1Center or American Progress | Workplace Flexibility
Fact Sheet
Workplace Flexibility
Allowing Employees Some Leeway Is Good forBusinesses and the Economy
Sarah Jane Glynn and Joanna Venator August 16, 2012
Introduction
Mos Americans are working hard o pay heir bills and o ake care o heir amilies, yeoo many employers make i impossible o juggle hose work and amily obligaions. Tedanger o losing a job or missing a promoion because o illness, pregnancy, or akingcare o loved ones when working a companies ocused solely on he botom line leavesoo many moms and dads having o choose beween heir jobs and heir amilies. Abou hal o all workers on U.S. payrolls oday are women.
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Moreover, he major-iy o mohers, wheher married or single, work ouside he home, meaning ha inmos American amilies, all o he aduls work and here is no ull-ime say-a-homecaregiver.
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Tis is no jus a “women’s issue” since he changing naure o our amiliesimpacs men and women, aduls and children. Indeed, as our populaion coninues orapidly age, more and more workers are nding hemselves providing elder care o heiraging parens as well.
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While our workorce and amilies have changed dramaically, our naion’s labor sandardshave no been updaed in decades. Tere are sensible policies ha would assis amilies while simulaneously helping employers’ botom lines, bu boh employers and policymak-ers have been slow o recognize how undamenally our lives have changed and wha needso be done o make our workplace policies mach he way ha we live and work oday.In his series we ideniy ve issues acing workers oday:paid sick days ,paid amily
and medical leave , workplace exibiliy ,child care , and he wage gap. As our naion has
reached a pivoal momen in hisory, policymakers will have o decide wheher hey willake he necessary seps o suppor hardworking American amilies or wheher hey willconinue along wih he saus quo.Here are he key acs you need o know abou he imporance o workplace exibiliy.
2Center or American Progress | Workplace Flexibility
Workplace flexibility
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Inflexible and unpredictable schedules make it difficult for workers to balance their jobs with family and personal needs.
Almos 30 percen o all Americans repor hav-ing work schedules wih varied daily sar and sop imes, wih 10 percen reporingschedules ha ucuae so much ha hey canno predic a ypical weekly work sched-ule.4 Tis is paricularly rue or low- and middle-income amilies—nearly 70 perceno low-income workers canno change heir scheduled sar or sop ime i needed.5
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Only about half (55.9 percent) of workers can alter their schedule or the locationwhere they do their work should they need to.
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Te abiliy o uilize exible schedul-ing increases wih salary—higher paid workers have more opions han low-wage work-ers. And Lainos are he leas likely o have workplace exibiliy o any racial or ehnicgroup. For example, only 44.1 percen o Hispanic workers have he abiliy o adjus heir work schedules when hey need o, compared o 53.7 percen o whies, 47.9 percen o Arican Americans, and 57.6 percen o Asians. Te higher a worker’s earnings, he morelikely hey are o be able o aler he schedule or locaion o heir work. Te same paternholds rue or educaion—workers wih a college degree are nearly wice as likely o beable o change heir schedule han hose wih less han a high school degree.
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Predictable schedules can help workers provide or arrange for proper child and eldercare without paying for unnecessary care.
Ye companies ofen combine inexiblescheduling wih a “no aul” absence program, where workers receive poins or beinglae or skipping a shif, and can be red i hey garner enough poins. Tis sysem pus workers aced wih unoreseen emergencies—such as amily illness—a a disadvanage.
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Current workplace policies put an unfair burden on workers’ time.
Low-income workers in hourly posiions are ofen required o have “maximum availabiliy,” wherehey are able o be scheduled or more hours han hey will acually work, in order o be considered ull-ime workers. o be a ull-ime employee a Sarbucks, or example, workers mus be available o be scheduled or a shif or 70 percen o business hoursor 80 hours each week.
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Workers are spending more time at work today than they did a generation ago.
Teypical American middle-income amily worked an average o 11 more hours per week in 2009 han in 1979.
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Around 40 percen o proessional men work more han 50hours per week bu 80 percen o hese men repored waning shorer hours.
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Flexible workplaces are good for businesses and the economy.
Deloite’s oucheoshmasu, a proessional services consuling business, esimaed ha implemeningexible work arrangemens in 2003 resuled in savings o $41.5 million in reduced
3Center or American Progress | Workplace Flexibility
urnover coss or heir company.
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Flex programs in Germany, he Unied Kingdom,and Ausralia have no caused decreased pros or unme cusomer demand, accord-ing o a survey o employers who have implemened hese programs.
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Workplace flexibility programs allow employees to change their work schedules,work locations, or both—making it possible for them to balance their responsibili-ties at work with family care and other personal needs.
Tree-quarers o Americans believe ha employers should give workers more exibiliy in heir work scheduleand locaion.
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In spie o his overwhelming public suppor, he Working FamiliesFlexibiliy Ac—which is modeled on curren laws in Europe and Ausralia, wouldallow employees o reques exibiliy, and would ensure heir requess were consid-ered airly by heir employers—has no been voed on in he House o Represenaivesor he Senae since i was inroduced earlier his year.Te botom line: Workplace exibiliy is essenial o employers and employees and heiramilies alike or a sronger and more prosperous sociey and economy.
Sarah Jane Glynn is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress. Joanna Venator isan intern at the Center.
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Fact Sheet: Workplace Flexibility
Fact sheet by Sarah Jane Glynn and Joanna Venator explains the importance of workplace flexibility for businesses and the economy.
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