Social Security: Tool%20Kit%20PowerPoint%20Presentation%206-12-07

8/14/2019 Social Security: Tool%20Kit%20PowerPoint%20Presentation%206-12-07

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Flex-Options for Women


Creating 21st Century Workplace Flexibility

A Project of: The Women’s Bureau,

U.S. Department of Labor

Meeting:

Presenter:

Date:



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Flex-Options for Women Introducing Flex-Options for Women

The Flex-Options for Women (Flex-Options)initiative encourages employers to developworkplace flexibility practices.

Through a partnership with contractors andexperienced mentors, mentoring will be used toprovide tools to meet the unique needs of eachparticipating business.

Flex-Options will provide information and

experiences that foster further development of theprinciples of workplace flexibility.



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Flex-Options for Women What Is Flex-Options for Women?

This initiative focuses on:

Building national awareness of the benefits of flexible

workplace solutions

Encouraging employers to consider

work redesign and develop or expand flexible work

arrangements

Anticipated results:

Positive bottom line impact for business owners

Enhanced ability to manage work and life

responsibilities for employees



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Flex-Options for Women Why Flex-Options for Women?

Flex-Options for Women--

Promotes an environment that is responsive to the

demands and challenges of the 21st century workforce

Ensures opportunities for employees to achieve their

potential in the workplace



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Flex-Options for Women Flex-Options: Meeting the Need

Employers recognize their employees’ needs for flexible work schedules

Create a workplace culture from the ground-up



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Flex-Options for Women Active in 10 Regions

Flex-Options is carried out in all 10 regions

(Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta,

Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San

Francisco, and Seattle) to encourage 137employers to implement or enhance workplace

flexibility practices

Each region will recruit a minimum of 14 businessowner participants and 10 business mentors



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Flex-Options for Women Flex-Options Process

Bringing together employers with

business mentors who have

successfully implemented

workplace flexibility

Facilitating sharing of information

and best practices

Providing tools including Web site

resources, virtual presentations,

and local and national events



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Flex-Options for Women Business Mentor Qualifications

Business leader (e.g., operations manager,

human resources professional, customer service

supervisor, executive, etc.) at any size company,

in any industry

Embraces overall concept of mentoring

Experienced with successfully implementing at

least one type of flexible work arrangement

(flextime, compressed workweeks, part-time

work, job sharing, telecommuting, etc.)



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Flex-Options for Women Business Mentor Guidelines

Roles, responsibilities, expectations:

Complete mentor application

Encourage and provide guidance (by phone, e-mentoring, in

person) to employers interested in developing or enhancingworkplace flexibility

Attend at least one virtual presentation and one local networkingor informational event

Visit the Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. Web site (www.we-inc.org)

for program updates Give permission for your name and company’s name to be used

at Flex-Options events, on Web site, and in publicity materials

Provide feedback to Women’s Bureau to help evaluate program



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Flex-Options for Women WBO Participant Qualifications

Being a Business owner

Embraces overall concept of mentoring-- Mentoring

ranked as the #1 most beneficial assistance received

when starting a business (Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st

Century Conference, September 2003, Jacksonville, Florida)

Interested in developing at least one type of flexible work

arrangement (e.g., flextime, compressed workweek,

part-time work, job share, telecommuting, customizedemployment) or enhancing current workplace flexibility



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Flex-Options for Women Participant Guidelines

Roles, responsibilities, expectations:

Complete participant application

May seek guidance from mentors (by phone, e-mentoring, inperson) to develop or enhance at least one type of flexible work

arrangement Attend at least one virtual presentations and one local networking

or informational event

Visit the Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. Web site (www.we-inc.org)for project updates

Give permission for your name and your company’s name to beused at Flex-Options events, on Web site, and in publicitymaterials

Provide feedback Women’s Bureau to help evaluate program



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Flex-Options for Women Shifting Family Demographics

19%

14%5%

5%57%

No earners One earner, husband

One earner, wife Dual-earner

Other earner types

Only 19 percent of married couple families (with and without children) fit the

“traditional” model with a stay-at-home wife and breadwinner husband.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey , March 2005



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Flex-Options for Women Shifting Family Demographics

More dual-income married-couple families

Between 1990 and 2005, the number of dual-income

families increased by 38%, from 24 to 33 million

More single-parent families

Between 1990 and 2005, the number of single-parent

families increased by 28%, from 15 to 19 million

In 2005, 27% of all children lived in single-parent

families

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Populations Survey, March 1990, 2005



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Flex-Options for Women Shifting Labor Force Demographics

More women in the labor force

59% of women age 16 and over were in the labor

force in 2005 (up from 46% in 1975)

63% of women age 16 and over with children under

age 6 were in the labor force in 2005 (up from 39%

in 1975)

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment and Earnings, January 2007;Current Population Survey, March 1975 and 2005



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Flex-Options for Women Why Invest in Work-Life Programs?

