Law Commons^™

Too Much Of A Good Thing? A Governing Knowledge Commons Review Of Abundance In Context, Michael J. Madison, Brett M. Frischmann, Madelyn Sanfilippo, Katherine J. Strandburg

Articles

The economics of abundance, along with the sociology of abundance, the law of abundance, and so forth, should be re-framed, linked, and situated in a common context for empirical rather than conceptual research. Abundance may seem to be a new, big thing, between anxiety over information overload, Big Data, and related technological disruptions. But scholars know that abundance is an ancient phenomenon, which only seemed to disappear as twentieth century social science focused on scarcity instead. Restoring the study of abundance, and figuring out how to solve the problems that abundance might create, means shedding disciplinary blinders and going back …

Law School News: Throw Out The Old Thinking 9-30-2019, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The Blockchain Explained, Or How To Make Lots Of Money In Cryptocurrency, Jason Tubinis

Presentations

The School of Law's Information Technology Librarian summarizes blockchain, the current impact is having on business, finance and e-commerce, and the potential implications for our not so distant future as it pertains to the law.

Telling Your Story: Using Metrics To Display Your Value (H2), Wendy E. Moore, Thomas J. Striepe, Steve Lastres, Joy Shoemaker

Presentations

The American Bar Association, academic institutions, law firms, and governments are demanding more and more outcome-based performance. However, displaying these outcomes is difficult for law libraries. Law libraries possess an abundance of data, but determining which metrics will showcase your law library’s value and performance is difficult. Speakers from a law school, law firm, and court library will explain the different metrics they use to display their value to their stakeholders. After these short presentations, a “fishbowl” discussion will provide participants the chance to share and learn about different metrics and tools law libraries are using to best tell their …

Phased Retirement Data Sheet, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

This data sheet includes information on current coverage and participation by American workers in pension and retirement plans. It also includes information on what employees say they want in terms of flexible work arrangements and access to pension and retirement funds, as well as what employers say they need with regard to the workforce of the future.

Flexible Work Arrangements: The Fact Sheet, Jean Flatley Mcguire, Kaitlyn Kenney, Phyllis Brashler

Memos and Fact Sheets

A "flexible work arrangement" (FWA) is any one of a spectrum of work structures that alters the time and/or place that work gets done on a regular basis. The term includes (but is not limited to):

1. flexibility in the scheduling of hours worked, such as alternative work schedules (e.g., flex time and compressed workweeks), and arrangements regarding shift and breack schedules:

2. flexibility in the amount of hours worked, such as part-time work and job shares; and

3. flexibility in the place of work, such as working at home or at a satellite location.

A Summary Of Data From Families And Work Institute’S National Study Of Employers (2008), Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

This memo presents data from the Families and Work Institute’s 2008 National Study of Employers describing the similarities in access to flexible work arrangements (“FWAs”) for employees of small and large employers. The 2008 National Study of Employers (“2008 Study”) provides a comparison of the availability of 12 types of FWAs to employees of small (50-99 employees) and large (over 1,000 employees) employers.

Telework In The Federal Government: The Overview Memo, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) alter the time and/or place that employees work on a regular basis in a manner that is manageable and predictable for both employees and employers.1 Telework, also called telecommuting, refers to an FWA that enables an employee to work from an alternative place to the employer’s usual worksite, typically home or a satellite work center. Telework technically refers to work performed with the use of a telecommunications connection to the workplace (e.g., computer, telephone), but the term is also

An Overview Of Early Laws Increasing Access To Flexible Scheduling And Reduced Hours In The Federal Workforce, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

The Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act (FEFCWA) authorizes, but does not require, agencies to offer alternative work schedules to employees. FEFCWA permits employees to designate non-traditional arrival and departure times, centered around core agency hours, and to experiment with four-day workweeks or other compressed schedules. Under the law, implementation and employee utilization of alternative work schedules depends on management support and leadership.

