Resources

For Small Businesses

Small businesses account for 99.6 percent of all businesses in North Carolina and employ nearly half of all North Carolinians. And overall, 60 percent of small businesses nationwide say the labor shortage is affecting them.

Attract Workers and Keep Them

Family-friendly workplaces attract more workers and keep them longer. Yet, by and large, small businesses tend to offer fewer family-friendly policies to employees:

Nationally, 28 percent of employers with 500 or more employees offer child care benefits, but just five percent of small businesses with fewer than 50 employees do.
Similarly, larger employers are more likely to offer paid family leave and paid sick leave than small employers.

For many small businesses, determining how to incorporate family-friendly workplace practices can be a challenge. Many times, business owners feel they don’t have the cash flow or resources to offer support like paid family leave or child care stipends. On top of that, most small businesses do not have a dedicated HR professional (or even someone experienced with workforce issues) handling their HR needs.

But the cost of not having a family-friendly workplace is steep. In a 2021 Pew Research Center survey of workers who quit their jobs in 2021, nearly half cited child care issues as one of the reasons, and 43 percent said the benefits weren’t good.

Small businesses need additional support to build awareness about how they can incorporate family-friendly practices in a cost effective way.

We are here to help.

Guide Resources for Small Businesses

Below is a compilation of resources from across our Guide to Family Forward Workplaces that can be used by small businesses to determine what benefits are needed, what the cost/benefit analysis is, and what the data shows for business benefit and benefit to families and children.

Our resources for employers page includes cost calculators and tips on creating a family-friendly workplace culture.
The Rapid Response Small Business Webinar is packed with great information and advice from our HR partners at Performentor.
This sample employee survey and current policy assessment will help you quickly assess which benefits are most useful to your current employees, and which benefits they need the most to support their families.
Finally, this child care needs assessment will help you understand how your employees child care needs are impacting your business, so you know how to support the caregivers and parents who work for you.

Consult online and organizational resources for help.

Need examples of small businesses who’ve incorporated family-friendly policies? Check out these case studies:

Need more? Check out our news and case studies page!

Already family-friendly?

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