Getting on the Flexibility Train
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GoogleExciting news from the US House of Representatives: a bill has been introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy and Representative Carolyn Maloney that mirrors flexibility laws in place in several European countries. The bill, called the Working Family Flexibility Act, would give many working Americans the right to request flexible work schedules (meaning a change in work hours, schedule or location) to balance work and family. Co-sponsors include Senators Dodd, Clinton, Obama, and Congressman George Miller.
What's the big deal? Can't people already ask for flexibility? Can't we ask our bosses for free ice cream or a relocation to Hawaii in this country of free speech? If the bill only 'allows' us to ask, what good is it? Well, it might actually be fantastic. Similar law in Britain has been a smashing success by most measures, with about 90% of employees' requests receiving a 'yes' from their employers. Per British law, employers must seriously consider every request and be able to demonstrate hardship for every denied request. The law was enacted in 2003, and so far businesses report that hardship has been minimal.
So, we're thrilled to see a similar bill even considered in our own government. Yes, it is only the very beginning of a legislative process that could bury or destroy it before any law is passed, but it is the right first step.
Let's join in a round of applause for the Working Family Flexibility Act!
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Creating our own supportive Network
I am new to this site and I hope that I am not overstepping my boundries by advertising my business here...if I am, please accept my sincere apologies. I only want to talk about a new project that I am working on that deals so much with this issue.
I am a SAHM who was recently laid off after returning to work from maternity leave with my family as my new top priority. I suppose I really can't blame my boss for being so unhappy for me...I have to believe that no matter how I tried to put on my best act, it was obvious that I was resentful of being there when I really wanted to get my son out of that terrible daycare and home with me. Anyway, once home, I took advantage of my small severance and fell in love with the SAHM lifestyle. My son flourished and my husband also loved the happy change in all of us. Since then, I have grown very passionate about a significant issue: Parents who would like to stay home and raise their children, but simply can not afford to do so. This is a difficult situation that many parents are faced with because all too often there is little or no choice.
Mothers and Fathers want to have the opportunity to play a role in their children’s daily development but often struggle financially on one income. They have no choice but to find inexpensive daycare because staying at home is not an option.
As a result, I have partnered with another mother and good friend, Kelli. Together we have created www.ourmilkmoney.com. (the site is not up and running yet). We are passionate about giving parents a choice. Our site is a national online directory of home- based businesses run by stay at home parents. It is also a community resource dedicated to helping parents who want to stay at home find financial opportunities and support. Our aim is to give parents a choice and to educate consumers on the value of buying from a stay at home parent.
We want to encourage consumers to make a conscious choice on what products they buy and the economy they’ll be supporting when they make their every day purchases.
I may have stars in my eyes about my idea, but at this point, I think it's worth a try. I really believe if we commit to helping one another we can create a support system that will make staying at home easier for all of us.
If you are interested in being involved, want more information, or run a home based business, please contact us at info@ourmilkmoney.com
Again, I am sorry if I imposed on this blog. It just seemed appropriate to the issue at hand.
Flexible work hours
It would be so wonderful if more companies considered the option of flexible work hours and working from home. I recently had my second child and had intended to move down to part time work. However while on maternitiy leave I was offered a promotion after 2 1/2 years of needing a change and we were really excited. I was able to change my hours but still required to put in >40 hours at work not from home. I continue to struggle to manage with a 5 month & 4 year old, it would be great if our govt would support families by stressing how important it is for parents to be more active with their families. Not just after work but during the day, taking our kids on school trips being able to drop off kids at preschool without being hasselled about it. Let alone the troubles with finding a decent daycare that accepts infants.
I only hope the govt continues to move in the right direction and realizes that what kids need are their parents to be more active in their lives, not working more hours!
wishing this country was different
Two years ago, while on maternity leave I received a phone call from management to say that there had been a staff realignment and I would be reporting to a new manager - a man. I was mortified. My former manager was a single mother, who had made it through her first year by bringing in her baby to work with her, and working from home when needed. Before leaving for maternity leave, she let me know that the new baby would not be a problem. She didnt mind if I brought the baby to work, or worked from home when needed.
