Lower-Wage Workers and Flexible Work Arrangements

Workers at all levels within an organization have the need to manage their work and personal/family responsibilities. Much of the past research on workplace flexibility has focused on managerial or professional positions, and thus, higher-wage jobs and workers with higher incomes. But more recently, researchers have begun to investigate the particular challenges of workplace flexibility for workers who do not fit this mold -- specifically, workers who are hourly, receive a lowerwage, or who live in lower-income families. Regardless of how they are defined, workers at the lower end of the wage and income spectrum have some unique workplace flexibility challenges, largely driven by the nature of the jobs within the lower-wage labor market, but also driven by the personal characteristics of the workers themselves. This paper examines lower-wage workers and their need for one specific kind of workplace flexibility -- flexible work arrangements (FWAs). Flexible work arrangements alter the time and/or place that work is conducted on a regular basis -- in a manner that is as manageable and predictable as possible for both employees and employers. FWAs provide flexibility in the scheduling of hours worked, in the amount of hours worked, and in the place of work. This paper first provides a general description of lower-wage workers and lays out different definitions that have been used to describe this segment of the workforce. Using the limited data available, we then provide a summary of findings that outline the reasons lower-wage workers need FWAs, the types of FWAs to which lower-wage workers have access, and the benefits and challenges of providing FWAs to workers in lower-wage jobs

The Business Case For Flexible Work Arrangements

The business case for flexibility aims to outline the documented positive effects on businesses when they provide their workers with options to work less or to have more discretion over when, where and how their work is done. This brief fact sheet lists some of the key findings from research on the business case for flexible work arrangements

Short Term Time Off: What We Know

Short Term Time Off (STO) refers to job-protected time away from the workplace to address anticipated or unexpected needs of limited duration. STO may be scheduled or unscheduled, depending on the underlying need. STO enables workers to address both the routine and emergency situations that occur in everyday life. The need for STO may arise, for example, because a worker or worker’s child is sick or has a routine doctor’s appointment, because a worker has to wait for the plumber or apply for public benefits or go to court, or because a worker needs to attend a school conference or a religious event or finish a term paper. While all workers will need STO at some point, the need for STO is compounded by the changing demographics of our nation’s workforce

A Comparison of Men’s and Women’s Access to and Use of FWAs

This fact sheet contains information about men\u27s and women\u27s access to and use of certain types of flexible work arrangements (FWAs). The data also includes information about men\u27s and women\u27s attitudes and preferences concerning flexibility. The data suggests far more similarities than differences in men\u27s and women\u27s access to and use of these FWAs

Government Incentives to Change Employer Behavior

Through various incentive mechanisms, the U.S. government has sought to shape and change the ways in which American businesses operate in a wide range of industries. This fact sheet discuss a few examples of the ways the government can incentivize employer behavior through recognition and awards programs, and through government financing

Sources for Statistical Data on Flexible Work Arrangements

From the Department of Labor, the best survey for flexibility data comes from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of 60,000 households that provides data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, and persons not in the labor force. The benefit of the CPS is that it is large, reliable, and the sample is carefully weighted to provide nationally representative estimates. It also has a significant amount of other data, including a large amount of information on employee characteristics, occupation and industry classifications, and work schedules. The drawbacks however, are that the questions on flexibility are limited in number and scope -- providing data that answers only a few of the questions on workers’ access to and use of flexible work arrangements. The use of work schedule data is particularly problematic because it is often unclear whether the schedule is directed by the worker, the employer, or a combination of both. This fact sheet provides information about several studies from nongovernmental sources that also provide useful information about flexible work arrangements

Memo on the Impact of the United Kingdom\u27s Flexible Working Act

Since taking effect in 2003, the United Kingdom’s Flexible Working Act has granted parents with children under the age of 6, or with disabled children under the age of 18, the right to request flexible working arrangements from their employers if they have been employed for at least 6 months. This legislation’s provisions were expanded to include employees with adult caregiving responsibilities beginning in 2007, and the government is in the process of planning formal public consultations to extend the law further to include parents of older children.i The law was enacted following a process of consultation with employees and employers about the need for flexibility in the workplace. It grew out of a set of recommended policy solutions, as a first step in addressing flexibility with the intent to gradually expand the law to cover additional workers

Exploring Policy Models For Extended Time Off

Whether it’s a personal health condition, the birth of a new child, or the need to address a serious health issue of an aging parent, many, if not most workers, find that at certain points in their lives, they will need an extended amount of time off from work. We refer to this as Extended Time Off (EXTO). In addition, there is a growing body of research that outlines the potential benefits of paid time off for workers, their families (and in particular children), as well as some research suggesting a benefit to employers providing paid EXTO. While the U.S. provides 12 weeks of job protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to some workers, this time off from work goes largely unpaid for most workers

Family Security: Supporting Parents' Employment and Children's Development

Offers a policy framework combining support for full-time work with children's well-being and developmental needs: stability, health, nurturing, and activity. Calls for access to quality child care, parental leave time, and comprehensive family services

Employers' Perspectives on San Francisco's Paid Sick Leave Policy

Based on a survey, examines how employers implemented San Francisco's 2007 ordinance mandating paid sick leave and how the businesses were affected. Discusses the costs and benefits of paid sick leave, employers' concerns, and long-term implications