Center News

National Work & Family Roundtable 2009 Fall Member Meeting

Boston College's National Work & Family Roundtable held it's spring member meeting in Boston, Massachusetts from September 23-25, 2009. It was a very effective meeting, rating a 4.62 out of 5.00 overall. The meeting featured presentations by:

• In Paik, Ph.D Candidate, Cornell University Department of Sociology on Getting a Job: Is there a Motherhood Penalty?
• Cynthia Calvert, Deputy Director, The Center For WorkLife Law on Family Responsibilities Discrimination
• Jennifer Swanberg, Executive Director/Associate Professor, Institute for Workplace Innovation, University of Kentucky on Workplace Flexibility for Low Wage Workers
• Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Professor & Associate Dean; Director, Center for Families, Purdue University on Reducing Work-Life Conflict and Promoting Cultures of Work-Life Integration
• Charles Grantham, Co-founder, Future of Work, on The Future of Work
• Wendy Breiterman, Director, Work/Life Programs, Johnson & Johnson; Marla Miller, Senior Manager, Work Life, Kraft Foods; and Fred Van Deusen, Senior Research Associate, BC Center for Work & Family on The Global Work-Life Toolkit
  
  Click here to view a copy of the meeting agenda

Global Workforce Roundtable and National Work & Family Roundtable Spring Member Meeting

We enjoyed seeing many of the Global and National Roundtable members in Washington, D.C. in early May for our Spring Member Meeting. It was a very successful meeting, receiving a 4.67 out of 5.00 overall evaluation. The Global Meeting focused on "Managing Work-Life with a World View," and the National Meeting focused on the "Intersection of Government Policy and Corporate Action." These meetings featured presentations by:

• Brian Glade, VP International Programs, Society for Human Resource Management on How Diversity and Work-Life are Perceived Around the World 
• Steven Poelmans, Ph.D., Academic Director, International Center of Work and Family and Assistant Professor IESE Business School, University of Navarra on Changing the Work-Life Paradigm.
• Banashri Bose Harrison, Minister of Commerce, Embassy of India and Ujvala Rajadhyaksha, Associate Professor, St. Mary's College on Work-Life in India
• Peter Cappelli, Professor and Director, Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School on Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Uncertain Age
• Brad Harrington, Ed.D., Executive Director, Boston College Center for Work & Family on Work-Life and Workload: An Action Learning Session
• Nadine Vogel, President, Springboard Consulting, LLC, facilitated on discussion with Chris Button, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Dept of Labor; Shelley Kaplan, DBTAC National Network of ADA Centers; and Kristen Piersol, Manager, Area Workplace Solutions, KPMG LLP on Disability in the Workplace
• Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist for Vice President Biden on Influencing Social Policy
• Chai Feldblum, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law and Co-Director, Flexibility 2010 on Workplace Flexibility 2010: A Research, Outreach and Consensus-Building Enterprise
• Suzanne Bianchi, Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland on The Changing American Family & Workforce

The following member quotes speak to the meeting's content, opportunities to interact with work-life peers:

"It was great to hear from others and validate how relevant

work-life programs are in this economic environment."

"The exercises were great, encouraging sharing

of ideas which is important in gatherings like these"

"Love the relevant and practical exercises that I will use back at the office"

"These sessions always produce great sharing and relationships building opportunities"

"The smaller, intimate audiences at the Boston College

conferences are very conducive to active learning and participation"

"I continue to be impressed with how generous our

members are in sharing best practices"

Click on the following link to view a copy of the Meeting Agenda

   Kanter Award Winners Announced

The Center for Families at Purdue University and the Boston College Center for Work & Family, with the support of Alliance for Work Life Progress, are delighted to announce Shelley Correll, Stephen Benard and In Paik as the winners of the 9th Annual Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research sponsored by Alliance for Work-Life Progress. The winning article was entitled “Getting a Job: Is there a motherhood penalty? ,” which is published in the American Journal of Sociology.  For more information about the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award and copies of the 2001-2007 Best of the Best Reports including research summaries of the top twenty nominees for each year, please click here. For the NEW 2008 Kanter Award publication which features the winning article, author interview, full listing of the Top 20 nominated articles and Top 10 Takeaways click here or read the Press Release.

New Study Released-Overcoming the Implementation Gap: How 20 Leading Companies are Making Flexibility Work

Today’s organizations struggle to attract and retain the best talent, as employees at different stages of their lives increasingly demand flexible work options from their employers. But how does an organization implement such programs effectively and economically?  And how do they decrease the fear of career penalties for their use? A groundbreaking new report— “Overcoming the Implementation Gap,” published by the Boston College Center for Work & Family—provides an overview of strategies for implementing highly successful flexible work arrangements, including in-depth case examples from 20 leading companies.

