Employer Family-Friendly Policies
Providing Flexibility in the Workplace to Help Meet Family Needs
Family friendly policies tell your employees you’re there to support them, you believe in balancing the needs of work and family, and recognize the benefit of happy, healthy families to productivity and reliability in the workplace.
Research has shown that employers that offer flexible work environments are able to attract, motivate and retain employees, improve employee satisfaction and strengthen productivity.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Recovery Challenge
The good news is that unemployment has declined in Florida since the Spring of 2020, although at 4.6%, in October 2021, it is still higher than it was in January 2020 (3.3%). The challenge for employers is that it’s a tight labor market. Recruiting and retention difficulties are greater in blue-collar and manual services jobs (onsite jobs). The number of individuals quitting their job (about 4.2 million throughout the country), has led economists to call this period in time “the Great Resignation.”
There are many factors that lead to an individual’s decision to leave an employer. Recent surveys have found:
- 50% of employees intend to make career changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 80% cited the importance flexible hours and work location in their decision to find a new job. Work arrangements were very important to more women than men (66% vs 49% respectively).
- Over 50% of working parents with children ages 3-17 are considering leaving their job because they feel their company (54%) or manager (51%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.
- 41% of employees are considering quitting their job because they feel that their company (41%) or manager (37%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.
- 72% of employees consider work-life balance to be very important when looking for a new job
What Businesses Can Do!
There are actions that employers can take to better meet the needs of workers with children (i.e., to increase job satisfaction, to strengthen relationships among management and employees to foster a sense of belonging and loyalty, and implement policies to support families such as help with child care needs). Throughout the country, employers are re-thinking ways to address the current recruitment and retention challenges. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey is conducted annually, which reports on trends in employee benefits in the United States. The survey was conducted in the fall of 2020 and a follow up survey was conducted in the spring of 2021 with over 2,500 Human Resource (HR) professionals employed by companies of varying sizes. The study found the top 5 expanded employee benefits in 2020 (percentages of responders who indicated their organization increased the benefit):
- 2020 Top 5 business reported employee benefit expansions
- 78% employee options for telework
- 43% telemedicine services
- 39% leave to care for children
- 27% leave to care for an adult family member
- 25% mental health service
- Flexible work benefits in 2020
- 50% Flextime during core business hours
- 32% Flextime outside of core business hours
- 32% Compressed work week
- Employee health and well-being benefits in 2020
- 68% Medical flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
- 98% Paid vacation time
- 95% paid sick time*
- 53% paid parental leave*
*COVID-19 legislation enacted by Congress , the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L.116-127), is likely to have increased the percentage of employers that offered paid sick time.
- 2019 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Employee Benefit Survey (a more comprehensive survey compared to the 2021 survey conducted during the pandemic)
- The 2019 SHRM employee benefit survey found:
- Related to Healthy Families
- 75% of employers offered Employee Assistance Plans (EAPs) that help employees deal with problems and pressures.
- 58% of employers offered employee wellness programs.
- 51% of employers offered on-site lactation rooms for nursing mothers.
- Related to Child Care
- 59% of employers offered Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs) that help employees pay for child care.
- 11% of employered offered employee access to information to help find child care in the community through Child Care Resource & Referral agencies.
- 4% of employers offered support for child care onsite.
- 4% of employers offered a non-subsidized child care center (company-affiliated onsite or near site center).
- Related to Flexible Work Benefits
- 69% of employers offered telecommuting on an ad-hoc basis.
- 42% of employers offered telecommuting on a part-time basis.
- 27% of employers offered telecommuting on a full-time basis.
- 15% of employers offered a 4-day workweek of 32 hours or less per week that applies to all employees for all or part of the year.
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Resource Corner
- The Business Case for Early Education Investments (One Pager)
- 2020 SHRM Employee Benefit Report
- 2019 SHRM Employee Benefit Report
- Work Flex & Telework Guide (SHRM)
- Explainer: What’s driving the “Great Resignation”? (World Economic Forum, November 2021)
- How Employee Desire for Flexibility and Concern from Companies is Driving the Future of Work (Catalyst, Workplaces that Work for Women, October 2021)
- How Employers Combat Labor Shortages (The Conference Board, 2021)
- Tips to Update Employer Policies (one pager)
- Supporting Employees with Young and School-aged Children Survey (Willis Towers Watson, 2020)