Retention

Recruitment

Productivity Performance

Morale

Commitment

Job Satisfaction Attendance

Companies invest in work-life initiatives,including flexibility, to improve:



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Flex-Options for Women Flextime Defined

Workday start and end times areearlier or later than the workgroup’sstandard, yet the same number of hours per day is maintained

Common approaches:

Staggered hours

Core hours

Meal time flex Summer flex

Day-of-the-week flex

9 t o 5

7 t o 3



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Flex-Options for Women Flextime Advantages

Extends business hours

Allows for variable coverage during peak hours

or days Enables employees to commute outside of

rush hour

Improves efficiency if schedules matchemployees’ most productive hours



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Flex-Options for Women Compressed Workweeks Defined

Full-time options that compress the standard

workweek into fewer days

Common approaches: 4-day workweek

3-day workweek

4½-day workweek 9-day biweekly



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Flex-Options for Women Compressed Workweeks Advantages

Extends business hours

Improves productivity if some work can best be

accomplished during quieter times of the day Allows employees more days off

Decreases number of days employees commute

Enables employees to commute outside of

rush hour



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Flex-Options for Women Part-Time Work Defined

Working less than 35 hours per week

Common approaches:

80% of a full-time schedule (32 hours per week)

60% (24 hours per week)

50% (20 hours per week)



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Flex-Options for Women Part-Time Work Advantages

Retains employees who need time off to dealwith family or other personal needs

Enhances skill development by providing time

for continuing education

Allows gradual return to work after maternity or other leaves

Enables gradual transition to retirement

Expands labor pool (e.g., retirees, students,persons with disabilities)



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Flex-Options for Women Job Sharing Defined

Full-time position shared by two people, eachworking part-time hours (50% of a full-timeschedule) with prorated or full benefits

Common approaches:

Alternate weeks with eachworking one week on,one week off

Share workdays with eachworking 4 hours

Each works 2½ days a weekwith a Wednesday overlap



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Flex-Options for Women Job Sharing Advantages

Brings broader range of knowledge, skills,

abilities, and experience to a position

Enhances quality of work Provides cross-training and skill enhancement if

partners have significantly different experiences

Allows continuity of coverage even when onepartner is sick, on leave, or on vacation



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Flex-Options for Women Telecommuting Defined

Working from a remote locationone or more days a week

Common approaches:

Home office: designated office spaceat employee’s home

Satellite or neighborhood office: remote officeestablished by one or more employers typically in acommunity with a large concentration of employees

Hoteling: designated workspaces at a companylocation are reserved by employees who workremotely, but occasionally “come into the office”



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Flex-Options for Women Telecommuting Advantages

Offers alternative to relocation

Expands recruitment pool

Reduces office space and associated costs

Provides fewer workplace distractions

Allows work during “personal best time”

Accommodates employees with disabilities

Reduces pollution Decreases wear/tear on transportation infrastructure

Reduces or eliminates commute time

Decreases employee work-related spending



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Flex-Options for Women Other Forms of Flexibility

Personal flexibility

Personal days: Provide a fixed number of days per year that employees can take off with pay for personal

reasons Paid time off banks: Combine all paid time off in a

“bank” for employees to use for sick leave, vacations,emergencies, or other personal reasons

Leaves of absence: Provide extended paid or unpaidtime off for maternity, paternity, adoption, education,volunteer work, etc.



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Vacation flexibility

Vacation buying: Elect to purchase additional

vacation days during annual benefits enrollment

Vacation borrowing: Borrow vacation from the

following year

Vacation sharing: Donate vacation days to a bank for

employees who need additional paid time off due toillness or other work-life situations

Day-at-a-time vacation: Take vacation in one-day

increments



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Holiday flexibility

Floating holidays: Allow employees to voluntarily

work a company-identified holiday at straight pay in

exchange for another day off Emergency flexibility

Provide a fixed number of days per year that

employees can take off with pay for emergencies

(allow time to be taken in hourly increments)



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Shift flexibility

Trade shift with another employee

Drop a shift to another employee

Pick up a shift from another employee

Meeting-free flexibility

No meetings days: Select one day of the week when no

meetings are scheduled

Power hours: Designate one hour each day when no meetings

are scheduled and employees do not communicate with each

other (allows everyone some quiet time to work uninterrupted)



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Flex-Options for Women Interested?

Note: Add regional Women’s Bureau staff or contractor

contact information here.




Questions?

Documents

Social Security: Tool%20Kit%20PowerPoint%20Presentation%206-12-07