[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15665-15666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING OCTOBER AS NATIONAL WORK AND FAMILY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TODD RUSSELL PLATTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 14, 2011

  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the month of 
October as National Work and Family Month (NWFM). NWFM was established 
in 2003 and is the centerpiece of a national education campaign to 
raise awareness among employers about the value of work-life 
integration. NWFM encourages all workplaces to pause once a year to 
communicate and celebrate the progress already made on the journey to 
creating healthier and more flexible work environments,

[[Page 15666]]

and then raise the bar to accomplish even more over the coming year.
  We know that high quality work-family policies--including those 
related to workplace flexibility, military family flexibility, 
dependent care, health and wellness, and paid and unpaid time off--are 
highly effective in attracting, motivating, and retaining a talented 
workforce. Congress has acknowledged the importance of these policies 
in 2009 and 2010 when both chambers of Congress passed bipartisan 
resolutions recognizing NWFM. This year, I encourage all of my 
colleagues, as well as my fellow Americans, to take time this month to 
acknowledge the importance of a healthy balance between work and family 
life.

                          ____________________