According to the American Psychological Association, 92% of workers want to work for an employer that values their well-being. Yet Arizona businesses lose $958 million annually due to turnover and productivity disruptions tied to child care challenges. Family-friendly policies directly address these issues, making employers more competitive in both recruitment and retention.
What are family-friendly policies
Family-friendly policies are workplace benefits and practices that help employees balance work and family. Here are examples employers can offer:
Workplace Support
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): Offer counseling, caregiving resources and stress management tools
- Employee Resource Groups (ERG): Provide employee-led communities for working parents.
- Lactation support: Provide private, comfortable spaces for new mothers to pump or breastfeed
- Online subscription services: Give access to networks like Care.com, Tootris, and SitterCity, or mental health services like Lyra Health and Modern Health
Child Care Benefits
- Backup child care: Provide access to temporary child care services or providers
- Provider partnerships: Collaborate with providers for tuition discounts, waived fees or priority placements
- On-site or near-site child care: Offer convenient and reliable options that reduce absenteeism
- Stipends or subsidies: Offset the high cost of child care
Employee Scheduling
- Flexible and predictive schedules: Give employees stability through compressed work weeks or hybrid scheduling
- Part-time and job share roles: Keep parents in the workforce while meeting family needs
- Remote work: Cut commute times and ease child care challenges
- Return to work programs: Ease transitions after parental leave
Paid Leave and Benefits
- Parental leave: Provide essential time off for maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- Dependent care flexible spending account (FSA): Allow employees to set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax dollars for child care
How to Get Started
Assess Employee Needs
Use this sample survey from EPIC to gather accurate insights from your employees to identify real child care gaps, costs and scheduling pressures that affect their ability to work. The results will help you design family-friendly policies that directly reduce turnover and boost productivity.Explore Your Options
Options like flexible scheduling can be implemented right away, while long-term strategies—such as on-site or near-site child care—deliver lasting impact. Use EPIC’s Child Care Navigator to compare options, estimate costs and find tailored solutions that make sense for your business.Partner with local organizations
Partner with state and community programs like First Things First and Child Care Resource & Referral or directly with child care providers. Collaborate with other employers or nonprofits to expand access while sharing costs.Implement, track and adjust
Roll out your chosen policies and communicate them clearly. Track key metrics—absenteeism, turnover, and productivity—to measure ROI. Use this data to refine and adjust your approach over time.Share your story
Highlight your efforts with chambers of commerce, policymakers and peers. Position your company as a leader in workforce development. Sharing your success not only strengthens your brand but also inspires others to act.