The new manager -- well, he was different. For starters, he didnt have any kids. He was also a staunch conservative republican, and known to be an old school chauvanist. Before I came back from leave, he asked me to meet him for lunch to have a "talk". I was very clear that he wanted to know if I was going to stay on the job. He said it was going to be his way, or the highway, and that I did have an opportunity to grow if I stayed with him. I explained to him that I had daycare lined up for Mon - Thursdays, but that on Fridays it was up to my husband and I to care for the baby. He seemed, at the time, ok with it.
When I returned to work, I soon realized that things were going to change. The friendly flexibile workplace that I had grown to love was no longer there. I was stressed trying to handle my work responsiblities on almost no sleep and trying my best to adjust to the new, as he put it, "Sheriff in town".
One friday, I came into work and was told by several colleagues that he was looking for me. I was puzzled. I had worked from home on that morning, yes with baby, and was back at the office with the baby. I went to his office and sat down to see what he had to say. He ignored my son - didn't even look at him. How could you not acknowledge this beautiful child? Take interest in your employee's in the most basic way? Anyhow, he looked straight at me and said, the next time you want to take time off, you need to get approval from me first. By "time off" he meant working from home with my baby. Of course, he assumed that I was really taking time off not working. I felt like a was hit by a truck. I had given my all to this employer, worked over 50 hours a week, worked weekends, worked during maternity leave, took over a new department which meant I had the job of two people - and did so with pride. I enjoyed my work. Time off???? Well, I went back to my office, put the baby in his stroller, typed up a resignation letter and took it to HR. Yes, impulsive. Now THAT was a mistkae on my part, which I attriubte to post-partum craziness. What was I thinking quitting a job with a brand new baby? I still look back and wonder what I could have done differently, and I guess the answer is suck it up. I could still be there, i suppose sucking it up.
I think we need legislation to protect parents and to encourage family friendly work environment, but I also feel that we as a society need to embrace and value families. There is so much talk about so called "family values". What the heck does that mean, when it seems we dont really care about families?
"we" do care bottom line does not
Productivity affects the bottom line. That a given. Most women could make a case for their contributions to the bottom line. It's called adding value to the company.
Men and the bottom line are virtually synonyms. We women are the majority of the adult population. We can turn this around.
How many who have written are willing to takea cut in their dividends? 401K returns? Increase in the cost of every consumer item on the market? Increase your taxes? We have to pony up. There is no free lunch. We have to deal with reality.
The reality is men do not care. We have to put our shoulders to the plow and do it ourselves said the little red hen. Look for women on every ballot for every election. Get a sitter or take the kids with you to your primary convention. But go and introduce your resolutions. These become party platform planks. Party planks become Bills. Bills become laws. It takes a collective effort get things changed. It starts with you in your voting precinct.
If x is the number of kids
If x is the number of kids in the us and y% of parents work out side of the home, then how does z add up????
It's great to see so many
It's great to see so many presidential front-runners getting behind this. Maybe that's evidence that our politicians are finally wising up to the work/life law gap that exists between us and the rest of the industrialized world.
My fiancee and I plan to have a family, and we both plan to work full time. Right now we're researching emigrating to Canada (and taking our advanced degrees with us), because we think the sorry state of laws protecting working families in the U.S. will make our situation untenable. We really hope things change so that we can stay!
Do it, Andy!
Hi Andy,
My husband and I work full time in professional jobs and we have two young children. I have a master's from Berkeley, and my husband has a BA. We are senior in our fields. I would strongly advise against trying to raise children and work in the US. If you have the chance to go to a more sane place, where life will be better for you and your children, do it, and do it now while you can. Don't wait until you have children. Believe me, it's a lot harder here than it looks. And the healthcare situation is outrageous. Like I said, we are both senior professionals, and as of Nov.1, we of all people are now "underinsured," and battling our so-called "insurance" plan for every single shred of healthcare for the kids. It's not just the lack of family friendly policies in the law - it's the whole thing - the healthcare mess, the outrageous cost of education, the difficulty of finding decent childcare and decent schools, the mentality of employers, the tax code, the discrimination built into social security. Everything in this country is oriented toward somebody at the top of some institution making a fortune, usually at the expense of our children and their mothers. Run now, while you still can. Look at the data on maternal and child outcomes in the U.S. compared to other countries. Gather all the stats you can - there's no denying the U.S. is not a good place to raise your kids compared to many other countries. If we could leave, we would.
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