Statements Illustrating The Legislative Intent Of These Laws, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Based on statements in the legislative history, these laws were meant to provide:

1. Overarching Benefits in the Current Economy
2. Benefits to Families
3. Benefits to Management
4. Equality for Women
5. Protection of the Environment

Extended Time Off Overview, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Workplace Flexibility 2010 defines Extended Time Off (EXTO) as time taken off from work for a single reason that extends for more than five days but less than one year.

EXTO may be brief in nature (e.g., a few weeks), when taken, for example, for a vacation, to recover from minor surgery, or to comply with a public health quarantine request. EXTO may also be longer in nature (e.g., a month or more), when taken, for example, for maternity/paternity purposes, for elder care, for military duty, or for a sabbatical from work.

EXTO (either brief or prolonged) may be unpaid …

Fact Sheet On Extended Time Off (Exto), Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center, Urban Institute

Memos and Fact Sheets

The Need for Extended Time Off (EXTO):

1. New children: More women and mothers are working, and there is an increase in the number of couples with children in which both parents work.
2. Health issues: According to a 2000 survey of employees regarding the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), among those who took FMLA leave, more than half, 52.4%, of workers used the leave to attend to their own health conditions. Thirteen percent reported taking leave to care for a parent and nearly 12% reported using leave to care for an ill child.
3. The need for paid EXTO: Despite the …

Sources For Statistical Data On Flexible Work Arrangements, Shelley Waters Boots, Anna Danziger

Memos and Fact Sheets

From the Department of Labor, the best survey for flexibility data comes from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of 60,000 households that provides data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, and persons not in the labor force.

The benefit of the CPS is that it is large, reliable, and the sample is carefully weighted to provide nationally representative estimates. It also has a significant amount of other data, including a large amount of information on employee characteristics, occupation and industry classifications, and work schedules. The drawbacks however, are that the questions on flexibility are …

The National Labor Relations Act And Flexible Work Arrangements: An Overview Of Existing Law And Proposals For Reform, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

The scheduling of work hours is important to employers and employees alike. Employers must ensure sufficient staffing to meet workload demands; employees must balance work with other aspects of their lives. Over the past several years, the tendency to view these needs as mutually exclusive has slowly given way to increased discussion of and experimentation with flexible work arrangements as an effective way to balance work-life demands. While these workplace flexibility initiatives take many forms, the majority of them require collaboration between employers and employees regarding work hours and conditions.

Episodic Time Off: An Overview, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

While some workers' needs for lexibility can be addressed by short Term Time Off (STO) or by a Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA), there are other workers who need time off on a more episodic basis. These workers may have an illness, such as cancer of kidney disease, which requires them to attend numerous medical appointments on a relatively set basis. Or they may have a chronic conditions, such as migraine headaches or fibromyalgia, that flares up sporadically. Some workers may care for family memebers who have recurring medical needs, such as an aging parent who requires regularly scheduled bi-weekly dialysis …

Fact Sheet On Episodic Time Off (Epto), Jean Flatley Mcguire, Kaitlyn Kenney

Memos and Fact Sheets

Workplace Flexibility 2010 has coined the term "Episodic Time Off" or "EPTO" to describe the type of workplace flexibility needed to address the recurring need for time off - sometimes regular, sometimes sporadic, sometimes foreseeable, sometimes not - for which Short Term Time Off is insufficient and which a Flexible Work Arrangement cannot resolve. Evidence illustrates that across the lifespan, for a variety of reasons, the need and desire for EPTO are great.

Flexible Work Arrangements: The Overview Memo, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Many employees today have ongoing, predictable demands on their time outside of work. These demands may include dependent children, an ill family member, a long commute, a desire for increased education, or a commitment to community or religious activities. To meet these demands, and to get a paying job done, such individuals often need to work at a different time or in a different place than the traditional “9 am to 5 pm, five days/week, face time at the workplace” rubric.

