Top Ten Work Life Culture Stories of 2009

The work life terrain of 2009 was like riding a jeep through the Sahara Desert and running into an oasis. Problem is we don’t know if that well, will spring eternal in leading to real progress toward a healthier work life culture.

We began with President Obama’s post-election celebratory Hawaiian vacation  - work life integration – beachside. He and First Lady Michelle made working families a top priority upon their entry to the White House. There were some good moments; but will they take root?

Recession,  a new American president, record high unemployment, women now at half the workforce and health care reform.  An instant visual for a year that thrust the concept of work life balance into the headlines, while dismantling the very idea that such a dynamic even exists.

With layoffs abound, women picked up numbers in the workforce, careers were contemplated, workplace conditions questioned, and the intersection of the working and living experience was put under a microscope. Here are the stories that WorkLifeNation.com considers some of the more influential work life stories of 2009.

1. The Obama Administration takes on Work and Families: The president appoints Vice President Joe Biden to chair the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families. (click here for details) First Lady Michelle Obama takes down the house while speaking at an annual meeting for Corporate Voices for Working Families. Check out Rachel Swarns NYT’s article: First Lady Promotes Aid for Working Families.

2. The Work Life Gender Gap Narrows: Data from the Families and Work Institute, found that men’s work-life conflict has increased significantly from 34% in 1977 to 45% in 2008. A September Adecco Group North America’s American Workplace Insights Survey offers some recent insight. It found one in four working dads were working longer hours/took a second job to keep up with economic pressure.

3. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009: President Obama signed his first piece of legislation designed to fight discriminatory pay practices. Check out the historic signing. But keep in mind that women still make 78 cents for every dollar men earn.

4. The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything: In an economy stripped of jobs, women become half of the work force and an emerging economic force to be reckoned with. This report by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress calls for new policies and practices as this monumental transformational shift quakes through our work life culture and economy in general.

5. Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act: Expanded service opportunities for people of all ages. It created funding to support non-profit service programs such as AmeriCorps. It also established Serve America and Encore fellowships. Encore Careers take the limelight as experienced, skilled boomers, reinvent their careers with purpose in the second half of their lives, becoming a force for social change.

6. U.S. lags other rich countries in supporting working families: Researchers at Harvard and McGill Universities found that the U.S. falls behind other Nations on paid sick days, paid paternal leave, breastfeeding, other worker supports. Findings published in a new book: Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth that We Can’t Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone.

7. Work Life Flexibility, The New Normal: Workplace Flexibility 2010, a research entity at Georgetown University Law Center releases its Public Policy Platform for Flexible Work Arrangements. It spurs a litany of public discourse and debate in the media about the benefits of FWA.

8. The Digital Work Life Native: International outsourcing and placement company Kelly Services releases the Kelly Global Workforce Index. The study finds technology such as laptops and mobile devices have improved work life balance, productivity and engagement. On the flip side you’ll find studies that somewhat refute this, claiming technology can lead to sensory overload.

9. The Multi-Generational Workforce: Our generational melting pot  turns big business on its ear – or does it? MetLife’s Employee Engagement study indicates it has an upside. And check out this article from a series on the topic from The Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College:  Staying “Age-Responsive” in a Climate of New Organizational Challenges. Also, Penelope Trunk’s post for Time: What Gen Y Really Wants.

10. H1N1 and The State of Health in the American Workforce: The Families and Work Institute report reveals a decline in the health of the American workforce. Criteria for an “effective workplace” emerges from this report and conversation heads to Capitol Hill for hearings. H1N1 triggers a closer look at family leave, the Healthy Families Act, and Family Leave Insurance Act.