Parent Time

Trying to pin down the exact definition of “family friendly” is a little like teaching a toddler quantum physics. Does it mean flextime? How about on-site daycare? Maybe maternity top-ups fit the bill.

That these are still a rarity in most companies, and not the norm in 2003, is a testament to the value most employers place on family life: not much. Working parents are still trying to reach that elusive and (some would argue) over-used term, balance.

The good news is that employers are waking up to the fact that a happy, well-adjusted employee is one who sticks around. They’re learning that employee retention is in their best interest: Losing an employee costs anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 times the exiting worker’s salary to pay for replacement, orientation and training, according to many business experts.

Given that a family-friendly work environment is what we all want, and what few of us have, Today’s Parent wanted to see which employers were providing it. To arrive at the most comprehensive list possible, we joined forces with the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers who each year invite more than 5,000 growing companies to fill out a detailed questionnaire about their human resources policies. For our list, Canada’s Top 100 editor Richard Yerema and Today’s Parent identified employers who have implemented policies specifically to make their companies more attractive to working parents, and chose 15 who are leading the way.

We soon discovered family friendly means more than simply describing practices. It’s about respect. “It’s a recognition that the people who work for you have responsibilities beyond themselves,” Yerema says. “Employers are striving to find ways to accommodate employees through simple things like flexible work arrangements or more extensive benefits.” They’re finding ways to be on the side of employees raising a family, says Yerema.

“A family-friendly work environment is one where employees have the ability to fulfill all of their responsibilities at home and at work without fear, guilt or anxiety,” says Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises, a Toronto-based consulting company that helps employers implement employee-friendly policies.

And what makes a workplace family friendly differs from employee to employee. If you’re doing shift work, you’re probably more concerned with knowing your schedule well in advance so you can set up child care. For your neighbour, it may be a case of setting up a shared job or a compressed week in order to have breakfast with his preschooler each morning.

That’s why we’ve avoided ranking our 15 most family-friendly employers. Depending on job and industry, everyone has their own idea of what’s most helpful to get through the week with a minimum of stress. But one thing is clear: If you work for a respectful employer that takes your outside commitments seriously, you’re more likely to flip past the careers section of the newspaper.

Originally published in Today's Parent, December 2003