[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 296 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 296

    Designating October 2009 as ``National Work and Family Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 30, 2009

   Mrs. Lincoln (for herself, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Kohl) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Designating October 2009 as ``National Work and Family Month''.

Whereas, according to a report by WorldatWork, a nonprofit professional 
        association with expertise in attracting, motivating, and retaining 
        employees, the quality of workers' jobs and the supportiveness of their 
        workplaces are key predictors of workers' job productivity, job 
        satisfaction, and commitment to employers and of employers' ability to 
        retain workers;
Whereas, according to the 2008 National Study of Employers by the Families and 
        Work Institute, employees in more flexible and supportive workplaces are 
        more effective employees, are more highly engaged and less likely to 
        look for a new job in the next year, and enjoy better overall health, 
        better mental health, and lower levels of stress than employees in 
        workplaces that provide less flexibility and support;
Whereas, according to a 2004 report of the Families and Work Institute entitled 
        ``Overwork in America'', employees who are able to effectively balance 
        family and work responsibilities are less likely to report making 
        mistakes or feel resentment toward employers and coworkers;
Whereas, according to the ``Best Places to Work in the Federal Government'' 
        rankings released by the Partnership for Public Service and American 
        University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation, 
        work-life balance and a family-friendly culture are among the key 
        drivers of engagement and satisfaction for employees in the Federal 
        workforce;
Whereas, according to a 2009 survey of college students by the Partnership for 
        Public Service and Universum USA entitled ``Great Expectations! What 
        Students Want in an Employer and How Federal Agencies Can Deliver It'', 
        attaining a healthy work-life balance was an important career goal of 66 
        percent of the students surveyed;
Whereas a 2008 study by the Partnership for Public Service entitled ``A Golden 
        Opportunity: Recruiting Baby Boomers into Government'' revealed that 
        workers between the ages of 50 and 65 are a strong source of experienced 
        talent for the Federal workforce and that nearly 50 percent of workers 
        in that age group find flexible work schedules ``extremely appealing'';
Whereas finding a good work-life balance is important to workers in multiple 
        generations;
Whereas employees who are able to effectively balance family and work 
        responsibilities tend to feel healthier and more successful in their 
        relationships with their spouses, children, and friends;
Whereas 85 percent of wage and salaried workers in the United States have 
        immediate, day-to-day family responsibilities outside of their jobs;
Whereas, in 2000, research by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center revealed that 
        men in their 20s and 30s and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s identified 
        a work schedule that allows them to spend time with their families as 
        the most important job characteristic for them;
Whereas, according to the 2006 American Community Survey by the United States 
        Census Bureau, 47 percent of wage and salaried workers in the United 
        States are parents with children under the age of 18 who live with them 
        at least half-time;
Whereas job flexibility often allows parents to be more involved in their 
        children's lives and research demonstrates that parental involvement is 
        associated with children's higher achievement in language and 
        mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower 
        dropout rates;
Whereas the 2000 Urban Working Families study demonstrated that a lack of job 
        flexibility for working parents negatively affects children's health in 
        ways that range from children being unable to make needed doctors' 
        appointments to children receiving inadequate early care, leading to 
        more severe and prolonged illness;
Whereas, from 2001 to the beginning of 2008, 1,700,000 active duty troops served 
        in Iraq and 600,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve (133,000 
        on more than one tour) were called up to serve in Iraq;
Whereas, because so many of those troops and National Guard and Reserve members 
        have families, there needs to be a focus on policies and programs that 
        can help military families adjust to the realities that come with having 
        a family member in the military;
Whereas research by the Sloan Center for Aging and Work reveals that the 
        majority of workers aged 53 and older attribute their success as an 
        employee by a great or moderate extent to having access to flexibility 
        in their jobs and that the majority of those workers also report that, 
        to a great extent, flexibility options contribute to an overall higher 
        quality of life;
Whereas studies show that \1/3\ of children and adolescents in the United States 
        are obese or overweight, and healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy 
        eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and 
        developing related diseases;
Whereas studies report that family rituals, such as sitting down to dinner 
        together and sharing activities on weekends and holidays, positively 
        influence children's health and development and that children who eat 
        dinner with their families every day consume nearly a full serving more 
        of fruits and vegetables per day than those who never eat dinner with 
        their families or do so only occasionally;
Whereas unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source 
        of long-term care services in the United States for the elderly;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services anticipates that by 2050 the 
        number of such caregivers will reach 37,000,000, an increase of 85 
        percent from 2000, as baby boomers reach retirement age in record 
        numbers; and
Whereas the month of October is an appropriate month to designate as ``National 
        Work and Family Month'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates October 2009 as ``National Work and Family 
        Month'';
            (2) recognizes the importance of work schedules that allow 
        employees to spend time with their families to job productivity 
        and to healthy families;
            (3) urges public officials, employers, employees, and the 
        general public to work together to achieve more balance between 
        work and family; and
            (4) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
        National Work and Family Month with appropriate ceremonies and 
        activities.
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