Dear Friend,
In today’s economy, we all struggle with balancing our work life
with our family life, especially here in fast-paced New York City. That's
why my office just issued a new report,
“Families & Flexibility: Reshaping the Workplace for the 21st
Century,” which found that flexible work arrangements would help businesses create
a more productive workforce, ensure healthier and happier employees, and
spur greater prosperity for our economy.
Government must support and encourage policies that
view family and work demands as complementary, not competing interests. Flexible work arrangements are about making sure that caregivers, parents
and low-income workers have less conflict between their work and personal
lives, while employers get a more dedicated and productive workforce.
We need
“Right to Request” legislation at the federal, state, and city level. This would empower individuals
to discuss flexible work arrangements with their employers, without fear
of reprisal, and help to break down the stigma so often associated with
work-life balance issues.
As my report shows:
• 75 percent of employees report not having enough time to spend
with their children.
• 65 percent of caregivers report that they have to shift their arrival
or departure time or take time off from work to provide elder care, a
number that is expected to rise as the City’s senior population
increases 40 percent over the next 25 years.
• Over 57 percent of low-income working families are headed by single
parents, the vast majority of whom work.
For generations, New York City has been a magnet for people from all corners
of the globe. For the City to remain a global hub for business,
we need to support policies that keep up with the times and are good for employers and employees alike.
You can read the report
here.
And please
sign our petition to show your support for Federal, State and City legislation that will
support more flexible workplaces.
Sincerely,
Scott M. Stringer
Comptroller of the City of New York