Work-Life Fit Websites and Other Resources
Useful Links
Family and Medical Leave Policy Update
(1/29/16)
Drexel Human Resources, the Drexel Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost are pleased to announce revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Policy, effective January 2016. The policy revisions ensure that eligible Drexel faculty and professional staff members are advised of their eligibility for leave of absence necessitated by their own health condition, the birth or adoption of a child or care of immediate family members.
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is federal legislation that requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave in a rolling 12-month period for the employee’s own or a family member’s serious or chronic medical condition, including pregnancy. Drexel professional staff members generally use their sick and vacation time during FMLA leave, and this will continue under the updated policy. However, faculty members do not accrue vacation or sick time, leaving no defined resources from which to continue drawing salary during their absence. In light of these differences, Drexel’s revised Family and Medical Leave Policy clarifies the details of family leave for both faculty members and professional staff members.
While much is the same for professional staff, Drexel’s new policy now stipulates how compensation during FMLA will work for faculty. Specifically, a faculty member who is approved for Family and Medical Leave is eligible to receive six weeks of salary continuation after working at Drexel full-time for one year and up to 12 weeks of salary continuation after completion of the second year of full-time work. Part-time, FMLA-eligible faculty will receive pro-rated compensation. Short-term disability can also be used within the first two years of service for the faculty member’s own serious health condition if the faculty member purchases coverage through Drexel’s designated insurance carrier. Information about short-term disability can be found at drexel.edu/hr/benefits/voluntary. A special enrollment period will be opened to faculty members who wish to purchase short-term disability coverage from Feb. 1 through Feb. 29, 2016. Coverage will be effective Feb. 1, 2016, and can be purchased through My Drexel Benefits (DrexelOne >> Employee tab >> My Drexel Benefits).
Job protection for up to 12 weeks for any FMLA eligible employee is still part of any FMLA leave whether the person taking the leave is a faculty member or a professional staff member. The policy applies equally to all employees regardless of gender.
Implementation of the FMLA policy is handled by Drexel’s designated insurance carrier, Guardian. Faculty and professional staff members should review the policy for guidelines and consult Guardian for specific questions about eligibility for Family Medical Leave. Representatives from Guardian and Human Resources will be onsite to provide details regarding FMLA or any specific questions you may have on:
- Monday, Feb. 22, 10-11 a.m - Hill Conference Room - LeBow Engineering Center, Room 240, University City
- Monday, Feb. 22, 12-1 p.m. - Hill Conference Room- LeBow Engineering Center, Room 240, University City
- Tuesday, Feb. 23, 10-11 a.m. - New College Building, CT Surgery Room; 6th Floor, Center City
- Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12:30-1:30 p.m. - A-1 Classroom, Queen Lane
Websites and Electronic Resources
AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006. Martha West & John Curtis. Contains data on faculty salary, rank, etc.
Balancing the Scale: NSF's Career-Life Balance Initiative provides information on NSF efforts to implement family-friendly policies and practices that will help eliminate some of the barriers to achieving work-life fit in STEM fields, while also engaging the academic community in additional actions to integrate the family and professional responsibilities of our nation's scientists and engineers.
The Boston College Center for Work and Family - Since its founding in 1990, Boston College Center for Work & Family (CWF) has been a national leader in helping organizations create effective workplaces that support and develop healthy and productive employees. The website provides information on research projects and links to other resources.
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business.
The College and University Work/Family Association (CUWFA) provides information on work/family issues within higher education and offers services to support the diverse group of professionals contributing to the development of work/family programs and policies on campus.
The Families and Work Institute is a national non-profit that researches the changing workforce, workplace, family and community.
The Family, Gender and Tenure Project at the University of Virginia examines family leave policies and flexible tenure clocks and their effect on academic faculty.
The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the goal of which is to create a society that is free, fair and just, with equal opportunity and rights for women and men, family friendly workplaces, and economic security for all. The website contains a wide variety of resources.
Work and Family Connections (now Work-Life and Human Capital Solutions) is a clearinghouse of information on work-life issues. Visitors will find information about Work and Family Connections' research and consulting services, profiles of family-friendly companies, and Work and Family Newsbrief, the nation’s only complete monthly digest of current work-life news.
Housework is an academic issue - Study: Women Scientists Do More Housework Than Men
Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Ph.D. - Balance is a Myth
Motherhood and STEM tenure policies - When Scientists Choose Motherhood
Work-Life fit can prove elusive for both men and women - Work-Life Balance is Out of Reach for Many Male and Female Scientists
Books and Articles
I. Values Clarification
Austin, L. What’s Holding You Back: 8 Critical Choices for Women’s Success. Basic Books. 2000.
