March 5,
2008
Southwest California Businesses Support Flexibility in the Workplace
Proposal
The
Temecula Valley, Murrieta and Lake Elsinore Chambers of
Commerce, through its regional business advocacy coalition
the Southwest California Legislative Council, are
cosponsoring and supporting the efforts of AB 2127. This
proposed new law, authored by local Assembly Member John J.
Benoit, is designed to allow for employees and employers to
have more flexibility in their work schedules.
This new flexibility will accommodate employees' diverse
family obligations, personal pursuits, and commuting issues
by allowing employers to agree to provide scheduling options
requested by an employee. AB 2127, known as the Small
Business Family Scheduling Option, would allow a small
business with 25 or less employees to offer the option.
“This new law is a win-win for both employers and
employees,” stated Greg Morrison, Chair of the Southwest
California Legislative Council. “A flexible work week
schedule will allow for a more productive work environment
with employees getting more days off and enabling employers
to create an efficient schedule,” Morrison continued.
The option would allow an employer to agree to an employee’s
request to work four 10-hour days a week, or eight nine-hour
days and one eight-hour day in two weeks, also known as a
9/80 schedule. This option applies exclusively to small
businesses that are not covered by a collective bargaining
agreement.
The Small Business Family Scheduling Option also allows for
certain protections and benefits such as;
-
The
request for the option must be made by the employee, in
writing, and it must be made voluntarily,
- The
employer is required to maintain a copy of the written
agreement
as they
would any personnel record – for three years beyond
termination of the agreement,
- The
agreement must be executed in writing,
- Either
the employee or the employer can revoke the agreement at any
time, provided they give seven days written notice,
- Any
hours worked beyond the compressed workweek hours must be
paid at normal overtime rates,
- The
employer is prohibited from reducing the employee’s regular
rate of pay as a result of the employee adopting an
alternative work week schedule,
- Working
a compressed four-day workweek provides up to 50 extra
non-work
days each year for the average full-time employee,
-
Satisfying employee demands for flexible schedules,
- Reduces
traffic and the frequency of long commutes at peak hours,
- Fewer
trips to the workplace result in lower carbon emissions, and
- A
flexible work life is good for your health according to
researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine
as reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (December 2007).
