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Improving Work-Life Fit in Hourly Jobs
The Center for WorkLife Law
related activities that take place during
work hours. Part-time employees who
typically work 30+ hours receive 12 hours
of school leave each year. Absences must
be taken in segments of at least two hours
and must be approved by a supervisor.
Employees who are not parents, who make
up about 50% of program participants,
can participate in educational activities
such as being a career-day speaker or a
classroom volunteer. (Giglio n.d.)
· The State of Vermont gives employees a
maximum of four hours in any 30-day
period, not to exceed 24 hours in any 12-
month period, to participate in preschool
or school activities directly related to the
academic educational advancement (such
as a parent-teacher conference) of the
worker's child, stepchild, foster child, or
ward who lives with the worker. (Labor
Project for Working Families n.d.)
· The Social Security Administration offers
employees up to 24 hours a year off,
unpaid, to participate in parent-teacher
conferences, school volunteer work, elder
care or family medical appointments.
(Blades & Fondas 2010)
· The State of California allows employees
to use accrued leave to attend school or
nonschool family-related activities, such
as sports events, in which the employee's
child is participating. (Labor Project for
Working Families n.d.)
Sick leave that can be used for care of
dependents
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
requires covered employers to give eligible employees
up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to care for a child,
parent, or spouse with a serious medical condition.
(29 U.S.C. 2601, et seq.) However, as noted above,
employees often face the need to care for children
and other dependents who are ill, but not sick
enough to amount to a "serious health condition"
covered by the FMLA. Only 24% of low-wage and
low-income workers can take a few days off to care
for a sick child without losing pay or using vacation
days. (Bond & Galinsky 2006) Much of the cost of
a policy allowing employees to use their sick leave
to care for sick children or dependents already is
incurred as employees call in sick when, in fact, it is
their children who are sick.
Another key issue is notice: a study of welfare-to-
work moms found that, although half received paid
vacation and one-third received paid sick leave,
typically paid time off required several weeks' notice,
which made it hard to use for family emergencies.
(Weigt 2006) Among low-wage workers, only 34%
of full-timers and 25% of part-timers are allowed
days off to care for a sick child without using their
paid vacation days. (Swanberg 2008) A survey
of five companies that offer workplace flexibility
found that 14% of hourly workers surveyed used
paid sick time to care for a sick child; 11% used
paid sick time to care for sick family member other
than a child. (Corporate Voices n.d.)
· H. E Butt Grocery Company, a supermarket
chain with more than 315 stores in Texas
and northern Mexico, allows sick leave to be
used for care of dependents. (Giglio n.d.)
· Northern California Council for the
Community allows union members to
use up to five days of sick leave per
calendar year to care for a sick or injured
family member, provided that employees'
remaining sick leave must remain at no
"It was taking this toll on my son....I
couldn't take one day off to go on a
field trip....I wasn't there for him."