Corporate Voices' President, Stephen M. Wing, Contributes Foreword to "Work-Life Balance" Report
Report Released Through USA Today in New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles

Corporate Voices' President, Stephen M. Wing, contributed the foreword to a special report on "Work-Life Balance" released through USA Today on December 3 in the New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles markets. The report, published by Mediaplanet Publishing, explores the changing demographic and economic forces affecting work and family, and how work-life balance can help families and individuals find satisfaction in and out of the workplace. The report also highlights the critical role the business community plays in advancing work-life practices as a strategy for success in the 21st century.

An article on page 6 of the report, titled "Success Through Flexibility," discusses in more detail how flexibility is a critical management strategy that addresses work-life balance issues throughout all stages of life, and how research has documented the positive business impacts of flexibility.

The report highlights the many innovative businesses that are paving the way for work-life progress through their own flexibility practices, and the role of Corporate Voices' national workplace flexibility campaign in recognizing these industry leaders to create the forward momentum needed to expand flexibility within the wider business community.

• Read the "Work-Life Balance" special report
   
• Read the press release, "Corporate Voices for Working Families, WorldatWork, and Key Advocates Partner in Support for Work-Life Balance"
   
• View the media placements generated by this report

The "Bush Tax Cuts": Corporate Voices Legislative Update

Since you received last week's newsletter, Congress and the White House have been in marathon negotiations over the contours of a massive economic package.  The headline initiatives are a two-year extension of income tax breaks set under the Bush Administration for Americans of all incomes, and a continuation, through 2011, of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. The package also cuts payroll taxes for all American workers by 2 percent through the end of next year.

The tentative deal-which has not been finalized as of this Update-also contains a number of measures of interest to Corporate Voices and its corporate partners. Corporate Voices has been meeting with Congressional leadership to urge action on a number of these provisions, and we are pleased that our advocacy efforts have been well received. 

Under the provisional tax compromise:

• The Disconnected Youth Employment Tax Credit, set to expire on December 31, would be extended through 2011.  The credit is a new category within the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, and provides an important hiring incentive to employers who hire young adults (16-24) who are 'disconnected' from school and the labor force in the current economy.  Corporate Voices helped secure its enactment in 2009, and has worked over the past year to ensure effective implementation and utilization by business.. An extension will provide a credit to employers that hire disconnected young adults throughout 2011.
   
• The broader Work Opportunity Tax Credit, of which the Disconnected Youth program is a part, would also be extended through the end of 2011 under this agreement. It benefits employers who hire individuals from 11 other eligible categories, including unemployed veterans and public assistance recipients.
   
• Employee Education Assistance ("Section 127"), also facing expiration at year's end, would be extended for two years.  Under this program, employers are allowed to exclude from an employee's wages up to $5,250 yearly in education assistance-thereby investing in a more highly skilled workforce.
   
• An expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, a valuable benefit for lower-income working families, would continue for the next two years. The White House estimates the provision will benefit 10.5 million working parents with 15 million children.
   
• So, too, would the enhanced Child Tax Credit, which would ensure continuation of an important tax break for 6.5 million low-income families and some 18 million children.

Final negotiations continue, and Corporate Voices is keeping a close eye on the outcome of these and other provisions of greatest interest to employers and working families. 

Workplace Flexibility: Ensuring Success for the 21^st Century
FiveL Company Becomes a Business Champion in National Campaign
Corporate Voices Launches "Focus on Flexibility" Blog Series

Corporate Voices would like to congratulate FiveL Company 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 being organized across the country by the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. Corporate Voices is also developing a series of 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.
 

Corporate Voices Launches "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" Blog Series 

To help maintain this forward momentum, Corporate Voices has also launched a "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" blog series. This blog series will provide commentary and analysis on the key demographic and economic changes transforming work and family, and on workplace flexibility as 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."

To learn more about Corporate Voices' national workplace flexibility campaign and about how you can join, please visit Corporate Voices' website or contact ysiu@corporatevoices.org.

Stephen M. Wing Participates in Panel on America's Postsecondary Education Performance

On Tuesday, Corporate Voices' President Stephen M. Wing participated in a panel discussion on the topic of America's postsecondary education performance.  The panel, hosted by Complete College America and the Committee for Economic Development,  was held in conjunction with the release of Complete College America's report titled "Certificates Count: An Analysis of Sub-baccalaureate Certificates." According to the report, America needs to place more emphasis and investment on sub-baccalaureate certificate programs as a means to help improve its postsecondary education performance and to stimulate economic and job growth.

Business Engagement Strategic Conversation

Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 team led a strategic conversation focused on business engagement with America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities. 

Sara Toland and Jennifer Weber answered questions from communities across the country on how to identify business leaders with whom partner, the roles business can play and how to sustain those partnerships over time.  "Supporting the Education Pipeline: Business Engagement Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations" and other tools developed by Corporate Voices were highlighted.  Click here to access a recording of the Strategic Conversation.

Ready by 21 Working Group Meeting

Corporate Voices hosted the first in-person meeting of the Ready by 21 Working Group on Tuesday, December 7, 2010.  Karen Pittman, co-founder and president of the Forum for Youth Investment, facilitated a panel of community and business leaders from Northern Kentucky and Atlanta. 

These local leaders provided an in depth look into how the Ready by 21 National Partnership's strategies and tools are translating to successes and coordination on the ground in their communities. Companies were also provided with the opportunity to participate in a rich discussion about their community/education programs.  Participating member companies, included: Abbott Nutrition, CVS Caremark, Ford Motor Company Fund, Knowledge Universe, and KPMG LLP.  If you are interested in participating in the Ready by 21 Working Group, please contact the Corporate Voices' Ready by 21 Team at readyby21@corporatevoices.org.

IBM Accepts Applications for Smarter Cities Challenge

Corporate Voices' member company IBM has inaugurated the Smarter Cities Challenge. IBM will award a total of $50 million worth of technology and services to a hundred municipalities across the globe through the Smarter Cities Challenge competitive grant program.

Over the next three years, IBM will send top experts to those cities that have made the strongest case for participating in the Smarter Cities Challenge. IBM consultants will immerse themselves in local issues involving the administration of healthcare, education, safety, social services, transportation, communications, sustainability, budget management, energy, and utilities. Applications will be accepted annually, with the first cycle closing December 31, 2010.

Launch Pad Initiative Seeks Inspiring Individuals to Improve Communities

Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose, recently created the Launch Pad contest to discover five inspiring people with ideas to improve their communities and provide each of them with $5,000, an invitation to the 2011 Encore Career Summit, and an opportunity for peer networking.

The rules are simple: Anyone over the age of 45 can enter, and all they have to do is submit their idea for improving their local community by December 20th. Civic Ventures will narrow down the list of submissions to 25 semifinalists and the public will be able to vote for the five winners starting in January.

The top five winning entries will win $5,000 and support to help them get their idea off the ground.  To learn more, click here.