1 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

2 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)

3 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

4 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

5 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

6 Workplace Flexibility Background  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%

7 Demographics of U.S. Workforce ( )  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

8 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%)

9 An Effective Workplace Can Make a Difference  Flexibility – one component  Job Challenges & Learning  Autonomy  Work-Life Fit  Supervisor Task Support  Climate of Respect & Trust  Economic Security

10 Economic Security & Work-Life Fit Most Important Health & Wellbeing Outcomes Effective workplace dimensions significantly predicting health outcomes rank ordered by relative importance Source: FWI 2008 NSCW: (N=2,471 to 2,769).

11 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

12 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

13 Questions? Thank You!