Susan's Blog  
(Occasional comments by Susan Seitel)

September 30, 2009

"I would say the trend in work-life has been to move toward efforts to help workers, both men and women, work in the way that allows them to do their best and be their most productive. That means flexibility -- not just flextime or compressed workweeks but real flexibility, the kind that says you can work when and where and how it works best for you."

"It means trusting employees to do what they say they will, but it also necessitates training managers to set goals with their staff, being clear about what success will look like and how they'll measure it, and knowing how results will be verified. Once managers become adept at doing this their load actually becomes lighter and employees are more satisfied, fulfilled, and able to handle their responsibilities at home as well as at work."

"Unfortunately, the push for more flexibility has also, for many employers, taken attention away from the need for programs, particularly in difficult economic times when such programs may mean a financial investment. But we're beginning to see a move back to providing childcare, the services of a geriatric care manager and other eldercare services, and currently financial counseling and assistance."

"Particularly for women, we're seeing that the trendsetters – at least the ones that get the most publicity – are firms like Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, etc. They're offering women the opportunity to leave when they need to, in order to have or raise children, and then come back when they're ready. Some are even offering ways to stay in touch, keep their skills up and continue to network while they're on extended leave."

Our questioner is a subscriber to our Work-Life Newsbrief, of course, so we invited her to go to our subscribers-only database and put a search term in – like "women and childcare" for instance – to see what she would come up with. I tested those search terms and got 153 matches. My recipient's response: "Thanks for being such a great resource!"

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September 23, 2009

The Families and Work Institute has a fascinating new report out on the health of Americans. We'll be writing more about the report in the November Trend Report (part of the Work-Life Newsbrief - click here if you'd like a sample copy), but here's a snapshot from FWI President Ellen Galinsky.

I am delighted to announce that today Families and Work Institute (FWI) is releasing an important new report that shines light on trends in the health of the U.S. workforce. Please go to the lower left-hand side of our home page for the report and related media: http://familiesandwork.org. We have received wonderful coverage of this report thus far. For example, here is a link to The Huffington Post coverage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-galinsky/wellness-is-the-responsib_b_291500.html. 

In the midst of the national health care debate, new data show that the health of employed Americans is trending downward in a number of important areas. The State of Health in the American Workforce, a report by Families and Work Institute researcher Kirsten Aumann and myself, finds that only 28% of employees today report that their overall health is “excellent,” down from 34% just six years ago. The report discusses the relationship between the workplace environment and employee health, underlining the significant role that employers play beyond providing health insurance and wellness programs. 

Perhaps surprisingly, men’s overall health has declined more rapidly than women’s.

The findings serve as a wake-up call for employers and employees alike to take a closer look at how their organizations affect people’s health and well-being. As a complement to any reform measures on the table in Washington, it is imperative for employers and employees to pay attention to how they can promote better health. Specifically, this report details the criteria of an effective workplace and reveals the powerful role that effective workplaces can play in the health of employees.

These data are relevant to all those who are concerned with employee health, health care costs, the health care debate, wellness, working family issues and work life.

Best wishes,

Ellen Galinsky

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September 12, 2009

For many of us, it's not easy to find time to get in the recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise. Now the Loyola Center for Fitness is giving us a way to exercise even if we're glued to the desk (well almost).

They're offering some exercises that allow working out in the three main fitness categories, cardiovascular, strength and flexibility, at or near our desks.

Cardiovascular

1. Stand whenever possible. Standing opens the front of the hips
2. Take the stairs. Five to seven times a day is a good goal
3. March in place or take a brief walk around your office to increase your energy and blood flow
4. Increase your heart-rate:
a. Pretend you have a jump rope and jump on both legs or try alternating legs
b. Do jumping jacks. Lower impact version: raise your right arm out to the side while tapping your left toe out to the side, then switch sides
c. Bring your knees towards hip level and transfer your weight quickly to take marching in place to the next level
d. Do the football shuffle. With feet shoulder width apart, slightly bend your knees and take quick steps with your feet

Strength

1. Strengthen legs by standing feet hip width apart. Sink your hips back as if sitting in a chair. Lower slightly, return to standing
2. Strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest. Sit in a chair without wheels and place your hand on the arms. Use your arms to lift your bottom off the chair seat and lower yourself back down. Aim for 15 repetitions
3. Work your knees by sitting tall in chair. Lift one leg and straighten, hold for 2 seconds and lower. Repeat with other leg.
4. Stretch your back and shoulders by squeezing your shoulder blades together and away from your ears, hold for three seconds and release. Repeat 15 times.

