“Corporate cultures are not keeping pace with changing human systems.”
— Sir Ken Robinson, author of “Out of Our Minds.”
Over the past several years, many leaders within organizations have continued to criticize the stated preferences, wants and needs of the emerging workforce. The fact of the matter, however, is that the youngest members of our workforce do not have a lock on these preferences.
In June 2014, the Council of Economic Advisers (in the Executive Office of the President of the United States) released a report in which it laid out “nine important facts about American families and work which together illustrate the changes that are needed to ensure our long-term economic growth, maintain our economic competitiveness, improve the well-being of Americans, and make full use of all of America’s talent.”
The report states, “Most workers have caregiving responsibilities for others – children, elderly parents, aunts, uncles, spouses, or adult children with disabilities, including returning veterans. Trying to balance breadwinning and caregiving responsibilities without the support of work-family policies designed to help families navigate these complexities is leaving too many families stressed, exhausted, and burdened by work-family conflict.”
Companies that adopt family-friendly policies are better able to attract and retain talent.
Let’s take a quick look at the nine facts. I will add additional comments (directly from the report) for only a handful of these facts. You can read the full report at: http://1.usa.gov/1m2eoin.
Fact 1: Mothers are increasingly the household breadwinners.
Fact 2: Fathers are increasingly family caregivers.
Fact 3: Women make up nearly half of today’s labor force.
Fact 4: Women are increasingly among our most skilled workers, attaining the majority of college degrees and deepening their work experiences.
Fact 5: Most children live in households where all parents work.
“Parents must be able to handle the occasional call from their childcare provider telling them that they have a child too sick to stay in school or who needs to see a physician,” the government report states. “Without workplace flexibility and a supportive work environment, it can be difficult for parents to handle unexpected childcare needs. Almost one-quarter of adults report that they have lost a job or were threatened with job loss for an absence due to illness or having to care for a sick child or relative.”
Fact 6: Caregiving doesn’t end when the children are grown: eldercare is a growing responsibility of workers.
Fact 7: Men and women alike face challenges as they try to balance work and family.
“Increasingly, both men and women report that work interferes with family – not the other way around,” the report states.
Fact 8: Many workplaces have not kept up with the needs of 21st Century workers and families.
“Nine in ten Americans believe employers should offer workers flexibility to meet their families’ needs, so long as their work gets done,” the report states. “Over half of workers feel they could do their job better if they were allowed a more flexible schedule. Nearly half of parents say they have chosen to pass up a job they felt would conflict with family obligations.”
Fact 9: Providing workplace flexibility and paid leave strengthens families, businesses and our economy.
“With men and women increasingly sharing breadwinning and caregiving responsibilities, today’s working families need a modern workplace – one with workplace flexibility, paid leave and quality child and eldercare,” the report states. “These things lead to greater labor productivity and work engagement and better allocation of talent across the economy.”
I have heard many examples of flexible situations. Each time I ask an employee, “So what does it mean to you to have flexibility to be able to attend to other priorities in your life?” The answer almost every time is: “It means everything.”
How modern is your workplace?
Aleta Norris is a co-founding partner of Brookfield-based Living As A Leader, a leadership training, coaching and consulting firm. You can contact here at anorris@livingasaleader.com, or visit www.livingasaleader.com.
