III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 276 

Designating October 2013 as ‘‘National Work and Family Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 29, 2013 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. 

SCHATZ, Mr. BROWN, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. 

BEGICH, Mr. WARNER, and Mr. CARDIN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating October 2013 as ‘‘National Work and Family 

Month’’. 

Whereas, according to a report by WorldatWork, a nonprofit 

professional association with expertise in attracting, motivating, and retaining employees, the quality of a job and 

the supportiveness of a workplace are key predictors of 

the job productivity, job satisfaction, and commitment to 

the employer of workers, as well as of the ability of an 

employer to retain workers; 

Whereas the term ‘‘work-life balance’’ refers to specific organizational practices, policies, and programs that are guided by a philosophy of active support for the efforts of employees to achieve success within and outside the workplace, such as caring for dependents, promoting health 


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•SRES 276 ATS 

and wellness, providing paid and unpaid time off, providing financial support, encouraging community involvement, and improving workplace culture; 

Whereas numerous studies show that employers that offer effective work-life balance programs are better able to recruit more talented employees, maintain a happier, 

healthier, and less stressed workforce, and retain experienced employees, which produces a more productive and 

stable workforce with less voluntary turnover; 

Whereas job flexibility often allows parents to be more involved in the lives of their children, and research demonstrates that parental involvement is associated with 

higher achievement in language and mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower 

dropout rates in children; 

Whereas military families have special work-life needs that 

often require robust policies and programs that provide 

flexibility to employees in unique circumstances; 

Whereas studies show that family rituals such as sitting down 

to dinner together and sharing activities on weekends and 

holidays positively influence the health and development 

of children, and that children who eat dinner with their 

families every day consume nearly a full serving more of 

fruits and vegetables per day than those who never eat 

dinner with their families or do so only occasionally; and 

Whereas the month of October is an appropriate month to 

designate as National Work and Family Month: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates October 2013 as ‘‘National Work 

3 and Family Month’’; 


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1 (2) recognizes the importance of work schedules 

2 that allow employees to spend time with their fami3 lies to job productivity and healthy families; 

4 (3) urges public officials, employers, employees, 

5 and the general public to work together to achieve 

6 more balance between work and family; and 

7 (4) calls upon the people of the United States 

8 to observe National Work and Family Month with 

9 appropriate ceremonies and activities. 

Æ 


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