The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010: Improving Government Operations Through Workplace Flexibility

On December 9, 2010, President Obama signed into law the bipartisan Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. The Act will expand telework opportunities for federal workers, help reduce traffic congestion in the Washington, D.C. metro area and will improve the ability of the federal government to continue operating through inclement weather, natural disasters or other emergencies.

The Act also shows how the government is leading by example on advancing workplace flexibility policies-a goal outlined by President Obama at the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility in March.

Read more about the Act, how it is bringing the government into the 21^st century, and how it contributes to expanding awareness about flexible work options as critical management strategies for 21^st century success on Corporate Voices' blog.

Workplace Flexibility: Ensuring Success for the 21^st Century
Prudential Financial Becomes a Business Champion in National Campaign
Role of Mature Workers and Caregivers Highlighted in "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" Blog Series 

Corporate Voices would like to congratulate Prudential Financial for joining our national workplace flexibility campaign since the last issue of this Update, and for committing its support for Corporate Voices' Statement of Support for Expanding Workplace Flexibility.

A growing number of employers have joined this campaign as "Business Champions" to recognize the business imperative for flexibility and how flexibility practices can catalyze success for working families and businesses in the 21^st century. Recent "Business Champions" include: Accenture, Allstate Insurance Company, AOL, Baxter International, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Childrens' Creative Learning Centers, Cisco Systems, CVS Caremark, Deloitte LLP, Discovery Communications, Ernst & Young, Knowledge Universe, KPMG, LifeCare, Marriott International, McGladrey^SM, Merck & Co. Inc., Sodexo and Workplace Options, among others.

Businesses in the campaign enjoy a host of benefits and public recognition, including being invited to a series of National Dialogues on Workplace Flexibility currently being organized across the country by the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. Corporate Voices is also developing micro success stories to highlight the many ways our "Business Champions" are using flexibility as a strategic management tool for 21^st century success. These micro success stories will serve as important examples of what works to encourage the wider business community to adopt this smart management practice.For "Business Champions" interested in having Corporate Voices develop their story, please fill out and return this Questionnaire to ysiu@corporatevoices.org.

Corporate Voices launched this campaign in June after the first-ever White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility to create a broader awareness of the positive business and employee benefits of flexibility. This campaign seeks to create the critical momentum needed to expand flexibility within the business community.

Role of Mature Workers and Caregivers Highlighted in "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" Blog Series

To maintain this forward momentum, Corporate Voices has also launched a "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" blog series. This series will provide commentary and analysis on the key demographic and economic changes transforming work and family, and will illustrate how workplace flexibility can be a catalyst for success for businesses and working families in the 21^st century. This series will also highlight the practical tools and resources that exist to help employers successfully implement flexibility practices.

• Read the first post in this series, "Focus on Workplace Flexibility-Main Themes."
• Read the second post in this series, "Focus on Workplace Flexibility-The Rise of Older Workers and Caregivers."

Special Opportunity: Workplace Flexibility Roundtable Forum Hosted by U.S. Department of Labor

Corporate Voices has recently learned of an opportunity for our corporate partners to share their workplace flexibility best practices at a one-day Workplace Flexibility Roundtable Forum hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau and Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The event will bring together workplace flexibility and disability experts from Federal and State agencies, disability organizations, nonprofit organizations and the private sector to share research, best practices and identify knowledge gaps on workplace flexibility.  

Recommendations on best practices from the Workplace Flexibility Roundtable Forum will disseminated to employers nationwide via the Women's Bureau and ODEP websites. The Women's Bureau and ODEP will also develop materials and publications to assist in subsequent outreach and education efforts in this area as they seek to create a universal design to support the implementation of workplace flexibility strategies around place, time, and job tasks.

If you are interested in participating in this one-day Workplace Flexibility Roundtable Forum, please contact Nathan Constable.

What Are Business Leaders Saying About Workforce Readiness?

This week, Corporate Voices for Working Families, through the Ready by 21 National Partnership, announced the release of a brief entitled, "What Are Business Leaders Saying about Workforce Readiness?" 

Based on surveys of more than 150 business leaders, Corporate Voices found that 97 percent agree that their organization considers workforce readiness a critical business imperative.  The findings also state that the majority of business leaders are already engaged in community partnerships focused on preparing youth for work, but they report a number of frequent challenges and frustrations in building and sustaining these partnerships.

Ernst & Young Showcases Workplace Lactation Program at Michigan Breastfeeding Summit
Corporate Voices to Launch Updated Workplace Lactation Toolkit

On Wednesday, December 8, the Michigan Department of Community Health WIC Division sponsored a Breastfeeding Summit to build stronger partnerships between the employer and public health communities and to find new opportunities to increase breastfeeding and reduce health disparities in Michigan. Corporate Voices for Working Families coordinated the participation of Jennifer Monacelli, Senior Manager in Risk Advisory Services from Ernst & Young to present on a panel representing the employer perspective on the positive business and employee benefits of workplace lactation programs. Jennifer shared her experiences using Ernst & Young's lactation program, and was joined on the panel by representatives from Cummins Inc. and Michigan State University.

65 people attended the Summit to hear national speakers, such as Kiran Saluja, Chair-Elect, Board of Directors, National WIC Association and Cathy Carothers of Every Mother, Inc. discuss the maternal and child health benefits of breastfeeding. Summit participants also worked to define a course of action to meet the Healthy People 2020 goals, recently published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including increasing the proportion of infants who are breastfed at 6 months and 1 year, and increasing the number of employers that have workplace lactation programs.

In early 2011, Corporate Voices will launch an updated online workplace lactation toolkit for employers to help them comply with new federal regulations requiring lactation support for hourly workers, and to provide them with resources and tools to establish successful lactation programs. Please watch out for the launch of this toolkit in the new year!

West Virginia Breastfeeding Alliance Offers Grants to Employers to Set Up Lactation Programs
Deadline to Apply is January 15!

As employers move to comply with new federal regulations requiring workplace support for nursing mothers, we have some good news for businesses in West Virginia. The West Virginia Breastfeeding Alliance has received a grant from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to support breastfeeding efforts in the workplace.

The Alliance will offer grants of up to $1,500 to businesses actively working to establish policies and procedures to make or enhance accommodations for breastfeeding employees. It will also offer grants from $250 to $1,500 to establish or enhance local coalitions to support breastfeeding.

Access applications to apply for these grants at www.wvbfa.com. The deadline for submission is January 15 and recipients will be notified by February 1, 2011. Funds must be spent by June 15, 2011.

Corporate Voices invites employers to use its workplace lactation toolkit, available for free online, to use as a resource in their efforts to establish lactation spaces for breastfeeding employees.