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"Ellen Galinsky-already the go-to person on interaction between families and the workplace-draws on fresh research to explain what we ought to be teaching our children. This is must-reading for everyone who cares about America's fate in the 21st century." - Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent for The PBS NewsHour Families and Work Institute President Ellen Galinsky (Ask the Children, The Six Stages of Parenthood) presents a book of groundbreaking advice based on the latest research on child development.

Using a number of empirical studies of human resource policies in Fortune 500 companies, this article focuses on (a) the major work/family problems faced by employees, (b) how work/family programs affect productivity, (c) what trends are emerging among companies, and (d) how a subsample of leading scientific companies and universities are responding to work/family issues. The seven major issues employees face are examined: child care, elder care, work time and timing, relocation, job demands and autonomy, supervisory relationships, and organizational culture. The major characteristics of Stage 1 and Stage 2 companies are compared, the later companies having more comprehensive and multifaceted programs that are responsive to employee needs. The research indicates that although some of the leading corporations and universities are responsive to work/family problems, many are still not aware of nor responsive to work/family strain and conflict.

Ellen Galinsky, Kelly Sakai, and Tyler Wigton explore the "time famine" among American workers—the continuing sense among employees of not having enough time to manage the multiple responsibilities of work and personal and family life. Noting that large shares of U.S. employees report feeling the need for greater workplace flexibility to enable them to take better care of family responsibilities, the authors examine a large-scale community-engagement initiative to increase workplace flexibility voluntarily.

Using the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce as a primary source of data, the authors begin with an overview of the prevalence of flexibility in today's American workplace. They track which categories of employees have access to various flexibility options, as well as the extent to which employees with access to various types of flexibility use those options. Findings from the study indicate that the majority of employees want flexibility but that access to it varies, with more advantaged employees—those who are well educated, have high salaries, and work full time, for example—being doubly advantaged in having greater access to flexibility.

A number of employers, say the authors, tend to be skeptical of the value of workplace flexibility and to fear that employees will abuse it if it is offered. But the study data reveal that most employees use flexibility quite conservatively. When the authors use their nationally representative data set to investigate correlations between access to workplace flexibility and a range of workplace outcomes especially valued by employers—employee engagement, job satisfaction, retention, and health—they find that employers as well as employees can benefit from flexibility.

Finally, the authors discuss When Work Works, a large, national community-based initiative under way since 2003 to increase voluntary adoption of workplace flexibility. The authors detail the conceptual basis of the project's design, noting its emphasis on flexibility as one component of effective workplaces that can benefit employers, employees, and communities alike. Galinsky, Sakai, and Wigton conclude by drawing lessons learned from the project and briefly discussing the implications of using research to bring about workplace change.

Changes in child care caregivers' sensitivity and in children's attachment security were examined in three studies. Study one involved 55 children enrolled in community based child care. There was no intervention in these sites. Caregiver responsive involvement and children's attachment security did not change over time or when children changed caregivers. Study two involved 71 toddler age children enrolled in family child care homes. The caregivers of these children were enrolled in a family child care training project. Six months after the training security scores increased and caregivers of children who became secure or remained secure were more sensitive following training. Study three involved 36 children enrolled in center‐based child care. Children were observed before and after selective staff replacement and in‐service training to increase caregiver sensitivity. Six months following intervention security scores increased and caregivers of children who became secure or remained secure were more sensitive following training.

AbstractAnalysis of the data from the 1998 Business Work‐Life Study, one of the first comprehensive studies of
how U.S. organizations are responding to the work‐life needs of the nation's changing workforce,
indicates that nonprofits with one hundred or more employees are more likely than for‐profits to offer
particular types of work‐life policies and programs (such as extended leaves following birth or
adoption) and to pay for at least some of the costs of health insurance for part‐time employees. In
contrast, nonprofits are less likely to offer other work‐life supports (such as paid maternity
leave). Despite the resource constraints that can restrict the compensation and benefits packages offered by
some nonprofits, the overall scope of the work‐life initiatives established by nonprofits is similar to
those initiatives at for‐profit organizations. Regression analyses find that although organizations'
profit status does not explain variance in the scope of their work‐life initiatives, three of the variables
measured by this study (indicators of workplace commitment to diversity and work‐life issues,
percentage of women in executive positions, and the size of the workforce) do.