Sponsored by KPMG, Eli Lilly and Company, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Toyota Motor Sales,  Overcoming the Implementation Gap: How 20 Leading Companies are Making Flexibility Work is a practical and comprehensive guide to integrating flexibility into many types of workplaces.  Fred Van Deusen, Senior Research Associate and Jacquelyn James, Research Director at the Boston College Center for Work & Family conducted the study in collaboration with Sharon McKecknie and Nadia Gill.  The research team reviewed current research on flexibility and conducted and analyzed 58 interviews with key staff members at the 20 participating organizations. The report begins with a comprehensive review of the research on workplace flexibility.  Next, strategies for implementation success are outlined using a five-step process.  The bulk of the report contains descriptions of model programs including drivers, implementation approaches, obstacles, benefits and factors in success.  Each description also contains comments from employees and managers who have utilized the programs.

For a complimentary copy of the Executive Summary, please contact Jaclyn Fitzgerald at 617-552-2869 or cwf@bc.edu or Download now.  The full 150 + page report is available for $125 for members of the Boston College Center for Work & Family and $175 for non-members; contact Meredith Ross to place an order at 617-552-2868 or cwf@bc.edu.

CitiSales Study: Jobs That Work

Examines flexibility, job quality, employee engagement, and generational issues for employees in hourly jobs and for older workers. 

The Center for Work & Family, in cooperation with the University of Kentucky, studied the effects of quality workplace practices for employees in hourly, front line retail jobs and for older workers in professional and hourly jobs in the same organization.  The nine Issue Briefs now available provide insights into topics such as flexibility, job quality, employee engagement, and generational issues.  To visit the study web site and access the issue briefs click here.

Read more about the study in the WFC Resources newsletter and the Lane Report.

Boston College's Global Workforce Roundtable held its 2008 annual Summit in Shanghai, China on February 26-28, 2008. The meeting was a huge success and was co-sponsored by Novartis and Dow Chemical. Major themes for the summit were:

• Best practices in global workforce management. A strategic discussion about which global work-life policies work and why.
• Doing business in the Asia Pacific region
• The role of work-life in recruitment, development, and retention of top talent. This included such topics as:
  • What role do work-life policies play in the region? What programs and policies give companies a competitive edge in the battle for talent?
  • How can work-life policies increase the level of engagement of employees to ensure the retention of top talent?
  • What are the views of the young generation of workers in the region? What are their work-life expectations as they enter the workforce?

Member companies are invited to participate in the Summit as part of their membership benefits. Click here to learn more about the Global Workforce Roundtable or to learn about membership, contact Danielle Hartmann at danielle.hartmann@bc.edu or 617-552-0228.

Increasing the Visibility of the Invisible Workforce: Model Programs and Policies for Hourly and Lower Wage Employees

This newly released report identifies and highlights model programs at 15 corporations, and concludes that the corporate bottom line is helped by providing benefits to lower wage earners.

The study presents best practices in the areas of: dependent care, employee development, financial assistance, incentives, and scheduling/leaves. Findings are also provided on programs and policies for parental and bereavement leaves, savings, legal assistance, work/life training, and transportation assistance.

Download Executive Summary , Full Study

Danielle Hartmann, Director of Corporate Partnerships, was quoted on Wicked Local Parents.com, a website offering smart parenting advice to the suburbs of greater Boston, in a feature article entitled Moms Getting Back on Track: Former Stay-At-Homes Weigh Options for Returning to Work.

Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, Assistant Director of Marketing and NEWFA was featured on "You're Hired", a local access cable program.  Jennifer discussed trends in workplace flexibility and how the Center for Work & Family works with organizations to help them address critical workforce management issues.  To view the program, visit the HCAM Website and click on the "video online" icon.

Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, Assistant Director, Marketing and NEWFA was quoted in the August 2008 Bay State Parent feature article: Finding a Job Even When You Off-Ramp or Downshift Your Career: Staffing Firms Encourage Employers to Tap "Mom Market".

Jennifer Sabatini Fraone was quoted in the Winter 2006 article Striving for Balance: Beta Gamma Sigma Examines the Work-Life Dilemma.  The article, published in the BGS International Exchange, examines workplace flexibility as well as elder caregiving issues and overwork.  Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.