Family Friendly Workplace Policy

An organization may establish a family friendly workplace policy which allows an employee to adjust her schedule, take time off or use services that the employer provides such as day care so that family responsibilities do not disrupt her job duties. A family friendly workplace policy is a job benefit that may convince an employee to work at an organization, or convince her to stay at a company if another company offers her higher wages.

Schedule

Scheduling flexibility can be part of a family friendly workplace policy. An employee may have the option to take Wednesdays off so he can take his children to athletic events, and work a 10-hour shift during the other weekdays. The employee typically waives overtime pay if he was otherwise eligible for it, because he is still working the same number of hours each week.

Leave

An employer may allow an employee to use leave time to care for a sick relative. According to the University of California, Berkeley, employees of most organizations with 50 or more employees can claim 12 weeks of unpaid leave if the employee is sick, or a close family member is ill. Some employers allow an employee to donate her own sick leave to a leave bank so another employee can take an extended leave.

Child Care

Child care is another part of a family friendly workplace policy. An employer can set up a child care center at the company so employees can bring their children to work. The employer may also reimburse an employee's babysitting or tuition bills, or allow an employee to telecommute on certain days so he can watch over his children at home.

Employee Counseling

A family friendly workplace policy can include employee counseling. If an employee is going through a divorce, has recently lost a family member or lives with family members who are arguing with one another, the employer can establish an employee assistance program which includes counselors who can give the employee advice.

Time Saving Benefits

Some employers provide other benefits, such as a catering service that delivers food to an employee's house so she doesn't have to cook after work, or a housekeeper who can clean the employee's house. According to Western Carolina University, an employer can also offer maintenance services, such as repairing a broken window or a cracked driveway, to its employees.

References

• Department of Labor: Family and Medical Leave Act
• State of Oregon; Family Friendly Workplace Policies; Sept. 2004
• Department of Agriculture: Alternative Work Schedule
• University of California, Berkeley; Family-Friendly Workplaces: Do Unions Make a Difference?; Jennifer MacGillvary and Netsy Firestein; July 2009
• Western Carolina University; Today's Family Friendly Companies; Stacey Rayburg and James Kirk; August 2008