Greetings,
Did you know that the United States is 1 of 5 countries out of 173 in a Harvard study that does not provide some form of paid maternity leave? If you are wondering what the other countries are, they are Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea. This lack of a family-friendly work environment is having a huge impact on our workforce. A recent report on Workforce Flexibility from Georgetown University found:
- By 2000, 60% of married couples had both spouses working compared to 36% in 1970.
- Parents are now spending 22 fewer hours a week with their children since 1970.
- Couples with children work a total average of 91 hours per week.
- 80% of employees would like the option of flex-time and would use it if there were no consequences for their job security.
- 89% of the wage and salary workforce do not work any hours from home; 43% would like to be able to.
- 20% of full-time employees would prefer to work part-time.
- 70% couldn't afford to do so
- 44% wouldn't be allowed to do so by their employers
- Studies have shown that flex-time reduces the amount of work-family conflict for employees with 29% of employees with flextime and 44% without it reporting conflict.
It's a win-win situation. Recent surveys by human resource professionals indicate that flexible work arrangements are effective as a part of work-life programs. Sixty-three percent of workers report being absent less often as a result of family friendly programs at their jobs. Employees report higher levels of satisfaction and commitment to their jobs, and employers report recruiting advantages and higher retention of employees. |
