Family-friendly business practices are policies and benefits provided to employees to assist them with their family needs and obligations. The idea of family-friendly business practices was part of the 1992 presidential debates regarding “family values” and the FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA), vetoed by President George H. W. Bush and later passed under the Clinton administration. Under FMLA, a covered employer must grant an eligible employee up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons.
• for the birth and care of the employee’s newborn child
• for placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition
• to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition
Beyond the Family and Medical Leave Act, there is no one definition of what constitutes a family-friendly business, but two surveys provide guidelines. A group in Horry County, South Carolina, created the Employee Certified Family-Friendly Business Initiative. To be certified at their minimum (bronze) level, a firm needs to offer
• health INSURANCE with the organization paying at least 50 percent of the premium and offering some dependent coverage
• paid time off for critical family needs
• dependent care assistance
• some type of savings program
• school/educational support
• community/neighborhood support
• paid vacation or leave
• opportunity for skill development and progression
• some type of dissemination of family, work/life information
• sponsored seminars or workshops on family/work/life topics
• employee recognition for work service, community work, and personal events
• life insurance for employees
• selected benefits for part-time/seasonal employees
• a written MISSION STATEMENT emphasizing employees and family
By 2001, 21 area organizations had been certified as familyfriendly. In a second study, 28 benefits or policies were identified as family-friendly business practices, including
• timing of employee training
• equal pay for equal work
• vacation time
• time for family emergencies
• MINIMUM WAGE
• health insurance
• COMPARABLE WORTH
• flexible working hours
• college tuition reimbursement
• overtime guidelines for salaried employees
• family counseling services
• moving expenses reimbursement
• preretirement planning services
• freedom to refuse transfers
• family leave
• pretax account for dependent care
• consideration of spouse in transfers
• voluntary reduced time
• CAFETERIA PLAN for benefits
• benefits for part-time workers
• job-sharing opportunities
• satellite offices/branches
• work-at-home capability
• release time or flexible hours for sick-dependent care
• release time or flexible hours for elderly care
• paid time off for volunteer work
• dependent care provision or referral
• career break plan
Relatively few firms offer all or most of these benefits or policies. Traditionally in the United States, employees were expected to “leave their personal problems at the door.” During the labor shortage that occurred in many industries in the 1990s, many U.S. companies became more flexible in accommodating and supporting their employees’ personal needs. Surveys show that companies offering familyfriendly work environments have greater worker loyalty, initiative, and teamwork.