Chapter 10: Responding to the Changing American Workforce

Chapter 10: Responding to the Changing American Workforce

The characteristics of the civilian labor force (CLF) in the United States have changed during the past 50 years and the pace of these changes continues to accelerate. Human resource specialists are now expected to help public employees implement human capital strategies that respond effectively to this dynamic environment. By 2004, 47 percent of all women worked (or were seeking work) with in the U.S. labor force. This rate of workforce participation meant that there were 68.5 million women aged 16 years and older in the CLF. The movement of women out of the home and traditional roles and into the workplace in many occupations and on many levels presents a whole new set of challenges to the employer. One of these challenges was how to respond to a new set of family-related issues in ways that meet the needs of both employees and employers. Public as well as nonprofit and private employers are being forced by necessity to develop human resource policies and practices that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of a workforce that is not dominated by men with wives who are at home taking care of their children. Today’s workers are more likely to want a balance between their on-and off- the job responsibilities, and research suggests that responsiveness to these concerns can be an important factor in recruitment, retention, and productivity (Friedman, 1991; Seyler, Monroe, & Garand, 1995).

Until recently, most public personnel systems had standardized work schedules and job design for all employees. No effort was made to adjust to the personal and family-related needs of workers. Everybody was on a “9-to-5” type schedule, five days a week. Some public employers, including the federal government have instituted a variety of flexible work programs, but many states and localities have not implemented family-friendly benefits such as child care, flexible benefit plans, long-term care insurance, wellness programs, and flexible workplace policies and subsidized commuting. One area where there has been considerable expansion is flexible or alternative work schedules. Alternative work schedules (AWS) are now found on all levels of government as well as throughout the private sector. Two basic forms are widely used. One form, called flexitime divides the workday into two kinds or time: core time and flexible time. The worker must be on the job during core time, but flexible time allows for variations in starting and stopping times. The second form is compressed time, which involves an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement scheduled for less than 10 work days.

The Family and Medical leave Act (FMLA) was reintroduced and finally signed into law by President Clinton in 1993. It requires businesses with 50 or more employees and all public agencies to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for: the care of a newborn, newly adopted, or foster child, the care of a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition, or a serious health condition of the employee, including maternity-related disability. Establishing workplaces that advance human capital goals rather than creating obstacles starts with eliminating outdated stereotypes and assumptions about the American workforce of today and the future.