We just finished our first national study examining Americans’ attitudes on flexible work on the role of government in work/life issues. Here’s one key finding: both employers (63 percent) and workers (78 percent) support the Working Families Flexibility Act.
The act—whose sponsors include Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—would give every worker the right to request job flexibility and would require employers to respond to the request.
This kind of legislation is already in place in much of Europe including Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UK. Lessons learned: It didn’t create a new protected class of citizens and it didn’t open the floodgates with requests for flexible work. It simply encouraged more companies to develop win-win scenarios for themselves and their employees.
In this day and age, it often doesn’t matter when or where we work. It’s productivity and results that matter. Best Buy is reaping rewards with its results-only workplaces, and companies like Deloitte are saving millions in turnover costs.
S. 2419 has been referred to the Senate Committee of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Read the bill for yourself at WashingtonWatch.
