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

  • Seventy percent of working parents say they are more likely to choose an employer that provides child care benefits over one that does not. Footnote # 6

  • Employees who have access to paid leave are less likely to quit their job. Footnote # 7 Sixty-seven percent of women who take paid leave when it’s offered return to work equally or more engaged in their role. Footnote # 8

94% of NC employees say that family-friendly policies help businesses attract and retain talent and keep companies strong.Footnote # 9

According to an Ernst and Young survey in 2024, among employees planning to leave their employer in the next 12 months, 34% cite access to better benefits - including paid leave, flexibility, and overall wellbeing programs - as the main reason. Footnote # 10

Show 10 footnotes
  1. 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 #1 referrer
  2. 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 #2 referrer
  3. 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 #3 referrer
  4. North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. “North Carolina Employees Agree: Family-friendly practices are good for business.” September 12, 2018. https://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. Catalyst. Four in ten working mothers to change jobs because of childcare. October 5, 2023. https://www.catalyst.org/about/newsroom/2023/working-parents-childcare-problems-report Return to footnote #6 referrer
  7. Williamson, Molly. “America’s Small Businesses Need a National Paid Leave Program.” Center for American Progress. September 19, 2024. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/americas-small-businesses-need-a-national-paid-leave-program Return to footnote #7 referrer
  8. Whalen, Allison and Kothri, Mansi. Paid Parental Leave Experience for Women in Corporate America. Parentaly. September 17, 2024. https://www.parentaly.com/blog/parental-leave-experience-survey-2024-recap Return to footnote #8 referrer
  9. 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 #9 referrer
  10. Ernst and Young. 2024 Work Reimagined Survey. October 2024. https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insights/workforce/work-reimagined-survey Return to footnote #10 referrer