Bending Over for Your Work
Posted by ywmguest on October 27, 2009
Today’s guest blogger is Tal Schapira, BPW Foundation intern extraordinaire.
Studying in the Political Mecca of the United States has its advantages. I run
on the National Mall and see the Lincoln Memorial every morning. I often have to wait for a Presidential motorcade to pass as I walk to class. And, I can intern at BPW Foundation and get sent to Capitol Hill!
Last Friday morning, I attended a congressional briefing on the importance of FWAs. What are FWA’s you may ask? FWA = flexible work arrangements. FWAs include flexibility around schedule (10-6 instead of 9-5), hours worked (part-time, job sharing) and place of work (telecommuting). At the briefing, a panel of 12 representatives from business, senior, disability, women’s and work-family organizations all discussed why FWAs are important for the groups they represent. The diversity of the panel revealed the relevance of FWAs in the current job market and confirmed their positive effects on the workplace. Flexible work arrangements benefit everyone – employer and employee – because they recognizes that everyone has familial, personal, and unexpected responsibilities.
Society tends to move forward. We recognize the negative effects of ingrained practices and change accordingly. Why then, has the workplace remained stagnant in the face of an obviously changing workforce? Life expectancy has increased and people are willing and able to work past the retirement age. My dad is 50 and nowhere near retirement! At age 50, the minimum age for joining the AARP, a worker may have kids and older parents to care for and their school performances and medical appointments often happen during the traditional 40 hour, 9-5 work week. A flexible work schedule enables all employees to balance familial and work responsibilities and is necessary for all workers, not just parents.
Flexibility will help employers retain good workers and maintain workforce stability, while giving employees increased job satisfaction. Employees with health conditions, young children, older parents or long commutes may benefit from a compressed work week, predictable schedules, or telecommuting and other alternatives to the traditional 9-5. As we develop socially, economically and culturally, the need for flexible work arrangements is evident.
espressodog said
Sometimes predictability is the best kind of flexibility. Knowing your schedule more than a week in advance can help immensely when setting up child care and med appoints.
Workin’ Outside the Box or Cubicle « Young Women Misbehavin' said
[...] able to join before, due to physical disabilities or other reasons. Low-wage workers benefit from Flexible Work Arrangements that provide flexibility in the scheduling of hours worked, in the amount of hours worked, and in [...]