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Should Flexible Work Hours Be Legislated?

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By Jennifer Kelly 

According to recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the Center of WorkLife Law at the University of California, both Canada and the U.S. lag behind the majority of developed nations when it comes to having statutes in place to allow for flexible work arrangements. 

This means that neither country has federal legislation related to flexibility around work hours.  Sometimes referred to as “family-time” legislation, the idea is to provide parents and caregivers (employees caring for elderly parents or someone disabled) options related adjusting their work hours.  Examples include allowing parents/caregivers to move to part-time work, adjust the time they start/finish work or refuse overtime because of childcare/caregiver responsibilities.
  
Governments overseas cite falling birthrates and the pending retirement of older workers as one of the main drivers for introducing legislation to make it easier for caregivers to reduce their work hours.  While there is no hard evidence to support a co-relation, during the past 10 years, the number of female workers in the U.S. aged 25 to 54 has stalled.  However, 19 of the 20 other countries surveyed (which do have legislation) saw an increase in women workers in the same age bracket during the same period.  In the U.S., the issue has become so mainstream that both Democratic presidential nominee contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton voiced their support for legislation allowing flexible work hours during their respective nomination campaigns. 

While there can be little doubt surrounding the benefits of providing employees with flexible work arrangements, my question is do we really need governments to do what organizations should be doing themselves?   If organizations aren’t forward thinking enough to incorporate some level of work hour flexibility into their culture, what does that say about the organization?  Yes, it takes planning and coordination and it’s not always easy or convenient to do but if you allow employees flexibility around their work hours, employees will generally do the right thing for an organization - if the organization does the right thing for them.  What do you think?

 

Posted by Judy McLeish on June 19, 2008 10:25 AM |

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