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ODEP-Women’s Bureau Workplace

Flexibility Initiative

Disability Employment Initiatives’

Grantee Webinar

Carol Boyer

Policy Advisor

Office of Disability Employment Policy

U.S. Department of Labor

April 12, 2011

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Workplace Flexibility Definition WF pertains to a spectrum of work structures that alters the

time and/or place that work gets done on a regular basis

About how work gets done

21st Century response to a one-size-fits-all way of working

Can make companies more profitable and improve lives

“ . . . in today’s 21st century work force, nearly four out of five working Americans—across age, income, and stage in life—want more flexibility at work. But a flexibility gap exists: the demand for flexibility far exceeds its availability"

(Source: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Workplace, Work Force, and Working Families Program)

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Why Does WF Matter to DEI Grantees?

Older workers need to work longer to save for retirement

Many lower-wage workers have nonstandard work schedules & multiple jobs to make ends meet

More people with disabilities are working/not working but need a range of supports

Youth demand WF environments

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Women’s Bureau’s Workplace Flexibility Initiative

The WB and its National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility initiative directly support the Secretary of Labor’s strategic goal of assuring fair & high-quality work-life environments and the White House’s efforts to promote workplace flexibility

Promoting work-life balance, including flexible workplace polices, is one of the many ways the WB will improve working conditions & promote economic security for all working women

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ODEP-WB Workplace Flexibility Initiative

Collaboration between ODEP & DOL’s Women’s Bureau (WB) MOA signed 8/9/10

To expand and promote the use of flexible workplace strategies for people with complex situations

Workplace Flexibility Forum (1/24/11)

Roadmap of Recommendations

Electronic Toolkit Corporate Voices Logo

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Workplace FlexibilityBackground

Workplace Flexibility is a “business imperative” (Ellen Galinsky, Families & Work Inst. )

National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW)

Largest, most comprehensive, on-going study of the U.S. workforce and their lives on and off the job

Builds on DOL’s 1977 Quality of Employment Survey (QES)

Conducted by Families & Work Institute (1992, 1997, 2002 & 2008)

Sample comprises 2,769 wage & salaried employees

2008 response rate was 54.6%; Completion rate was 99.0%

Sample error is +/- 1%

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Demographics of U.S. Workforce (1977-2008)

More employees age 40+ – up from 39% in 1977 to 68% in 2008

More people of color – up from 12% in 1977 to 21% in 2008; among employees under age 29, percentage of people of color increased from 13% in 1977 to 39% in 2008

More dual-earner couples – up from 66% in 1977 to 79% in 2008

Almost equal numbers of women as men

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Employee Elder Care Statistics

Currently, nearly 1 in 5 employees provides care for a relative or in-law over age 65 (17%)

Within past 5 years, 42% of employees provided care

In next 5 years, 1 in 2 employees expects to provide care (49%)

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An Effective WorkplaceCan Make a Difference

Flexibility – one component Job Challenges & Learning Autonomy Work-Life Fit Supervisor Task Support Climate of Respect & Trust Economic Security

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Economic Security & Work-Life Fit Most Important Health &

Wellbeing OutcomesEffective workplace dimensions significantly predicting health outcomes rank ordered by relative importance

Source: FWI 2008 NSCW: (N=2,471 to 2,769).

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Implications of WF for People with Complex Situations

Reasonable Accommodations (RA) can be seen as “unfair” by nondisabled workers (Schur et al., 2005)

RA can help create WF

WF can increase the recruitment, retention & promotion of people with disabilities (Shartz et al., 2006)

WF does not always = RA & vice versa

WF often more available to white-collar workers, but much research on how WF scheduling can help hourly workers

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ODEP’s Workplace Flexibility/ Customized Employment (CE)

Resources

Universal Design approach to employment Innovative, evidence-based Workplace Flexibility

policy and practice—CE CE expands traditional WF around time and place

to include flexibility around job tasks CE offers a three-dimensional WF strategy of

time, place, and tasks

www.dol.gov/odep/FWA-CE/

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Questions?Thank You!