Parents At Work
One significant way that employers in the Caribbean can support
parents is by providing a variety of options that allow them to
better balance their work and family life. Companies in Europe and
the US already recognize the great benefits to be had by doing this.
Benefits to workers cover a wide range:
- Flexible work schedules.
- Tele-commuting, or working from home, a couple
days a week. Some businesses are reluctant to offer this because
of control issues ("How do I know my employee isn't watching a
rerun of Bewitched?"), but this is a popular benefit.
- Flexible spending accounts. Some companies
allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for day care.
- Resource referral services. Companies might
compile a list of all the day care centers in a five-mile radius
of work or an employee's home. Some collect names of area
counselors who deal in stress, for example, and make them
available to their employees.
- Help a new employee's spouse find work in the
area.
- Job sharing. Instead of filling a position with
one person, hire two people who want to work half-time.
- Lactation programs. Some companies have room set
aside for new mothers to pump breast milk during work.
- Other family-friendly practices that attract
employees, but cost more are:
- Concierge services. Some companies provide
people to perform such services as shopping for employee's
groceries or running their errands.
- On-site or near-site day care centers. Some
companies set up a day care center for their employees'
children. Others band together with nearby businesses to
pool resources and set up day care centers. Some companies
combine child care and elder care in one facility.
Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or
evelynb@montana.edu
Other resources on the web:
For more information on how family friendly practices can benefit
employers check out these sites:
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