Resources

New Report: Family-Friendly Workplaces Help Retain and Return Workers

A new report by the International Economic Development Council about how economic development professionals can reduce barriers to work and bring people back to the…

NC Department of Commerce: Invest in Children, Working Families to Invest in NC’s Workforce

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s (NCDoC) recently released Economic Development Strategic Plan calls for investment in children and working fam…

A Collaborative Resource Guide for Child Care and Afterschool Planning in School Districts for 2020-2021

Child Care Services Association (CCSA), which works to ensure affordable, accessible, high quality child care for all families, recently released a new resource fo…

A Snapshot of Child Care Relief Options During COVID-19

Child Care Relief Options at the Federal and State Level As many businesses close their doors due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, child care centers are feeling the financial strain.45% of child care centers are losing income because families can’t pay125% of centers are losing income because they’re reimbursed by the state based on attendance of low-income families using child care subsidies137% of child care providers have had to lay-off or furlough staff or have been laid off or furloughed themselves241% of providers anticipate more lay-offs and furloughs in the coming week…

Sample Policy: Part-time Work

The following is from Duke University’s HR website. For the full list of benefits at Duke, click here. Abbreviated Schedule or Part-Time WorkAbbreviated schedule or part-time work is a regular arrangement consisting of a workweek that is less than the standard 40 hours per week. Abbreviated schedule and part-time work can attract and retain trained and experienced staff who cannot work full-time due to personal commitments. Abbreviated Schedule Staff members who work an abbreviated schedule are hired to regularly established positions for a period of at least nine months or for…

Sample Policy: Emergency and Backup Child Care

The following is from an employee FAQ for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s subsidized back-up and emergency childcare. Blue Cross NC, headquartered in Durham, has 4,700 employees. Annual Day Allotment for Onsite Backup Childcare: Employees are allocated 30 days per child per year at a subsidized cost. Additional Program Weeks: We will offer program weeks in the during Spring, Summer and Winter Breaks. The program weeks will include special programming and/or field trips. These days are in addition to your annual allotment of back-up days will not count toward the…

Sample Policy: Subsidized Child Care

The following is the YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s subsidized child care and youth program policy. The nonprofit in Wilmington has 75 employees. The overall health and well-being of our employees is very important at the YWCA Lower Cape Fear. We want to encourage all employees to lead a healthy, active lifestyle, and feel connected to all co-workers, programs, activities and facilities. Our goal is to create a comfortable, fun and supportive atmosphere that provides a positive model for employees and their families. The YWCA offers the following health and wellness opportunities to e…

Sample Policy: Flexible Spending Accounts

The following is an excerpt from the Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina 2018 Benefits Summary. For more information, click here. Flexible Spending Account What is it? Goodwill’s Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plan offers full-time regular employees the opportunity to set aside money from each paycheck before taxes are taken to be used for certain dependent care and unreimbursed health care expenses, as well as non-Goodwill health insurance premiums in the employee’s name. Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code allows Goodwill to provide this pre-tax benefit; howev…

Sample Policy: Flextime/Job Sharing

The following is a template flextime and job sharing policy from the Society of Human Resource Management, which is available on the Family Friendly New Mexico website. For the original policy, click here. [Company Name] is committed to helping employees face the demands of juggling work, family and life-related issues by offering a number of possible flexible work arrangements. These arrangements provide employees with increased flexibility with their work schedule while allowing [Company Name] to maintain a progressive and productive work environment. Alternative work sche…

Sample Policy: Paid Family and Medical Leave

The following is a sample paid family and medical leave policy created by The Paid Leave Project.  [EMPLOYER] is committed to a culture that helps our employees meet the demands of family and employment responsibilities.  Offering our employees the option of taking paid time off when they or a family member is sick is not just good for our employees and their families, it’s good for our business. Therefore, it is our policy to provide up to [#] weeks of paid family and medical leave in a 12-month period to eligible employees as defined below. Eligibility  To be eligible for paid Family and Medica…

Sample Policy: Paid Sick and Safe Leave

The following is adapted from a template sick and safe leave policy created by the Center for Law and Social Policy. For the original, click here. Eligible employees are entitled to accrue up to ___ days of paid time off per year for the illness of the employee or a family member, or to help ensure the safety of the employee or a family member as provided below. Employees begin to accrue leave under this policy at the start of employment and can use leave anytime thereafter. One hour of paid sick or safe time accrues for each __ hours worked by the employee, up to a maximum of ___ days per year. All emp…

Sample Policy: Paid Parental Involvement Leave

Below is a sample template policy for parental involvement leave. Employees who have children in primary or secondary school may take up to 16 hours of paid time off for school activities per calendar year. Employees must request time off for a child’s school activity at least seven days in advance. In the event of an emergency school meeting, at least 24 hours’ notice is required if possible. The time off will be given in increments of no less than one hour and no more than four hours. Employees are not required to make up lost time. An employee may be requested to provide documentation for the time…