The Employer-Supported Child Care Technical Assistance Program (also known as Family-Friendly Workplaces) offers professional, no-cost business consultations that support employers in becoming family-friendly.
The current labor shortage in Washington state is directly associated with the lack of access to affordable, sufficient, quality child care. Availability of and access to child care helps people go to work, but many working families, parents, and caregivers participating in educational pursuits, job training, apprenticeships, or job-seeking struggle to find care in their community and flexibility within their workplace.
Research shows that implementing family-friendly policies and practices is good for business, company culture, employee recruitment and retention, and the companies bottom-line.
Family-Friendly Workplaces program consults employers as they consider, assess, and implement, if feasible, family-friendly employment policies and practices. This program strives to reduce the tension between work and family, creating a work-life harmony and building a workplace culture that enables employees and businesses to thrive.
The Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Association of Washington Business, and Department of Children, Youth, and Families, is offering no-cost, professional business consultations, resources, and a broad range of solutions and tools to support employers in becoming family-friendly.
Solutions and tools
Information Referral
- Employee Resource Group (ERG) – An employer-supported voluntary employee-led group where participants share the same interest. One type of employee resource group can be for working parents or guardians to share information about child care issues.
- Information sharing – Employers share child care information and resources with employees – either printed, digitally, or verbally.
- Workplace culture – Employer creates a culture that supports child care through communication, policies, procedures, leadership awareness, and the shared understanding that child care is an issue many people deal with.
Flexible Shifts
- Consistent scheduling – Employees have a fixed regular work schedule over a defined period. There is advanced notice for changes to the schedule.
- Job sharing – Typically, two employees split a position and each employee works part-time; together their hours may equate to a full-time position.
- Non-standard schedules – Typically, employees work fewer but longer workdays over the work week. Allowing all or some employees to work schedules such as four 10-hour shifts, four 9-hour shifts and one 4-hour shift, three 12-hour shifts, etc.
- Remote work – Employees are not required to be on the employer’s premises in order to perform their job and can therefore work from home or other off-site location.
- Staggered shifts – Employer schedules employees to start and end work at different times over the course of the workday.
Financial Contributions
- Child care subsidies – Providing funds to offset the cost of childcare.
- Flexible spending accounts (DCAP/FSA/Other) – Employees use pre-tax dollars to help pay for child care.
Employee Benefits
- Employee Assistance Program – Considered an employee benefit, the employer engages with an external vendor that traditionally provides employees with confidential access to counseling and resources. Many EAPs now provide other professional
- Flexible leave – Broadens the uses for employee leave that is already provided; could also include pooling existing leave options into a single leave definition.
- Paid leave for new parents/guardians – Employer provides additional paid leave for new parents and guardians that can cover births, adoptions, foster care placements, and legal guardianship. This strategy complements maternity and other types of leave.
- Unlimited paid time off – Employees can take as much time off as they need and do not have accrued time off banks.
Child Care
- Back-up care – Employer contracts with a vendor to provide backup child care for employees with children who need help on a short-term basis such as a sick child that cannot attend school or child care.
- Bring child to work – Employer allows staff to bring children to work in order to care for them while working (includes Infant at Work Programs).
- Child care center slots – Employer supports child care for employees by securing preferential access to a predetermined number of slots at existing facilities.
- Community partnerships – Employer partners with community organization to help with information sharing, building community assets, and pooling expenses. This is usually a longer term strategy.
- On-site child care center – Employer dedicates space for a child care center on site where employees work; employer may operate the center or have it managed by an outside vendor.
Resources
- Family-Friendly Workplaces Employer Toolkit (PDF)
- Family-Friendly Workplaces Employer Self-Assessment (PDF)
- Family-Friendly Workplaces Program Overview (YouTube)
Employer testimonials
- Chinook Enterprises: Chinook Enterprises values learning new methods of being more of a Family-Friendly Workplace to effectively attract and retain talent. The cohort program provided space for peer sharing and consultations with HR and Finance expertise. They encourage employers to dig in to learn about becoming a family-friendly workplace. Learn more watching the Chinook Enterprises Testimonial (on YouTube).
- GLDN: GLDN learns that what they offer is family-friendly and there is a lot more they can do. People are struggling with child care because of their location. Program is flexible, tangible and hands on. They value the expertise provided and the relationships and connections with other peer leaders. They encourage understanding what matters to employees- their families. Learn more watching the GLDN Testimonial (on YouTube).
- LSW Architects: LSW Architects enjoys the discovery and evolution of learning how to support the whole person and their family needs- not just the employee. Family-friendly begins with acknowledgement. They value the space to think about things differently. Success is in the little steps along the way. It doesn’t need to be a huge investment. We can put numbers this for the employee and the company. Not just one. It can be both. Learn more watching the LSW Architects Testimonial (on YouTube).
- NWESD 189: NWESD 189 is always looking for ways to improve. This cohort program helps to understand what is family-friendly and assess employer options. The framework provides a language to more effectively communicate the value of their offerings. Learn more watching the NWESD 189 Testimonial (on YouTube).
- PACCAR: PACCAR Technical Center originally signed up learn about the range of solutions. With many young employees who are parents, they understand the importance of providing information and resources to help them. Being a family-friendly workplace is not a one size fits all approach. Learn more watching the PACCAR Testimonial (on YouTube).
- Port of Anacortes: Port of Anacortes trains their employees and wants to reduce turnover. They find that child care is a workforce barrier. This cohort is structured to focus on becoming more of a family-friendly workplace. With the dedicated time to focus on all the strategies, they developed an action plan. Learn more watching the Ports of Anacortes Testimonial (on YouTube).
- Skagit Regional Health: Skagit Regional Health valued the dialogue among peer employers as well as the cohort approach to workshop what will work for each employer. With HR and finance considerations, becoming more of a family-friendly workplace is an investment in employees with a ROI and increased quality of patient care. Learn more watching the Skagit Regional Health Testimonial (on YouTube).
- Skagit Transit: Skagit Transit explored ideas and learned from other peer employers in our county. It is important to have partners and initiatives like this to help our county grow. Learn more watching the Skagit Transit Testimonial (on YouTube).
- Vancouver Farmers Market: Vancouver Farmers Market is a small nonprofit actively addressing family-friendly work practices. Through the professionally-run cohort program, they are building a long term plan. Learn more watching the Vancouver Farmers Market Testimonial (on YouTube).
- Youth and Family Link: Youth and Family Link is aware of women and their child care needs. Employees can’t find or afford child care. The cohort program increased our conversations to look around and see what is working and what we could do better. The framework is not prescriptive. We could get a lot done during the cohort. They shared that “What is family-friendly” is really defined by you and your employees. Learn more watching the Youth and Family Link Testimonial (on YouTube).