by Tojosan on flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/tojosan/2942623369/

On December 4, 2011, the Livingroom Conversations Website went live and I co-hosted a demonstration Living Room Conversation gathering with my conservative partner Amanda Kathyrn Roman. I’m still feeling the glow. I expanded my understanding of where we might find common ground across party lines around reducing the influence of big money in politics, and people participating in the conversation expressed interest in a future Living Room Conversation about immigration. What a pleasure conversing respectfully and constructively with a small diverse group that included a Republican mayor and a Republican candidate for state elected office. Intimate, structured conversations work!

I wrote the following note to invite my guests to the Living Room Conversation which took place on December 4th. Now I’d like to invite both individuals and organizations to use the materials on our website to have a living room conversation and then tell us about it! We have so much to learn and together! This holiday season I’m dreaming of tens of thousands of Living Room Conversations happening across our nation next year.

I live in a community of people that I’m sure want this country to be a great place to live both now and in the future for our children and grandchildren. Yet when I watch our leaders and media, the focus seems to be primarily on our political differences. Some of us believe that the risks of climate change make it the most urgent issue that we must address together. Others believe it is our economy or big government that are the urgent issues to address. I find myself disheartened and doubting that our leaders have any idea of how to change the polarized game of politics and to make meaningful progress.

While watching this sad game played on the national and local stages, I wonder if just maybe, common sense and respectful conversation within a community might result in more constructive understanding of our diverse perspectives and a more healthy approach to achieving the big goal that we all desire — a bright future for our communities and our children.

Perhaps we could help lead the leaders out of this destructive political bickering we find ourselves engaged in again and again, despite the earnest desire many have to find common ground. Perhaps here in our local communities with 6 people of good will who hold different view points, we can begin to discover how we can have a meaningful conversation that will help us exit this hall of mirrors.

One doesn’t need to believe that global warming is a threat to agree that the U.S. needs a new modern energy grid. Everyone wants government to be more efficient and regulations that make the playing field fair without creating undue burdens. Clean water and air are a common good. Locked in perpetual distrust and competitive bickering we render ourselves ineffective and fail to create that future we all desire.

Thanks so much for considering this opportunity to show that people with different political views can have rewarding conversations about important issues that conclude with a sense of appreciation or even partnership and willingness to work together for a better future.

As the co-founder of both MoveOn and MomsRising, I’ve had the privilege of being on the cutting edge of some profound changes in the way citizens engage in politics online and off. In 1998 it felt like we caught a tiger by the tail when MoveOn had 500,000 people sign the one sentence petition to, “Censure the President and move on to pressing issues facing the country.” In 2000, MoveOn raised over 2 million dollars in contributions for House and Senate candidates online. That was extraordinary at that time. MoveOn was part of the biggest antiwar movement in the history of the world. It still breaks my heart that the huge wave of citizen oppositions failed to stop the war in Iraq from being started. MomsRising is a new vibrant voice in the women’s movement, it already has more than a million members and works with more than 150 policy partners. Through my work with both of these organizations, I’ve come to trust the good will and common sense of average citizens more than anything.

The Living Room Conversations project leverages the common sense of average citizens, and believes that through a movement beginning with intimate local conversations, citizens from across the political spectrum just might be able to short circuit the destructive political dynamics we find ourselves trapped in. Living Room Conversations is an open source effort to share best practices for hosting small structured conversations so that people with diverse views can have constructive heartfelt conversations. We are eager to learn how to do this even better. Might a grassroots conversation movement be able to usher in a culture of respectful civil dialogue? Co-host or join a conversation to find out!

Cross posted from Huffington Post

Would you believe me if I told you that we could take a big step to combating climate change simply by staying home from work? Rather, I should say, staying home and working.

Call it “telecommuting.” Call it “virtual work.” Call it “working from home.” Call it “netWork.” I’m going to call it “telework,” and here’s how it could be both a key climate solution and also an incredible business boost.

Last year, I co-wrote a book called The Custom-Fit Workplace, which is about how everyone needs work that fits their life, and how employers are well-served to create a workplace that respects their workers lives. In doing so, they’re rewarded with more productive, resilient, and profitable businesses.

After the book was published, I was speaking with a small gathering of climate change leaders. During this chat I realized that one component of the “custom-fit work initiative” could well be the biggest short term opportunity we have to address climate change. This component is, of course, telework.

