Thomas Daschle: “Yes, the one we adopted last Friday: Whereas the quality of workers' jobs and the supportiveness of their workplaces are…”

“Yes, the one we adopted last Friday: Whereas the quality of workers' jobs and the supportiveness of their workplaces are key predictors of job productivity, job satisfaction, commitment to employers, and retention. Every good employer in South Dakota understands that. That is as clear and as unambiguous a principle of good management as you will ever find. So is the next one: Whereas there is a clear link between work-family policies and lower absenteeism. So the Chamber of Commerce could write that. If we want to make sure we have low absenteeism, if we want to make sure we have high job productivity, job satisfaction, commitment to employers, and retention, what do you do? You tell those workers in more than just a resolution that their contribution matters, and that if we are going to ask them to work longer than a 40-hour workweek, we are going to compensate them for that. We became one of the most productive nations in the world over the course of the last 70 years. Why? Because we had the most productive workers. Why did we have the most productive workers? Because there were enough businesses who understand those basic principles of good business. That is all we are suggesting. Let's stick to those principles. Our country deserves no less.”