on the need to link K-12, technical-school and college education to the workforce readiness skills that employers need.

The Ill-Prepared U.S. Workforce: Exploring the Challenges of Employer-Provided Workforce Readiness Training is available on the Corporate Voices for Working Families Web site.

Corporate Voices: Creating Opportunities for Low-Wage Workers

John Wilcox, Vice President of Operations with Corporate Voices for Working Families, participated in a panel discussion Wednesday, July 8, that examined research findings and current issues involving low-wage workers and flexible work arrangements (FWAs).

The New America Foundation’s Workforce and Family Program and Workplace Flexibility 2010 of Georgetown University Law Center hosted the discussion.

Here’s a link to more specific information about the discussion — as well as a video of the remarks as the panelists “presented the latest research on scheduling challenges faced by low-wage workers, highlighted common sense solutions that have been implemented by businesses and discussed how public policy can enhance access to FWAs for low-wage workers.”

Corporate Voices and Dependent Care Spending Accounts

Corporate Voices for Working Families has been taking a leading role in advocating for enhancements to dependent care spending accounts.

Here’s an excellent overview of the issue — and the bipartisan effort under way now to increase the current spending and benefit limits — by Sue Shellenbarger in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com) titled “Dependent Care Spending Accounts: Do They Work For You?”

The WSJ blog post includes the perspective provided by Allison Tomei of Corporate Voices that “since 1986, inflation has slashed the value of the tax break nearly in half.”