Between their jobs and family responsibilities, working parents often feel like they are stuck on a treadmill with a lot of anxiety and little time to simply relax. New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, a father of two, knows how hard it can be, which is why he is calling on the City Council to pass “right to request” legislation that would allow New York employees to request flexible work arrangements without fear of reprisal.
“Part of what we’ve got to do in the city is recognize that there are more people beginning families, who do need work flexibility,” Stringer says, citing his own hectic, day-to-day life with his wife Elyse Buxbaum, which begins every morning at 5am as they work out the day’s details. “The old way of doing this sort of ‘Mad Men’ economy of the 1950s and 60s is no longer conducive to the 21st Century workplace.”
The demands on working parents commonly lead to painful personal choices at work and home. A study recently released by Stringer’s Office, shows how pervasive the challenges are among city parents. The report, titled “Families and Flexibility: Reshaping The Workplace for the 21st Century,” found that nationally, 75 percent of employees report not having enough time to spend with their children. What’s more, 65 percent of them report having to shift their arrival or departure times, or take time off from work to provide elder care.
And the challenges are likely to grow. As Baby Boomers age, the senior population seeking care will increase 40 percent by 2040, increasing the amount of workers who will need time off.
“Right to request” legislation, which could now be passed at the city level, would effectively create “a safe space” so that employees could go to their employers to discuss flexible scheduling with the hope of having a reasonable discussion and without retribution of any kind.
“So many employers will consider the request but the request is never made because people are afraid to step forward and don’t even know that they can ask. So I think it will put people in a good frame,” Stringer says. “It will allow for employers to think about some of these issues, and it’s the first step to having a real conversation about flextime.”
While employers would not be legally obligated to honor employee requests for flexible schedules, Stringer makes a compelling case that more flexibility benefits not only employees but employers as well. Several case studies highlighted in the report—featuring large corporations like Aetna and KPMG—have shown that businesses using flextime can save money while building strong, stable work forces. For example, switching to tele-communting in recent years has saved Aetna about $78 million in real estate costs. Other studies have shown that companies can save about $6,500 annually for every employee who works from home once a week, as this decreases turnover and energy/IT costs.
At the same time, workers who would otherwise quit in order to take care better care of their children and possibly their parents, might be able to continue working, resulting in less turnover. For women, who are still more likely than men to leave the workforce in order to raise children, having a flexible work arrangement can mean not missing out on as much as $600,000 of income over a lifetime, or more.
This could go a long way towards closing the wage gap that exists today between men and women, according to Stringer, because experienced women could continue to advance their careers. “More women are working than ever before in professional jobs—that’s going to increase,” Stringer says. “And so this is a great opportunity now to think about the workforce as it relates to men and women and children and elders.”
As the Comptroller suggests, work place flexibility is an issue for all workers; in fact, another survey found that even 50 percent of employees without children count flexibility as “very or extremely important” to them. Still, it’s easy to see what a dramatic impact it could have on the lives of parents—men or women—hoping to have more quality time with their families without giving up their careers or a regular salary.
“One hour difference for parents could mean everything,” Stringer says. “It could keep two parents in the workforce. You know, this is one of the most expensive places to live in the world so you do need two income-earners, two parents, making a living to take care of the kids.”
To read the report, “Families and Flexibility: Reshaping The Workplace for the 21st Century,” on the Office of the New York City Comptroller website, click here.
