Raising the Global Floor is a new book that unpacks how governments around the world meet the needs of working women, men, and their families. Co-written by McGill University's Jody Heymann and Alison Earle, of Harvard University, Raising the Global Floor measures the performance of 190 governments around the world in terms of their work and family related policies including: work schedules and hours, overtime and night work, paid vacations and all types of family leave including maternal/paternal leave and leave to meet personal and family members' health needs.

Heymann and Earle's landmark findings showing conclusively that improved working conditions and family-friendly workplace policies do not hurt companies economically. In fact, some of the countries with the best working conditions and social supports and protections for worker have the lowest employment rates and are rated as highly competitive by corporate leaders.

Raising the Global Floor Dismantling the Myth That We Can't Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone, Jody Heymann and Alison Earle, Stanford Politics and Policy, 2009

About the authors.

Jody Heymann is Founding Director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy  and holds a Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Social Policy.

Alison Earle is project manager for the Work, Family, and Democracy Initiative and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health.

For more information visit the Raising the Global Floor website.