MEMBER LOGIN

In The News


June 30, 2011, Morristown Patch

Morris Women Add to National Talk On Workplace Issues

Members of the Impactful Women Association, based in Morris County,  participated Thursday  in a session of the National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility, an effort of the  U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau and the Obama Administration to heighten awareness about the importance of the issue to businesses and families.

At an October White House forum on the issue, President Obama said, “Workplace flexibility isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s an issue that affects the well-being of our families and the success of our businesses.”

The invitation-only event will be held City University of New York’s Graduate School and University Center.  The session was one of 10 held across the county since October that have focused on four priority areas: Workplace flexibility, equal pay, higher-paying jobs for women, and supporting women veterans who are homeless.

The Thursday session will be on professional workers. A 2009 wage study showed that the median weekly earnings of women of full-time wage-and-hour salary workers was $657, or 80 percent of men’s wage of $819.

“We are honored to have been extended this invitation to engage in meaningful discussions that seek to put forth measures that bring about flexibility in the workplace to support the needs of American workers and their families,” said Marisa Patawaran-Tonnesen of Randolph, founder and president of Impactful Women Association.

Impactful Women Association is an exclusive membership organization located in Morris County for executives, professional and entrepreneur women from New Jersey and New York who want to
make long-term relationships. The association provides opportunities for thriving like-minded women of all industries to network together while helping one another grow professionally and personally.

A report issued by the president’s Council of Economic Advisors determined there is a greater need for flexibility in the workplace, based on the significant changes that have taken
place in the workplace. The changes include the growing number of women in the workforce; rising number of working adults, ever-increasing eldercare responsibilities and heightened importance of continuing education.

The 2010 White House Flexibility Forum set key goals:

  • Raising awareness and exchange best practices, real stories and the newest research on the impact of workplace flexibility;
  • Expanding the knowledge base and base of support on flexibility by reaching out to new
    partners and stakeholders; and
  • Stimulating dialogue among employers and business owners on making flexibility work.

At that time, Obama said, “We’re all familiar with the economic and demographic changes that have brought us to this point — how over the past generation or two, as costs have risen and wages have lagged, many families have found they can no longer survive on just one income. And at the same time, we’ve broken down barriers and opened up opportunities, so more women have entered into the workforce, bringing home paychecks that are increasingly critical to supporting families.”

Today, Obama said, two-thirds of American families with kids are headed by two working parents or a single working parent, and the result is the rise of what one expert I know refers to as “the juggler family.”

“For these families, everyday is a high wire act. Everything is scheduled right down to the minute. There’s no room for error. If the car breaks down, or somebody gets sick, or there’s a problem at school, that begins a cascading domino effect that leaves
everybody scrambling” Obama said “This disconnect between the needs of our families and the demands of our workplace also reflects a broader problem, that today, we as a society still see workplace flexibility policies
as a special perk for women rather than a critical part of a workplace that can help all of us,” he said.

But a report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers  found that companies with flexible work arrangements can actually have lower turnover and absenteeism, higher productivity, and healthier workers, the president said.

For information on the Impactful Women Association visit www.impactfulwomen.com.