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What is a
family-friendly workplace?
Just as there is no cookie-cutter solution to work-family issues
there is also no absolute definition of what constitutes a
family-friendly workplace. Many factors, including the nature of the
business, employee needs and the specific community and culture
involved, shape the kind of approach which makes a particular
workplace family-friendly.
While the definition of family-friendly is hard to pin-down, the
following are features to strive for in creating family-friendly
work environments:
- Flexibility: this refers to an operational style that
responds positively to employee needs that may arise from
time-to-time, to attend to urgent family issues such as
emergency child care or elder care responsibilities.
- Supportive Supervisors/Managers: this refers to a
management style that is about valuing staff. This approach is
characterized by a desire to help employees address their
stressors and achieve better balance between work and the rest
of their lives.
- A Culture that is Work/Family Friendly: this type of
workplace is characterized by overall values and attitudes which
see work/family issues as an opportunity to develop ‘new ways of
working,’ which are shown to assist in recruiting and retaining
high quality employees.
- Alternative Work Arrangements: an array of flexible
options are made available to employees, including daily or
scheduled flextime arrangements, job-share, reduced hours,
compressed work-week, family leave options, telecommuting,
leaves and sabbatical options.
- Recognition of Child and Elder Care Issues: this
might include providing some form of support for childcare,
providing access to a referral service regarding child or elder
care, establishing on-site childcare or, as has been done in
some Canadian cities, developing a consortium with other
employers in order to provide emergency childcare.
For an example of how to approach an employer to negotiate
family-friendly practices in the workplace visit
www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/famsci/fs514w.htm
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