The environmental benefits are obvious: teleworkers don’t commute, meaning their cars don’t log the 32 miles per day roundtrip that is the American average (according to this 2005 poll by ABC News and the Washington Post), and thus don’t emit all that carbon.

And the benefits to workers are clear: consider how many people would prefer the flexibility and comfort of working from home.

But how exactly is it good for businesses? Study after study has shown that giving employees flexibility in where, when, and how they work is good for a business’s bottom line.

Look at IBM. The global computing giant has saved $700 million in real estate costs by allowing one quarter of its employees worldwide to work from home.

Their savings are far from unique. AT&T’s New Jersey operations have saved over $5 million by transitioning 600 employees to teleworker. In 1996, Bell Atlantic reported that telecommuting saved between $1,500 and $5,000 per teleworker per year. JetBlue’s customer service is now based in primarily in the workers’ homes. Same with 1-800-CONTACTS. The list of smart businesses saving big goes on and on.

There are other business benefits too. In this new networked era, why restrict your recruiting to a small radius around your central offices? The best, most highly motivated talent may not live 20 miles away. Employers can now hire a star employee or retain a key employee without being confined by geography.

The gains here — business, economic, environmental — are huge, and they are immediately accessible. Research recently released by the Telework Research Network suggests that 40% of American workers are in roles that could be managed part-time or more through telework, and that 79% of those workers would accept this opportunity if it were offered. Given these numbers,TRN projects the benefits to the economy and environment if all of these workers with telework-compatible jobs were allowed and enabled to work from home half-time:

1. U.S. businesses would save $436 billion dollars a year.
2. 52.8 Million Metric Tons of greenhouse gasses would be cut.
3. 288 million fewer barrels of oil a year would be consumed, reducing our foreign trade deficit.

As far as climate solutions go in this age of partisan deadlock, teleworking appeals equally across the ideological spectrum. (Need proof? Check out this Forbes op-ed I co-wrote with avowed conservative Ralph Benko.) Apolitical, great for business, and hugely popular? Teleworking might well be the best immediate opportunity we have, right now, to make serious headway reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and combating climate change.

Cross posted at OnEarth

You might hear it called ”virtual work,” “telework,” “flexible work,” “remote work” – all refer to work done outside the traditional workplace. Call it what you will, we can no longer afford to underutilize this opportunity to boost productivity, reduce the trade deficit and improve our environment.

Technology is changing how we work, and businesses and government are just beginning to take advantage of this change:
·       The Federal government and a growing number of cities and states are encouraging virtual work to reduce congestion, improve air quality, increase productivity and even balance the trade deficit.

·       Companies are embracing virtual work to retain valued employees, save money on real estate, increase productivity and boost their bottom line.

·       Employees love virtual work because it allows them to reduce their commute time, care for children or parents, and improve their focus and productivity.

·       Environmentalists, concerned about climate change, can embrace virtual work as a way to make 40% to 60% of existing jobs greener.

Over a decade of academic research and business experience confirm the benefits of virtual work. Unfortunately, too many employers continue to treat it like a special privilege, and existing programs are often underutilized. Many managers and CEOs are still not fully comfortable with the idea.  A case in point: the government includes virtual work in 60% of its emergency plans, yet less than 10% of government employees work remotely even one day a week.

Shifting a significant portion of our workforce to virtual work is win-win.  A Telework Research Network white papersuggests that less than 2% of U.S. employees work from home the majority of the time (not including the self-employed), but 40% hold jobs that are compatible with telework. If those employees who wanted to (about 80%) did so just half of the time (roughly the national average for those who do), the national savings would total almost $650 billion.   http://www.teleworkresearchnetwork.com/whitepapers

The Nation would:

- Save 289 million barrels of oil—equivalent to 37% of our Persian Gulf imports

- Reduce greenhouse gases by 53 million tons/year—27% of the President’s 2020 goal

- Reduce road travel by 115 billion miles/year saving $2 billion in road maintenance

- Reduce road congestion thereby increasing productivity for non-telecommuters as well

- Save 100,000 people from traffic-related injury or death

- Improve emergency responsiveness

Businesses would:

- Increase productivity by over $235 billion

- Save $124 billion in real estate, electricity, and related costs

- Save $46 billion in absenteeism

- Save $31 billion in employee turnover

Individuals would:

- Achieve a better work-life balance

- Recoup 2-3 weeks of free time per year—time they’d have otherwise spent commuting