Blair, GR. What Are Your Goals: Powerful Questions to Discover What You Want Out of Life. GoalsGuy Learning Systems. 1999.
Smith, HW. What Matters Most: The Power of Living Your Values. New York, NY: Franklin Covey. 2000.
Simon, SB & Howe L. Values Clarification. New York, NY: Warner Books. 1995.
II. Striving for Balance
Burrus, D. & A. Freedman, Work/Family Directions. Achieving Balance: How to Handle the Stress of Work & Family Life. Boston, MA: Work/Family Directions. 1990.
Coontz, S. The Way We Really Are-Coming To Terms With America's Changing Families. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1997.
Crofut, Pati & Knapp, Joanna. Working Parents, Happy Kids: Strategies for Staying Connected. Anchorage, AK: Turnagain Press. 1999.
Crosby, Faye J. Juggling-The Unexpected Advantages of Balancing Career and Home for Women and Their Families. New York, NY: The Free Press. 1993.
Friedman, Stewart, and Greenhaus, Jeffery. Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 2000
Galinsky, Ellen. Ask The Children: What America's Children Really Think About Working Parents. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company. 1999.
Garey, A. Weaving Work and Motherhood. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1999.
Hochschild, Arlie. The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home & Home Becomes Work. New York: NY: Metropolitan Books. 1997.
Mason, Mary Ann & Ekman, Eve Mason. Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers. New York: Oxford University Press. 2007.
Nippert-Eng, C. Home and Work: Negotiating Boundaries Through Everyday Life. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1996.
Orenstein, P. Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Kids, Love, and Life in a Half-changed World. New York, NY: Doubleday, 2000.
Perlow, Leslie A. Finding Time: How Corporations, Individuals and families Benefit from New Work Practices. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University. 1997.
Rayman, P. Beyond The Bottom Line. Palgrave. New York, NY. 2001.
Shellenbarger, S. Work & Family. New York, NY: Ballantine Books. 1999.
St. James, Elaine. Simplify your Life With Kids. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrew McMeel Publishing. 1997.
Valian, V. Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women. Cambridge, MA. M.I.T. Press 1998.
Williams, J. Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What To Do About It. New York, NY: Oxford University Press 2000.
Zappert, L. Getting it Right: How Working Mothers Successfully Take Up the Challenge of Life, Family, and Career. New York, NY: Pocket Books. 2001.
Flexible Schedules/Part Time Schedules
Adams, Susan M. Part-time work: Models that Work. Women in Management Review, Vol. 10 (7), (1995): 21-31.
Boden, Richard J. Flexible Working Hours, Family Responsibilities, and Female Self-Employment: Gender Differences in Self-Employment Selection. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 58 (1), (1999): 71-83.
Catalyst. A New Approach to Flexibility: Managing the Work/Time Equation. (1998). New York, NY.
Catalyst. Flexible Work Arrangements: Establishing Options for Managers and Professionals. (1996). New York, NY.
Catalyst. Flexible Work Arrangements II: Succeeding with Part-Time Options. (1993). New York, NY.
Capowski, Genevieve. The Joy of Flex. Management Review, Vol. 85 (3), (1996): 12-18.
Gappa, Judith & Austin, Ann. Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education’s Strategic Imperative. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass / John Wiley & Sons. 2007.
Kropf, Marcia B. Flexible work options: From policy to practice. Human Resource Magazine, Vol.41 (4) (1996): 88-92.
Rose, Karol. Work/Life flexibility: A key to maximizing productivity. Compensation and Benefits Management, Vol. 14 (4) (1998): 27-32.
Shaw, Lisa. Telecommute! - Go To Work without Leaving Home. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1996.
III. Dual Career Issues
Catalyst. Two Careers, One Marriage: Making it Work in the Workplace. New York, NY. 1998.
Elloy, David F. & Flynn, W. Randolph. Job Involvement and Organization Commitment Among Dual-Income and Single-Income Families: A Multiple-Site study. The Journal of Social Psychology. (1998) P.93-101.
Friedman, Stewart D. and Greenhaus, Jeffery H. Work and Family Allies or Enemies: What Happens when Business Professionals Confront Life Choices. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2001.
Orenstein, Peggy. Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half Changed World. Random House 2000.
Raymon, Paula M. Beyond the Bottom Line. New York, NY: Palgrave. 2001.
Waite, Linda J. & Nielsen, Mark. The Rise of the Dual-Career Family: 1963-1997. (1999). Sloan Working Families Center. Chicago Ill.: University of Chicago. 1998.
Williams, Joan. Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What to Do about It. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 2000.
Wisensale, Steven. Family Leave Policy: The Political Economy of Work and Family in America. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. 2001.