Flexibility for Fathers

David Gray — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:14:00 -0400

On Father’s Day, dads across the nation will be struggling to succeed both at work and as husbands and parents. It used to be that work life balance issues were considered primarily challenges for women. Not any more. In 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce, Ellen Galinsky, Kerstin Aumann and James T. Bond revealed that almost 59% of fathers in dual earner couples report experiencing “some or a lot of conflict today,” compared to only 45% of women in dual earner couples. Far from being just a women’s issue, work life balance is a fathers issue as well.

While the needs of families has changed, but the structure of work has not. What fathers need now is workplace flexibility, flexibility in the way the work so that they can be successful in meeting both their work and family obligations.

The spring, the group Workplace Flexibility 2010 (WF2010) launched a series of recommendations to help Americans better balance their work and lives. WF2010 pulled together top experts and advocates from the business, labor and academic communities from both sides of the aisle and they agreed that flexible work arrangements (FWA) were important to helping fathers, and all Americans, balance their lives. FWAs include “changes in the time and/or place of work in a way that is manageable for both employers and employees.” Changes such as the scheduling, hours and place of work through telework, phased retirement, part-time or flexible work or compressed work weeks. This would help fathers.

Many companies, like IKEA, and many government entities, such as the city of Houston, are providing FWAs, but WF2010 and its advisory group found that there is a role for thoughtful public policy to help strengthen workplace flexibility in America. Some of the many important points include:

The Fair Labor Standards Act could be changed to allow workers to work up to 50 hours in a current week (up to 80 hours in a two week period). Some hourly working might prefer to work 50 hours one week and only 30 the next in order to spend more time with their family.

The federal Department of Labor should help clarify that creative examples of workplace flexibility are already available under current law. Some employers are reluctant to offer flexible work arrangements because they have misperceptions of the law - such as believing that “hourly workers cannot work compressed workweeks of 10 hour days without incurring an overtime liability for the employer.”

Telework, where employees are able to use technology to replace much of their daily commute and gain flexibility in the place and hours of work, should be expanded. Telework can cut commute times, decrease pollution, reduce demand for gas, aid people with disabilities and help support businesses in case of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. However, as WF2010 notes, only around 15% of employees telework every one day a week. Congress is reauthorizing the national transportation bill that pays for reconstructing roads and should mandate that when a road is ripped up and repaired that fiber optic cable be added. The cost of adding fiber optic cable is small when compared to the cost of reconstructing the cement and would help create universal broadband access to support telework. Funding from the stimulus package should be used to create new telework centers. Tax incentives should be available for companies and employees who purchase equipment needed for telework. There are some states in which double taxation exists for teleworkers. The federal government could clarify and possibly preempt state law by requiring that income be eligible for taxation by only one jurisdiction.

Many older workers who have seen their retirement savings slashed by the recent economic crisis, have a desire to continue to work but want to do so in a more flexible way. Today, federal law requires that many workers cannot “receive distributions from their defined benefit plans until they have completely severed any work relationship with their employer.” This should be changed so that older workers can continue to work part time or reduced hours while beginning to draw down some of their retirement savings.

WF2010’s policy platform provides many other insightful recommendations that government and business should pursue to help fathers and all Americans better balance their work and families lives. Ultimately, fathers will have to make decisions that prioritize balance for themselves and their families. Yet, thoughtful and creative public policies have a role. Those who care about fathers and their families should pay attention.

Father's Day

Flexibility for Fathers