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Centerpiece

May 2016
 
Reflections on Work & Life

Employee Resource Groups & Work-Life Enrichment
Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, Associate Director
Every day, we encounter the topic of work-life balance, whether in our own lives, with the people around us, or in the media. Much of this discourse is negative in tone. Many of the articles I read and conversations I participate in dwell on the challenges and detriments of work-life conflict. Despite this common emphasis on the negative, I have begun to shift focus to the positive end of the spectrum: work-life enrichment.   More on LinkedIn. 
CWF News & Notes 

 
New Executive Briefing on Employee Resource Groups
The Boston College Center for Work & Family is pleased to release a new addition to our Executive Briefing Series, ERGs: A Strategic Business Resource for Today's Workplace. Sponsored by BC Workforce Roundtable Members American Express and Lilly, this publication explores the History of ERGs, Employee and Employer Benefits of ERGS, Types of ERGs and the ERG Journey for Your Organization. The briefing provides an overview of promising corporate practices from American Express, EMC, Fidelity, Lilly, MetLife, and State Street Corporation and insight from thought leaders including Jennifer Brown, Founder & CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting. 



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2016 Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award Nominees Announced
We are excited to announce the finalists for the 2016 Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research! Congratulations to: Markus Gangl & Andrea Ziefle, Laura Little, Virginia Smith Major, Amanda Hinojosa & Debra Nelson, Francisco Perales, Janeen Baxter & Tsui-o Tai, Kristen Shockley & Tammy Allen, and Sarah Thebaud.  The winner will be announced at the WFRN Conference in              Washington, DC on June 24th. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!



BCCWF on the road and in the news
It has been a busy few months for our Center staff! In addition to hosting our BC Workforce Roundtable Spring Meeting in Chicago and two BC Work & Family Association events in the Boston area, we were presenting at conferences like the Catalyst Awards Conference, the Future of Work Forum, Bright Horizons Solutions at Work and other speaking engagements with our partners. Look for us at the upcoming TRaDWorks Conference and the Work and Family Researchers Conference both coming up in June. Recent sightings in the media include the  Chicago Tribune,  Wall Street Journal, LA Times,   Fast Company , Fortune,  AOL Finance , Medium, DOL in Action, Tech Insider and The Century Foundation. 
Articles & Resources

How do you deal with the "cult of busy"? That's the term Erin Reid uses to describe today's work-first culture in which ideal employees are expected to put their jobs first, work all the time and be constantly available to the boss.  In the  June cover story  of Harvard Business Review, "Managing the High-Intensity Workplace," Reid and coauthor Lakshmi Ramarajan describe how workers adapt to these demands. It's not a good look for anyone. 

Many employers are not recognizing family responsibilities discrimination when it happens in their workplaces, according to a new study issued today by the Center for WorkLife Law.  Employers that are not familiar with the evolving legal protections for employees who care for family members are unable to prevent or remedy supervisors' culpable conduct. When they get sued, the employers often fail to settle. As a result, employees are winning 67% of the FRD cases that go to trial, and many are receiving large verdicts. 

Throughout the primary season, candidates from both parties have put forth proposals to expand paid parental leave, shifting the question from whether to provide leave to how to do it. Yet paid leave still has some outspoken detractors who express concerns about the economic impacts. It's a question worth engaging: Can countries stay competitive while providing paid leave? See also:  Paid parental leave is actually great for business and  How a lack of paid leave is making wealth inequality worse and  An Economist's Take on Why Parental Leave Matters.

I've noticed a change recently. Five years ago, when an organization wanted to make their workplace more flexible, nine times out of ten the presenting problem was attracting and retaining women, specifically mothers. Today, it's all about the millennials, and providing the  "work/life balance" and flexibility  this group expects from an employer.

Sweden has long been a laboratory for  initiatives to strike a better work-life balance, part of a collective ideal that treating workers well is good for the bottom line. Many Swedish offices use a system of flexible work hours, and parental leave and child care policies there are among the world's most generous.
The experiment at Svartedalens goes further by mandating a 30-hour week. 

 
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