Flexibility

1. Sit in a chair and reach both arms overhead, stretching them back. Hold for 10 seconds. Grab your right wrist with left hand and stretch deeper through your right side. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat opposite side.
2. Hold your arms in front of you and gently circle your wrists in both a clockwise and counterclockwise motion. Stretch your hands by making fists then opening them as wide as you can
3. Sit tall in a chair keeping your weight even in both hips. Gently turn your body to the right. Deepen the stretch by using your left hand to hold the right chair arm. Hold for 15 seconds, switch sides
4. Release neck tension by sitting tall in your chair. Release your right shoulder down, you can even sit on your right hand, and tilt your head so your left ear is going towards your left shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds, switch sides.

“Taking a break from work for even a few minutes can help you feel better and increase your energy level,” said Kara Smith, special programs coordinator for the Loyola Center for Fitness. “If co-workers give you a strange look while you’re exercising ask them to join you.” 

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September 5, 2009

 In this day and age, disrespect that's hard to believe.

We watched our Minnesota Twins play ball last night, and you may be wondering what that has to do with work-life. What it has to do with is respect for diversity. 

The Twins played the Cleveland Indians, and throughout the entire game I was distracted by the cartoon on the hat and sleeve of every player on the opposing team. The picture is one you've no doubt seen if you're a baseball fan, and while it's not enough to make me give up watching baseball, it is hard for me to watch, and hard to believe it's still there.

What I'm referring to is the Indians ' logo. It's a ridiculous looking, supposedly comic picture of an Native American man with a huge and extremely toothy grin and a feather sticking out of his headband,

Looking at it, I can't help but think about the explosion of righteous anger if there was a team called the Milwaukee Jews, with a logo design of a grinning man with a little yarmulka and long sideburns. Or how about the New York Negroes, with a picture of a stereotypically happy black man, or the Chicago Arabs with a smiling Arabian man wearing a keffiyeh on his head?

I remember that there was a public fight about the Atlanta Braves logo -- I found a blog on the Web that said the Atlanta Braves used to have a real live Indian mascot who lived(?) in a teepee out in left field of the old stadium. His name was Chief Knock-a-homa. Before the game, he would do a dance on home plate to get the Indian gods to help the Braves, and then he would come out and do a dance every time the Braves hit a home run or won a game.  

Thankfully those days are gone, and the Braves logo is no longer an Indian but simply their name, which is at least slightly less disrespectful. It's hard to believe that the ACLU and the Indian nation haven't come together to take a stand and help this Cleveland team join the 21st century. It's long past time. 

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September 1, 2009

We got a call this morning from someone asking what we knew about making the workplace accessible and accommodating disabled workers. And a quick Web search brought these tips from “Beyond Please and Thank You: The Disability Awareness Handbook for Families, Co-Workers, and Friends” by Richard C. Senelick, MD, and Karla Dougherty. Accommodations, they say, are easy and inexpensive, for the most part.

• Amplifiers and teletypewriters (TDD) allow those with a hearing loss to use the telephone.

• Secure wooden blocks can be used to raise desks and conferences tables for people who use wheelchairs.

• Computer screens that accommodate large type, and Braille keyboards and printers can make the workplace suitable for a person with vision impairment.

• One washroom can be set aside as wheelchair-accessible.

• Letting visually impaired workers and those who use wheelchairs know when you've moved coffee stations, plants, and furniture (or not moving them) will make life easier for them.

• A ramp will provide those in wheelchairs with easy access to the building. The slope should be elevated one inch for every twelve inches. 

• Corridors should be a minimum of 44 inches wide.

Other issues can be resolved by open and frank communication between the disabled worker and the supervisor. If a meeting will be held in another building, remember to ask if it's wheelchair accessible and let the disabled worker know if there are any special needs. And if supervisors, co-workers, and the disabled worker all assume good faith on everyone’s part, any obstacle can be overcome, say these experts, and the disabled worker can become a full partner in the workplace.

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