This article is a staff report that originally appeared in the Triangle Business Journal. For the original article, click here.
A new effort is looking to help North Carolina businesses meet the needs of families – and show why that’s important to employers and bottom lines.
The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation initiative includes a 10-member advisory council with Dr. Betsey Tilson, the state health director, and Fara Palumbo, chief people officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Surveys and meetings across the state will collect ideas that will go into a toolkit for businesses with advice on how to create family-friendly workplaces.
“We are looking to get a diversity of opinions,” says Tracy Zimmerman, the foundation’s executive director.
She says the timing is important, with millennials seeking a work-life balance and the strong economy making it hard to retain talent. Zimmerman says the business response has been “largely positive. They realized these types of things were good for families and good for business. I was impressed.”