Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility

[Excerpt] American society has changed dramatically over the past half century. Women have entered the labor force in growing numbers and families have increasingly relied on more than one earner to make ends meet. And yet, children still need to be taken to the doctor and elderly parents still need care. Moreover, more adults older than 25 are attending school. Because these changes have caused many workers to face conflicts between their work and their personal lives, they also inspire a need and desire for more flexibility in the workplace. Flexible workplace arrangements can be in terms of when one works, where one works, or how much one works (including time off after childbirth or other life events). They include a variety of arrangements such as job sharing, phased retirement of older workers, and telecommuting, that allow workers to continue making productive contributions to the workforce while also attending to family and other responsibilities. This report presents an economic perspective on flexible workplace policies and practices. The first section reports some of the changes in the U.S. workforce that have increased the need for flexibility in the workplace. • Women comprise nearly one-half of the labor force; in nearly one-half of households all adults are working. • In 2008, approximately 43.5 million Americans served as unpaid caregivers to a family member over the age of 50. Nearly one-fifth of employed people were caregivers who provided care to a person over age 50. • The increasing demand for analytical and interactive skills—those largely obtained through post-secondary education—means it is all the more important and common for individuals to pursue additional education while also working. The second section examines the current state of flexible work arrangements and reports that many employers have adapted to the changing realities of American workers. • Overall, over one-half of employers report allowing at least some workers to periodically change their starting and quitting times. However, less than one-third of full-time workers report having flexible work hours, and only 39 percent of part-time workers do. This discrepancy between the employer and employee reports may be due to differences in data collection or because more employers would be willing to accommodate the needs of individual workers but these workers are not aware of it. • Less-skilled workers have less workplace flexibility in terms of the scheduling of when they work than do more highly-skilled workers. • Flexibility in where to work is less common: only about 15 percent of workers report working from home at least once per week. • Finally, most employers offer at least some workers the ability to return to work gradually after a major life event such as the birth or adoption of a child, although job sharing appears less widespread. The report concludes with a discussion of the economic benefits of workplace flexibility arrangements. • Almost one-third of firms cite costs or limited funds as obstacles to implementing workplace flexibility arrangements. However, the benefits of adopting such management practices can outweigh the costs by reducing absenteeism, lowering turnover, improving the health of workers, and increasing productivity. • The costs and benefits of adopting flexible arrangements differ across industries and employers of different sizes. • Because many employers may not have accurate information about the costs and benefits of workplace flexibility practices and because some of the benefits may extend beyond the individual employer and its workers, wider adoption of such policies and practices may well have benefits to more firms and workers, and for the U.S. economy as a whole. • A factor hindering a deeper understanding of the benefits and costs of flexibility is a lack of data on the prevalence of workplace flexibility arrangements, and more research is needed on the mechanisms through which flexibility influences workers’ job satisfaction and firm profits to help policy makers and managers alike

Memorandum for the National Security Council

Report on Stockpile Criteria

The National Environmental Policy Act: A Study of Its Effectiveness After Twenty-five Years

This report provides a detailed perspective on how the National Environmental Policy Act has affected federal agency decision making. The report summarizes how the Act has been implemented, how federal agency performance aligns with the intent of NEPA's framers, reactions from the public, NEPA stakeholders, and federal decision makers, and future challenges with ensuring the Act's continued effectiveness

Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact Nomination Guidelines

The Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact is given annually to an individual or group at the University of Maine who exceeds expectations, contributes positively to the University community and makes an extraordinary impact through their efforts. The spirit of the award is to acknowledge outstanding contributions by those who continuously go above and beyond, and exemplify dedication to making a real difference. UMaine faculty and staff (full-time and part-time) are eligible for this award. The Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact acknowledges and celebrates that our university community members have diverse roles across all vectors that contribute to the fabric of our institution, the quality of student, employee, and external stakeholder experience. Extraordinary Impact is broadly defined. However, this definition is meant to include contributions that advance the effectiveness of or contributes to the impact and mission of the University even if it does not require the discipline-specific expertise of the nominee

First-Year Student Success Initiative webpage

Student success is central to UMaine\u27s mission, values, reputation and fiscal health. The first year of a student\u27s academic experience has a particularly significant impact on their academic success or failure. A variety of factors contribute to students\u27 success (or failure) in their first year. Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year the Divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Life collaborated on the development of plans to optimize the first-year student experience. On September 27, 2018, Provost Hecker led an Academic Affairs Faculty Forum at which he shared background data and analyses related to student success and failure as well as a proposal for how UMaine administrators, faculty, and staff can work together to create a comprehensive first year student success plan. On May 15, 2019, key findings and recommendations from teams assigned to work on various aspects of the plan were shared at a Faculty Forum. This webpage capture shows how information about the Student Success Initiative was disseminated to the University community and public at-large

University of Maine Academic Affairs Annual Report 2019

The 2019 Academic Affairs Annual Report is organized around the three strategic values identified through the strategic planning process: Fostering Learner Success; Discovering and Innovating; and Growing and Expanding Partnerships. As in previous reports, what appears in the following pages is not a comprehensive list of accomplishments. Rather it is a summarizing and sampling of the work carried out across campus, throughout the state and, indeed, around the world by UMaine’s talented faculty, staff and students

Advancing Economic Development Through Commercialization

President Hunter charged Provost Hecker with convening a group to undertake a process of examining UMaine’s policies, processes and structures as they relate to commercializing research, with the goal of modernizing our approach and moving to an enhanced level of leadership in this area. Provost Hecker convened the Commercialization Working Group to carry out the President’s charge and guided the group through a yearlong process of discovery focused on four areas: 1.) IP Portfolio Review: External assessment of a portion of UMaine’s intellectual property (IP) assets so that action plans to advance those without a clear path to commercialization could be developed, and to evaluate the process and services available for external evaluation and marketing. 2.) Research Foundation or Other Structure: Given UMaine’s current structures, resources and opportunities, would the development of an independent entity such as a research foundation facilitate the commercialization? 3.) Experience of Partners: What are the current perceptions and experiences of university faculty vis-à-vis commercialization? What are the perceptions and experiences of recent industry partners and potential future partners? 4.) Best Practices: What can be learned from the experiences of other universities and experts in the field with respect to policies and procedures that support commercialization

Academic Affairs Annual Report 2018

In April 2018 we released Blue Sky Outcomes: Reaffirming Public Higher Education at Maine’s Flagship University, the report of our assessment of the Blue Sky Strategic Plan. I was honored to have led the UMaine community through this yearlong examination of what was accomplished, where we fell short, and how we changed as an institution over the five years during which the plan served as a guide. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to review the report. I suspect that, like me, you will be amazed at the myriad ways in which our institution advanced as we fulfilled our research, education and service missions. Preparing the 2018 Academic Affairs Annual Report, I was filled with that same sense of amazement