Origins of National Work and Family Month | U.S. Senate Resolution 210 | 2008 Update! Reaffirming U.S. Congressional Resolution
Origins of National Work and Family Month
In 2003 Fortune magazine approached the Alliance for Work-Life Progress® (AWLP) expressing its conviction that work-life effectiveness was going to be one of the most important business growth trends of the decade. A proposed action plan included three core elements, which formed what became known as the National Work-Life Initiative (NWLI):
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Publication of an annual work-life special section in one of the September issues of Fortune
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Efforts to secure a Congressional resolution declaring an official work-life month
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Designation of an annual corporate chair to work in collaboration with AWLP to draw attention to the business impact of work-life initiatives on a national level.
NWLI marked the emergence of work-life effectiveness as a cornerstone of the 21st century American workplace - programs and services offered by and through employers to help employees achieve success both at work and at home.
Fortune Special Section Published
As part of its participation in the NWLI, Fortune published the annual special advertising section on Sept. 29, 2003, addressing critical business imperatives related to work-life initiatives and hiring work-life expert and AWLP Board Member Karol Rose to write and manage the section.
"This is the first time the work-life field has received this kind of attention; it's an incredible opportunity for a partnership as well as a great way to tell our story to the business community," Rose said.
The special section featured the latest bottom-line research and best practices and included interviews with leaders of the best practice companies, along with labor, government and educational organizations. This inaugural article showcased how leading companies leverage work-life programs and solutions to achieve short- and long-term business goals.
For the past three years, the AWLP- Fortune magazine annual special section on "Work-Life" has become a must-read for work-life practitioners and provides the work-life profession with important visibility with the more than 4 million executive-level readers of Fortune .
Senate Resolution Obtained
AWLP efforts to secure a Congressional resolution declaring an official work-life month were successful with the unanimous passage of U.S. Senate Resolution 210 on Sept. 5, 2003, designating the month of October as "National Work and Family Month." This accomplishment came about with much-appreciated assistance from other work-life organizations.
Stephanie Trapp, former AWLP executive director, who provided documentation and also lobbied Congress, said, "The senators were very excited to learn about all corporate America was doing to support work-life efforts. Very little attention had been paid to their role in pushing the envelope, especially as it relates to issues of the family. Marriott was also lobbying heavily for some specific child-care legislation," which brought added visibility to work-life issues in Congress.
"Coming on the heels of Sept. 11, 2001, it was challenging to make folks pay attention to our issues. We were very frustrated and in fact thought we would not get the declaration when we did, but through persistence it happened.
"I was on the Hill for a hearing right before they were to be dismissed for summer session. It was our last opportunity to get the declaration passed before the celebration day we had already planned," Trapp said.
The topic became important enough to bring about a bipartisan alliance including Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) They both agreed that reducing conflict between work and family life needs to be a national priority even though they may disagree on how to make that happen, according to Trapp.
"We all know that sick children recover more quickly when cared for by a parent, and our senior citizens are relying more and more on their working adult children to care for them when they are ill," Sen. Hatch said. "Americans need to have the reassurance that they can draw a healthy line, a healthy boundary, between their families and their jobs, caring for both their loved ones and their work."
By declaring October National Work and Family Month, the U.S. Senate concurs with AWLP that "supporting a balance between work and personal life is in the best interest of national worker productivity" and that "reducing the conflict between work and family life should be a national priority."
"Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to balance their work and family responsibilities," Sen. Hatch said. "The Senate's action confirmed that our nation's leaders are committed to promoting a family-friendly work environment."
In its proclamation, the Senate also requested that "the President issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe 'National Work and Family Month' with appropriate ceremonies and activities." Although this has not yet happened, this was a significant step for all who had been advocating a family-friendly work environment.
First Corporate Chair Picked
AWLP would go on to work with nine companies that made up the American Business Collaboration for Dependent Care (ABC), the first corporate sponsor and inaugural chair to be featured in the Fortune special section. Morgan Stanley and Xerox served as corporate chairs in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
NWLI Mission Accomplished
With all of its initiatives accomplished, NWLI was officially phased out as National Work & Family Month gained notoriety by 2005. National Work & Family Month has grown steadily over the years to include a satellite radio tour, an Executive Roundtable discussion hosted by Fortune, and Webinars as well as a comprehensive Web site dedicated to educate companies on how to celebrate successes and plan for future work-life initiatives.
"There's a multitude of bottom-line business reasons to implement work-life benefits. Companies that build them into their culture 'because it's the right thing to' do will make the most impact. But any company that's trying is doing a great job," Trapp said.
The month helps employers increase the attraction, retention, productivity and engagement of the talent required for organizational success. It's especially helpful for organizations that cannot afford consultants or on-site child care and are looking for actionable ideas on a smaller scale.
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U.S. Senate Resolution 210
The unanimous passage on Sept. 5, 2003, of U.S. Senate Resolution 210 designated October as National Work and Family Month.
By declaring October National Work and Family Month, the U.S. Senate concurred with the National Work-Life Initiative that "supporting a balance between work and personal life is in the best interest of national worker productivity" and that "reducing the conflict between work and family life should be a national priority."
In its proclamation, the Senate also requested that "the President issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe 'National Work and Family Month' with appropriate ceremonies and activities."
Sponsored by Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and co-sponsored by 12 of his colleagues, Resolution 210 identifies 11 important issues confronting American workers that are addressed by the adoption of work-life programs and services, including:
- 85% of U.S. wage and salaried workers have immediate, day-to-day family responsibilities off the job
- 46% of wage and salaried workers are parents with children under the age of 18 who live with them at least half time
- Nearly one out of every four Americans -- over 45 million Americans -- provided or arranged care for a family member or friend in the past year
- An increasing number of baby boomers reach retirement age in record numbers [and] more and more Americans are faced with the challenge of caring for older parents.
Resolution 210 goes on to say that work-life programs:
- Are key predictors of job productivity, job satisfaction, commitment to employers, and retention
- Allow parents to be more involved in their children's lives, and parental involvement is associated with children's higher achievement in language and mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower dropout rates.
Co-sponsoring Resolution 210 were senators:
- Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
- Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
- James M. Jeffords (I-VT)
- Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
- John. F. Kerry (D-MA)
- Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
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- Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
- Joseph I. Lieberman, (D-CT)
- Richard G. Lugar (R-IN)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- Paul S. Sarbanes (D-MD)
- Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
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Download Resolution 210 (PDF).
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Reaffirming U.S. Congressional Resolution
WorldatWork and Alliance for Work-Life Progress are gearing up to acknowledge the fifth anniversary of National Work & Family Month through a U.S. Congressional resolution and will update this page with news from Washington, D.C.
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