[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E282-E283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTRODUCTION OF WORKING FAMILIES FLEXIBILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 29, 2012

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as a result of demographic shifts over the 
last 50 years, the modern workforce has a different, more diverse set 
of needs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 70 percent of 
children are raised in families that are headed by either a working 
single parent or two working parents. The number of married households 
with children where both parents were in the labor force rose to 66 
percent in 2010, while the number of single parent families has almost 
tripled over the last fifty years, from 5 percent in 1960, to 14 
percent in 2010. Furthermore, more households are caring for older 
relatives as medical advances mean people are living longer, with 
studies showing that almost 60 percent of those who provide unpaid care 
to an adult or to a child with special needs are employed.
  Flexible work arrangements are the key to meeting these diverse 
workforce needs. Such voluntary arrangements between employees and 
employers include changing the time, amount, and/or place that work is 
conducted in order to allow workers to more easily meet the needs of 
both work and family life. To give employees the right to request 
flexible work options in terms of hours, schedules, and work location, 
today I am introducing the Working Families Flexibility Act. This 
legislation also provides employers with flexibility by encouraging 
them to review these requests, propose changes, and even deny them if 
they are not in the best interest of the business.
  Having flexible workplace policies has been shown to boost employee 
satisfaction and morale as well as improve business bottom line.

[[Page E283]]

These policies help businesses retain key talent, reduce absenteeism, 
and enhance employee productivity. President Obama's Council on 
Economic Advisors found that as more firms adopt flexibility practices 
the benefits to society, in the form of reduced traffic, improved 
employment outcomes, and more efficient allocation of workers to 
employers, may be greater than the gains to individual firms and 
workers. In addition, a 2011 U.S. Government Accountability Office 
report found that a flexible work environment can increase and enhance 
employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
  Flexibility is clearly a win-win for employees and employers. I offer 
special thanks to Senator Bob Casey for introducing Senate companion 
legislation, and to my colleagues Representatives John Lewis, George 
Miller, and Jose Serrano for their cosponsorship.

                          ____________________