- Save $2,000-$7,000/year

- Save $15 billion at the pumps

To be sure, not every employee is well suited for virtual work…nor, for that matter, is everyone is suited to spending all day working in an office.  We should have a rich menu of options available to make work fit both employees and employers.  We call this the “custom fit” workplace. See-  http://customfitworkplace.org/

As one key element of the custom fit workplace, virtual work transcends the political divide, and offers clear benefits to all stakeholders. The fact that this opportunity lies outside of most political dynamics means it could be possible to make dramatic progress now.  In describing Telework Week, Martha Johnson pointed out that it was, more than anything else, an opportunity for employers to experiment and learn. “Telework Week plays an important role by giving employers and employees an opportunity to test their telework capacity, identify possible gaps in their IT backbone, and build their mobile work muscle.” But let’s not stop with experiments, the research confirming the benefits of telework is powerful, now it is time to turn policies into practices. The facts are clear: every business in America should consider how virtual work might improve their bottom line.  Lets make this National TeleWork Year!

Flexible work, virtual work, non-linear career paths, even babies at work can all be part of Custom-Fit Workplaces, and if you want to learn more, they’re all covered in the book, The Custom-Fit Workplace: Choose When, Where, and How to Work and Boost Your Bottom Line, which I wrote with Nanette Fondas.

In fact, this holiday season, you can give the gift of The Custom-Fit Workplace and help out MomsRising at the same time…  All royalties from sales of this book go to MomsRising!  Click here to get the book now!

You can also learn more at the Custom-Fit Workplace website,  http://customfitworkplace.org/, which is a new initiative of MomsRising.org with a goal of bringing about cultural change in the workplace by sharing the methods by which businesses can increase their productivity while also enhancing employees’ lives.  The website includes links to the ever-growing body of research establishing the business case for  flexible, virtual and other custom-fit workplace practices.  This work supplements and complements MomsRising’s ongoing work to improve state and federal work and family economic security policy.  When you visit http://customfitworkplace.org/, you’ll be able to learn more about successful workplace practices such as flexibility and virtual work, as well as less well-known work practices such as high commitment work practices and formal infant at work programs.  The heart of this effort is to make respect, trust, and dignity increasingly become the norm in the workplace while at the same time improving employer’s bottom line.

Last month I wrote the following op-ed which ran in USA Today, and which you can read below.  The data is in–from entry level to highly paid professional worker–work that fits workers’ lives is good for everyone.

Enjoy the holidays–and happy reading! – Joan

===
USA TODAY OPINION
Boost the bottom line: Invest in people
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-11-22-column22_ST1_N.htm

By Joan Blades

As the economy slowly recovers, it’s no secret that companies would like to boost productivity and profits. Many think the best way to do so is to slash costs. As an entrepreneur and business owner, though, I’d like to suggest another idea: Pay your employees more.

That’s not as crazy as it sounds. A growing body of evidence is revealing that companies that pay fair wages, and offer flexibility and training to even entry-level and lower-skilled employees, do better than those that don’t. A vast number of businesses mistakenly assume that their lowest-wage workers are easily replaced or not worth investing in, but those that do the right thing soon find that they’re doing the right thing for their bottom lines. It’s time that this becomes a business norm.

Certainly, in tough times, higher wages, profit-sharing and training seem like optional perks. But here’s the other side of the story: When you invest in people, they respond by performing well. In her rigorously researched book, Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder, Jody Heymann presents a well-documented lineup of businesses that have flourished in large part because their management practices include respecting and empowering their lowest-paid workers. Jenkins Brick, a major U.S. brick manufacturer in Alabama, credits higher wages and profit-sharing with increased productivity and quality, as well as reduced turnover and lowered accident rates. Dancing Deer, a Boston-based high-end baked goods company, opens the financial books, and makes training and stock options available to all employees because they are convinced that this gives the firm a competitive advantage. Specifically, management credits these practices with improving sales, boosting productivity and helping them attract talent.

Perhaps a more well-known example is Costco. The company pays more for an entry-level position than Sam’s Club ( Wal-Mart‘s wholesale branch), gives even part-time workers at least a week’s notice about their schedules and offers all employees the option of getting on the management track. Costco also makes thousands of dollars more per employee than Sam’s Club, which suggests their investment pays off. Costco is so convinced that its policy is sound that it has kept paying better wages than rivals, even as Wall Street has pressured the company to conform to industry standards. Trader Joe‘s is another large company known for paying its entry-level workers well and benefiting as a result.

