Corporate Voices for Working Families

On May 19, David Gray of the New America Foundation wrote an interesting article in the Huffington Post about the importance of having women, notably mothers, on the Supreme Court and in public office. In the article titled, “Promoting Work-Life Balance in the Public Square,” he cited the Washington Post and Daily Beast articles arguing that having mothers on the Supreme Court would help that institution understand the needs of families and the importance of work-life balance.

Gray points to Congresswomen and officials that have supported laws and policies that help families find balance because they had the unique perspective of being working mothers themselves, such as Senator Blanche Lincoln and former U.S. Department of Labor chief economist and labor market columnist Diana Furtchgott.

The critical factor Gray attributes to the success of women such as these is workplace flexibility.

One might wonder how these conservative women manage to have large families, be so successful in the workplace, and how their experiences shape their views on work life balance policy.
My sense is that the answer to a large degree lies in flexibility. Workplace flexibility has potential to allow women, and men, to be successful parents and employees.

Corporate Voices believes that workplace flexibility is an essential management and retention tool that enables workers to meet the demands of their work, while also meeting family obligations. And while flexibility benefits women hugely, it is not only an issue for women or families. It is an issue for fathers caring for children or the elderly, for single women with children, and for young people managing both work and school.

According to a recent report published by the Council of Economic Advisers, less than one-third of American full-time workers report having flexible schedules.  Workplace flexibility and work-life balance is still a long way from being the cultural norm in the workplace, however there is movement toward this. “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything” was published last October which focused on the implications of women being a significant part of the labor force. And on March 31, 2010, the President and Firs Lady held a White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility, hearing from employers, experts, and labor groups on the various models of flexibility being used across the country.

Corporate Voices’ partner companies are best practice businesses that recognize the potential that workplace flexibility holds for business competitiveness. Throughout the course of the year, Corporate Voices will lead a flexibility campaign to engage the business community to expand smart practices and workplace flexibility for all workers across the country. With the support of businesses large and small across America, we can keep the momentum for flexibility and for policies that help working families moving forward. Having good examples of working mothers and others in public office that use flexible work options to help manage their lives wouldn’t hurt, either.

In a recent study published today by the UK mental health charity Mind, 26 percent of workers surveyed said they felt anxiety and dread the day before they were supposed to go back to work or after a weekend off, as reported in The Observer.

Nicknamed the “Sunday Blues,” these pressures are mainly attributed to the economic climate, and include irregular sleep patterns, high rates of illness and reports of extensive low morale.

From the article:

High rates of unpaid overtime were recorded, and almost all the people questioned were unhappy with their work-life balances. Tough times in the workplace, where people are living with the constant fear of redundancy and often taking on extra duties because of a recession-reduced workforce and companies downsizing, could mean years of uncertainty for workers.

Mind, which commissioned the study in part to encourage employers to improve working conditions for employees, wants companies to make supporting employees a priority. The percentage of those reporting leaving a job due to stress rose from 6 percent in 2004 to 8 percent in 2009, and those who say they lack support from their managers increased from 8 to 11 percent.

Mind’s chief executive, Paul Farmer, said:

Considering how much time we spend at work, it is hardly surprising it can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing. Working conditions have been incredibly tough and the emotional fallout of the recession doesn’t just center on people who have lost their jobs, but on people who are struggling to cope with the extra demands of working harder, longer hours and under more pressure as their employers battle for survival.

Corporate Voices for Working Families believes that a good work-life balance is critically important. Not only is it important for workers and families, but having policies that encourage employee loyalty and engagement make good business sense—it contributes to lower turnover, higher productivity, and better products and services.

To that end, Corporate Voices published a guide for workplace flexibility policies targeted for both  and employees. The guide helps managers understand the business benefits of workplace flexibility, and how to create a sustainable program. Workplace flexibility policies help workers juggling many work and life obligations be able to better manage them without sacrificing the quality of their work.

Please feel free to use our toolkits, guides and resources on workplace flexibility!

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes a new tax credit for companies that hire disconnected young adults.  Your company may now enjoy a substantial tax credit while at the same time accessing a new talent pool and providing a young adult with an on-ramp to the workforce.

The stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law last year, added “Disconnected Youth” as a new category under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), amending Paragraph (1) section 51(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.   The IRS has released guidance explaining the new category.

Companies can save up to $2400 for each qualifying employee, so this can add up to significant savings depending on how many qualified young adults are hired.

To help companies take advantage of the tax credit, Corporate Voices has developed a guide to the Disconnected Youth Tax Credit that provides an overview as well as links to resources and other information.