Why This Matters

Business Smart.

Family-friendly workplaces have a competitive advantage: They attract and retain more top talent, and their employees are more productive and more committed.Footnote # 1 Plus, family-friendly employers benefit from reduced employee health care costs,Footnote # 2 a healthier work environment, and fewer employee absences.Footnote # 3

Employers of all sizes across North Carolina see family-friendly practices as an effective way to grow a more prosperous company, and employees both nationally and across the state say they are more likely to work for employers who are family friendly.

75% of employers

in North Carolina think family-friendly policies have a positive impact on their organization.Footnote # 4

73% of employees

in North Carolina would be more committed to their employer if they offered more family-friendly practices.Footnote # 5

  • 86% of US millennials, which now make up the greatest percentage of workforce,Footnote # 6 say they are less likely to leave an employer that offers paid parental leave.Footnote # 7

  • 94% of NC employees say that family-friendly policies help businesses attract and retain talent and keep companies strong.Footnote # 8

67% of NC employers have added or are considering adding family-friendly benefits as a result of COVID-19.Footnote # 9

Of more than 1,500 human resource officers surveyed by Ernst and Young in 2016, 71 percent said paid family leave positively impacted productivity, and 82 percent reported improved employee morale.Footnote # 10

According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the pandemic has created “the most difficult hiring environment for employers in a generation or more…”Footnote # 11

Show 11 footnotes
  1. Brueck, Hilary. “The US birth rate has hit an all-time low, fueling fears of a ‘demographic time bomb’- but women over 40 are a big exception.” Business Insider. May 18, 2018. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-birth-rate-hit-all-time-low-demographic-time-bomb-2018-5. Return to footnote #1 referrer
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s Health. "The Business Case for Breastfeeding: Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite." https://www.womenshealth.gov/files/documents/bcfb_business-case-for-breastfeeding-for-business-managers.pdf. Return to footnote #2 referrer
  3. National Women’s Law Center. “Accommodating Pregnant Workers is Good for Business.” July 2017. https://nwlc.org/resources/business-case-accommodating-pregnant-workers/. Return to footnote #3 referrer
  4. North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. “North Carolina Employees Agree: Family-friendly practices are good for business.” September 12, 2018. https://files.familyforwardnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Family-Forward-Research-Report_Online_091218.pdf. Return to footnote #4 referrer
  5. Ibid. Return to footnote #5 referrer
  6. Fry, Richard. “Millennials are the largest generation in the U.S. labor force.” Pew Research Center. April 11, 2018. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/11/millennials-largest-generation-us-labor-force/. Return to footnote #6 referrer
  7. Unum. “Paid family leave ranks as most coveted work perk, Unum finds.” August 9, 2018. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180809005704/en/. Return to footnote #7 referrer
  8. North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. “North Carolina Employees Agree: Family-friendly practices are good for business.” September 12, 2018. https://files.familyforwardnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Family-Forward-Research-Report_Online_091218.pdf. Return to footnote #8 referrer
  9. Family Forward NC "Biennial Report" Winter 2022. https://familyforwardnc.com/2020-2021-biennial-report/ Return to footnote #9 referrer
  10. Ernst and Young. “Viewpoints on paid family and medical leave Findings from a survey of US employers and employees.” March 2017. https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-viewpoints-on-paid-family-and-medical-leave/$FILE/EY-viewpoints-on-paid-family-and-medical-leave.pdf Return to footnote #10 referrer
  11. Berger-Gross, Andrew. Help Wanted: An Update on the North Carolina’s Labor Shortage. North Carolina Department of Commerce. July 12, 2021. https://www.nccommerce.com/blog/2021/07/12/help-wanted-update-north-carolina%E2%80%99s-labor-shortage Return to footnote #11 referrer