With Mother’s Day right around the corner, American families look forward to celebrating motherhood and showing much-deserved love and appreciation for moms across the country. As the mother of two children, I am so grateful for the fulfillment and joy that comes with raising great kids.
I’m also very familiar with the real struggles that come with juggling a demanding career with the responsibilities of motherhood. For working moms like me, flexible work options (workflex), are crucial to meeting these demands. Unfortunately, outdated employment laws make it difficult for employers to offer certain workflex options to all their employees. That’s one reason why the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) supports the Workflex in the 21st Century Act (H.R. 4219), which would expand these options to millions – including working moms – for the first time.
As the world of work has changed dramatically in recent decades, finding new ways to support the work-life needs of employees is an increasingly pressing issue. Seventy percent of mothers with children under18 are now in the labor force, and the number of mothers who are their family’s primary or sole earner has also increased significantly, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. [1]
Given these facts, it should come as no surprise that 4 out of 10 working mothers say they always feel rushed. [2] Moms and dads are increasingly stressed, struggling to be there for their children while meeting the next project deadline.
Whether it's taking your child to a doctor’s appointment, picking them up from school or cheering them on at a soccer game, working moms like myself need options beyond paid leave. We need the flexibility to determine how, when and where work is done to be successful both at work and home.
That’s why the Workflex in the 21st Century Act is so important. Introduced by Rep. Mimi Walters (a mother of four no less!), this SHRM-supported bill offers ALL employees of participating employers a range of new workflex options.
For participating employers, the bill goes beyond just providing guaranteed paid leave. It expands workflex options like flexible scheduling, telecommuting and compressed schedules to millions of employees.
These are the kind of work arrangements that employees are increasingly demanding to help them meet not only parenting responsibilities, but a broad range of personal needs, like caring for elderly parents or a sick relative.
This is particularly critical when you consider that having the flexibility to balance work and life issues ranks second to compensation as the reason employees stay at a job or leave it. [3] That makes the Workflex in the 21st Century Act a win-win for employees who want new options and employers looking to attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive job market.
Thanks to the workflex options I am afforded at SHRM, I can effectively perform my professional duties while fulfilling my responsibilities as a parent and spending precious moments with my kids.
This Mother’s Day, let’s commit to expanding flexible work options for mothers around the country by supporting the Workflex in the 21st Century Act!
[1] U.S. Department of Labor, 2015: https://www.dol.gov/wb/resources/WB_WorkingMothers_508_FinalJune13.pdf
[2] Pew Research Center, 2015: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-hou...
[3] The Society for Human Resource Management, 2017: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-survey...
Lisa Horn is Director, Congressional Affairs and the Co-Leader of SHRM's Workplace Flexibility Initiative. Since 2004, Lisa has served as SHRM's chief lobbyist on health care and workplace flexibility public policy issues on Capitol Hill that impact the human resource profession.
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