Yet despite the strong evidence we have that an employee who is paid fairly and treated respectfully will significantly outperform an employee who is underpaid and ordered around like a child, too many employers are unable to resist the apparent bargain of paying less per hour or buck the traditions of an authoritarian work culture. They tell themselves that standing at a cash register, working in an assembly line, or answering phones is so simple that anyone can do it  that workers doing these jobs can easily be replaced. And this shortsighted approach costs them. Simple math does not capture the human dynamics.

As an employer, I can personally bear witness to both the quantifiable and the more subtle benefits of treating everyone in the workplace with respect and dignity. The people who answered the phone and greeted visitors at our front desk at Berkeley Systems, the software company I co-founded, were at the bottom of our pay scale, but we knew that they also created people’s first impressions of our organization. If they felt downtrodden, the first impression of our business was likely to be merely adequate. We needed the first face of our business to be enthusiastic and helpful.

At MomsRising.org, an advocacy group working for greater economic security for families, we offer flexible work hours, ask each member of our team to contribute to our decision-making processes, and look for pathways for our entry-level positions to grow into roles with more responsibility.

It’s time for employers to see the big picture and embrace the benefits of creating a great workplace for all of their employees. They will be rewarded with a happier, more productive and robust workforce, a better bottom line and the satisfaction of participating in the transformation of modern work culture to a culture of dignity.

Joan Blades is a serial entrepreneur and co-author of The Custom-Fit Workplace: Choose When, Where, and How to Work and Boost Your Bottom Line.

USA Today just published an op-ed by MomsRising’s own Joan Blades that links business success with issues near and dear to us: Fair pay, workplace flexibility, and respect for the lives and ambitions of all workers. The op-ed covers the growing body of research showing that companies that pay fair wages, as well as offer flexibility and training to even entry-level and lower-skilled employees, do better financially than those that don’t.[1]

How cool is that?

Sadly, too few CEOs and bosses know about this research, which got us thinking…

What if every employer, boss, and business owner knew that offering their employees flexibility, virtual work, non-linear career tracks, and respect for employees’ responsibilities outside of work actually improves  productivity as well as profitability?

Let’s start by spreading the word to the very top! Sign a letter encouraging America’s top Fortune 500 CEOs to embrace workplace practices that honor employee’s responsibilities and aspirations both at work and outside of work.

http://action.momsrising.org/go/507

The research is compelling: “A study of 5,500 employees in one hundred organizations found a direct correlation between worker satisfaction and a firm’s profitability, while another found companies with highly committed employees had a 112 percent return to shareholders over three years, compared to only 90 percent for those with average commitment and only 76 percent for companies with workers expressing a low degree of commitment.” – From Joan Blades and Nanette Fondas’  book, “The Custom-Fit Workplace: Choose When, Where, and How to Work and Boost Your Bottom Line.”

What are “custom-fit” flexible workplace practices anyway? According to the authors, “The phrase ‘custom-fit’ reminds us that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the problem of managing work and life.  For high-tech companies, the solution may be a combination of result-only management and virtual work. Cisco, for example, gives all employees the core technology they need to be productive anyplace, anytime–thereby freeing them to just get the work done.   For schools, the best solution for teachers who are parents of young children may be job sharing.  For professional service firms and organizations of knowledge-workers, the solution for many may be several career lane changes.  For some hourly workers, taking an infant to work may keep them from losing income that could send them over the edge.”  (For more information, you can get the book here.)

There are win-win workplace solutions for employers and employees alike. The top CEOs, bosses, and employers can help create a new normal, setting workplace practices that show the most successful companies respect and value all of their workers, while improving their own bottom line.

Moms have a powerful voice in this area since women make over 80% of consumer purchasing decisions–and companies know that moms are more likely to spend money with them when we know that they treat their employees well.

Don’t forget to help spreading the word to the very top!  Sign a letter encouraging America’s top Fortune 500 CEOs to embrace workplace practices that honor employee’s responsibilities and aspirations both at work and outside of work.

http://action.momsrising.org/go/507

*And please click “Like” and “Share” below to spread the word to all your friends, family, and bosses in your life so they too can get informed and take action. Thank you!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

[1] Blades, Joan “Boost the bottom line: Invest in people,” November 22, 2010, USA Today.

