The DOW hit its highest point since early January, good news came out of the housing market Thursday, and earnings reports are better than expected this quarter, but it doesn’t mean we’re out of the mucky waters of recession yet. Judging by a new report by the Families and Work Institute, employers are certainly not thinking that way. Yet, work life flexibility has not been thrown to the curb in tumultuous times. An important note as we adapt to the so-called “new economy” which is consistently offering evidence of the blurred lines between the working and living experience – which all but demands more flex.

The report,  The Impact of the Recession on Employers was the substance behind the testimony of the Institute’s co-founder Ellen Galinsky Thursday morning. She spoke before a Congressional Joint Economic Committee which addressed: Balancing Work and Family in the Recession: How Employees and Employers are Coping (Click on the title to watch the testimony).

“We found overall that the recession has taken a very severe toll on employers,” said Galinksy who went on to cite that in the study’s national sample, two thirds of the employers reported declining revenues. 77% had to resort to cost cutting measures. Among those companies – 64% suffered lay offs. So employers, like us all, have been cutting back. But there was one surprising finding in the report said Galisky,”81% of employers are maintaining the flexibility that they offer, 13% are increasing it during the recession and only 6% have reduced flexibility. Perhaps that’s because employers recognize that flexibility is connected to engagement, retention, health and wellness – our studies certainly show that.”

Still, as Galinsky and the others who testified pointed out, flexibility has to work for both the employer and employee. The distance between the two camps needs a moderator of sorts. A number of organizations and research entities such as the Families and Work Institute, Sloan Work and Family Research Network, and Workplace Flexibility 2010 have brought the national conversation to a new level, but legislative movement is agonizingly slow.

Back in December of 2007 the Working Families Flexibility Act had a short run. It was re -introduced in March, but it seems to remain nothing but a political football with little action taken ( read more about that in this post by work life expert Cali Yost). Perhaps the recession will force the conversation into a new realm with a fresh set of eyes and ears in our WorkLife Nation.

I remember it like it was yesterday because there is not a day that goes by that it doesn’t come across my radar. Following the events of 9/11 a concrete shift took place within the workplace; the work life experience merged for many, because the grief of this time knew no boundaries. A spotlight was suddenly shown on organizations, non-profits and faith-based initiatives that dealt with workplace issues. That’s when I learned more about the Families & Work Institute. 

This week is the 20th anniversary of the Institute’s inception. You can read about the Legacy dinner that was held last night honoring co-founders, Ellen Galinsky and Dana Friedman at Cali Yost’s Work+Life Fit blog. Cali’s blog goes into depth on the workplace trends spoken about at the dinner. It’s a good read with the latest ideas on the topic. I’ve partnered with Cali on a few projects and she has an incredible handle on the cutting edge initiatives in the field, and the work of the Families & Work Institute, as she began her career there.

The Families & Work Institute is known best perhaps for its National Study of the Changing Workforce. But what initially caught my eye less than two months prior to 9/11, was the Institute study entitled: Feeling Overworked: When Work Becomes Too Much.

It stated that a third of U.S. employees felt often or very often overwhelmed by the amount of work they had to do. Little did anyone know how much more difficult it would get to juggle work and life issues. 9/11 was a tipping point in our work life nation. Wall Street suffered, then came corporate malfeasance, the collapse of the DotComs and Sarbanes-Oxley which put a lot of people in a bad mood and upped the stress levels. The Institute was there the whole way and still ahead of the curve to this day. Subsequently, I learned more about the Institute, and interviewed its founders for some stories I did for Marketplace and NPR.

The material that comes out of the Institutes combined efforts with other like-minded groups keeps work life integration on the front burner. It keeps the conversation alive so that companies take more of an interest in their people, their so-called “human capital.” To this day their shared wisdom has fueled my passion to report on programs, companies and pioneers making the work life journey in the new economy, a more positive experience. For me, that’s also part of their legacy; giving voice to what can no longer be ignored. For companies working in a 24/7 global marketplace amidst many generations during a recession – they can’t afford not to listen.