US Labor Departments Womens Bureau to host March 31 forum in Silver Spring, Md., on workplace flexibility for hospitality, restaurant, tourism workers

Business, policy, academic, HR representatives and workers invited to attend

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau will host a National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibilityon Thursday, March 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT at the Silver Spring Civic Center, 8525 Fenton St. in Silver Spring 20910. The dialogue, which builds on the message and momentum of the 2010 White House Flexibility Forum, will focus on flexibility challenges and solutions for workers in the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries.

"The Women's Bureau has chosen to focus on workplace flexibility because it is a critical need of our nation's working women and men," said Lucia Bruce, administrator of the Women's Bureau's Philadelphia Regional Office. "We are committed to helping working families achieve a better balance between work and family responsibilities."

The half-day conference will feature guest speakers including Women's Bureau Director Sara Manzano-D az and Center for WorkLife Law Director Joan Williams. Representatives from Marriot International, the Restaurant Opportunities Center for Washington, D.C., and the Center for Business Inclusion and Diversity will participate in panel discussions. Breakout sessions will give participants a chance to share best practices, expand their knowledge and support base for flexibility options, and discuss innovative ways to make flexibility work.

Workers; advocacy groups; representatives from the hospitality, tourism and restaurant industries; associations; policymakers; work/life professionals; scholars and human resource professionals are invited to attend.

The forum is free, but pre-registration is required and can be completed online at http://workplaceflexibility.eventbrite.com or on-site starting at 8 a.m. For more information on the event, members of the public should contact Rose Holandez in the Women's Bureau at 215-861-4860.

Press interested in covering this event should contact Joanna Hawkins or Leni Fortson in the Labor Department's Office of Public Affairs using the information above.

The Women's Bureau, established by Congress in 1920, is the only federal agency designated to represent the needs of working women. Today, the bureau's goal is to empower all working women to achieve economic security by preparing them for well-paying jobs, ensuring fair compensation, promoting workplace flexibility and helping homeless women veterans reintegrate into the workforce. For more information about the Women's Bureau, visit http://www.dol.gov/wb.