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When Work Works

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce 2020 coalition has been selected to participate in When Work Works, a nation-wide initiative on effective and flexible workplaces that is designed to share research and best practices on what makes work “work” in the 21st Century. When Work Works is an ongoing program led by the Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Twiga Foundation.

For the past several decades, Families and Work Institute (FWI) has been documenting the changes in the American workforce and workplace through its nationally representative studies of employers and employees. The Institute’s research finds that today’s fast-paced, 24/7 “wired” economy and diverse workforce are far different than in the past. There are four generations in the workforce, the workforce is aging, and values have shifted. In response, employers are looking for new ways to recruit, develop and retain their talent.

When Work Works responds to these challenges by sharing research and best practices for managing in new and flexible ways. Creative examples in the participating communities include compressed work weeks to decrease turnover and give employees more concentrated time at work and at home, telecommuting to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, sabbaticals to re-energize employees, and phased retirement to retain the talent of older workers.

When Work Works is sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit institution that funds a variety of projects at the national, state and local levels. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has been supporting research projects and other initiatives to address issues faced by working families and their employers in the changing economy.

http://whenworkworks.org/

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