(Note: Updated on June 15, 2010)
The Work-Life Balance Award Act (H.R. 4855), introduced in March 2010, establishes an annual Work-Life Balance Award at the Department of Labor to be given out annually by the Secretary of Labor to employers with exemplary work-life workforce policies. These policies are defined as workplace practices “designed to enable employees to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance.” Any public or private employer of any size is eligible for the award, as long as they are in compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws.
Criteria for the award will be developed by a bipartisan advisory board consisting of representatives from the public, state and local government, industry and industry organizations, not-for-profit employers, labor, and advocates for children and families.
The Work-Life Balance Award Act (H.R. 4855), introduced in March 2010, establishes an annual Work-Life Balance Award at the Department of Labor to be given out annually by the Secretary of Labor to employers with exemplary work-life workforce policies. These policies are defined as workplace practices “designed to enable employees to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance.” Any public or private employer of any size is eligible for the award, as long as they are in compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws.
Criteria for the award will be developed by a bipartisan advisory board consisting of representatives from the public, state and local government, industry and industry organizations, not-for-profit employers, labor, and advocates for children and families.
Awarding Companies with Exemplary Work-Life Balance Policies
Incentivizing Other Companies to Improve their Work-Life Balance Policies
Importance of the Work-Life Balance
Supporters of H.R. 4855:
- The Work-Life Balance Award will, for the first time on a nationwide basis, recognize private, state and local government employers of any size for their exemplary work-life balance policies. Not only will the award set a standard for best practices, it will shine a light on the needs of working families.
- With the exception of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides unpaid leave to qualifying employees, there is no national policy promoting work-life balance. This Award will advance awareness among employers and the public of the importance of these issues to today’s workers.
- The family dynamic has changed over the past 40 years; women now
make up one-half of the workforce, making balancing work and family a
greater challenge than ever before. Men have also taken on a greater
share of family responsibilities, and their need for work-life balance
policies is equally urgent. This award recognizes companies with those
policies that have adapted to the needs of the 21st century working
families.
Incentivizing Other Companies to Improve their Work-Life Balance Policies
- The Work-Life Balance Award will incentivize companies to improve their current work-life policies.
- According to Workplace Flexibility 2010, an initiative at Georgetown Law School, awards like the Work-Life Balance Award reinforce employers' actions by recognizing and rewarding employees for their efforts and also foster healthy competition among employers that will wish to be known as employers of choice.
- For example, the Malcolm Baldrige Award established by Congress in 1987, which recognizes performance excellence in organizations in the areas of business, health care, education, and non-profit, has incentivized many businesses to adopt best practices.
- In addition, Working Mother Magazine’s annual list for the 100 Best Companies has been a highly effective incentive for companies to adopt work-life practices. According to Carol Evans, the CEO and Founder of Working Mother Media, these awards not only set the standard for best practices but the prestige associated with them is very high.
- Work-life balance policies improve the employer’s bottom line, by increasing retention rates, decreasing absenteeism, and improving productivity and morale.
- According to a study conducted by the Families and Work Institute,
in 1998, eight out of 10 companies reported that providing work-life balance
policies either outweigh costs or have no fiscal impact.
Importance of the Work-Life Balance
-
Working people have a great need for policies that accommodate
their work and family lives:
- More than 2/3 of households have mothers serving as the primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner of the family;
- Dual-earning couples on average work 63.1 hours a week while 70% of couples work more than 80 hours a week;
- The recent economic recession has forced more men out of the workforce; as a result, more women are going to work or working more hours in the workplace to help support the family.
Supporters of H.R. 4855:
- The National Partnership for Women & Families
- 9to5, National Association of Working Women
- A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center
- Business and Professional Women’s Foundation
- Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
- Coalition of Labor Union Women
- Labor Project for Working Families
- Legal Momentum
- National Association of Mothers’ Centers and its MOTHERS Initiative
- OWL—The Voice of Midlife and Older Women
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
