Balancing work and personal obligations is often a challenge. Employees with children may get unexpected calls from schools when their child is sick. Professionals with aging parents may struggle to provide them with the care and support they require while keeping up with their workload. These sorts of scenarios are incredibly commonplace, leading many workers to seek out employers who understand that their professional and personal lives may not always remain compartmentalized.
When a company wants to be viewed as an employer of choice, offering the right support to your employees can make a difference. By implementing certain family-friendly policies that provide your teams with value, you can attract and retain top talent.
A flexible schedule and telecommuting options can be ideal for any employee who acts as a caregiver for a family member of any age. With a flexible schedule, they can choose which hours work best for them on the work front, ensuring they can handle their duties and avoid using leave unless it is absolutely necessary. Telecommuting options can provide a similar benefit, giving them the ability to work from home when a family member needs direct care.
The vast majority of employers do not offer leave programs that are specifically geared toward family needs. Maternity and paternity leave both fall in this category, as well as medical leave that can be used when a family member needs care.
If you expand your leave offerings, do make sure that the program is fair. You want the policy to apply equally to all workers, or it may please some but frustrate others.
Childcare is typically expensive and isn’t always available near your employees’ homes or your workplace. By offering childcare assistance, you might be able to alleviate some of the burden.
For example, some employers have on-site daycare facilities. Others cover a portion of an employee’s costs at off-site daycares or develop partnerships with area providers to secure discounts. Any approach can be viewed as a benefit by working parents, so they are worth exploring if you want to attract top talent.
While federal and certain state laws make it mandatory for employers to provide lactating employees with breaks and a private area for pumping breast milk, some companies are taking it a step further. For example, they designate spaces as lactation rooms, provide access to basic supplies, and make the spaces comfortable and relaxing. Others even offer breastfeeding education classes, give new mothers access to lactation consultants, or ship breast milk home when the employee is traveling.
All of the benefits above can be worth offering, especially if you want to stand out as an employer of choice. If you’d like to learn more, the professionals at TRC Staffing Services want to hear from you. Contact us to speak with one of our skilled team members today and see how our employee benefits expertise can help you stand out from the competition.