Summary: H.R. 4361, the "Federal Employees Family Friendly Leave Act," would allow family members who are federal workers to share annual leave and would allow employees to use their sick leave to help care for sick family members. GAO testified that experimentation with both of these changes is appropriate in that they will help make the government a more "family friendly" employer. GAO does not believe that the changes will be costly, but it does urge that the cost issue be examined carefully during the three-year experiment. The federal government lags behind nonfederal employers in helping workers balance employment and personal needs. Significant demographic changes in the workforce, such as the surge in the number of working women and two-earner households, have prompted many employers to redesign their human resource policies and programs. These employers find that family friendly programs can be beneficial to the company as well as to the employee because of the savings resulting from productivity gains and the enhanced recruitment and retention of quality workers.