That’s not as crazy as it sounds. A growing body of evidence is revealing that companies that pay fair wages, and offer flexibility and training to even entry-level and lower-skilled employees, do better than those that don’t. A vast number of businesses mistakenly assume that their lowest-wage workers are easily replaced or not worth investing in, but those that do the right thing soon find that they’re doing the right thing for their bottom lines. It’s time that this becomes a business norm.

Certainly, in tough times, higher wages, profit-sharing and training seem like optional perks. But here’s the other side of the story: When you invest in people, they respond by performing well. In her rigorously researched book, Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder, Jody Heymann presents a well-documented lineup of businesses that have flourished in large part because their management practices include respecting and empowering their lowest-paid workers. Jenkins Brick, a major U.S. brick manufacturer in Alabama, credits higher wages and profit-sharing with increased productivity and quality, as well as reduced turnover and lowered accident rates. Dancing Deer, a Boston-based high-end baked goods company, opens the financial books, and makes training and stock options available to all employees because they are convinced that this gives the firm a competitive advantage. Specifically, management credits these practices with improving sales, boosting productivity and helping them attract talent.

Perhaps a more well-known example is Costco. The company pays more for an entry-level position than Sam’s Club (Wal-Mart‘s wholesale branch), gives even part-time workers at least a week’s notice about their schedules and offers all employees the option of getting on the management track. Costco also makes thousands of dollars more per employee than Sam’s Club, which suggests their investment pays off. Costco is so convinced that its policy is sound that it has kept paying better wages than rivals, even as Wall Street has pressured the company to conform to industry standards. Trader Joe‘s is another large company known for paying its entry-level workers well and benefiting as a result.

Yet despite the strong evidence we have that an employee who is paid fairly and treated respectfully will significantly outperform an employee who is underpaid and ordered around like a child, too many employers are unable to resist the apparent bargain of paying less per hour or buck the traditions of an authoritarian work culture. They tell themselves that standing at a cash register, working in an assembly line, or answering phones is so simple that anyone can do it — that workers doing these jobs can easily be replaced. And this shortsighted approach costs them. Simple math does not capture the human dynamics.

As an employer, I can personally bear witness to both the quantifiable and the more subtle benefits of treating everyone in the workplace with respect and dignity. The people who answered the phone and greeted visitors at our front desk at Berkeley Systems, the software company I co-founded, were at the bottom of our pay scale, but we knew that they also created people’s first impressions of our organization. If they felt downtrodden, the first impression of our business was likely to be merely adequate. We needed the first face of our business to be enthusiastic and helpful.

At MomsRising.org, an advocacy group working for greater economic security for families, we offer flexible work hours, ask each member of our team to contribute to our decision-making processes, and look for pathways for our entry-level positions to grow into roles with more responsibility.

It’s time for employers to see the big picture and embrace the benefits of creating a great workplace for all of their employees. They will be rewarded with a happier, more productive and robust workforce, a better bottom line and the satisfaction of participating in the transformation of modern work culture to a culture of dignity.

Joan Blades is a serial entrepreneur and co-author of The Custom-Fit Workplace: Choose When, Where, and How to Work and Boost Your Bottom Line.

Cross posted from USA Today

We don’t always have to be balancing on only one foot though.  As co-founder of MomsRising, I’m happy to share that I’ve been hearing about quite a few successful new workplace practices for fitting work and life together–and which allow us to be balanced with two feet planted firmly on the ground. More and more businesses are starting to “get it” that moms, dads, and all workers have a lot of plates in the air and can successfully manage work and life when companies update their workplace practices to meet the needs of a modern workforce.

Please join me on a teleconference call put on by the Shift Network this coming Friday, Oct. 29th for 30 minutes to talk about fitting work and life together. We’ll talk about how flexible work, virtual work (tele-commuting), on demand work, high commitment work, and non-linear career paths can create work that is great for all workers and at the same time boost the bottom line for employers.

RSVP for this free teleconference which is put on by The Shift Network today! http://action.momsrising.org/signup/10_29_2010_CFW_Webinar/

*After you sign up, The Shift Network will email you the call in details for my call, as well as share information about other speakers in this series and in the future.

DATE: Friday, October 29th

TIME: 12pm EST / 9am PST

The teleconference I am doing is  part of the Enlightened Business Summit put on by The Shift Network running from Oct. 25-29th.  This teleconference event includes 40 leaders such as, Shai Aggassi, Steven Covey, Tim Ferris and Roxanne Emmerich–CEOs, authors, and visionaries who are changing “business as usual” in the workforce.  You can participate on as many calls as you like and interact with both the featured leaders and other participants from around the world.

