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This two-year project at Stanford's Clayman Institute for Gender Research will explore how workplaces of the 21st century might respond to changes in the U.S. workforce and changes in the nature of work. We will bring together top academics, industry practitioners and policy experts to set the agenda for redesigning and redefining work in order to meet these challenges. Culminating in a bicoastal conference, this project aims to inspire new research, raise broadscale public awareness, and disseminate best practices already in place.
Background
The large scale entry of women into paid work and the increase in the number of people, both men and women, who are working later in life have fueled the need for redesigning workplaces so that workplaces are better aligned with the lives of the people who work in them. Redesigning work also has the potential to help businesses better harness the talents of today's workforce. The changing nature of work itself, brought about by the movement from an industrial to an information-based economy, has further inspired the need to redefining workplaces. Careers too have changed, with men and women working for more employers over the course of their working lives. While some progress has been made on this redesign, the redefinition of what makes a good and successful worker has lagged behind. Because many workplaces continue to associate workplace productivity with long hours and "facetime," workers who adopt flexible work arrangements, such as working reduced hours or altered schedules, are often judged to be less committed or less valuable workers and relegated to lower status career paths (e.g., the "mommy track"). Yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that flexible workers are not only committed to paid work but are often highly efficient workers. If so, workplaces would benefit from more fully harnessing the talents of all workers.
