June 18, 2014
By Stephanie West
New York, NY—Flexible work arrangements can improve productivity and job satisfaction while helping New York City maintain its status as a magnet for top talent, according to a report released by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. Stringer recommended best practices for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and highlighted lawmakers at the federal, state, and city level who have proposed legislation for the “Right to Request,” a formal mechanism for workers and employers to discuss workplace flexibility issues.
“If New York City is to remain a global economic power, government must support and encourage policies that view family and work demands as complementary, not competing interests,” Comptroller Stringer said. “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.”
The report, “Families and Flexibility: Reshaping the Workplace for the 21st Century” highlighted the following data in support of why flexible work schedules are necessary:
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. This number will 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.
Lower-income workers are more likely to provide care to their aging parents than those in higher-income brackets.
