Resources on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs)
Only 17% of U.S. households are considered "traditional" with a husband in the workforce and a wife who is not---making the "nontraditional" the new traditional.
Source: Catalyst 1998: U.S. Department of Labor, 2005
With a growing demand for flexible work arrangements, both employees and employers are interested in implementing practical solutions to help America's workforce balance their many commitments. Employers also want their firms to have a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talented employees. According to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Workplace, Work Force, and Working Families Program, ". . . in today’s 21st century work force, nearly four out of five working Americans--across age, income, and stage in life--want more flexibility at work. But a flexibility gap exists: the demand for flexibility far exceeds its availability."
ODEP recognizes that Customized Employment is one form of the growing movement of workplace flexibility or flexible work arrangements (FWAs)--flexibility around the job tasks rather than the location or the schedule. In 2001, ODEP implemented a five-year Customized Employment initiative to build the capacity of workforce systems to serve all customers, including those with disabilities. According to the National Council on Disability, “The movement for flexibility in the workplace brings people with disabilities to . . . the discussion in which the workplace needs of all employees are taken into account.” (National Council on Disability’s report: Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Challenges, Best Practices, and New Opportunities for Success (July 26, 2007.)
ODEP-funded Flexible Work Arrangement Resources
Customized Employment: One Creative Option to Support Workplace Flexibility
This Power Point presentation was prepared and conducted by Lisa Cuozzo Stern, Director of Operations TransCen, Inc. & MontgomeryWorks! One Stop Workforce Center, for a Business and Professional Women Foundation-sponsored webinar in October 2007. The webinar was presented in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy's funded initiative with the Montgomery County (MD) Workforce Investment Board and its Women's Bureau's Flex-Options project.
This document, developed by Lisa (Cuozzo) Stern, is based on her work for the Customized Employment project with the Montgomery County (MD) Workforce Investment Board and funded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) grant number E-9-4-3-0106 . The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.
On June 3, 2008, Malcolm Foo, Senior Manager and Talent Strategies Lead, Deloitte Consulting LCC, presented on Deloitte's MCC at ODEP's employment summit--Transforming the American Workplace--A 21st Century Vision Workshop on the New Workplace: Flexibility.
The New Workplace: Flexibility
This site offers speakers' handouts from the workshop, "The New Workplace: Flexibility," from ODEP's employment summit--Transforming the American Workplace--A 21st Century Vision. The speakers were: Jane Anderson, Project Director, Midwest Institute for Telecommuting Education; Malcolm Foo, Senior Manager and Talent Strategies Lead, Federal Human Capital Practice, Deloitte Consulting LLP; and Richard Luecking, President, TransCen, Inc. Karen Stang, Human Resources Manager, Operation IMPACT Program, Northrop Grumman Corporation, was not able to attend the Summit, but her handout is on the site.
Other Flexible Work Arrangement Resources
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Worplace, Work Force, and Working Families Program
The Foundation has provided funding for six academic Centers on Working Families, one Workplace Center, one Center on Aging and Work, and more than 100 additional research projects to examine issues faced by working families. These Centers and related projects are generating academic research that is relevant in both breadth and scope. Through its Workplace, Work Force, and Working Families program, the Foundation plays a vital role in developing work-family scholarship and supporting effective workplaces that meet the needs of working parents and older workers.
Mass Career Customization (MCC)TM
Many of today's business leaders typify the traditional workforce, while the vast majority of tomorrow's leaders do not. MCC offers a corporate lattice that responds to these realities. MCC is a policy, practice, and book by Deloitte Development LLC executives, Cathy Benko and Anne C. Weisberg.
On June 3, 2008, Malcolm Foo, Senior Manager and Talent Strategies Lead, Deloitte Consulting LLC, presented on Deloitte's MCC at ODEP's employment summit--Transforming the American Workplace--A 21st Century Vision Workshop on the New Workplace: Flexibility.
Ten Principles for Workplace Flexibility
These ten principles were drafted by one of the Sloan Foundation Initiatives on Workplace Flexibility--Workplace Flexibility 2010, that supports the development of a comprehensive national policy on workplace flexibility.
U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau Flex-Options for Women Project
This project encourages business owners to develop workplace flexibility policies and procedures in response to the growing demand for such options in the workplace. Through a partnership with skilled contractors and experienced corporate mentors who have successfully implemented workplace flexibility, Flex-Options for Women directly assists business owners in ten regions of the United States while building national awareness of flexible workplace solutions.
Workplace Flexibility Design: Enhancing Recruitment and Productivity
This Power Point presentation was prepared and conducted by Linda Roundtree, President of Roundtree Consulting, for a Business and Professional Women Foundation-sponsored webinar in October 2007. The webinar was presented in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy's funded initiative with the Montgomery County (MD) Workforce Investment Board and its Women's Bureau's Flex-Options project.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.
