Issue Position: Working Families - Working Families Flexibility Act

Issue Position

With the significant shift in our nation's workforce over the last 50 years, employers and employees are seeing the need for more flexible work schedules. More workers are caring for older relatives or individuals with special needs, with the National Alliance for Caregiving reporting that 57 percent of those who provide unpaid care to an adult or to a child with special needs are also employed. In addition, the number of households with at least one parent at home has fallen. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of married households with children where both parents were in the labor force rose to 66 percent in 2010. The number of single parent families has also increased, almost tripling over the last fifty years, from 5 percent in 1960, to 14 percent in 2010. At a time of economic constraint, research has shown that even a modest change in an employee's work schedule can make a difference in whether or not a parent or caregiver can stay in the workforce.

The Working Families' Flexibility Act will help American families across the country by putting in place a process for employees to request a temporary or permanent change in their work schedules, such as the number of hours the employee is required to work, the times when the employee is required to work or be on notice, where the employee is required to work, and the notice of schedule assignments. This legislation provides employees with job protection when making the request.

Flexible work arrangements have also been shown to improve the bottom line for businesses. Corporate Voices for Working Families found that implementing workplace flexibility improves the bottom line by helping businesses to attract and retain key talent, increase employee retention and reduce turnover, reduce overtime and absenteeism, and enhance employee productivity, effectiveness, and engagement. Furthermore, President Obama's Council of Economic Advisors found that, as more businesses adopt flexibility practices, the benefits to society, in the form of reduced traffic, improved employment outcomes, and more efficient allocation of employees to employers, may be greater than the gains to individual businesses and employees.

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