*Don’t forget to RSVP for the Shift Network teleconference here: http://action.momsrising.org/signup/10_29_2010_CFW_Webinar/

Please use the red “Share This Post” link below to share this invitation with friends and family – all are welcome to participate.

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about Custom-Fit workplace practices and the growing body of research that confirms the benefits for both employees and employers, check out MomsRising’s new initiative on this topic at http://customfitworkplace.org/ (see also the sidebar to your right for the Custom Fit Workplace link) where you’ll find rich resources and a growing discussion about innovative workplaces that “work” for families and business!

What is going on? Word is that this drop is not due to job loss or employers discouraging virtual work. Rather, employees are too anxious to ask for any kind of special work arrangement in uncertain economic times. Social scientists explain that when we are fearful, we are less creative and tend to hunker down with what is familiar and feels safe. But I know, as an employer, what substantial research finds: that virtual work is a great way for small organizations to do more with less and for any workplace to boost the bottom line. I worry that employers and employees frozen in a defensive crouch are going to miss an opportunity for all of us to be more successful and improve our working lives.

Though this might surprise people who opine about the influence of MoveOn.org (andMomsRising.org), these organizations are entirely virtual. They have no physical headquarters. Offices cost money, and we choose to spend the funds we have on advocacy and education, instead of walls and floors. We also find that trusting our employees to work wherever it works for them means we get great people who are happy and remarkably productive. When my daughter gets sick, I don’t have to choose between getting my work done and being there for her, and if I want to go for a hike on Tuesday afternoon, I can. I work when the time is best for me and for the work I’m doing.

I know from experience that intelligently structured virtual work is incredibly good for business and cost effective.

We are not the only organizations that have discovered this. Most virtual workers work for traditional organizations with which we are all familiar. A recent study from Brigham Young University reports that telecommuting, coupled with flexibility, dramatically reduces work/life conflict and has saved millions of dollars for IBM. AT&T saved over 6 million dollars in real estate costs in New Jersey and realized millions of dollars in productivity gains when they embraced virtual work. Jet Blue’s call center is not in India; it is in homes in Utah, which lets the company realize cost savings while keeping jobs in the United States. Virtual and flexible work are management opportunities.

While some organizations are embracing virtual work, even more people would like to try it. One survey on worker productivity found that nearly 60% of employees believe that telecommuting at least part time is the ideal work situation. 60% of federal agencies include virtual work in their emergency and continuity of operations plans in 2007.

Yet only 7% of eligible federal employees regularly telecommute. The Employment Policy foundation suggested that 65% of jobs could be done remotely, yet less than 30% of managers and professionals work virtually even one day a week and far fewer in more blue-collar jobs. Clearly, we have a long way to go.

The data about the benefits of virtual work are compelling. Is it really just unthinking fear that is stopping us? Change does create risk and new challenges. Individuals, managers, and even chief executives are feeling risk averse. It is not surprising that employees fear asking for flexibility or the ability to work virtually when they are fearful that their jobs might be cut. Likewise, managers who have the benefit of a hungry labor pool may not experience a strong push to make their employees’ lives better at the risk of having that change create unforeseen challenges.

But businesses must recognize that there is a flipside to the risks of change – which is that there are risks in not changing, too. I have a hard time imagining a more efficient, environmentally sound, family-friendly work practice for a surprisingly broad swath of jobs in this country than virtual work. This is not the kind of opportunity business can afford to overlook.

It is time for those of us that have experienced the benefits of these non-traditional work practices to reassure others that embracing these new practices is not only good for the bottom line, butnecessary for success in the coming decade. Working virtually is what has enabled MoveOn.org and MomsRising.org to do so much with the resources we have. So I’m speaking out, and I hope others will too.

It is time to get serious about embracing virtual work.

This blog is part of the Peaceful Revolution series that explores innovative ideas to strengthen America’s families through public policies, business practices, and cultural change. Done in collaboration with MomsRising.org, read a new post here each week.

Have you been there?  Frustrated that it’s nearly impossible to excel at work (and home!) because the structure of your workplace doesn’t fit your life?

Too many of us are banging our heads against the wall these days.

Despite the workplace crunch that many of us face, there’s good news.  An increasing body of research shows that flexible, custom-fit workplace practices help people excel both at work and at home, while also helping businesses boost the bottom line.

