Build a Better Workplace for Caregivers - Economic & Workforce Development Department, City of Los Angeles

Companies Benefit From Family-Friendly Policies

Recent studies have emphasized that businesses should adapt their workplace policies to the continuing health threat and social disruption posed by the pandemic. By providing working parents the time, information, services, and resources they need to cope with the crisis, family-friendly policies and practices can make an important difference in people's lives.

Managing work and family obligations can take a serious toll on people, which can have a direct impact on your business. This imbalance can impact the quality of your employees' work and it can also lead frustrated mothers and fathers to look for more family-friendly workplaces. A supportive and equitable workplace is beneficial to employers as well as employees, by helping:

Make employees more productive
Create a less stressful work environment
Attract more top talent
Retain quality employees

So what can you do to make your business more family-friendly?

Workplace policies that support workers and their families

Apply good practices when implementing existing or new policies

Protect the workplace against discrimination and social stigma

Build a Family Friendly Business

Investing in family friendly policies is good for families, businesses and economies. But for too many parents around the world, policies, such as paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, childcare and child grants, are not a reality. Not only do family-friendly policies pay off in healthier, better-educated children, greater gender equality and sustainable growth, they are linked to better workforce productivity and the ability to attract, motivate and retain employees. ¹

Creating a flexible work environment for working parents often increases organizational dedication, paving the way for thriving businesses that contribute to the economic development of the City of Los Angeles. Here are six policies that can help your business appeal to existing and potential family-oriented employees.

Offer the maximum amount of family leave and paid sick leave

Moms should never have to choose between their health or their paycheck. Provide the maximum amount of family leave time to recover and bond with their babies. Offer bereavement leave to mothers who experience pregnancy loss. It takes physical time and mental space to recover from these events. Offer paid sick leave commensurate with employee tenure. Research has shown that employees who lack paid sick leave are more likely to go to work sick, spread contagious diseases, have financial hardships and skip preventive health care. ²

Implement flexible work arrangements

If properly designed, flexible work arrangements give workers greater freedom of when and where to fulfil their job responsibilities. They support workers to meet personal or family needs and achieve better work-life balance. They also enhance workers’ productivity in challenging circumstances. Flexible work arrangements are particularly important in the context of widespread school closures and restricted childcare options.

Support working parents with safe & reliable childcare options

Childcare is an integral part of family-friendly policies by supporting parents in providing stimulation and responsive care for young children while they work. In the context of widespread school and childcare closures, employers can provide critical support to parents who are faced with limited or no childcare options. Some parents may even be compelled to leave younger children with limited supervision, which can compromise their safety.

Close the gender wage gap

Women are disproportionately in low wage jobs. Employers should pay all employees the living wage rate for their region. Creating equal opportunities for high paying positions along with evaluating how bias may impact hiring and promotions will reduce turnover costs and increase employee productivity. A study by The Center for American Progress estimates that the cost of replacing low-wage workers is equal to about 16% of that employee’s annual salary. ³

Create gender equity in the workplace

Companies need to stop passively penalizing women for becoming mothers. Employers can change that by reducing and eliminating the discrimination that mothers face in the workplace. Begin by offering unconscious bias training for employees to root out the caretaking stigmas and check for bias in leadership development opportunities and developmental assignments. Businesses will benefit from a work culture of loyal, diverse and productive employees.

Make it easier for women to rejoin the workforce

Despite accounting for 58% of the highly credentialed talent pool, nearly a third of women take a career break to fulfill caregiving responsibilities. When returning to work, moms are often met with unwelcoming environments. Companies like Goldman Sachs, Cloudflare and IBM offer return-to-work programs as a way to transition back into the workforce, a powerful way to build a team of diverse talent. Offering a returnship program will result in a more diverse team with happier, loyal employees. ⁴