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Family-Friendly Business Practices

What are some examples of work/life balance policies?

There are several work-life incentive programs that can be offered to help employees balance work and family. Many of these options are easy and inexpensive to implement. Here are some examples:

  • Parent Employee Lunch and Learn seminars provide employees with information on work and family related issues that help them manage their day-to-day work and life responsibilities.
  • Assist employees in locating and selecting high-quality child care through the resource and referral system.
  • Alternative work schedules give employees the flexibility to adjust arrival and departure times instead of traditional 9 am to 5 pm or a five-day week.
  • Adoption assistance allows the employer to pay adoption-related expenses and allows time off for employees when a child is adopted.
  • Wellness and health programs reduce the cost of employee health care and absenteeism.
  • On-Site or near-site child care centers offered to employees help reduce the stress he or she has in finding a child care program. A consortium child care center allows small businesses to offer a major child care benefit by pooling costs among the participating partners.
  • Back-up emergency care and temporary care can be offered to employees whose needs may have changed suddenly.
  • Flexible spending accounts provide employees a way to pay medical and dependent elder or child care expenses that could result in significant tax savings. Employees contribute a part of their salaries before taxes each pay period so that when medical and/or dependent care expenses are incurred, employees are able to reimburse themselves for the eligible expenses.
  • School activities leave grants unpaid time off to employees who are the parents or guardians of school-aged children, so they may attend or participate in school sponsored activities.
  • Provide an on-site resource center that offers handouts, magazines and tapes on various topics of interest for employees. These resources can be available for checkout, reading or to keep.

 

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Did You Know?

Did You KnowDid You Know
  • 90% of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 5.
  • 78% of parents of children under 6 in South Hampton Roads work outside the home, and must find care for thier children.
  • 1 in 8 children in our region arrives at kindergarten not ready.
  • Children who start school behind tend to stay behind.
  • Nationally, 49% of children arriving at school unprepared come from middle and upper income families.
  • 18% of kindergartners held back in Virginia live in South Hampton Roads.
  • Holding back a child in kindergarten adds almost $8,000 to the public cost of that child’s education.
  • 3rd grade reading level is a powerful predictor: for those who fail the 3rd grade reading test, half will also fail the 5th grade.
  • In fact, 62% of Virginia’s students cannot read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.
  • A working, middle class family, with two young children, will spend on average 29% of their income on child care.


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