Continue the Conversation on Workplace Flexibility
Workplace flexibility isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s an issue that affects the well-being of our families and the success of our businesses. It affects the strength of our economy – whether we’ll create the workplaces and jobs of the future that we need to compete in today’s global economy.
--President Barack Obama
On March 31, 2010, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and the White House Council on Women and Girls hosted the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility. The Forum brought together small business owners, corporate leaders, workers, policy experts, and labor leaders to explore the importance of creating workplace practices that allow America’s working men and women to meet the demands of their jobs without sacrificing the needs of their families. Building on the momentum coming out of that forum, the Administration is hosting follow-up forums around the country and encourages others to convene events in their communities to engage in dialogue and take action on this important issue.
- For ideas on hosting your own event, visit the Work-Flex Event Starter Kit. There, you can also:
- Register your own Workplace Flexibility Event, by completing the registration form.
- Tell us how your event went, by completing the event follow-up form.
- To learn more about workplace flexibility, visit Resources.
What is Workplace Flexibility?
Flexible workplace arrangements can mean flexibility in terms of when one works, where one works, or how much one works. Flexibility can play a key role in creating effective workplaces and in providing important benefits to employers, employees and the greater community.
Workplace flexibility includes a variety of arrangements such as alternative work schedules (like starting and leaving early), teleworking from home or another remote location, part-time work, including through job sharing or phased retirement of older workers, and paid leave policies that allow workers to continue making productive contributions to the workforce while also attending to family and other responsibilities.
