The Executive Director of APA’s Public Interest Directorate, Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, PhD, represented APA at two October 23 congressional briefings on the importance of flexible work arrangements, addressing key findings and issues from the research:

• The needs that arise from a changing American workforce and diverse family arrangements;
• How flexible work arrangements decrease conflicts between workers’ personal, family, and work obligations;
• The negative effects of less flexible workplace practices and their disproportionate impact on women;
• The need for employers to create a work culture in which workers feel comfortable making use of flexible work arrangements; and
• The mutual benefits for employers and employees of flexible work arrangements.

Panelists represented diverse perspectives from business, management professionals, employees, consumers, researchers, and advocates. Lively question-and-answer discussions addressed how to make flexible work arrangements effective, including robust training for all managers and employees, case-by-case flexibility, and creating a top-down culture that recognizes the importance of flexible work arrangements.