As part of the White House Summit on Working Families, President Barack Obama wrote an article for the Huffington Post on Monday about the importance of creating family-friendly workplace policies.
The op-ed, “Family-Friendly Workplace Policies Are Not Frills — They’re Basic Needs,” discusses how flexibility, paid family leave and childcare are necessities and should not be considered “bonuses.”
Obama said that there is “something wrong” with having so many Americans choosing between their families and their jobs. He said that working parents should be able to know their children are safe, have flexibility when needed and not have to turn down an opportunity out of the worry that it could negatively impact the family.
The president signed a Presidential Memorandum instructing all federal government agencies to broaden work schedule flexibility and allow employees to request it if needed.
Obama also appealed to Congress to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, making sure that pregnant women don’t have to compromise their health for the sake of their jobs. He pointed out that America is the only developed nation that does not have paid maternity leave.
The president listed some examples of companies who offer family-friendly policies, like JetBlue, Google and Cisco. After increasing paid leave for parents to five months, Google had half as many women leave the company, Obama said. He also gave an example of how much money Cisco saves by allowing telecommuting, an estimated $275 million a year.
Supporting working parents has economic impact as well, according to the president. He said that the economy relies on maximizing America’s talent, something that’s hard to do without moving some workplace obstacles out of the way.
Obama wrote that making it easier for all employees to contribute their best is the “key to staying competitive in the global economy.”
The White House Summit on Working Families featured speakers such as actress Christina Hendricks, Old Navy vice president, Lynn Albright and Care.com CEO, Sheila Marcelo.
To read more about the event or contribute an opinion, use #FamiliesSucceed on social media.
