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.

Saskatchewan-based employers and employees can contact the Work and Family Unit for consultation and practical tools that can help make their workplace more family-friendly.
      

Straight Talk

An example of how to approach an employer to negotiate family-friendly practices in the workplace

Below are selected quotations from Deb Gebeke, North Dakota State University, "Balancing Work and Family: Working with Your Employer", 1994. The complete on-line version of this article can be found at: www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/famsci/fs514w.htm

Time Off for Children's Events at School/Child-Care Site

Visiting your child's school or child-care site is an important task for parents. However, your work demands/schedule may often stand in the way. Children need parents to help bridge the worlds of home and school. Parents need release time from work, usually in small increments, to attend to their children's needs.

Step One:  Explain why release time is important

Help employers understand that parent involvement sends an important message to children. It says adults care about what they do each day and are interested in their friends and in their lives as individuals.

Parents need to visit classrooms to:

• help children make the transition from home to school

• better understand the types of activities children are doing so they can be reinforced at home

• build partnerships with and provide support, input and assistance to the children's teachers and care providers.

Step Two:  Explain how you will use this release time

For employers to support these activities, help them understand what you will be doing in the schools. Explain that you want release time to:

• spend a few extra hours at the school during the first few weeks

• attend a parent-teacher conference

• attend a special school function such as a play or school trip

• volunteer in the classroom.

Step Three:  Be specific in your request

It may be helpful to have a specific understanding with your employer at the beginning of the year regarding policies for parent participation. For example, you may ask for:

• two "school readiness" days a year that could be used to participate in your child's education or child-care program

• a certain number of hours a year to increase your involvement in the schools

• more flexibility in your schedule to visit the school/child-care site in the early morning hours or during lunch.

Step Four:  Once you secure release time, keep your employer and others informed about the importance of such a benefit

If your employer agrees to release time, express your appreciation at an employee function or in the local media.

After a visit to the school, send a short note to your employer about how much it means to you, your children and the school.

Share the idea of such a benefit with neighbours and friends who work with other companies.

Support for children and families is a sound investment in the future since caring for children is everybody's business. Release time to encourage parent participation creates an important partnership among parents, employers, schools and child-care providers that can make a difference in the lives of children and in our country. 

Links to examples of family-friendly workplaces

Canadian Labour and Business Centre
www.clbc.ca/
Access search option and enter Alternative Working Arrangements, Case Studies

Centre for Families Work and Well-Being, University of Guelph
www.uoguelph.ca/cfww/uofgfamstud.pdf  
See: Family Friendly Practices and Flexibility in Small Companies in Canada.

Human Resources Development Canada, Labour Program – Work Life Balance Website, Case Studies
labour.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/worklife/experiencesll-en.cfm

Working Mother Magazine - Annual List of “Best” Companies Based on Corporate Commitment to Work-Life Balance
www.workingwoman.com/wwn/magazine/wm_magazine.jsp
Under Signature Features click 100 Best Companies to Work for

Employers for Work-Life Balance (U.K.)  www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk/
Click “Case Studies”

Department of Education and Employment (U.K.)
www.dfee.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/case.htm
30 brief descriptions of various organizations work-life practices.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Corporate Work and Family Awards
www.dewrsb.gov.au/workplaceRelations/workAndFamily/awards
2000.htm

Links to collective bargaining approaches to balancing work and family

AFL-CIO See: Working Families
www.aflcio.org

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Corporate Work and Family Awards
www.dewrsb.gov.au/workplaceRelations/workAndFamily/awards/
default.asp

Canadian Labour Congress – Bargaining for Equality:
scroll through the table of contents and check out hours of work, job-sharing, family responsibility, leaves of absence, etc. www.clc-ctc.ca/woman/bargntc.html.

Canadian Auto Workers Policy Statement on the Family
www.caw.ca/whoweare/CAWconstitution/conventionpapers/
cawfam_index.cfm

Centre for Families Work and Well-Being, University of Guelph Family Friendly Practices and Flexibility in Small Companies in Canada.
www.uoguelph.ca/cfww/familyfriendpdf.htm

Human Resources Development Canada, Labour Program - Paper on Work and Family Provisions in Canadian Collective Agreements
labour.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/doc/wlb-ctp/CP_Rochon/toc-en.html

The Labour Project for Working Families
laborproject.berkeley.edu/home.html

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Family-Friendly Workplaces: A Study of Saskatchewan Collective Agreements
www.sfl.sk.ca/policy/index.html

Steelworkers Union Guide to Negotiating Work and Family Balance
www.uswa.ca/eng/women_of_steel/wos_news.htm