Flexible Workplace Solutions for Low-Wage Hourly Workers

PART 4
An Overview of the Public Policy Landscape
This is a timely moment to consider how best to incorporate low-wage hourly workers’ needs into
the larger public policy conversation on workplace fl exibility. There is a signifi cant initiative at the
federal level to elevate the national conversation on workplace fl exibility. 113 This initiative began
with the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility, held on March 31, 2010. 114 Since then, the
Administration has continued to raise the profi le of this issue in a number of ways. Most visibly,
the U.S. DOL’s Women’s Bureau has been charged with hosting local events to discuss the issue of
workplace fl exibility, several of which will focus on industries that employ signifi cant numbers of lowwage
and hourly workers, and the Administration has released a “Starter Kit” that local communities
can use to host their own events. 115 The Offi ce of Personnel Management (OPM) is implementing
a fl exibility pilot project for salaried and hourly workers. As described in a recent Memorandum
of Understanding between the Offi ce of Disability Employment Policy and the Women’s Bureau,
the government also has plans underway for a website devoted to providing technical assistance,
training, and information about workplace fl exibility. 116
This section of the report lays the groundwork for policymakers who are interested in exploring how
to build on the research and promote better business practice in this arena. In the fi rst section,
we draw on the key recommendations from WF2010’s Flexible Work Arrangements Public Policy
Platform, issued in 2009, and elaborate on many of those recommendations to identify public policy
responses that could serve as a fi rst step toward improving scheduling for low-wage hourly workers
and their employers. We also discuss existing models from government, the private sector, and
abroad that may be useful as policymakers study this issue. In the second section, we outline the
current labor standards discussion in this area.
Workplace Flexibility 2010’s Flexible Work Arrangements Public
Policy Platform
Workplace Flexibility 2010’s Flexible Work Arrangements Public Policy Platform provides a blueprint
for public policy to increase access to FWAs for employees across the income spectrum. The Platform
recommends the following approach:
Create a National Campaign for FWAs: launch a strategic public education campaign,
provide awards, conduct research, and disseminate data;
Lay the Groundwork: provide the information, technical assistance, and implementation
tools, clarify and remove (or consider removing) actual or perceived legal obstacles;
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