Family-friendly workplaces
Family-friendly employment policies helps support employees to balance work and family responsibilities, which leads to a more productive work force and a stronger economy. Here are a few ways employers can support their employees.
- Set up an on-line network for young parents to communicate with each other on parenting questions and issues.
- Provide flexible work hours.
- Provide a useful resource to help parents locate quality day care close to home or work.
- Offer high performing employees a reduced work schedule for a defined period of time.
- Encourage employees to take a certain number of paid hours per month for volunteering at a local child care center.
- Allow employees to telecommute from home.
- Form a parents-at-work group.
- Provide resource information and referral services on child care.
- Sponsor local initiatives in early childhood education though grants and employee time.
- Inform employees about the importance of the first years of life and provide parenting information using posters, in-house newsletters, intranet, all-employee emails and paycheck inserts.
- Set up break rooms as family education kiosks with posters, educational information and a closed-circuit monitor running a PSA with tips for parents and contact numbers for local resources.
- Sponsor parenting workshops or parent education seminars with local speakers and parent educators at your workplace during lunch or before and after work hours.
- Recognize, honor and reward employees who volunteer to provide or improve early childhood programs and services.
- Offer employees access online parenting information and resources through your internal website and HR system.
- Model and publicize best practices in workplace flexibility and supports for working parents and caregivers.
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