To get the word out about this new research, as well as to fan the fire of a national conversation on the topic, MomsRising co-founder, Joan Blades, and Nanette Fondas, MomsRising executive blog editor, have written a new book called The Custom-Fit Workplace. In coordination with the publication of the book, today MomsRising is launching our blog carnival to highlight posts and articles from around the Web that describe the many ways businesses can make a shift toward maximizing productivity and make everyone’s lives better.

Good workplace practices will help America become a family-friendly nation, while improving employer  bottom lines and efficiency. And we need them!  Our public policies are stuck in the 1950s, despite the fact that we have a modern labor force now that’s 50% women.  But discrimination against mothers is also cultural.  Even though study after study has shown that mothers are great workers, most individual workplaces and businesses fail to meet the needs of families in how work itself is structured.

This blog carnival kicks off a national social media discussion about rethinking work, workplace practices and structures, and how families, workers and employers can thrive in the changing work worlds of the 21st century. Check out the links below and leave your thoughts in the comments below! We look forward to hearing from you.

Why “Fit” Matters and Makes a Big, Meaningful Difference, Cali Williams Yost

The Dignity of Work: Transforming the One-Size-Fits-All Workhouse into a Custom-Fit Workplace, Robert Fuller

Start Up A Conversation in Your Community!, Jessica Glenn

Back To Work? Not So Fast…, John de Graaf

Unions and the Four Hour Work Week, Jenya Cassidy

Organizational flexibility fosters employee creativity and commitment, Gabriela Melano, Ed.D

Help Create A Babies-At-Work World, Carla Moquin

At Last: A Win-Win for Employers and Employees, Barbara Miller

U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce: Understanding the Needs of Working Women and Their Families, Andrea Lindemann

Not All Moms Want to Work Less, Laura Vanderkam

How to Avoid the No.1 Cause of “Death” in Your Organization- the Death of Motivation, Ian Blei

But That’s Impossible!, Joan C. Williams

Work Life Policy: Pipedream or Practical?, Judy Martin

We’re Not Asking For The Moon, Chrysula Winegar

The Best-Kept Secret?, Sue Bingham

Does Flex Time Lead to Better Health?, New York Times blogs, Tara Parker-Pope

Building a Flexible Workplace, Catalyst.org writing at WomensMedia.com

Obamas tout benefits of a flexible workplace, Washington Post, Joe Davidson

The advantages of having a flexible workplace, The Times (UK), Alison Maitland

A flexible workplace is a happier, healthier workplace, Huffington Post, Annie Toro

Making My Job Work For Me, Working Moms Against, Guilt, Cara

Telecommuting During Tough Times, New York Times Motherlode blog

Benefits of Virtual Employees, Newborn Rodeo

Unravelling the myths of job sharing, Management Issues, Nic Paton

Study: The Unexpected Benefits of Telecommuting, Bnet.com, Dave Johnson

The Benefits of Working from Home, WorkAwesome.com, Ana da Silva

Bringing Your Baby to Work, New York Times Motherlode blog, Lisa Belkin

Jailed for Taking Kids to Jury Duty, New York Times Motherlode blog, Lisa Belkin

Bringing Babies to Work, Time.com, Tiffany Sharples

Parents Discover Babies in the Workplace Gaining Acceptance, Workforce.com, Jessica Marquez

Day care’s new frontier: Your baby at your desk, USA Today, Stephanie Armour

Bringing Up Baby at Work – Babies in the Workplace, Women Issues (About.com), Linda Lowen

The Not-for-Profit Lane, A Guide to Changing Lanes, Jane Jelenko

Mommy-Tracking at Goldman Sachs: A Disconnect Between Expectations and Reality, The Mama Bee

Growing Industry Helps Moms Relaunch Careers, Alternet, Kara Alaimo

One-Third of Women Fleeing the Workforce, Forbes, Jenna Goudreau

Results Oriented Work Environment (ROWE) in the US Capitol, Your (Wo)man in Washington

Smashing the Clock, BusinessWeek, Michelle Conlin

Best Buy’s Results Oriented Work Environment, a Workplace Revolution in the Making, Don Loper

Flexible Work in a Recession, New York Times Motherlode blog, Lisa Belkin

Read His Lips: Workplace Flex Not A Women’s Issue, Women and Work, Morra Aarons-Mele