White House Takes on Workplace Flexibility

I'm over at the White House complex right now for a forum on workplace flexibility, lead by First Lady Michelle Obama. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and the President are scheduled to wrap things up in a couple of hours. But it's been very interesting to hear Mrs. Obama, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Council of Economic Advisers Chair Christina Romer talk about workplace flexibility as specifically a women's issue. The First Lady recalled about a job interview she got shortly after having one of her daughters:

I packed up that little infant, and I put her in the stroller, and I brought her with me, and I prayed her presence wouldn't be an automatic disqualifier. I was fortunate, she slept through the entire interview, and I was still breastfeeding...and I got the job....I know that most folks are nowhere near as lucky as I was, particularly right now with the job market the way it is. Many folks don't have access to any kinds of flexible leave policies whatsoever.

And Secretary Solis said that the rising number of women in the workforce due to the recession spotlighted the need to have flexible workplaces so Americans can care both for their children and increasingly for their aging parents. The event is streaming here if you want to tune in: www.WhiteHouse.gov/live It promises to be an interesting afternoon.