Purdue expert: 3 initiatives to improve U.S. work-life policy amid pandemic

What: The coronavirus crisis has illuminated how poorly the United States compares with other major industrialized nations in providing workers across all industries with equal access to paid sick and family leave, employee-requested flexible scheduling, and reasonable work hours.

Who: Ellen Ernst Kossek, Purdue University’s Basil S. Turner Professor of Management, focuses her research on organizational and leader support of work-life and gender diversity, flexibility and boundary management, and interventions. She has published more than 90 refereed journal articles, 10 books, 30 book chapters, and numerous technical reports and teaching aides.

Quote: “We propose three evidence-based national initiatives that would improve U.S. work-life policy: Ensure employees have access to and the ability to use paid sick leave and family leave; mandate that employers create emergency backup staffing infrastructures; and give employees the right to request flexible and reasonable work hours. These work-life policies are based on principles of balanced flexibility that benefit employers, employees and society as a whole.”

More Information: Kossek is the co-author of “The Coronavirus & Work–Life Inequality: Three Evidence-Based Initiatives to Update U.S. Work–Life Employment Policies,” which was recently published in a special issue of Behavioral Science & Policy.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Media contact: Jim Bush, 765-336-1909, jsbush@purdue.edu

Source: Ellen Kossek, ekossek@purdue.edu