By Leslie Brody, McClatchy-Tribune Newspapers

HACKENSACK, N.J. — Many mothers who planned to stay home to raise
children say the recession has pushed them to work — or hunt for work —
much sooner than expected.

At play groups, employment firms,
nanny agencies, therapists' offices and online discussion forums,
married women are saying that a husband's layoff, fear of downsizing or
tighter household budgets have forced them to update resumes they
thought they had put to rest until their kids went to school.

It's
too early to find current data specifically on moms, but numbers on
women from the Bureau of Labor Statistics back up anecdotal evidence of
the trend. The percentage of women ages 24 to 44 who are in the labor
force — meaning they have jobs or want them — has grown during the
recession, to 75.7 percent last month, up from 75.3 percent in December
2007. Steve Hipple, an economist at the bureau, called that increase
small but noteworthy.  More HERE

I am very excited to announce that I have teamed up with my colleagues Dr. Carol Matusicky and Wendy Creelman to launch the National Network Society this week.  We are working on some very exciting things that are moving along a pretty fast pace!  For now, here is what you need to know:

The
National Work Life Network Society (NWLN) supports and promotes
workplace practices that encourage employee health and wellness.
Through best practice research, collaboration, and awareness raising
the society works to educate the actions of Canadian employers to
become employers of choice. Outcomes such as environments that support
the multiple roles of workers provide the platform for healthy
productive Canadian families.

• To
  raise and sustain awareness of the importance of work-life
  strategies/best practices and the benefits to workplaces in supporting
  workers and their caregiving responsibilities;
• To
  identify and promote some of the best practices and practical tools
  already existing in workplaces and to identify new practices, as these
  relate to the caregiving issues that families face;
• To identify, profile and recognize employers and workplace leaders and champions;
• To identify incentives that promote more workplace involvement in supporting caregivers in the workplace;
• To
  increase the level of collaboration among all sectors in developing and
  sustaining policies and practices that support caregivers in the
  workplace.

Stay tuned…there are good things to come!