Our workplace policies suck

In case you didn’t get the memo, allow me to break the news to you: A new study by Harvard and McGill University researchers found that out of all “wealthy countries” in the world, the United States offers by far the crappiest family-friendly workplace policies. Meaning our maternity leave, paid sick days, and support for breast-feeding pales in comparison. This recent Associated Press article about the study should sufficiently sicken your stomach.

The biggie is of course the tidbit that “America is one of only five countries out of 173 in the survey that does not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave; the others are Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea.” Nice.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Happy, well-treated workers = employee loyalty = less turnover = more money for CEOs (who on average make 262 times the salary of an average worker, according to the Economic Policy Institute). So wise up, head honchos, before you lose all your good workers.

For more juicy stats on how badly America sucks at accommodating its working parents and caregivers, check out Moms Rising, where you’re bound to be appalled into action.

1 comment February 11th, 2007