When it comes to family-friendly work policies, the U.S. lags far behind other nations according to a US News articlel. Here are some issues being raised that affect how American workers and families experience life on and off the job.
Parental Leave
President Obama stated that "many women can't even get a paid day off to give birth sets a low bar."
According to the 2014 National Study of Employers conducted by Society for Human Resoure Management, the Families and Work Institute and those organizations; joint project, When Work Works, providing 12 weeks of unpain leave continues to be the norm for many employers across diverse industries. While some companies do offer paid leave to attract and retain talented employee's. A few states to include California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, have created statewide benefits, only unpaid leave is mandatory nationally, thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. http://familiesandwork.org/downloads/2014NationalStudyOfEmployers.pdf
Paid Leave Benefits for parents and other caregivers are "not frills" but "basic needs", according to the President. Employee and employer contributions of 0.2 percent of wages, about two cents of every $10 would pay for this fund. He added that "Families who do everything right are held back by continued failure of the govenment and employers need to appropriately address these isses.
Flexibilty
Workplace flexibilities are another area where American workers are held back from better balancing the demands of parenting with business needs. However, since 2008 imporvements have been shown in certain types of companies allowing employees to work from home, other forms of flex time haven't gained much ground as of yet. Flexible work arrangements include…
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Job Sharing
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Taking Sabbatical
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Receiving Special Consideraton after an extended break
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Working only part of the year