Obama’s Latest: Unlimited Flexibility In Work Schedules For Federal Workers
June 30, 2014
By Sara Noble
There is a new Presidential Memorandum – Enhancing Workplace Flexibilities and Work-Life Program. People should be aware of it since it will cost us. He wants to give unbridled work schedule flexibility to already unionized Federal workers.
Memos become as serious as Executive Orders in no time because Mr. Obama couples them with the backing of overly-powerful executive agencies.
This latest memo is directed at all executive departments and agencies. Using the excuse that it will develop a better workforce, he believes his new mandate will enable employees to balance responsibilities at work and home.
“Enable” is a good word for him to have used. Many of these flexible work schedules enable goofing off and greatly diminish the ability of employers to manage the workplace. When abused, which is what his directive will enable, it becomes an entitlement, an unappreciated entitlement. It’s a freebie for unions.
When yahoo allowed workers to spend time at home, productivity greatly decreased and they had to eliminate the policy. A week after yahoo announced they would ban “work at home”, Best Buy followed suit.
In one of the school districts I worked in, teachers were allowed to back up personal days – meant for emergencies – with school holidays. Many arranged vacations to extend beyond the school vacation using their personal days. It was a bad message for students, parents didn’t like it, and it was hard getting subs. It meant lost days for students.
Obama in his infinite wisdom wants to eventually see all companies provide flexible work schedules and work at home opportunities because one size fits all.
In his memorandum, he claims it is the policy of the Federal Government to promote a culture of “workplace flexibilities and work-life programs.”
He has directed agencies to make Federal employees aware periodically that they can request flexible work schedules, which will be yet another coin tossed to unions.
He wants agencies to expand part-time employment, alternative work schedules, temporary work, break times for nursing mothers, telework, family leave extensions, and job sharing.
He wants child care, elder care and subsidies for said care increased.
Then there are the worksite wellness programs our tax dollars will pay for.
We are also going to develop training programs for employees and managers on the issue. Cultural barriers are going to be removed of course so we can keep up the hiring of immigrants over native-born.
The government claims this is merely a memo and it contains only recommendations but the follow-up Workplace Flexibility Index that will be be created to reflect Federal employee viewpoints will have clout with unions and government officials. It will be regularly submitted to departments and results will be expected. It’s a mandate in other words.
Within 120 days, he wants a report supporting his latest mandate.
He has the unlimited funds from tax dollars to fund all this. If we could afford it that would be one thing and if it wouldn’t lead to lower productivity, that would be another. If it wasn’t an un-negotiated handout to unions, that would be nice.
http://www.independentsentinel.com/obamas-latest-unlimited-flexibility-in-work-schedules-for-federal-workers/
