[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9988-S9989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 296--DESIGNATING OCTOBER 2009 AS ``NATIONAL WORK AND 
                             FAMILY MONTH''

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

                              S. Res. 296

       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;

[[Page S9989]]

       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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