In response to employee and employer needs and preferences, some employers provide what we call “Flexible placethat work gets …

Flexible Work Arrangements: Selected Case Studies, Jean Flatley Mcguire, Phyllis Brashler

Memos and Fact Sheets

Employees have shown a great desire for flexible work arrangements (FWAs). National data reveals that nearly 80% of workers say they would like to have more flexible work options and would use them if there were no negative consequences at work. However, most workers do not have access to flexible work arrangements and barriers to their effective implementation persist in many organizations as the following nationally representative employer-based survey data reveals.

Short Term Time Off: The Current State Of Play, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Many people think of workplace flexibility as flexibility that is provided on a long term, regular basis — for example, flexibility provided through alternative work schedules, compressed workweeks, or part time positions. Under Workplace Flexibility 2010’s conceptualization, however, workplace flexibility also includes the ability to address day-to-day life needs on a short term basis.

Short term needs for flexibility are numerous: to recover from an illness; take care of a sick child; attend a school conference, funeral or medical appointment; wait for a repair person; or appear in court. Some needs may be anticipated; others will arise unexpectedly.

The Federal Employees Flexible And Compressed Work Schedules Act (Fefcwa), Georgetown Federal Legislation Clinic

Memos and Fact Sheets

Federal law establishes scheduling requirements for government employees, generally requiring federal agencies to set regular work hours over a traditional Monday through Friday workweek. These requirements, along with provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), impede flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for federal employees.1 The Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act (“FEFCWA”) removes these legal barriers for two specific types of alternative work schedules (AWS): flexible work schedules (FWS) and compressed work schedules (CWS). Under an FWS, an agency establishes core hours when all employees must be at work and allows employees to choose arrival and departure times …

The New South Wales Carers’ Responsibilities Act, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center, Georgetown Federal Legislation Clinic

Memos and Fact Sheets

Enacted in 2001, the New South Wales Carers’ Responsibilities Act (“CRA”) prohibits discrimination against employees with caregiver responsibilities and provides access to reasonable flexible work arrangements. Under this law, employees have the right to request accommodations for their carer responsibilities, and employers have an affirmative obligation to consider and grant reasonable accommodations that do not impose an unjustifiable hardship. The affirmative accommodation requirement extends to requests for flexible working hours, working from home (telecommuting), part-time work, and job-share arrangements.

Workplace Flexibility 2010: Facts On Short Term Time Off, Jean Flatley Mcguire, Kaitlyn Kenney

Memos and Fact Sheets

Short Term Time Off (STO) refers to job-protected time away from the workplace (generally 5 days or less) to address anticipated or unexpected issues of limited duration. STO may be scheduled or unscheduled, depending on the underlying need. STO enables workers to address the routine and emergency situations that occur in everybody’s lives.

The need for STO may arise, for example, because a worker or worker’s child is sick or has a routine doctor’s appointment, because a worker has to wait for the plumber or apply for benefits or go to court, or because a worker needs to attend a …

What An Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility: Labor Force Participation Rates Of Women Age 55 And Over, By Age Group, Annual Averages, 1963–2003, Robert Hutchens Phd

Charts and Summaries of State, U.S., and Foreign Laws and Regulations

No abstract provided.

What An Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility: Population Pyramids For The United States, Robert Hutchens Phd

Charts and Summaries of State, U.S., and Foreign Laws and Regulations

No abstract provided.

What An Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility: Labor Force Participation Rates Of Men Age 55 And Over, By Age Group, Annual Averages, 1963–2003, Robert Hutchens Phd

Charts and Summaries of State, U.S., and Foreign Laws and Regulations

No abstract provided.

Voluntary Approaches To Basinwide Water Management, Neil S. Grigg

Colorado Water Issues and Options: The 90's and Beyond: Toward Maximum Beneficial Use of Colorado's Water Resources (October 8)

13 pages (includes illustration).

Contains references (page 11).