Incentives to Improve Work-Life Balance Are Needed, Witnesses Tell Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Employers should be incentivized to help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance amid Americans’ changing responsibilities at home and in the work place, witnesses told the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee today.
In March, U.S. Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA), introduced The Work-Life Balance Award Act of 2010 (H.R. 4855), legislation to recognize workplaces that provide employees the ability to achieve work-life balance.
Balancing work and family is a challenge for many, witnesses told the subcommittee.
“This legislation comes at a critical time. Women now make up half of America’s workforce, and their incomes are increasingly important to families’ economic survival, testified witness Portia Wu, vice president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Working men are also investing more time in child care. And many more Americans are assuming eldercare responsibilities—a trend that will intensify as our country’s population ages.”
Currently, 31 million American women struggle to balance work with the needs of their young families, explained Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media. Evans continued, “The award proposed in the Woolsey-Miller Bill will add to the tremendous spotlight we shine on the needs of working families.”
“Workers should not have to choose between work and family,” said Woolsey, the chair of the subcommittee. “The Work-Life Balance Award will send a clear message to employers that the federal government recognizes companies that develop family-friendly policies for their workers. In fact, providing work-life benefits has been shown to increase retention, decrease absenteeism, and increase productivity.”
The Work-Life Balance Award Act would establish an annual Work-Life Balance Award at the Department of Labor to be given to employers with exemplary work-life workforce policies. These policies would be defined as workplace practices “designed to enable employees to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance.” These practices include, but are not limited to: paid sick leave to care for oneself or a sick family member and for the birth or adoption of a child, time off to attend children’s extracurricular activities and school conferences, telecommuting, and job-sharing.
Any public or private employer of any size is eligible for the award, as long as they comply with federal and state labor and employment laws.
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