George Wenschhof
Editor/Publisher, “Air it Out with George Wenschhof”

Most of the present talk around kitchen tables, water coolers, and on the Internet has rightfully centered on health care reform, the economy, the H1N1 flu, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it’s the workplace that also deserves to be a topic of conversation, with one of the biggest changes being that women now make up almost 50 percent of all employees. This is a dramatic change from just over 40 years ago when women made up one-third of the work force. Today, women are the primary or co-breadwinner in almost two-thirds of all American families.

With this changing demographic also comes new challenges to U.S. employers, who have always been faced with changing dynamics in the work force. It’s those businesses that are ahead of the curve that will be the ones who will fare best in the 21st century.

According to “A Woman’s Nation,” which was released by The Women’s Conference and the Center for American Progress, this changing demographic in the workplace affects all aspects of society, including government and business. Whether it is child or parental care, home maintenance, or the many other day-to-day issues that affect families, roles have changed. It’s becoming clear that policies need to be updated to reflect those changes and to address the needs of families today.

The role government and business can play in this changing work environment is still a work in progress. Providing daycare services and enabling telecommuting and job sharing are some examples of ways businesses can adapt to a changing work force.

On-site daycare services would go a long way toward improving productivity for working parents. In the 1970s, as an administrator of federal employment and training programs for Frederick County government, I saw the hours wasted when a parent had to leave work to check on one of her children after receiving a call from the child’s daycare provider. I wondered then why larger companies and government agencies did not provide on-site day care for their employees. Not only would this result in less time lost from work, an on-site facility would also be a draw for prospective employees, who would be inclined to remain with the company or organization. Shopping center developers, mall owners, large corporate entities and government agencies could easily provide the necessary onsite space and provide the licensed daycare providers to operate such a facility.

Offering employees the option of working from home or sharing job duties would allow workers to do some home maintenance tasks and save on energy costs, largely by cutting down on the number of costly commutes. Yet, such provisions have been slow to materialize. Government can take a lead role by recognizing the needs of today’s work force by offering incentives to businesses to provide added daycare services and flexible work options to employees. Already, recognizing that child-rearing responsibilities are being shared by both men and women, government daycare vouchers and tax credits are being considered as ways to encourage subsidized daycare services to families. Time is of the essence.

“Air it Out with George Wenschhof” is a Democratic news and commentary Web site. Visit him at www.airitoutwithgeorge.com.